Search - Sinopoli, Staatskapelle Dresden :: Webern: In Sommerwind; Passacaglia Op.1; Orchestral Pieces Op. 6 & 10; Symphony

Wonderful CD that should win Webern new friends

dv_forever | Michigan, USA | 09/22/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've been a friend of Anton Webern's music for years. Alban Berg can get a bit heavy going with his Mahlerian antics and Schoenberg... well his desperation in trying to fuse German tradition with atonality doesn't connect with me. It's heavy-handed and insufferably pedantic at times. The Schoenberg works I like most apart from Verklarte Nacht are the solo piano pieces.



Webern seems like the most natural and original of the three. When you listen to works that span a couple of minutes, movements that span 45 seconds, relying as much on silence and quietude as Mahler and Strauss relied on noise, you realize this is as far away from late romanticism as music had strayed at the time. Sinopoli's style is not clinical and it's not too lush either. He captures a firm middle ground between Boulez and perhaps Karajan. However, no one does the Passacaglia better than Karajan in my opinion, it's terrifyingly expressive.



In Sommerwind is a fairly bland late romantic piece moulded in Impressionism. For me it's a chore to sit through, others might be thrilled by it. Reminded me of a modern spin on Frederick Delius. The later, shorter works ( symphony, orchestral pieces ) are where Sinopoli shines and his orchestra is top of the line in every respect. The recorded sound is of fine digital quality. You should turn it up loud to get the most out of it's dynamic range. If you haven't ventured into Webern, this CD might be the best place to start. No vocal stuff here, just a collection of orchestral works by one of the most original modernists around."