Listening Briefs: Berlioz Requiem, Shosty 4th with Wigglesroom, Muti's hot-blooded Romeo, lovely early Debussy
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| Posted on October 16, 2016 at 19:57:22 | ||
 Oh, how I loved the resonant acoustic. In the Tuba Mirum, has the men's "mors stupebit," etc. ever sounded so chilling? Arising from the fading echos of the wondrous trumpets? Otherwise, how nice to have all the boxes checked off: Pure, accurate sopranos. Strong tenors. Sensible pacing and no editorializing on Davis' part. Off stage brass that sounds as if coming from above and beyond. Layered percussion that's clear but not dry. The lonely shofar-like blasts in the Angus Dei make better dramatic sense in a church--as opposed to a concert hall--because they play off the vastness of the space. Very moving experience.  My first exposure to this piece was Jarvi's on Chandos with the Scottish National. I was mesmerized by the fantastical 1st mov't, but really didn't get much out of the others. Wigglesworth's is a bit slower, far more dimensional, (emotionally and aurally), and the more reflective stretches of the final mov'ts--esp. the last pages of the score--really drew me in and left me feeling a bit haunted and unsettled. The empty "victory" choral of the 3rd mov't is far less grating in Wigglesworth's hands than Jarvi's, but still overwhelming. How nice to hear everything that's going on. BIS recording is once again spectacular throughout. I know Rohdestvensky's old EMI/Melodiya but not Mravsinky's yet. As enlightening as Wigglesworth's performance was, it may be just a tad too polite and measured for my tastes. Anyone hear Petrenko's?  For a few bucks, I selected four relatively early Debussy works: Nocturne, Ballade, the ubiquitous Reverie, and "Lent" --part 1 of 3-- from Images Oubliees, (Part 2 and 3 of course were reworked into the more famous Images). If you don't know these pieces, do sample; they're just gorgeous if not quite 100% Debussy.  As much as I liked and appreciated Petrenko's Romeo and Juliet, his cool, expedient approach to the Balcony Scene, (the heart of the piece and the reason for all the mess that follows), left me feeling a bit short-changed. Shouldn't the horn pick-up notes to the final climax be emphasized just a little? (Sadly, I don't have a score at which to look, listen and think. : ) Petrenko's handling of Juliet's Death Scene, (fussy) and her funeral, (plodding) was a bit of a let-down for me as well. Otherwise the conductor's handling of the lighter character sketches were the best I've ever heard, but again: what's the point of it all if Romeo only makes it to first base? So I gave Muti's CSO Romeo and Juliet a listen. Sure enough, his Balcony Scene caused me to turn inward with pleasure. (Well? That's what it's supposed to do.) The thrusting passage glistens, and the final climax is stretched to the limit: almost too much rubato, but who wants those gorgeous chord progressions to end? Not me. With regard to matters of balance, weight, and sheer musicianship, (recording too!) the CSO and Muti surpass Petrenko and the Oslo throughout. Perhaps no surprise. Muti's assortment of scenes from Suite 1 and 2 comes to an end with Juliet's death. Even Muti can't seem to help himself when it comes to saying something new at this point: he indulges in some bizarre rubatos that IMHO aren't necessary, but in the end, nothing's, er... fatal. A pity they didn't add a few more scenes from the 3rd Suite!
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