Listening Briefs: Rana's Prokofiev 2, Shostakovich PC1, VW's Lovely "Wasps" Overture, Debussy's Sacred and Profane
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| Posted on December 7, 2016 at 19:53:15 | ||
 I only downloaded the 1st PC, and it's a really intense, exhilarating performance, though a bit lacking in the dry humor dept. The reflective section is very touching, though Shostakovich's lovely, Romantic-era suspension and release, (we don't get very many with Shostakovich), is so delicate and p-p-pianissimo that it's almost inaudible. Very good recording.  There are a few Sacred and Profane Dances floating around the hi-res sites. I chose Yoshino's because I really liked the delicate, slightly precious sound of her harp and her playful way with the 2nd Part. The surprise here was the very "woodsy," "resin-y" sound of the Auvergne strings. I was used to Haitink's old Philips version, arranged for harp and God's synthesizer, (aka the Concertgebouw strings), and thus I found this current recording very refreshing.  I'm a huge fan of Frager's take-no-prisoners, yet note perfect Prokofiev 2nd on RCA from the mid-Century. (Whatever happened to the master tape? Fantastic recording!) Anyway, reviewers seem thrilled with Rana's effort, and FWIW I liked it. The first mov't ebbs and flows quite a bit: Rana and Pappano really milk the lyrical passage for all they're worth. Rana takes her time with the fantastic cadenza: it's musical, every note is allowed to register, but...I really wish that she had punished the piano a bit more. The orchestra really struts its stuff in the fantastical 2nd mov't: all the material written for instruments below middle C is well-caught by the engineers. Fleshy and deep, just like the old RCA with the PCO. Any worries about Rana being too "impressionistic" in the 1st mov't are erased during last: the young artist is on fire here! Humbly recommended.  The Wasps Overture is such an evergreen, charming piece, especially the gorgeous string theme in the middle, which remains blessedly silky thanks to the Naxos engineers, and Liverpool's hall. The slow mov't of VW's Piano Concerto is also quite beautiful in an loosely impressionistic way, not surprising since VW had a few meetings with Ravel. Do sample the piece if you don't know it. The outer mov'ts are percussive and tart; more like Britten.  Before you fall asleep, audiophile alert here: this HM recording is stunning. Sample the "Three Preludes," orchestrated. The uncanny imaging is downright startling, the high point being a bass clarinet that sounded as if two feet from my chair. No joke. Back to the music: the Preludes are always a treat, but I mainly downloaded this issue for the Piano Concerto. I liked Mayorga's take, (how old is he now??) it's perhaps not as high-energy as Wild/Fiedler combo but it didn't bother me. Once again, marveling over the orchestral sound as captured by the engineers, (and as imagined by Gershwin), was an absolute joy from beginning to end. .
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| On which sites? , posted on December 8, 2016 at 10:14:22 | |
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Posts: 2167
Location: Pacific Northwest Joined: June 1, 2003 |
Thanks. Jim
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| Eclassical. Rana's was from Presto. nt, posted on December 8, 2016 at 10:17:58 | |
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| Thanks, jd. -nt, posted on December 8, 2016 at 10:20:18 | |
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Posts: 2167
Location: Pacific Northwest Joined: June 1, 2003 |
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Jim
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