July 30, 2010

  • Review: A Fantastic New Berlioz release

    Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14; King Lear Overture, Op. 4
    Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra/Marek Janowski
    Pentatone Classics 5186 338
    Recording:   ****/****
    Performance: ****/****

    Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique is one of those classic warhorses.  The 1830 work has some 150 recordings currently in the catalogue to choose from and at least half of these have their merits.  The gold standard still is Charles Munch’s Boston Symphony recording on RCA.  Those were the days when particular conductors were allowed to combine energy and their own interpretations often breathing new life into familiar pieces.  Personal favorites are also Claudio Abbado’s stellar Deutsche Grammaphon recording with the Chicago Symphony (of which the present release bears some resemblance) and the odd historical approach taken by Roger Norrington back in the day when we thought we had to listen to all music on period instruments. 

    The tendency in this work is to overemphasize brass at the expense of Berlioz’s other delicate writing.  Janowski’s approach allows the orchestra to be heard naturally (helped by superb sonic detailing) so that the shades of dynamics and orchestral coloring can be appreciated as intended.  The opening movement thus feels more like a typical symphonic opening and less the programmatic music of later years which it spawned.  It is precisely this tendency to treat the work as a post-Beethoven, early Romantic piece that makes Janowski’s interpretation work so well.  The woodwind punctuations feel perfectly in keeping with the period instead of some over-Romanticized approach.  The music is allowed to carry the listener along the story well as the idée fixe theme appears.

    The second movement waltz is truly wonderful with perfect tempo adjustments that give it just the right Viennese flair and the final bars are thrilling recalling Beethoven as they should.  The detail in the recording truly shines in this movement with even the harp lines cutting through in the image.  The nuance of tempo and lyric interpretation shines in the beautifully-shaped central pastoral “Scene in the Fields.”  The slow movement gives the Pittsburgh players a chance to show off their solo abilities here and Janowski’s approach allows the music to grow out of its early bars gradually making a perfect contrast to the concluding energy of the previous movement.  The rumbling storm on the horizon is handled here with deft dramatic control as the movement ends with a surprise quietude.  T

    he “March to the Scaffold” has a tendency in many recordings to be overpowered, and overblown, by brass.  The Pittsburgh brass are simply at their best with the sort of precision one expects from American orchestras.  The pedal points are just robust enough to create the proper edge.  Those bassoon lines are amazingly realized.  This movement really is the one where we realize as a listener that something is “wrong” with this “symphony” and the bizarreness of the musical progression here is a perfect setup to the final movement. 

    The recording splits the final movement into four parts allowing easy access (important for teaching this work to students).  The chime/bell that announces something is up are perfectly placed in the sound picture creating the proper image of a church chiming the midnight hour before the “Dies irae” appears.  Here the brass are again allowed to shine without overpowering the ensemble.  The balance is unbelievable allowing great orchestral detail.  Once again Janowski’s pacing and dramatic sense are conceived as part of the symphonic structure as a whole with a little bit more carefree abandonment as Berlioz begins to deconstruct our expectations in the seeming randomness of his musical material.  For the first time it was great to hear this happen musically in a performance that makes it feel natural while also playing with our formal expectations of the music itself.  It is in this final movement where we finally “get it” that the symphony itself may never be the same if it takes this programmatic route.    

    What strikes the listener in this performance is how close to Beethoven we still are historically (especially the 5th and 6th symphonies).  We can hear the little musical jokes, we can appreciate the stretching of form (that first movement does not meander as it can in other recordings) and symphony construction, and we can get a sense for further exploration of instrumental writing and orchestration that Berlioz was a master at with some perfect playing all around. 

    As filler, the release also includes the King Lear Overture.  It makes a fitting partner with its similar themes of descent into madness.  The work was written in 1831 and as a concert overture tends to appear less often than other smaller works by Berlioz.  It too has a Beethoven-esque feel in its dramatic structure but Berlioz’s orchestration allows far more interplay between solo instruments—a style helped tremendously by the recording itself.  The work dramatically follows the play for the most part letting its main thematic element weave through its texture between solo and orchestral sections which is fascinating to hear.  Again, Pittsburgh’s brass and string sections really are superb throughout the work.

    The live recording perhaps lends an extra edge to the performance that might have been missing otherwise but this is one of those releases that does its orchestra proud.  The disc is one of those Multi-channel SuperAudio hybrids that is demonstration quality.  The Pittsburgh Symphony may not have the national recognition of its Philadelphia rival, but it continues to prove it is one of our best orchestras.  This is a recording worth seeking out and enjoying on many levels.