March 27, 2015

  • Glorious Wagner from Luisi and Zurich

     Wagner: Preludes and Interludes
    Philharmonia Zurich/Fabio Luisi
    Philharmonia Records 0102
    Disc One Total Time:  57:19
    Disc Two Total Time:
    Recording:   ****/****
    Performance: ****/****

    The music of Richard Wagner (1813-1883) had a long lasting impact on music that continues to this day both in concepts of thematic development and harmonic language.  This coming from a composer of mostly large-scale musical dramas, at a time when such an audience truly was mostly regional, and yet, Wagner’s work, and the establishment of Bayreuth would insure his legacy and influence.  Even today though, most listeners approach the composer’s output through the opening preludes, overtures, or interludes from his operatic work before often engaging with the larger scale works.  Many classic performances of these orchestral “excerpts” of sorts, are going to already fill collections and so it becomes important to see what this new one from Zurich might offer.

    The Philharmonia Zurich was created out of the Tonhalle and Theater Orchestras in 1985 and is the orchestra of the Zurich Opera.  It performs some 250 (!) performances each year covering opera, ballet, and concert music.  Their current music director, Fabio Luisi, began there in 2012 and this Wagner recording was made last November (2014).  Luisi is also the Principal Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera whose fans may also wish to find this new release.  The notes themselves in this cardstock package are basically an interview with the director discussing Wagner’s music.  Thus some will miss the connection to this location and Wagner.  It was here in 1849 where Wagner fled after getting himself in political trouble in Dresden and it was here where much work on his monumental Ring cycle would take place.  Overall the selections are among Wagner’s big orchestral moments, presented from his last work, Parsifal, to two very early overtures.

    Disc One gives us some music from the Ring and four other familiar works.  The opening “Prelude” from Parsifal sets up a more sublime and restrained start to the music.  Brass meld beautifully in this performance, with excellent intonation in high string passages creating mesmerizing effects.  It is off to the Rhine and two selections from the concluding Gotterdammerung.  First is “Siegfried’s Rhine Journey”.  The orchestra is given a more intensely exciting opportunity to let loose here.  The balance is quite wonderful and the big climaxes work quite well to give this wash of sound and the Rhine itself flows and swells in all its glory.  The drama in the music is well-captured here and does make one want to rush to see the work.  The big brass entrances in “Siegfried’s Funeral March” are quite powerful.  But what is most interesting is that these do not seem like big “knocks” and more like a natural outburst tempered well and not overwhelming the music as the piece opens.  The lines spin and grow in power over time with just enough rubato to add a touch of romanticism.  No collection would really be complete with a few Valkyries and their big moment in Die Walkure appears here.  There is great passion in this performance as well as strings swirl about with the brass stating the thematic material.

    The last three selections of disc one pull together first the wonderful “Prelude” from Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg.  Now we get a slight reprieve from the big brass and string writing for a brief moment to allow the orchestra’s winds some slight exposure in select spots in the prelude as they tend to take a back seat everywhere else.  The balance here is equally excellent.  The way the music sounds here too is simply revelatory.  This is also a good piece to comment on the tempos of Luis in this music.  He really lets the music breathe where it needs to, urging it towards climaxes and pulling back to allow the lyricism of the music to flow gorgeously.  This prelude is a good mark for being able to determine if his interpretations will gel with Wagner fans and it is certainly among the finest you will hear (it even outshines a personal favorite, Reiner with the Chicago Symphony!).  The big romantic arrival and swells are really heartbreaking in their longing.  Those big brass entries that return at the end cement the deal.  The disc closes with the beuatiful “Prelude” and touching “Isolde’s Liebestod” from Tristan und Isolde.  Again it is how the music is shaped, ebbing and flowing along the way, that make these such compelling interpretations and performances.  The music in the prelude itself just continues to build and move through its impassioned music with those wonderful unsetting chords providing signposts along the way.  Truly marvelous music making is on hand here.  You could be satisfied with just this collection which would leave most wanting more and the label has obliged with another disc!

    Disc two presents some of the earlier Wagner overtures.  What is most telling now is how we can hear some of the germs of musical approaches that gained full flower in the the works on disc one.  Music from “Lohengrin” begins with high string writing that creates a wonderful ethereal atmosphere.  The familiar strains of Tannhauser follow now showcasing wind balances and horns with additional solo sections coming to the forefront as this wonderful overture unfolds.  Of all the works, this one really allows listeners to hear the depth of the Zurich orchestra.  Now the way Luisi shapes this music is perhaps better appreciated as we move into these earlier examples of Wagner’s style and music.  You can hear it in the first couple of works here, but mostly in the overture for Rienzi where a lot more expressiveness is written into the music.  Also quite stunning are the crisp string articulations for all those flurries around the main thematic material that builds to the final trumpet call (excellently-shaped here!) when we are off.  Allowing things to grow organically out of the melodies and textures of the music lends the real drama that underlies all this music even if for some it may meander at times.  The orchestra responds well here too and it further allows different sections to shine a bit.  The disc concludes with two from the mid-1830s.  Die Lievesverbot allows us to see the connections to Meyerbeer, Berlioz and French music influences the composer was exploring.  Die Feen, which closes the program, reveals a bit of Carl Maria von Weber.

    The recording here recreates the orchestra fairly well.  Sometimes the brass and percussion seem just a bit compressed or imaged oddly in the sound picture (a rare issue mostly on disc one).  Occasionally, there are slight “noises” (clicks, or performance noise).  This is not enough to distract from the music and letting the music wash over you will certainly be the best means of reveling in this glorious music as these are performances that demand undivided attention.  There are moments in this collection when you will likely get goosebumps at the dramatic and spot-on interpretations of this music and that is a very rare thing these days!  That this recording was made entirely within a month says a lot about the caliber of the orchestra.  The people in Zurich certainly have a wonderful opportunity to have such a great cultural opportunity at their doorstep.  Highly recommended with hopes for maybe more to come!