Dallas Symphony Orchestra—The Eduardo Mata Years
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra conducted by Eduardo Mata
Dorian DSL-92109
Dorian is re-issuing a number of back catalogue items in boxed sets and one of these is this collection featuring the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and its first conductor emeritus. His tenure at the DSO lasted from 1977 through his retirement in 1993. Over that time, the orchestra was built into one of America’s finest ensembles and the recordings Mata made even earlier in his tenure are among the finest not only of the orchestra itself, but often are stellar recorded examples of the music chosen as well. Their recordings of Ravel, and a superb Pictures at an Exhibition (Mussorgsky) for RCA is a true classic as is an EMI recording of Copland’s Third Symphony. What made Mata’s recordings so fascinating is that his attention to interior orchestral detail came at a time when digital recording was able to further accentuate just such an approach. His attention to rhythm further aided performances of works that sometimes had begun to languish by too much lushness. Mata recorded repertoire focused on the Twentieth Century for the most part and included attention to early Russian music (especially Prokofiev and Shostakovich), French music, and mid-century American symphonists. His intensity was not quite like Bernstein’s though his performances can sometimes bear some resemblance to that conductor’s approach. Mata, next to Enrique Batiz, was one of the finest conductors to come from South of the border and his untimely death in a plane crash means we never got the chance to hear later takes on some of his most favorite repertoire.
Dorian’s packaging consists of individual cardboard CD sleeves and a single booklet that appears to reproduce the original liner notes. The discs are presented in recorded order which allows you to hear the adjustments made to the recording process and the continued improvement of the DSO. It would have been nice to have a more contemporary essay about the orchestra and Mata to help place the work he did in the context of the DSO’s history and the importance those recordings made to the ensemble. But at a price of just around $30, this set is highly-recommended if you missed any or all of these releases in their first incarnations. Each disc is summarily reviewed below. The original catalogue numbers are in parenthesis for each disc.
DISC ONE
Prokofev: Scythian Suite, Op. 20 / Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps
(Dorian 90156)
Total Time: 60:21
Recording: ***/****
Performance: ***/****
The first disc in the set feature two works with connections to Diaghelev’s Ballet Russe. Prokofiev’s Scythian Suite, Op. 20 is essentially a four-movement symphonic work derived from a ballet he optimistically hoped Diaghelev would produce. Originally Ala and Lolly, the story was centered around a Greek tribe known as Scythians and focuses on the barbarism of this people. Prokofiev’s hope to shock audiences with subject matter extended to his quite visceral score which sounds fascinatingly modern for a 1914 piece. The music bears some resemblance to its companion piece on this CD, Le Sacre du Printemps. Both focus on angular writing, dance-like rhythmic ideas and brilliant orchestration. Prokofiev’s score is almost too big for the ballet, but it did lead to a commission from Diaghelev for another work. It is highly likely that the risk of producing another controversial ballet with such subject matter was not of interest to Diaghelev after Stravinsky’s Le Sacre. Prokofiev’s piece though was his first large-scale orchestral work and as such opened international musical doors to the young composer. From a work for ballet salvaged to make a concert work to a ballet mostly heard only as a concert piece, we turn to the pairing on this release Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps. As a touchstone in musical history, Stravinsky’s work certainly needs no further exploration here.
Mata’s performance of the Prokofiev begins with a visceral and tight reading of the opening “The Adoration of Veless and Ala.” The Dallas Symphony is in top form here with a performance that feels quite committed and which is well-balanced. “Night” is particularly fascinating with clear textures. “The Glorious Departure of Lolly and the Procession of the Sun” suffers at times from too much bass at its start but this is as much a part of the music as the acoustic at the Meyerson. What makes this release doubly helpful are the multiple tracks given over for Le Sacre allowing access to interior segments of the ballet. Woodwinds are richly recorded and there is some excellent string work in “Mystic Circles of the Adolescent Girls.” Mata’s tempi sometimes feel a bit restrained but this leads to a stronger rhythmic detail that keeps the orchestra from sounding like it could veer out of control. The competition is pretty fierce for this piece and Mata’s performance is another fine addition to the discography. Dorian’s recording approach might take a bit of getting used to as well as it tends to be a bit over ambient at times. This first recording in 1991 still is a good one and has much to recommend it. The best way to perhaps see this disc is as a great demonstration of the DSO with a good musical pairing.
DISC TWO
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 in C, “Leningrad,” Op. 60
(Dorian 90161)
Total Time: 77:54
Recording: ****/****
Performance: ****/****
Next to Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony, the Leningrad is one of his next most massive and exhilarating WWII works and his longest symphony. This monumental work was a sort homage to the people of this Soviet city who undured 900 days of Nazi occupation. The first movement is a powerful set of variations that at nearly 30 minutes could be a work unto itself. But it slowly grows in intensity towards its center before its crystal clear beauty dissolves at the end of the movement. The second movement continues in a more dissonant restraint with a sort of calmness reigning through the movement to the point of it feeling almost subversive musically until a more Prokofiev-like sardonic humor appears in its center with dance-like rhythms that lead to a growing march. Perhaps this Prokofiev connection is what makes Mata’s adeptness at this symphony shine through as one can hear the music as a parallel voice instead of the some isolated symphonic essay. This holds true for the powerful “Adagio” as well with its gorgeous inner detail that dissolves into the final movement. Here the restraint of the music as the movement begins creates its own tension before things gradually build to the works climax.
Shostakovich’s intent of the work has since undergone a great deal of revisionist historical thinking in the post-Soviet age. But regardless of the subtext and composer’s own struggle with political ideology, the work itself still holds up well.
Mata’s performance of the symphony of the first movement feels like an extension of his approach to Ravel with much warmer edges to the angular themes—this may be due in part to the ambient sound picture as well. Somehow this all warms up the sound to create an exhilarating performance that will give your speakers a real workout with its dynamic range. The recording to beat here is Bernstein’s Deutsche Grammophon performance with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. But that performance is spread over two CDs and gains from it being a live performance. Mata’s is a worthy addition to the discography and while it may since have been overshadowed by more recent recordings by the likes of Gergiev, it still remains an admirable release. The performance has much to recommend it with its dedication to rhythmic clarity and perfect performance from the DSO (the low winds are so richly detailed in the second movement you can almost hear the buzz of the reeds). For comparison’s sake, these are the timings for comparison to Bernstein’s 1989 recording which Mata tends to match in the later movements. His pacing works actually quite well in this symphony which can tend to feel as if it meanders at times.
Movement | Bernstein (1989) | Mata (1991) |
1-Allegretto | 31:43 | 28:47 |
2-Moderato | 14:48 | 10:59 |
3-Adagio | 19:25 | 18:58 |
4-Allegro non troppo | 18:52 | 18:27 |
DISC THREE
Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky Cantata, Op. 78 / Shostakovich: Symphony No. 9 in Eb, Op. 70
(Dorian 90169)
Total Time: 68:35
Recording: ****/****
Performance: ****/****
Disc three pairs one of the first film score concert pieces and a later Neo-Classical work from the last person one would expect such a piece from at all. The irony is that the grand rethinking of Russian history seems more at home in Shostakovich and Neo-Classicism more connected to Prokofiev. Having these two works together allows us to hear these pieces then in this different light by creating one of the best recorded performances of the Prokofiev and following it with an equally fine performance of the lighter Shostakovich. Prokofiev’s score for Alexander Nevsky is a true early masterpiece of film music and the composer salvaged large chunks of it casting it in a form that causes fewer performances than a purely orchestral work might have done. Still, the growling brass and dark choral writing make this one of the finest of his works. The highlight of Eisenstein’s film, and the score, is “The Battle on the Ice” sequence which is worth seeing and comparing to its incarnation here. The performance of this movement from the cantata can be one of the most earth-shattering musical moments of the entire work.
Shostakovich took an intriguing turn with his 9th symphony. As the 7th is the longest, Mata recorded its direct opposite—the composer’s shortest. The 1945 work incensed Stalin with its seeming ironic lack of importance. The five moment work bears some resemblance to Prokofiev’s Haydn-esque “Classical” symphony with its clear textures and simplistic musical ideas. In some respects it is reminiscent of some of the composer’s film work. It is a rather delightful work taken on its own merits but it is a sort of anti-9th and Shostakovich would not return to the format of the symphony for 8 years after its premiere. Bernstein recorded this a few times and it is another of those Bernstein-Mata links of repertoire that recur often in this series of recordings.
Mata’s pairing here brings together one of Prokofiev’s most interesting works from his film score to Alexander Nevsky and one of Shostakovich’s odder later symphonies. In terms of recorded history, the Prokofiev received perhaps its finest performance under the baton of Thomas Schippers—though at the time of this Dorian release, that recording was a bit hard to come by on CD with Reiner’s being the other “great performance.” Mata’s is a sonic knockout that reminds us of the sheer power of this music by a demonstration class orchestra. Lower winds cut through so amazingly here and the Dallas Symphony Chorus is well-recorded in the overall sound picture to match. Mata achieves balance between sections here that continues to reveal his utter mastery of clear orchestral textures and attention to detail. It feels as if Dorian really began to solve the acoustical issues of recording this orchestra with this release and in subsequent ones and managed to truly capture the energy of Mata’s live performances along with the ever superb quality of the DSO’s musicianship.
DISC FOUR
Bernstein: On the Waterfront / Harris: Symphony No. 3 / Copland: Billy the Kid
(Dorian 90170)
Total Time: 60:30
Recording: ****/****
Performance: ****/****
After demonstrating that the DSO could tackle big symphonic works of intensity and difficulty, Mata’s next release focused on American music. One of Dorian’s finest releases in terms of repertoire, disc four includes a couple of familiar works on the outside with one of the great Harris symphonies as its center. Bernstein’s score for On The Waterfront has never appeared apart from the film, but the composer, attempting to repeat the success of his symphonic dances from West Side Story, and with one of the premier orchestras at his disposal, managed to pull together this musical tone poem of sorts from musical segments of the film. It is still a powerful work and it manages to set the stage for the powerful purely symphonic sound of Harris’ Third Symphony. Among Copland’s Americana works, the ballet Billy the Kid is less popular and the composer crafted a 20 minute suite (deleting some 12-13 minutes of music) for concert performance.
At the time of this recording, the only real competition for this music came from old Bernstein and New York Philharmonic recordings. The Harris has since received several fine performances (including a most recent one by Marin Alsop on Naxos) but this a work that deserves more hearing and this performance is superb. The main theme from On the Waterfront gets a fine emotional performance that makes it seem far more symphonically important than it could ever expect to be and the shifts from one orchestral presentation of the theme to another works superbly. The accented rhythms of the piece are amazingly precise and the performance is well-paced and those final clusters are well worth the wait. The Harris is another showpiece for the orchestra with the different instrumental choirs allowed to display their technical precision. Brass finally get their day with this piece. As things begin to churn towards the end, pay special attention to the way the various thematic presentations are tossed about the orchestra and the clarity of the performance. It really is fascinating to hear. It is in the Copland where one feels the orchestra really embracing the music with a bit more enthusiasm and joy. The “Mexican Dance” section makes one wish Mata had recorded some Chavez, Revueltas, or Villa-Lobos with this orchestra. The disc would be easily recommendable for this performance alone, one of the true great highlights of the orchestra’s recording legacy.
DISC FIVE
Chausson: Symphony in Bb, Op. 20; Ibert: Escales; Divertissement
(Dorian 90181)
Total Time: 61:50
Recording: ****/****
Performance: ****/****
Demonstrating Mata’s French side, this fifth release also features the oldest piece in the set, Chausson’s symphony. Of all the programs in the box, this one brings to light three lesser know pieces of which this release provides the finest performances. Chausson’s symphony is interesting for the way it straddles Wagnerian Romanticism (and more Liszt’s pure orchestral symphonic poems) and Gallic Impressionism that stretched harmonic motion in new directions. Chausson’s music holds close to the other composers that studied with Cesar Franck (Duparc, and D’Indy). Because the music sits somewhat outside musicological lines, the work tends to be overlooked but it is an impassioned piece that like his teacher’s more familiar symphony, also uses a cyclic form. The key to enjoying Chausson though is in his fascinating orchestrations and the colors of his work really shine through in this performance by the DSO.
Ibert is a name too often on the sidelines of music history like many other non-Germanic composer’s of the early 20th Century (Albert Roussel is another whose time has most certainly come!). Two of his more popular pieces appear on this release. Escales (1922) was the Ibert piece of note already post-Impressionistic and hovering around Neo-Classicism. The opening flute idea is immediately reminiscent of Debussy’s La Mer and the subsequent musical tone painting takes that language in new and intriguing directions. The final movement recalls de Falla with its dancing rhythms so excellently realized by the DSO. Ibert’s Divertissement appeared eight years later and already the musical style has begun to shift to a more modernist sound. The musical quotations within the piece (most hilariously of Mendelssohn’s Wedding March) are surrounded by a few jazz-like syncopations at times. If anything, the work provides a link to the work of Milhaud from this period and shows a bit of influence from other members of Les Six.
There are not many recordings of these works, but the ones there are tend to be all very good. Mata’s can stand with any of them an has the benefit of great sound. This is one of the other best discs in this set.
DISC SIX
Resphigi: Roman Festivals; Brazilian Impressions; Pines of Rome
(Dorian 90182)
Total Time: 68:35
Recording: ****/****
Performance: ****/****
Most everyone has their favorite Resphigi recording of the Roman pieces and the only sad thing is that Mata did not record Fountains of Rome too instead opting for the less-recorded but no less impressive Brazilian Impressions. One of the finest collections of Resphigi’s Roman tone poems comes from 1984 and featured the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Riccardo Muti. It tends to be one of the touchstone recordings by which many recordings since are judged (even closely preceded by those conducted by Eugene Ormandy.) The Brazilian Impressions appeared on a fabulous release on Telarc featuring Jesus Lopez-Cobos and the Cincinnati Symphony back in 1994, about the time of this Dorian issue. But even with fiercer competition, this is one of Dorian’s finest recordings and it caps off this collection of every progressively amazing releases.
When all is said and done, the intriguing repertoire choices mixed with orchestral favorites make this set a wonderful gift that will introduce a few lesser known works alongside some favorites all in fabulous performances. It should be no surprise to then expect that this entire set is highly recommended!
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