Comparison recordings:
El Amor Brujo, Stokowski, Nan
Merriman, Hollywood Bowl SO [ADD mono]
Pearl GEMM CD9276
El Amor Brujo; El Sombrero
de Tres Picos, Enrique Bátiz,
Mexican State SO IMP Classics PCD2028
El Amor Brujo; La Vida Breve:
Danza, Fritz Reiner, Leontyne Price,
[ADD] CSO RCA 09026-62586-2
El Amor Brujo
and Sombrero de Tres Picos are
opera/ballet/pantomimes, that is, ballet
with sung selections where the singers
are in the orchestra and the dancers
do not sing, a form not too different
from the Restoration masque of Purcell’s
time. Vida Breve was an actual
opera, or perhaps a zarzuela. The plot
of Amor Brujo deals with an Andalusian
widow placating by magic the jealous
ghost of her dead husband before she
can pursue a new lover. Like Ravel’s
L’Heure Espagnole, the plot of
Tres Picos deals with the cuckold’s
clever revenge, and the music occasionally
descends to parody.
In their performance
of Amor Brujo the Asturians
have a little too much dignity and are
too much a ballet orchestra. Strict
beat and a balanced European perspective
tone things down. It has been said that
the Spanish know nothing about Spanish
music, and, while that’s obviously an
exaggeration, listening to this recording
one can see where the idea came from.
Clear sound doesn’t help; the orchestra
is somewhat distant, balances are not
optimal, colourful orchestral accents
are subdued. Or maybe the Asturians
are so tired of hearing foreigners parody
this music that they have lost respect
for it, or at least are trying to set
a dignified example? Whatever.
The Stokowski Brujo
is remarkable, particularly for soloist
Merriman. The legendary Dorabella, sometimes
paired with Schwarzkopf, here adopts
an authentic Spanish gypsy persona;
one can almost see her throwing her
head back, chewing the rose in her teeth,
and stamping her foot with the best
of them. Unfortunately it’s in 1950s
monophonic sound and even the Stokey
magic has difficulty overcoming that
handicap, otherwise this recording would
be the undisputed greatest ever made.
Reiner and Price also give us a fine,
spirited, idiomatic reading of Brujo
in brilliant sound. The CD issue is
currently out of print and bringing
up to £70 from collectors; however,
it may soon appear as a Living Stereo
SACD - and if it does, grab it quick
before it sells out. Hungarian Reiner’s
Danza is also one of his most
famous recordings.
Enrique Bátiz
and La Orquesta Sinfonica del Estado
de México play with a sense of
wild risk and passion and more energy
than you thought possible, and they
include more of the vocal cues. Last
week Amazon listed this recording as
currently out of stock, but things come
and go so quickly these days that means
nothing; this week they sold me a copy.
This disk is an experience not to be
missed. Persons over sixty should consult
their physicians. Before pressing "play"
take your heart medicine and get a grip
on something very solid.
For the Brujo
the Pole from London* and the girl from
Pittsburgh** get both ears and the tail.
The Hungarian from Chicago*** and the
girl from Mississippi**** get both ears,
and the Asturians get the tail. The
Mexicans are having too much fun to
care, but you can’t get there from here
anyway.
El Sombrero de Tres
Picos is a completely different
matter. The title refers to the magistrate’s
hat, his badge of authority. Stokowski
doesn’t do it at all and Reiner does
only a couple of the famous dances.
This music is more conservatively structured
and a conservative approach works much
better. Here we want and we get subtlety
and wit. Here the Asturians shine and
since the Tres Picos makes up
most of the disk, you get your money’s
worth after all.
On my player I am unable
to detect any sound whatever from the
rear channels on this disk during DVD-Audio
alleged 5.1 surround play. This problem
does not occur during Dolby Surround
play, nor in SACD nor dts play
where the surround perspective is normal,
if front channel weighted. Therefore,
the sound quality ranking, in order
from best to least, is: (1) SACD, (2)
dts, (3) DVD-Audio, (4) Dolby
Stereo and (5) Hybrid CD tracks.
* Stokowski
** Merriman
*** Reiner
**** Price
Paul Shoemaker
Reviews of the
CD version Rob
Barnett Goran
Forsling
NAXOS
5.110018 [67.50] 
NAXOS
6.110018 [68.00]
