MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2024
60,000 reviews
... and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             


DVD REVIEW

Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger

alternatively
CDs: Crotchet AmazonUK AmazonUS

 

Richard WAGNER (1813-83)
Parsifal: Prelude to Act I & Finale to Act III (1882) [17:54]
Alban BERG (1885-1935)
Three Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 6 (1914-15) [19:53]
Gustav MAHLER (1860-1911)
Das klagende Lied (original version, 1880) [25:01]
David Christopher Ragusa (boy soprano)
Marisol Montalvo (soprano)
Hedwig Fassbender (mezzo)
Michael Hendrick (tenor)
Anthony Michaels-Moore (baritone)
London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir/Vladimir Jurowski
Extras: Interview with Vladimir Jurowski (Disc 1) [50:00]
Video director: Rhodri Huw
Picture: 16:9/NTSC. Regions: All
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1/PCM stereo
Subtitles: English, German
rec. 19 September 2007, Royal Festival Hall, London, UK
MEDICI ARTS 3056808 [154:00 + 104:00]
Experience Classicsonline

Moscow-born conductor Vladimir Jurowski launched his international career with a performance of Rimsky-Korsakov’s May Night at the Wexford Festival in 1995. Thirteen years later he is principal conductor of the London Philharmonic and music director at Glyndebourne Opera, two high-profile posts that will surely enhance his reputation even further. And if this DVD is anything to go by behind those dark, somewhat ascetic, good looks and smart Nehru suit lurks a very promising musician indeed.
 
Disc 1 includes a 50-minute interview with the conductor, Disc 2 a special ‘conductor cam’ version of the concert. The latter, a picture-in-picture displayed at the bottom of your screen, allows you to watch the conductor as if you were in the orchestra. I’m normally a little sceptical about these ‘extras’ but I was actually rather fascinated by his conducting style. I imagine conducting students might find this particularly interesting but the novelty does wear off after a while.
 
It seems more concert DVDs are offering ‘add-ons’, some of which are more successful than others. Semyon Bychkov’s Vision Mahler (see review) has an abstract visual ‘interpretation’ of Mahler’s Second Symphony and Kent Nagano’s performance of Richard Strauss’s Alpine Symphony (see review) has unusual bird’s-eye and macro camerawork. The visuals are quite compelling in the Mahler but I wouldn’t want to watch them again; in the Strauss the camera angles seem a little gimmicky at first but it’s such a riveting performance that any misgivings are soon forgotten.
 
This Jurowski concert was recorded live in the newly refurbished Royal Festival Hall last September. One of my very favourite places on earth this post-war concrete-and-glass monstrosity has a quirky character that’s endeared it to generations of concertgoers. I’m not sure the revamp has improved the space, and listening to a Philharmonia concert last December I felt the promised acoustic enhancements hadn’t been delivered either.
 
My doubts about the acoustics were quickly dispelled by a luminously beautiful rendition of the prelude to Act I and Act III finale of Parsifal. I was most impressed with Jurowski’s finely calibrated performance, the LPO responding magnificently to his every demand. There may be a few minor fluffs – it’s a live performance, after all – but the music has an inner glow that is both thrilling and deeply moving. On ‘conductor cam’ I found myself mesmerised by the conductor’s long, spatulate fingers as they shape the music. He certainly has a powerful podium presence, refreshingly free of distracting antics or mannerisms.
 
By all accounts Berg’s Three Pieces for Orchestra, written for Schoenberg’s 40th birthday on 13 September 1914, had a difficult gestation. The composer was still very much in awe of his teacher, so perhaps it’s not surprising that only the first and third movements were ready in time. The second, Reigen, followed in 1915. One would never guess at all this indecisiveness and soul searching, such is the remarkable clarity and assurance of this seminal score.
 
Präludium, marked ‘Langsam’, is economically scored, spare yet not quite free of its Romantic roots. The murmur of percussion at the start may signal a different sound world but Jurowski’s warmly expansive reading emphasises the music’s links to the past; just listen to those Mahlerian Ländler in the second movement, for instance. The LPO brass are grotesque here, but discreetly so.
 
Given Jurowski’s treatment of the score so far I was curious to hear what he’d make of the gaunt but massive Märsch. I needn’t have worried because he brings out all the weight and thrust of this music, the echoes of Mahler’s doom-laden Sixth Symphony all too audible. The audience respond with enthusiasm to this stirring performance, and rightly so, but I imagine Mahler is the big draw here.
 
The cantata Das klagende Lied (The Song of Lament) was begun in 1878, completed in 1880 and revised in 1898. In a letter to the Viennese critic Max Marschalk, Mahler wrote: ‘The first of my works in which I found myself as “Mahler” is a fairy tale for orchestra, chorus and soloists, Das klagende Lied. This work I designated as my op. 1.’
 
This early piece, steeped in the dark, supernatural world of the brothers Grimm and Weber’s pivotal opera Der Freischütz, is also the seedbed for many of Mahler’s later works. The first version, submitted for the Beethoven Prize in 1881, is not as sleek or accomplished as the later one but it does portray the composer at his most rustic. It also shows him adapting folk tales, in this case The Singing Bone.
 
The long instrumental prelude to Waldmärchen (Forest Legends) brims with vitality, the folk-like tunes played with great lilt and affection by the LPO. This is as disarming as anything Mahler ever wrote and hearing it for the first time in years reminded me of its manifold charms. That said it’s not flawless and the work does have its longueurs.  But as Jurowski points out, the composer is ‘more cutting edge, more avant-garde’ in his unrevised scores, a view justified by the daring harmonies and naturalistic effects of Das klagende Lied.
 
The LPO play with great concentration and produce some ravishing sounds, but the soloists are a tad disappointing. Hendrick and Michaels-Moore don’t seem terribly engaged, but then the recording does set them rather far back. Of the female soloists Montalvo sounds a little pinched at times, Fassbender generally steadier and more ingratiating. The chorus also seem a bit distant, which made me long for a crisper, more incisive sound.
 
Despite these shortcomings the instrumental prelude to Der Spielmann (The Minstrel) is delightfully done, with some lovely string playing; even the soloists seem to have settled down somewhat. Only the boy soprano David Christopher Ragusa looks and sounds a little nervous. Jurowski finds the elusive Mahlerian pulse in this movement, the LPO alert to the rhythms and embryonic musical ideas that emerge, fully formed, in the symphonies.
 
The rumbustious start to the Hochzeitsstück (Wedding Piece) is crowned by thrilling cymbals and underpinned by thundering timps, yet it still retains a wonderful sense of transparency and focus. In full cry the chorus sound splendid too,  Fassbender’s ‘Why is the king so pale and silent’ sung with great feeling; the echt-Mahlerian horns that follow are glorious, the trombones dark and throaty. At this stage of the evening there is an air of concentration in the hall, a real sense of live music-making at its best. Ragusa still struggles with his high notes, but really this isn’t enough to blight an otherwise remarkably intense performance. The applause and cheers, although not ecstatic, are certainly appreciative and must augur well for Jurowski’s future with the LPO.
 
Inevitably this blossoming relationship between orchestra and conductor is touched upon in the accompanying interview with Medici Arts president Stephen Wright. Jurowski puts it all down to the ‘chemistry’ he felt when he stood in for Yuri Temirkanov in 2001. He feels the orchestra has many fine qualities, among them the ability to ‘abandon themselves to the music’. This may seem a strange comment, given the LPO’s warm, cultured sound, but anyone who has heard this band over the years will know they do take risks – for the right conductor. Just think back to Klaus Tennstedt’s all-too-brief tenure with the LPO and the memorable Mahler coverts they did together. Clearly Jurowski wants a similar relationship with the orchestra and it will be interesting to see whether this ‘chemistry’ continues to work in the hall and the studio.
 
Although Jurowski seems reasonably relaxed and articulate Wright’s questions and interviewing style is too formal for comfort, even a little wooden. Nevertheless Jurowski doesn’t duck the difficult questions, chiding the major recording companies for only concentrating on repertoire that sells. Given that he is committed to new and unfamiliar works it will be interesting to see how he squares that particular circle.
 
Technically, the picture quality of this DVD is excellent but Rhodri Huw’s video direction is a little pedestrian, with close-ups of instruments we can’t actually hear at that point. To be fair it’s a common problem with filmed concerts and a mildly irritating one but it’s not enough to spoil an otherwise satisfying concert. Sound quality is also fine, although I had difficulty selecting the PCM stereo option from the main menu. That may account for the soft-grained, somewhat veiled sound I remarked on earlier. I really do prefer uncompressed PCM stereo, as it’s usually much crisper and better focused.
 
Don’t expect a lavish booklet or song texts because all you get is a trilingual pamphlet that contains little or no useful information. And then there’s the double gatefold box, which is flimsy and will soon show signs of wear and tear. Really, I would prefer more substantial literature and sturdier packaging to ephemeral ‘extras’. Given that this set retails for around £20 it isn’t particularly good value.
 
Caveats aside, this is a concert – and conductor – that’s well worth watching.
 
Dan Morgan
 

 


Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Chandos recordings
All Chandos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing

 

 


EXPLORE MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

Making a Donation to MusicWeb

Writing CD reviews for MWI

About MWI
Who we are, where we have come from and how we do it.

Site Map

How to find a review

How to find articles on MusicWeb
Listed in date order

Review Indexes
   By Label
      Select a label and all reviews are listed in Catalogue order
   By Masterwork
            Links from composer names (eg Sibelius) are to resource pages with links to the review indexes for the individual works as well as other resources.

Themed Review pages

Jazz reviews

 

Discographies
   Composer
      Composer surveys
   National
      Unique to MusicWeb -
a comprehensive listing of all LP and CD recordings of given works
.
Prepared by Michael Herman

The Collector’s Guide to Gramophone Company Record Labels 1898 - 1925
Howard Friedman

Book Reviews

Complete Books
We have a number of out of print complete books on-line

Interviews
With Composers, Conductors, Singers, Instumentalists and others
Includes those on the Seen and Heard site

Nostalgia

Nostalgia CD reviews

Records Of The Year
Each reviewer is given the opportunity to select the best of the releases

Monthly Best Buys
Recordings of the Month and Bargains of the Month

Comment
Arthur Butterworth Writes

An occasional column

Phil Scowcroft's Garlands
British Light Music articles

Classical blogs
A listing of Classical Music Blogs external to MusicWeb International

Reviewers Logs
What they have been listening to for pleasure

Announcements

 

Community
Bulletin Board

Give your opinions or seek answers

Reviewers
Past and present

Helpers invited!

Resources
How Did I Miss That?

Currently suspended but there are a lot there with sound clips


Composer Resources

British Composers

British Light Music Composers

Other composers

Film Music (Archive)
Film Music on the Web (Closed in December 2006)

Programme Notes
For concert organizers

External sites
British Music Society
The BBC Proms
Orchestra Sites
Recording Companies & Retailers
Online Music
Agents & Marketing
Publishers
Other links
Newsgroups
Web News sites etc

PotPourri
A pot-pourri of articles

MW Listening Room
MW Office

Advice to Windows Vista users  
Questionnaire    
Site History  
What they say about us
What we say about us!
Where to get help on the Internet
CD orders By Special Request
Graphics archive
Currency Converter
Dictionary
Magazines
Newsfeed  
Web Ring
Translation Service

Rules for potential reviewers :-)
Do Not Go Here!
April Fools




Return to Review Index

Untitled Document


Reviews from previous months
Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details
We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.