I was a big fan of the first CD in this series,
which found pianist Orion Weiss joining the Buffalo Philharmonic for
Gershwin’s piano concerto and
Second Rhapsody. I
wrote
“Judging from the extremely high quality of this effort, [the
sequel will] be a treat!” My colleagues
Dan
Morgan and
John
Whitmore had a few reservations but were similarly pleased. Unfortunately,
now that the sequel is here, it’s so disappointing that it calls
my earlier enthusiasm into question.
Orion Weiss brought a classical gentility to the piano concerto, treating
it like a romantic concerto with a jazz accent rather than vice versa.
Or so I thought. Listening to the
Rhapsody in Blue, which has
a similar approach, I grew alarmed: this isn’t “classicized”;
it’s just boring. Weighed down by Ferde Grofé’s later
arrangement of the
Rhapsody for a Hollywood-size orchestra instead
of jazz ensemble, Weiss and conductor JoAnn Falletta extend the piece
to unprecedented length. Compare
Rhapsody timings:
Bernstein …. 16:24
F. Kempf …..16:21
Levine ……. 16:10
Mayorga ….. 15:31
Previn EMI .. 14:58
Weiss ……... 18:28
Previn observes a few cuts, I think, but consider:
Mayorga,
the jazziest of the five and by far my favorite, snaps through with
a grace that actually approaches classical beauty through the backdoor,
while Weiss and Falletta are simply dull. The performance starts promisingly,
but there’s never any “lift,” no sense of momentum
or daring or contrast. It plods on. This
Rhapsody needs excitement,
life, bustle, a twinkle in its eye and an olive in its martini.
Speaking of performances that compare unfavorably to 1920s cocktails,
this
Catfish Row could also stand to have a few drinks and lose
its inhibitions. It’s too concerned with hitting its mark and
being correct. There are some great solos from brass players - shout-out
to the trombone - but generally the ensemble is earthbound, even in
the hurricane scene. Additionally, the booklet tells me this is a new
revision by Steven Bowen, but not how it differs from the old revision
by Frank Campbell-Watson, which was used on the far jazzier, more virtuosic,
and more exciting recording by James Levine and the Chicago Symphony.
Now, when I suggest that these performances are too sober, I’m
not suggesting that the performers actually go drinking. But Gershwin
was a great innovator who brought the world of jazz headlong onto the
classical stage. You really get that sense on the Mayorga CD of the
Rhapsody in Blue, or on James Levine’s Chicago disc with
the
Rhapsody and
Catfish Row. Not so much here. Despite
a few really game solos, and a bass drum which shook my headphones,
these performances just don’t get it. They’d rather suggest
Gershwin as an heir to Arthur Sullivan than illuminate the way he was
so fresh and new. Originally I was excited to think of a Volume III
containing
An American in Paris,
Lullaby, and the
Cuban
Overture. Now I’m scared.
Brian Reinhart
Naxos
American Classics review index 
