| Site review by Castor November 6, 2011
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Performance: Sonics (MC): |
On 13 May 2011 the Oregon Symphony and their current music director Carlos Kalmar made their début at Carnegie Hall in New York. The programme, entitled ‘Music for a Time of War’, comprised four works – two by British and two by American composers. The concert received ecstatic reviews from the press including the New York Times, and Alex Ross the ever-perceptive critic of the ‘New Yorker’ called it “one of the most gripping events of the current season”. Fortunately the same programme was given in the orchestra’s home, the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall , Portland, Oregon, about a week earlier (7 & 8 May) and was recorded live by John Newton and the Soundmirror team for issue on this stunning PentaTone SACD that confirms the superb musicianship of both the Oregon Symphony and Carlos Kalmar.
‘Music for a Time of War' is an arresting tile, and it certainly does encompass the music heard on this recording, some of which is only obliquely concerned with war. True, both the Ives in its revised version, and the Vaughan Williams symphony were written in the 1930s when the spectre of war was beginning to hover over Europe, though in the case of the latter, the composer vehemently denied that the symphony presaged any forebodings of war. The Britten, written for a commission by the Japanese government in 1940, is a reflection of the composer's pacifism and dedicated to the memory of his parents. Crude pictorial representation was never a part of Britten’s musical ethos so I must take issue with the writer of the booklet notes who posits the fanciful notion that in the 'Sinfonia da Requiem' Britten was depicting the sounds of the Battle of Britain.
One unusual feature of the actual concert was Kalmar’s decision to perform the first three pieces without any pause between them. So even on this recording the closing bars of the Ives move almost seamlessly, and it must be said most effectively, into the Adams work, whilst the calm of the ethereal final bars of the 'The Wound-Dresser' are shattered by the huge drum thwacks that open the Britten. This striking and unexpected 'coup de theatre' will take many listeners aback, particularly when this recording has such a huge dynamic range – so be warned. The audience's concentration throughout is almost palpable thanks to Kalmar's brilliant programming, and only occasionally is one made aware of their presence by a discrete cough or two.
Though 'The Unanswered Question’ of Charles Ives that begins the programme has no direct connection with war it effectively sets the mood for what follows. The strings of the Oregon Symphony are quite breathtakingly captured by the recording team in the hushed opening of the piece, while the distant trumpet of Jeffrey Works is perfectly balanced against the almost holographic wind interjections. As the Ives dies into silence we move into what is surely one of John Adams' finest works 'The Wound Dresser'.This is a setting of a harrowing poem by Walt Whitman based on his experiences as a nurse during the American Civil War. It is magnificently sung by the baritone Sanford Sylvan whose close identification with the music of Adams is well-known. Sylvan's performance is profoundly moving and though the poem is printed in the booklet his immaculate enunciation of the text makes it almost superfluous. The sensitively played violin solos of concertmaster Jun Iwasaki also deserve particular mention.
'Sinfonia da Requiem' has already received two recordings on SACD, but in both performance terms and sound quality this is arguably the finest. Kalmar's pacing of the opening 'Lachrymosa' is grim and determined while the 'Dies Irae' that follows is bitingly sardonic and taken at a frenzied pace that tests the virtuosity of his players to the limit. The final 'Requiem Aeternam' moves forward more purposefully than on both the other SACD versions and its final bars are all the more radiant thanks to the glowing Oregon strings.
The 4th Symphony of Vaughan Williams has travelled abroad more successfully than many of the composer's works, particularly in the USA, where it has received acclaimed recordings from such distinguished interpreters as Stokowski, Mitropoulos and Bernstein to which Kalmar's must surely now be added.
The maelstrom of the opening movement is powerful and menacing, though it is slightly more restrained than some of the other versions that I have used for comparison (Hickox, Boult, Haitink and Handley). The bleakness and slow tread of the 'Andante moderato' illustrates both Kalmar's assured pacing of a movement full of contrasting moods and the responsiveness of his exceptionally fine players. The final two movements are thrillingly delivered. The 'Scherzo' has terrific bite thanks to the precision of the incisive wind and brass playing while the 'Finale' is driven forward with tremendous energy to its final crashing chord.
The Soundmirror team's 5.0 DSD recording is beautifully detailed and realistic, with plenty of air around the instruments. As I have indicated earlier, the softest pianissimos and the loudest fortissimos have been captured with ease, and in multi-channel there is an added spacious ambience – altogether this is an outstanding example of how a large orchestra should be recorded.
How ever many versions of these four works you have in your library you should investigate this rather special recording. Though Carlos Kalmar's interpretations of each individual work are very fine indeed, playing this SACD from beginning to end in an uninterrupted session provides an unforgettable 78 minutes listening.
I hope that it will not be too long before Carlos Kalmar and Oregon Symphony appear again on a further PentaTone SACD.
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Copyright © 2011 Graham Williams and SA-CD.net
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| Review by Arnaldo August 26, 2012 (5 of 12 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics (S): |
While "Music for a Time of War" is undoubtedly a fitting title for the somber program selected for this SACD, there is a subplot here which has been downplayed by the producers. The point being that after listening to the works of the four composers from both sides of the pond, the lingering impression is that something like "Music for a Brits vs. Yanks War" might have been a more apt description instead.
And in this fictitious musical war, the Brits win hands down. Transferring the setting to a boxing match, on one corner we get heavyweights such as Britten's Sinfonia da Requiem and Vaughan Williams' 4th Symphony, both uncontested champions. But on the other, we get an unexpectedly lightweight Charles Ives with The Unanswered Question and the barely featherweight John Adams with The Wound-Dresser. The result is a total mismatch in that while the Ives piece that opens the disc is at least short and innocuous, the following 20:18 long Adams piece overstays its welcome by some 20 slow moving minutes.
The shortcomings of the program are partly mitigated by the usual high-standards of the Soundmirror recording team, doing the honors for PentaTone. But even here, in a rare misstept for the engineers, the Wound-Dresser might have felt less tiring if the baritone singer had been de-emphasized and better mixed with the orchestra. Mind you though, that while a bit of audio magic could have disguised the disconnect between soloist and ensemble, the fault lies primarily with the composer. Fortunately though, Soundmirror's Midas touch can still be heard in the rest of this incredibly natural (and quiet) live recording, with plenty of air around the instruments, all precisely placed in a vast stereo soundstage. Actually, for those like me who admire their work on Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 15 - Gergiev, the sonics here will be familiar and equally rewarding.
Last but not least, conductor Carlos Kalmar extracts a wonderful and engaging performance from the Oregon Symphony. Their controlled energy is a perfect match for Britten and Williams, even managing to somewhat ameliorate Adams' monotony with their velvety string tone. In the end though, while my quibble with the program is obviously a matter of personal taste, this recording feels like a classic case of the woulda coulda shoulda syndrome. But in spite of my nit-picking, it's still getting plenty of playtime, albeit with a little help from the skip button.
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