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Site review by Geohominid October 27, 2009
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Performance: Sonics (S/MC): / |
An inspired compilation of music for string orchestra. The sweetly elegant Romanticism of Dvorak's Serenade is perfectly counter-poised by the gritty impressionism and modernism of Haas and Schulhoff.
Candida Thompson's firm direction of light and shade, delicacy and rusticity in the Dvorak and the totally committed response of the Sinfonietta players produces one of the most desirable and beguiling performances of this old favourite that one could imagine. Interplay between the string sections is crisp and clean, tonal warmth and richness abound, and the sometimes coy humour of the composer is captured perfectly in a scrupulously observant partnership.
Recording in the glamorous acoustic of the Philharmonie, Haarlem, engineer Jared Sacks presents a totally believable acoustic image of the orchestra, representing the section blocks coherently in sharp focus across a wide sound stage. The intimate sense of bow on string is finely conveyed, and the very important viola parts which Dvorak took much care with in this work stand out with great depth of burred tone, as do the resinous cellos and basses. The Philharmonie acoustic allows the body resonance of cellos and basses to develop fully, and this disc has some of the finest deep string bass that I have ever heard on a recording, so that every detail of this fabulous score is revealed anew. A few slight 'business' noises such as chair and stand creaks only add to the feeling of having the Sinfonietta in your listening room.
The string orchestra version of Hass's delightfully unorthodox String Quartet no.2 and Schulhoff's equally individual Five Pieces for String Quartet were appropriately hosted in the Baachzaal, Amsterdam, which has a slightly drier, cooler acoustic with markedly less bass resonance than the Philharmonie venue. This is appropriate for the sharply-etched textures and harmonic astringency of these surprisingly rarely-heard string works in their full string complement guises (both the composers' own arrangements). Hass's inspiration by a Summer vacation in the Moravian hills presents impressionistic essays on the landscapes and the basics of peasant life in both poetic and sardonic guises. He generates a multi-layered mosaic of fascinating textures which are fully revealed by the tremendous detail of the recording, with a dynamic range from the merest whisper of muted strings at the opening of the first movement to the startlingly vivid picture of the fourth movement's 'Wild Night', complete with a specially-written percussion part which adds spice and brilliance.
This excellent programme ends with Schulhoff, who together with his contemporary Hass was considered by the Nazi Regime to be 'entartete' (degenerate). Harmonically more adventurous and avant garde than Hass, his Five Pieces for String Quarte, daringly toys with popular musical forms such as the Viennese Waltz (appropriated by the Nazis as a cultural icon), Serenade, Tango, Tarantella and Slavonic dances. The result is a series of somewhat neurotic but amusing paradies, sometimes droll, sometimes scary, and always sleazy. The vignettes resound with instrumental colour and are laced with tantalizing near-quotes from various well-known tunes.
Without doubt this splendid disc will head the list of my Discs of the Year; consumately performed and recorded with spectacular realism it is a compulsory purchase.
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Copyright © 2009 John Miller and SA-CD.net
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Review by raffells October 26, 2009 (7 of 8 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics (S): |
A very interesting and rewarding themed disc.
The sunny serenade for strings is performed as though the band led by Candida Thompson were really enjoying themselves and the placement in stereo is nigh on perfect.
The venue changes for the curious Pavel Haas 1899-1944 arrangement of string quartet no 2 with added percussion.It is certainly more diverse,colourful and attention grabbing.
Landscape, Cart driver and Horse, The moon and I followed by a Wild night each seem like seperate movements and should be enjoyed as such.I doubt if played in its original guise this would have had as much impact.At this point I felt the mics had been moved closer to the players and less ambience was observed as a result.
The arrangement of Schlhoffs slightly more conventiuonal quartet for string orchestra may indeed be a lightly tougher nut to crack.It borders if not passes into several different musical areas and hints at his avante garde aspirations.A Walz,serenade, tango and a spirited tarantella to conclude.Excellent playing and bowing all clearly captured again in slight close focus.
Timing of 78 minutes ,nice booklet and jewel case.
This item does not appear when dvorak is entered into the sites search engine.Presumably the weird spelling of Dvorak doesnt help.
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Review by JJ August 8, 2009 (4 of 7 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
Devoted to the Bohemian region, this recording regroups the works of three contemporary composers who are well-known to music lovers. “The association is not banal,” states Willem de Bordes, “but the three composers share a common point: a region, known for centuries under the name of Bohemia. This common root reveals itself through the rhythmic bounce, folk characteristics, and melodic invention in their works.” On the program, then, are the “Serenade for Strings” Op.22 by Dvorak, dating from 1875, the version for string orchestra and percussion of the “String Quartet N°2” Op.7 by Pavel Haas (1899-1944), composed in 1925, as well as the version for string orchestra of the “Five Pieces for String Quartet” WV68 by Erwin Schulhoff (1894-1942), dating from 1923. Following a remarkable and much-commented SACD devoted to Chostakovitch, once again the Amsterdam Sinfonietta, made up of 22 chamber musicians, enchant our ears and senses in a splendid pallet of captivating tones and harmonies. Everything here breathes musical passion, and the listener cannot but surrender to such a performance. In a majestic recording in pure DSD, this Bohemian Album is a must.
Jean-Jacques Millo
Translation Lawrence Schulman
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