Fritz Reiner, CSO – Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra, Don Juan

   Like almost every great artist of modern era, Richard Strauss was a versatile composer. By the contemporaries he was recognized to be the greatest composer of his times. His works include a lot of music with various purposes, vocal and instrumental, chamber and large cast, concert and theatrical. He is known for his operas, especially those defining musical modernism and expressionism – Salome and Electra – or later, neoclassical operas like Der Rosenkavalier or Ariadne auf Naxos. But he owes his fame to the cycle of 10 symphonic poems he wrote earlier in neo-romantic style. Although many Strauss orchestral works look as inconsistent, in the form of tone poem he found his vocation.
   The cycle of Strauss’ tone poems is the culmination in the romantic development of this form. Sixth tone poem by Richard Strauss called Also sprach Zarathustra op. 30 (Thus Spoke Zarathustra) is the work of deep intellectual program, considered to be the example of the philosophical type of tone poem. Starting with prologue Sonnenaufgang (Sunrise) which is probably most famous fanfare in the history of symphonic music, and premiered in 1896 Also sprach Zarathustra is one of most famous tone poems ever composed. This popularity was not automatic, for decades this has a fame of hard to understand, uneasy listening. The starting fanfare and whole work became instant hit after Stanley Kubrick used fragment of this poem in soundtrack to his famous movie. After success of 2001: A Space Odyssey in public imagination this music has inextricably bounded with space representations.

Fritz Reiner – Strauss – Also sprach Zarathustra (1954)

   Question of philosophical program presented in this poem is not really solved. Subtitled as “freely composed after Friedrich Nietzsche” was classified as philosophical tone poem. But this was not quite justified. According to Richard Strauss own explanation, the composition was musical apotheosis of human development from its beginnings, through religious and scientific stages, to the moment of awaited overcome, liberation and raise of superman as in Nietzsche’s original. Composer also defined this poem as a musical homage to the great philosopher. In some fragments it is purely late romantic in melodic style and in emotional involvement, but Sonnenaufgang is already modern, overcoming the limitations of existing style. Organ pedal note C subcontra in unison with double basses and contrabassoon has its continuation in overtone three-note motiv C-G-C played by brass interrupted with timpani. Explained as the nature-motiv this characteristic and very powerfull idea became iconic in last decades of 20th century.

Fritz Reiner – Chicago Symph. Orch. – Also sprach Zarathustra (1954)

   Fritz Reiner recorded Also sprach Zarathustra three times, twice with Chicago Symphony Orchestra and once with Vienna Philharmonic at the Salzburg Festival in 1956. He was entitled Richard Strauss friend from time they work together in Staatsoper Dresden in the beginnings of his career. He recorded also with Vienna Philharmonic two other Strauss’ tone poems: Death and Transfiguration and Till Eulenspiegel and with Chicago Symphony Orchestra Ein Heldenleben, Burleske and musical dramas Salome and Electra. After he took the post of the music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, March 8th, 1954 he recorded Richard Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra for RCA Victor for the first time in stereo. Released the same year record was one of the first RCA’s “sound spectaculars” and became praised as triumph of arts and science. Next recording was made in 1961 and with new technics of sound engineering.
   The performance of 1954 was pressed by RCA Victor Red Seal and coupled together with recorded two days earlier recording of Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben op. 40 (registered in stereo March 6th, 1954) published in RCA Red Seal or with outstanding Don Juan op. 20 performance from (December 6th, 1954) published under Victrola label. The sound of the orchestra is alive and intense. Solo violin parts were played with perfection by John Weicher, the concertmaster of Chicago Symphony. Whole interpretation is melodious, but the levels of singing and dancing inspiration in fragment called Das Tanzlied breaks all the convenances. Conductor showed here this kind of proximity only personal friendship with composer can justify. And as emotional effect in this performance is congenial, Library of Congress has selected this famous recording to the National Recording Registry of historic recordings.

Carlo Maria Giulini & Itzhak Perlman – Brahms – Violin Concerto D Major op. 77

   Carlo Maria Giulini debuted as a conductor one month after liberation of the Rome. Hiding nine months, threatened with death by German occupants, he was studying Brahms’ Symphony No. 4. This work became culminating position in the program of his long awaited debut after liberation of Rome in 1944. His devotion to Brahms’ music has the rank of the symbolic redemption of German culture. Consecutive interpretations of composer’s work became Giulini’s specialty, and the Symphony No. 4 he conducted later up to 180 performances.
   Giulini was early recognized as opera conductor when thank to the recommendation by Arturo Toscanini, in 1953 he took the directorship of La Scala. In 1955 he made his American debut with Chicago Symphony Orchestra which became the beginning of a long term cooperation leading to the moment when in 1969 he was honored with the nomination to the post of Principal Guest Conductor. This position has been established especially for him during the time Music Director of The Chicago Symphony was nominated Sir Georg Solti. Carlo Maria Giulini as the first artist occupying post of Principal Guest Conductor remained on it from 1969 to 1972, when he came back to Europe to take the post of Chief Conductor of Vienna Symphony Orchestra (1973-1976). After his resignation the post of Principal Guest Conductor in Chicago Symphony was empty to 1982 when the title has been taken by Claudio Abbado.

Brahms – Violin Concerto – Itzhak Perlman, Carlo Maria Giulini (1977)

   Archive recordings with Chicago Symphony Giulini were made since the moment of conductor’s American debut (Rossini’s Overture “L’italienne à Alger” recorded November 9th, 1955). First commercial recording was Schumann’s Piano concerto with Arthur Rubinstein for RCA (1967). His cooperation with the orchestra was most prolific after the period of his employment, spanning the years 1975-1978. One of the best was 1977 EMI (1C 063-02 899) quadraphonic production of Johannes Brahms Concerto for Violin and Orchestra D major op. 77 with Itzhak Perlman. Recorded in Nov. 30th and Dec. 1st 1976, published in 1977 this record won Grammy Award for Best Engineered Classical Album in 1979. It is certainly one the best performances of Brahms' Concerto. Each of three parts can be seen as different in its own kind and perfect as complete piece. And all together are consisting greater artistic entirety.

Brahms' Concerto, Adagio – I. Perlman, C. M. Giulini, Chicago SO

   No doubt this is perfect performance, perhaps because it is joining three great names Carlo Maria Giulini, Itzhak Perlman and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Itzhak Perlman is one of the best violinists born after the war – he was born August 31st, 1945 in Tel Aviv. In dozens of phonographic recordings he is clearly more melodious than any other violin virtuoso. In most difficult, spectacular pieces he uses very own style of building the structure of the composition he interprets. The most original qualities of his art are subtle, nuanced differences between every element of the phrase. Even contrasting elements are connected as parts of one work. Perlman’s possibilities are unbelievably wide, he can be smooth and expressive, mellow and dramatic, and his emotionalism is much higher than most of violin masters, but he is still intellectually advanced and technically balanced.
   The Giulini/Perlman interpretation of Brahms’ Concerto is phenomenal. First part Allegro non troppo is less dramatic and more balanced than usual performances. Joachim’s cadenza is played more as musical art piece than as virtuoso exhibition. In central movement Adagio violin and orchestra create an organic unity to build wide spread and condensed utterance. In conclusive part – Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace – Poco più presto – artists decided to diminish a valiant effect for more poetic and melodious depth what gave them a chance to elicit more ambiguous, maybe even more abstractive meaning of the composition.

Mintz & Abbado play Mendelssohn and Bruch

Sometimes different works of different composers are related and complementary. Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor Op. 64 and Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto No 1 in G Minor Op. 26 are such pair of works, thus often are connected in programs of many albums. Both are very popular in violin repertoire, both belong to German romanticism highlights and both are best known works of their composers. These works are similar to each other in many formal ideas and strong romantic lyricism. Of course the style of orchestration is different but it is worth to remember there was at least a 22 year gap between them. The economics of artistic meanings and methods of creating again are the same, making these works even closer than it can be expected. Both were composed with supervision of violin virtuosi. First was consulted with Ferdinand David, concertmaster of Gewandhausorchester in Leipzig who was also premiered the work. Second is connected with celebrated 19th century violinist Joseph Joachim who was serving with advice for Bruch and performed it as first. Max Bruch and Felix Mendelssohn, both where versatile composers with clear romantic attitude and classical discipline. From the immense wealth of recordings featuring these concertos one of the more obvious is the album released by DGG in 1981 (2531 304) with Israeli virtuoso Shlomo Mintz and Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado.

Shlomo Mintz / Claudio Abbado - Violinkonzerte (1981)

The great feature of this recording is excellent cooperation between soloist, conductor and orchestra. Confidence and mutual understanding between artists flourished with perfect balance of solo violin and orchestral parts. Mintz plays freely and lightly, with deep, saturated sound. Abbado is able to bring out the most subtle dynamic and articulation nuances. Chicago Symphony Orchestra, one of top class symphonic bands, gave here phenomenal performance. Orchestra plays with virtuoso perfection and with marvelous sound that is class for itself. Artists recorded more in forcomming years, three years later in 1984 Shlomo Mintz with Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Claudio Abbado recorded phenomenal renditions of both Violin Concertos by Serge Prokofiev.
This session was second time Abbado made recording of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto – for the first time he recorded this composition in 1973 with Nathan Milstein and Wiener Philharmoniker. In Bruch’s Concerto Abbado’s work is astonishing. Traditional renditions are more dramatic while Abbado’s idea leads rather to expressive emotionalism of more comprehensive musical rethorics. Sometimes he is very close to the ridge of overreaction but he is justified because thirty years after recording the sound and expression are still as fresh as they could be performed now. And this is amazing how much capacity found conductor for this emotions in Bruch’s and Mendelssohn’s classically balanced works. It was also the time of his great renditions of Mahler’s Symphonies with Chicago Symphony Orchestra, with which he was recorded every year since 1978 and where in 1982 he became the principal guest conductor.
Shlomo Mintz’s performances are unbelieveably melodious. This compositions are enough melodically rich they do not need much more than clear sound and accurate performance. But Shlomo Mintz playing one of most beautiful sound ever, gave here samples of genuine sublimity and spirituality. His phrasing, his steady melody drawing gives listener feeling of strongest and the most common emotions. The question is how artist can be so mature in manifestation of his emotions when he is still so young. And this in fact does not refer solely to the performer. Mendelssohn started writing this Concerto when he was 29 years old. Max Bruch was 28 when composed his Violin Concerto No. 1. Maybe this is prerogative of romantic music or maybe we should redefine criteria of maturity, but it’s meaningful how often age has nothing to do with human powers.

James Levine – Carl Orff – Carmina Burana

Between post romantic expressionism and 20th century avant-garde there were only few composers looking for more natural and clear methods of creating music. Among them was Carl Orff who experimented with mediaeval and renaissance technical constructions, combining its straightforwardness with folk music traditions and simple rhythmic intensity. He was one of 20th century most famous composers and teachers for developing one of widely recognized methods of musical education. How it has often happened in the twentieth century, he owes its fame to one work only. This one is scenic cantata Carmina burana premiered in 1937. Later Orff composed two similar works Catulli carmina (1943) and Trionfo di Afrodite (1953) establishing three part cycle called Trionfi. He is also author of didactic Musik für Kinder and many dramatic works in type of cameral opera or musical on religious and secular subjects from Orpheus (1924), through Die Kluge (1943) to De Temporum Fine Comoedia (Play of the End of Time – 1973).
His creative talents he demonstrated in childhood. He was composing songs and writing children plays. Developing for his personal interests he was also studied natural history focusing on entomology and collecting insects. Born in Munich in 1895 in family of military traditions, he was serving in artillery and during World War I he suffered serious wounds. After the convalescence he back to his before war activities. Learning composition on his own he studied works of classical masters and style of highest rated contemporary composer Richard Strauss. He was forced to solve crucial dilemmas of modern art and living in reality of nazi Germany. And he achieved success both in music and in teaching, even if he is commonly known as composer of one cantata and constructor of the set of instruments called by his name Orff Set.

James Levine – Carl Orff – Carmina Burana (1984)

Orff’s cantata was set mostly to the text in Latin with small parts in Mittelhochdeutsch and Occitan. Work full title is in Latin: Carmina Burana: Cantiones profanæ cantoribus et choris cantandæ comitantibus instrumentis atque imaginibus magicis. Great success of the work gave composer enough self-confidence to state in letter to his publisher everything he composed before is obsolete and this is the first composition he is reopening catalogue of his works. Power of this music, which sometimes was described as modern primitive, lays in organic relationship between poetic, sometimes naïve and sometimes sardonic texts, emotionally clear and strong melodies, power of choir sound and instrumental, more percussive than symphonic accompaniment. Of course final shape of the work depends of performance style. Good example of American school of reading Orff’s works is the one by James Levine.
In opposition to many European renditions, American artists in most cases are choosing more symphonic and grandiose way of performing Carmina burana. They smoothing the archaic contours of instrumentation and enhancing the expressive layer of the work, and thus form more traditional piece, which is closer to solemn oratorio or even opera than mediaeval mystery. But it’s still beautiful and thrilling. This one of best American-way-performances of Orff’s cantata is 1984 rendition by James Levine conducting Chicago Symphony Orchestra and two phenomenally sounding choirs, Chicago Symphony Chorus and Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus. Trio of great singers – perfect, deep and warm soprano of June Anderson, characteristic, cold, sometimes sounding really ironically tenor of Philip Creech and strong baritone of Bernd Weikl with powerful acting background gave this performance narrative power in best style of modern music.