Korngold / Griffes: Symphonische Serenade op.39; Romantische Skizzen op. 7 / London Symphony Orchestra, SIomne Pittau – Tonträger neu kaufen

Neuware

59 Min.

2006

CD

120 g

Album: NEU und EINGESCHWEISST (OVP). STILL SEALED

Korngold: Symphonic Serenade; Griffes / Pittau, Et Al

Release Date: 06/27/2006
Label: ASV Gold Catalog #: 4020 Spars Code: DDD
Composer: Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Charles Tomlinson Griffes
Conductor: SIomne Pittau
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Symphony Orchestra
Number of Discs: 1
Recorded in: Stereo
Length: 0 Hours 59 Mins.
AN: 0743625402025


Works on This Recording

1. Symphonic Serenade in B major, Op. 39 by Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Conductor: SIomne Pittau
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Symphony Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1947; Hollywood, Californi
2. Roman Sketches (4), Op. 7 by Charles Tomlinson Griffes
Conductor: SIomne Pittau
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Symphony Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1915-1916; USA
Notes: Arranger: Craig Leon.



Notes and Editorial Reviews

The American Impressionist composer Charles Tomlinson Griffes enjoyed a brief vogue in the earlier part of the last century, but then fell into obscurity, perhaps because a little of his favored faux Orientalism - like the ersatz Americana of Carlisle Floyd and Douglas Moore - goes a long way. Griffes originally wrote the four Roman Sketches for piano, though he only got around to orchestrating two of them, with the first, The White Peacock, attaining independent status as a concert piece. The producer of the present disc, Craig Leon, who claims expertise as both an arranger and an ethnomusicologist, has completed the task, matching Griffes's own orchestral style nicely. Not examining the booklet carefully until after I heard the disc, I had no idea that the arrangements weren't all the composer's.

The White Peacock goes nicely; the gorgeous liquid woodwind solos are a delight. Night begins with a harder edge before blossoming into coruscating sonorities, with full-bodied horn duets answered by the woodwinds. The Fountain of the Acqua Paola remarkably works a Debussyan harmonic palette, generating activity from strings of parallel chords, into rich, Ravelian textures. In the concluding Clouds, the celesta accents in the more lightly-scored passages represent perhaps too obvious a pictorial stratagem, but the music again opens out voluptuously at peak moments.

The title Symphonic serenade may seem oxymoronic, and, indeed, Korngold's "serenade" for strings is no trifling one: the score is laid out on a "symphonic" scale, with the first and third of its four movements each running for over ten minutes. Surprisingly, it's not the rich, Romantic style of the composer's film music that dominates this score. The outer movements are driven by the vigorous, strongly profiled rhythms of Neo-classicism. The finale's third theme, at 2:09, would have fit right into Stravinsky's Dumbarton Oaks! The pizzicatos of the Intermezzo are aggressive, even spiky - nothing like the Playful Pizzicato of Britten's Simple Symphony. The broad, concentrated chorale that begins the Lento religioso suggests Bruckner, but other influences make themselves felt as the movement proceeds: vaulting leaps out of late Mahler, hints of the slow movement of Nielsen 2, and even a bit of anguished Expressionism. Yet Korngold's craftsmanship fuses this potpourri of influences into a persuasive musical stream with a compelling, impeccable logic.

The young Italian violinist-turning-conductor, Simone Pittau, finds just the right touch for Griffes, touching in detail with a light hand - as noted, the LSO woodwinds shine - while maintaining a firm rhythmic backbone, and he has a good grasp of Korngold's arching structures as well. The wide-ranging engineering strikes a good balance between detail and warmth in the Griffes; the Korngold sounds a bit blurry, perhaps because the string playing, while basically accurate, doesn't quite offer pinpoint precision. For those interested in these less-well-trodden corners of the repertoire, this definitely merits a recommendation.

-- Stephen Francis Vasta, MusicWeb International

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AllMusic Review by James Leonard [-]
This is a very seductive disc and anyone with a weakness for opulent romanticism will have to hear it. Charles Tomlinson Griffes (1884-1920) lived too short a time and left too little music, but the music he did leave is of extraordinary quality. The four Roman Sketches included here were originally piano works, two of which were orchestrated by the composer. For this disc, producer Craig Leon furnished orchestrations for the other two and the whole group receives here its world-premiere recording. Those who already know Griffes' sumptuous The White Peacock that starts the set will need know no more. Those who don't but who are already predisposed toward the sensuous eroticism of the fin de siècle will be well and truly satisfied.

Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957) lived longer than Griffes but he lived so many lives, he might as well have been three composers -- the youthful Austrian prodigy who had operas playing at the court opera in Vienna by the time he was 13, the mature American master who defined Hollywood movie music, and the late intercontinental itinerant composer who didn't quite succeed in breaking back into the concert hall. Those who already know his ravishing early operas or his dashing mature movie scores will not be surprised by the lyricism of his melodies and the beauty of his string orchestra scoring in this Symphonic Serenade. Those who don't already know Korngold's concert music but who enjoy the music of Strauss and Mahler will enjoy this work as well. Conductor Simone Pittau makes his recording debut here with the London Symphony and he and they do a superlative job of breathing life into the scores. ASV Gold's sound is clear, colorful, and evocative.

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ASV 4020