Marek Janowski - Richard Strauss: Alpine Symphony, Macbeth (2009)

Marek Janowski, Music Director of the Suisse Romande Orchestra since 2004, has made an excellent recording for Pentatone with that orchestra--a coupling of symphonies of Franck and Chausson (REVIEW). With the Pittsburgh Symphony, he has recorded the four Brahms symphonies: Symphony No. 1 (REVIEW), Symphonies 1 and 3 (REVIEW), and Symphony No. 4 (REVIEW). These Strauss performances were recorded live in Pittsburgh's Heinz Hall October/November 2008, produced and recorded by Job Maarse, who did a fine job. An Alpine Symphony dates from 1915 and requires one of the composer's largest orchestras including doubled woodwinds, 8 horns, 4 each of trumpets and trombones, 2 tubas, organ and a huge percussion section including a "thunder machine." One of the most famous recordings, Rudolf Kempe's 1966 Victor recording with the Royal Philharmonic, has recently been reissued on Testament (REVIEW). The most sonically spectacular recording is the DVD with Kent Nagano and the Berlin Deutsches Symphonier-Orchester (REVIEW). Audio on the new Pentatone issue is excellent, with a wide, spacious acoustics. Even Janowski's admirable efforts can't make much of Macbeth, an early work of the composer (composed 1888/1890), but it is a generous filler. Janowski has equal success with this new release of Bruckner's Symphony No. 6 recorded in Geneva's Victoria Hall in January 2009. Janowski again manages to make the Suisse Romande Orchestra sound like a German orchestra--a sterling performance magnificently recorded by Job Maarse and his crew. Both of these SACDs are highly recommended.

About a year ago this site mentioned the first Pentatone release by young Chinese pianist Sa Chen, Chopin's concertos with Lawrence Foster and the Gulbenkian Orchestra (REVIEW). Here is a recital disk that is less effective. Chen is most impressive in the six Rachmaninoff Etudes Tableaux played with sterling technique and style. I've always found Mussorgsky's original solo piano Pictures at an Exhibition to be disappointing in that form, even when played by Sviatoslav Richter. Koussevitzsky was correct when he asked Ravel to orchestrate it. Many others have done this as well, and all prove that orchestral textures are what is needed. Chen's performance is rather sedate, and inclusion of the Rimsky-Korsakov-Chernov piano transcription of Night on Bald Mountain is a dubious plus--it simply doesn't work. Great sonics, as always, from Pentatone. -- Classical CD Review, Robert Benson, September 2009

Strauss' Eine Alpensifonie (Alpine Symphony), Op.64, is quite differently interpreted by Marek Janowski and the Pittsburgh Symphony than it usually is (hybrid SACD 5186 339). He emphasizes the musical materials rather than their verbal descriptions. By not giving in to the work's programmatic aspects, he concentrates instead on the motivic structure, which contains some very beautiful moments. Needless to say, the Alpine Symphony contains some of Strauss' most brilliant and colorful orchestration, virtuosically played by the orchestra. The disc also contains Strauss' Macbeth. Although written around the same time as his brilliant "Don Juan," its materials and working out are far heavier and less distinctive. It is also well played, but Janowski does not seem to like it very much. Weak as the piece is, others have made more of it.