Tchaikovsky: 'The White Box'
Symphonies 1 - 6,
Hamlet, The Storm, Francesca da Rimini, Piano Concertos 1 - 3, Andante
and Finale, Op. 79, Fantaisie de Concert in G major
Polish National Radio Orchestra /
Adrian Leaper and Antoni Wit conducting, with Bernd Glemser, piano
Naxos 8.507002 (7 discs)
Playing Time: 7 hrs 54 mins
Anthony Kershaw
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Naxos is justifiably
proud of their ‘White Box’ series. Eight titles have been released
to date, including orchestral works and concertos by Dvořák,
Sibelius, Bruckner, Mendelssohn, Shostakovich, Rachmaninov, and Malcolm
Arnold.
The boxes boast ‘…durable, attractive packaging with an illustration
of the composer delicately picked out.’ They also feature full essays
on each work and detailed biographies of the composer and recording artists.
The seven disc Tchaikovsky box, my first ‘White’ foray (I have
received all eight boxes for review), was something of a disappointment. The
music is well prepared by the conductors, Adrian Leaper and Antoni Wit,
and receives some stylish playing from the Polish National Radio Symphony
Orchestra and pianist Bernd Glemser.
However, when compared to the finest performances and recordings, most
of these Naxos CDs do not fare well. To add insult to injury, some brilliant recordings are available for near or the same as Naxos’
budget price.
During
the nearly eight hours of music, there are
a few places where Tchaikovsky’s inspiration charges the Polish musicians
with energy and passion. I noted more of these moments in Leaper’s and
Glemser’s CDs than in the estimable Mr. Wit’s.
Things get off to a wonderful start on disc 1 -- the performances
ultimately became my favorites of the set. The Winter Daydreams symphony is
an early representation of the genius of Tchaikovsky, full of melodic
intervention, intriguing counterpoint, and atmospheric orchestration. Hamlet
(Fantasy Overture), composed much later in Tchaikovsky's life but just as
youthful in
conception, also gets a fine reading. Exciting and rhapsodic.
In both pieces, ex Philharmonia hornist Leaper encourages the Polish orchestra's
brass section and the strings are powerful and unified in
ensemble. The recording of this CD is also the best of the bunch in this
generally bass-shy box set. Interestingly, the set is uniform in
recording crew and artists, with only a producer change between symphonies and concertos. All performances were
recorded between 1991 and 1993 in the concert hall of Polish Radio.
Leaper hits a homerun of sorts with the intensely difficult Fourth Symphony. While not
recorded as well as his performance of the First Symphony, the
playing shows careful
handling of the changes in tempo and style. Sadly, the other four
symphonies suffer another fate: predictable
interpretation, dodgy intonation in the brass, less than stellar
woodwind (excellent oboe, though), and near bass-free recording (I should,
however, report to audiophiles that the woodwind imaging on the discs is
excellent and the hall soundstage only slightly less so).
Glemser gives good performances of
the intractable First Piano Concerto and invisible Second and Third.
His piano tone rings beautifully, if not always in perfect tune with the
orchestra. The First Concerto gets off to a rocky start with a
weak horn call (listen to
Martha Argerich and the Royal Philharmonic horn section to hear how real
hooligans can start this piece; in tune, too), and the transitions
between soloist and orchestra seem tentative. Comparisons make Glemser's
performance a member of the lower echelon, especially with Richter, Cliburn, Zuhkov, Ashkenazy, and the incomparable
Argerich hammering away brilliantly.
Even the somewhat obscure Second Concerto has its great champions
in Peter Donohoe and Shura Cherkassky, both of whom are preferred in recording
and orchestral accompaniment to the Glemser offering.
And
herein lies the problem with the this particular White Box -- too many great recordings waiting in the wings for
your budget dollar. Happily, there are several of the new Naxos boxes that on
brief hearing offer far more bang for the buck.
I look forward to reporting their merits to you. In this release, the First Symphony
‘Winter Daydreams’ and Hamlet are worthy of your
consideration, with the Fourth
Symphony a recommendation if push came to shove. Other than these
three performances, this White Box is a lackluster affair.
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