Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances; Vocalise; Five Études-Tableaux

Reference Recordings RR-96CD

Playing Time: 67:06

Anthony Kershaw

I must admit to a thrill when Reference Recordings packages arrive at the @udiophilia.com office. Anticipation is always heightened for this audiophile when Professor Keith Johnson has a hand in the recording. After a couple of hours with RR-96CD, the usual equation will work just fine -- Professor Keith Johnson recording + Tam Henderson producing = stunning success. It would seem that Johnson once again has raised the bar of excellence in the recording of a symphony orchestra. And here, Serge Rachmaninoff is the subject of Johnson's attention.

The ubiquitous Symphonic Dances have been particularly well-served on record: the Athena LP reissue (ALSW-10001) of the Vox classic Dallas SO/Johanos is famous for its immediacy and the Telarc (CD-80331) Baltimore/Zinman for its power -- both receive fine interpretations and excellent playing. With the Minnesota Orchestra and its outgoing director, Eiji Oue, the great work gets a superb treatment; slower and more deliberate than either Johanos or Zinman, but retaining the dance qualities envisaged by Rachmaninov. While the playing and interpretation are first class, it is the recording that steals the show.

Minneapolis' Orchestra Hall seems a warm, inviting space, one in which orchestral instruments bloom and shine. The soundstage is vast and as recorded will extend well beyond the boundaries of well designed, well setup speakers. Imaging and timbre are superb, too. One gets the full whack of the orchestra from about row N. The orchestra is balanced beautifully by Oue and Johnson from the highest picc to the lowest brass. Which brings us to the bass extension - the bass drum is tight, tight, tight - no bleed, with only the briefest of decay. It sounds magnificent, and joins the tuba and string basses in plumbing the depths of both sound and despair.

Minnesota's upper strings are in good shape; not as strong as the Baltimore section above the stave, but rich in tone and captured here with good ensemble. Woodwind and brass sections possess some fantastic players and some less so. Flute, clarinet and trumpet are among the former, solo oboe the latter. The percussion players get to shine in the Dances, especially. In the final dance, the solo tam-tam's last crash rings until the sound decays smoothly from low tones to high. Brilliant!

The Five Études-Tableaux (arranged here from the original piano solo by Respighi) receive fine performances. However, the arrangements hinder much of the spontaneity and rubato that great pianists like Ashkenazy and Pletnev bring to them. Ardor is apparent in Opus 39, No. 2 (The Sea and the Seagulls), with some excellent string playing and real romantic sentiment. The other Études left me unmoved or uninterested. As arranger, the James Horner of his day just does not come up with the goods. To be fair, could anybody make the Études work? Again, the recording of this, and the filler, Vocalise, is outstanding.

The CD is well worth the price for its fabulous recording and super performance of the Symphonic Dances. That it can extinguish some of the flames of the once definitive Athena/Telarc combo, is testament to the brilliance of Keith Johnson and his associates at Reference Recordings.

[To hear an @udiophilia.com interview with Prof. Johnson, click on Real Audio Keith Johnson @ CES - Ed]