Barber's
Adagio / Munch, Galway, Boston SO Strings
Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings is a
powerful piece, packed with emotional intensity yet also
extraordinarily listenable--and popular. Here, Barber's short
masterwork of simplicity and resonance gets eight treatments, from
those he approved of (Charles Munch and the strings of the Boston
Symphony; the Tokyo String Quartet; organist David Pizarro; and
the Smithsonian Chamber Players) to new interpretations that don't
quite match with the older renditions.
James Galway's new flute-and-synthesizer reading
is a bit anemic, though thankfully not showy, and the Canadian
Brass's arrangement is likewise tempered and calm, even if not
very close to having significant bite. Richard Stoltzman and the
Kalman Clarinet Choir probably do the best job of taking Barber to
new places; the woody tones mesh almost polyphonically. Also
included is the Choir of Trinity College's reading of Agnus Dei,
Barber's choral setting of the Adagio, a distillation that
might well be the high point of the CD. For the most stunning
rendition of the Adagio, however, listeners should really
hear the Thomas
Schippers version. --Andrew Bartlett
Barber:
Violin Concerto, Cello Concerto, etc / Slatkin
Barber's Cello Concerto is one of the several
great modern works for cello and orchestra. It's not as well known
as it ought to be, and the reason is simple: it's appallingly
difficult to play. The Violin Concerto, on the other hand, has
always been a popular favorite. The first two movements are so
lusciously beautiful feel you ought to pinch yourself after
hearing them just to prove that they were real. The Capricorn
Concerto is an acerbic, neo- Baroque pastiche very similar to
Stravinsky's Dumbarton Oaks and Martinu's Concerto
Grosso. All three works are performed and recorded with total
commitment and genuine Romantic flair. A great Barber record. --
David Hurwitz
Barber:
Symphony no 1, Piano Concerto / Browning, Slatkin
Both major works on this release are rarely
performed and rarely recorded--but they shouldn't be. The First
Symphony can stand right beside Aaron Copland's Third Symphony and
Roy Harris's Third Symphony. In fact, Barber's has more
complications than either of the other works, but is structurally
and tonally their equal. The Piano Concerto was itself premiered
by John Browning, who had considerable input on the work, along
with a last-minute suggestion in the final movement from the great
Vladimir Horowitz that allowed a human being to actually play it.
It's no cakewalk and should have more currency than it does. --Paul
Cook
