Recording Review #26: Making the Möst of Prokofiev

 

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 6 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 111. Franz Welser-Möst, conductor; The Cleveland Orchestra. 

Prokofiev's incredible Sixth Symphony is often held up to be a dark work...a somber reflection on the recently-concluded World War II. The composer himself basically agreed when he indicated that it memorializes the conflict's victims. While I don't mean to suggest that isn't a worthy intention on its own (it surely is!), I have always thought there is much more to this symphony. The whole thing strikes me as a kind of dark-hued dreamscape, a magnificent cross-section of Prokofiev's staggering imagination. There is much doleful rumination here, yes, but also nooks, crannies, and even vistas full of bright wonder. Prokofiev's inimitable humor even makes some appearances. It is a work that remains just a bit mysterious, even when you think you know what it's all about. Accordingly, Prokofiev 6 offers an inept or disinterested conductor plenty of room to stumble. But thankfully that's not what happens here. Franz Welser-Möst and The Cleveland Orchestra give a performance that is always good and möstly wonderful. 

This isn't one of the most consistently spirited performances of Prokofiev 6. We hear straightaway that Welser-Möst (henceforth FWM) favors a softer approach than some of his competition. There are fewer sharp edges in the opening movement compared to the performance by Neeme Järvi and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra on Chandos (CHAN 8359), my own preferred account. FWM is even more subdued than Petrenko and the Oslo Philharmonic in their recent release (Lawo Classics LWC1215). The loud parts are suitably loud, but the heart of this interpretation seems to be elsewhere. And I think I'm okay with that. I get the argument for more passion here, but I find I don't mind FWM's relative introversion. 

In the second movement, FWM and The Cleveland Orchestra are among the more expansive in the catalogue. Once more, I'm with them. This is the most emotionally complex juncture of an emotionally complex symphony. It rewards a conductor who is able to elicit from his/her players a smorgasbord of delicate hues, in addition to the necessary percussive and climactic muscle. I'm going to call this my new favorite performance of the second movement. FWM works a special magic in it that does justice to conflicting, complex character states. Even if the other two movements sucked, which they certainly don't, this recording would be eminently worthwhile for the middle stretch. 

FWM and Co. really lay their cards on the table in the finale, somewhat dubiously. For the first time, I find myself kind of wanting something other than what they're offering. I think the quicker, "oom-pah" portions which dominate the section should be a little more raucous. Okay, maybe not GERGIEV-level raucous (Philips 475 7655), but the finale is inherently exhilarating (sometimes darkly so) and needs an edge. FWM leads an effort here in which a certain tameness seems to catch up to him. It's not bad at all, just maybe lacking a bit of kick. 

On balance, this is an excellent outing. If the ways in which it is superlative are somewhat offset by a merely "good" finale, it still belongs with the overall best options. One other drawback, though, is the exclusive download/streaming medium. This is a baleful industry trend that I would like to see reversed, but probably won't. Maybe some time I'll go into my thoughts about all of this with a dedicated blog post. But not here. Right now I urge you to have a listen to this new Prokofiev 6 and see what you think of it. 

Highly Recommended

Recording Review #16: Clashing Concerti

 

Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47/Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 1 in D, Op. 19. Janine Jansen, violin; Klaus Mäkelä, conductor; Oslo Philharmonic. Decca 485 474-8. 

Considering how popular these violin concerti both are, it's perhaps a bit surprising how seldom you see them paired on a single-disc recording like this. Granted, they're very different works despite each being highly accessible. But maybe this explains their rare coupling. Success in the one by no means guarantees success in the other, at least in terms of the music fitting the performers' sensibilities. And to be honest, what we have here is a tricky conductor-soloist partnership: both are better in some settings than in others. In these circumstances one could almost predict that success might be occasional and serendipitous, while rightly expecting inconsistency as a norm. Indeed, that is what we get in the form of a bumpy Sibelius and a winning Prokofiev 1. 

The Sibelius Violin Concerto here suffers from two things. In order of seriousness, they are: conductor Klaus Mäkelä's continued lack of feeling for narrative shape, and violinist Janine Jansen's heavy-handedness during climactic moments and bursts of passion. I say "continued" in Mäkelä's case because his recent Sibelius symphony cycle (Decca 485 225-6) suffers similarly. He goes from area to area with little apparent understanding of how to mould the work as a whole. He finds lots of neat sounds and little points of interest locally, but rarely does anything ever add up to something greater. The problem might be less pressing in a concerto, but at times it noticeably holds Jansen back. She'll finish a passage of impassioned, virtuosic violin playing, and it will be followed by a tutti that seems minimally to have been aware of it. The result is an odd feeling of atomization, especially in the lengthy first movement. Also, while Jansen is really good in the softer, hushed passages, I often find her tone to be heavy-handed otherwise, with sometimes too much glissandi between pitches. When she plays the main theme of the finale, for example, it sounds too spasmodic and needs to be steadier. The best movement is the second, where softer surroundings limit the effects of either musician's shortcomings. 

The reason why the second movement of the Sibelius mostly succeeds in Jansen's and Mäkelä's hands is related to why their Prokofiev First Violin Concerto is a winner. This is a more dreamlike and less monumental work. Its world strikes the listener as a bit more winding despite a shorter overall length. There are many quieter, visionary passages that can be said to mark the whole despite a vigorous yet brief middle movement. These conditions play directly to the strengths of both conductor and soloist. Theirs is what I would call a distinguished reading of this concerto that withstands (if not quite triumphs in) comparison to legendary recordings by David Oistrakh and Maxim Vengerov. Jansen in particular has a special affinity for Prokofiev, and were Mäkelä's and the Oslo Philharmonic's support even less suitable than they are here, she would likely still raise the performance to a fine level. Her soft, high playing is wonderful indeed, and it finds a perfect outlet. 

The download/streaming version of this recording includes a performance of Sibelius's very first composition, Water Drops, with Jansen on violin and Mäkelä on cello. It's a neat little curiosity, but adds nothing of consequence to the proceedings. 

Highly Recommended for the Prokofiev