Customer Reviews

Franck: Symphony in D Minor / Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 5 Reformation

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The abuse hurled at this recording has always surprised me. I liked it when it came out and years later after finally picking up this CD reissue I like it still. The reviewer "Santa Fe Listener" pegs it perfectly so read his excellent review. It's not your usual Franck or Mendelssohn but it's certainly not incompetent or ill-conceived. The Franck sounds like, say, more contemporary film music and the Mendelssohn isn't as routine as a lot of performances of Mendelssohn. These are two once-cherished composers who pretty much flat-lined through the latter half of 20th Century; as "Santa Fe" points out, Maazel tried to envigorate them.

What bothers me most about this unsupervised editor-less reviewing that transpires here in Amazonia is this notion, alluded to in far too many reviews, that the job of all us amateurs (and, by definition, we is) is to find the "ideal recording." Really, pick through all this writing and see how often we stray from a civilized and sensible "my personal favorite is..." to a rather childish "BEST TANNHAUSER EVER!!!" One of the numberless joys of classical music is learning how many different interpretations can be pulled from a single score; another is how a second-rate orchestra, filled with enthusiasm, can sometimes top the Berlin Philharmonic; another is how an ancient recording in flawed sound can often have more heart and soul than any modern performance; and yet another is how letter-perfect attention to a score is not always the same thing as understanding.

I have lived wit5h the famed Monteux/CSO recording of the Franck without wanting any other...I must admit, the slithery chromatics and hummable tunes in this symphony wore off pretty long ago. But Mazzel has decided to be fresh-sounding and edgy. It's not your grandmother's Franck D minor, and this is a piece that died out on the concert stage about that long ago. Maazel makes it propulsive and more than a bit gritty. It's a velvet cushion touched with sandpaper and worth hearing.

The same goes for Mendelssohn, who epitomizes Protestant respectability and appealed greatly to Queen Victoria. Maazel, this time with a virtuoso orchestra, tries to make the Reformaiton a piece in the mode of Schumann's Rhenish symphony--a flrry of strings, quick pacing, and romantic trust are the guidelines in this performance, with lots of Schumannesque surges in the dynamics and tempi. It's very much a young turk's reading, and frankly I liked it a lot.

Parts that I heard before as slow and delicate were rushed. Parts that normally give me goose bumps left me dissapointed. I have high regards for any conductor and any orchestra, as they give us so much beauty while taking so very little from us. But, with due respect, I will continue looking for a better Mendelssohn's Reformation.

I agree with every last thing the previous throrough review cited--Maazel's traversal of both works (and odd coupling) ranges from the frenetic to sludge and all of it ragged and unidiomatic. Why would DG ever have wasted vinyl or whatever on this, and what was in the marketing plan that made people praise it for something it obviously doesn't contain?

But I have to disagree on the recommended alternatives. The Monteux/Chicago Franck is lumbering, teutonic, wooly and weighty...very un-Franckish and not at all the seraphic composer the reviewer cites. It's in the performance class of Mengelberg, Furtwangler, Ormandy, and Rodzinski who gave us recorded performances that allow people to hate this unpretentious and hearfelt work. For heart-pumping and leonine Franck, try Paul Paray on Mercury. The inspired, controlled drive and power of Paray's performance will ruin you on anyone else: this is the real Franck, the man of vision and originality who knew what he wanted and knew he was doing something supremely original. With this you get Paray's stunningly played and forceful Rachmaninoff No. 2 for your delectation.

Paray also knows how to do Mendelssohn: his unmatched No. 5 is full of pomp, dignity, ceremony, stature, and that Paray drama again. The balance is even better: a jaw-dropping Midsummer Night's Dream with a Detroit Symphony of unbelievable virtuosity and an atmosphere of of otherwordliness. And we're not done yet: Paray and the DSO throw in a courtly, loving, and humorous Haydn No. 96 at no extra charge. What an orchestral marriage this was!

The other suggestions may have their merits, but none can match Paray for artistic achievement, sound, and value to the listener. His Mercury offerings are the exact opposite of this dreary, drab Maazel issue.

This is certainly not a BAD recording, but I was about to write off Franck's Symphony altogether as this just didn't do much for me. Then I checked out Monteux's recording from my local library--and was hooked within the first 10 minutes! I highly recommend that recording (tough to find these days). Riccardo Muti's recording with the Philadelphia Orchestra also leaves this one in the dust (and is bargain-priced).

This recording of Mendelssohn's often criticized Reformation Symphony was recorded by a very young Lorin Maazel. It was unavailable for many years and was often cited by critics as a benchmark. Sorry, gentlemen, but I disagree.

The intonation problems noted above are here and I find no special insights. In fact, the finale is brutal, hasty and lacking any grandeur. The earlier movements are passable but contain nothing especially noteworthy.

For a sublime Reformation that could trick you into thinking this is a really great work, search for the Munch/Boston Symphony recording of the same vintage. Please, BMG, bring that one back!

The Franck Symphony has all the faults of the finale of the Mendelssohn, in spades. This is a rushed, totally unfeeling rendition, in a wholly separate universe from the other worldly, "Pater Seraphicus" portrait of Franck etched by some other misguided interpreters.

For a far finer Franck in this price range, try the Monteux/Chicago Symphony on BMG. Ormandy's Sony recording is also worth a listen.

NOTE: This review doesn't apply to the Franck D minor that is on the same disc. My main gripes with this performance of the Mendelssohn are that:

1) The brass section has an intonation problem. I thought it was especially noticeable at the unison part in the very beginning of the first movement. They aren't horribly out of tune, but enough that it really bothers me.

2) The tempo of the third movement is too fast.

3) The whole performance, especially that of the restatement of the hymn at the very end of the fourth movement, is too sterile and clinical.

Skip this recording and look for the one by Charles Munch and the Boston Symphony. The CD cover has a picture of a butterfly on it. The Munch performance is quite a bit more emotional, and although there seems to be a change to the trumpet part at the end (it ends on the tonic in the Munch instead of the median like in the printed score) it is quite good. I also feel the Munch is better than the Paray.