Customer Reviews

Hindemith: Orchestral Works

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The Trio series is unquestionably, along with EMI's Gemini sets, one of the best available. This particular item is a complete set of Hindemith's orchestral works, and not only do we get full servings at over 60 minutes per CD, but you get fantastic performances as well. These Blomstedt SFSO/Leipzig Gewandhauser recordings were originally issued at full price on Decca, and when one hears them one can tell why. The orchestras sound transparent and lovely, and Blomstedt doesn't force the music, which works perfectly and is an approach strangely similar to the best interpretations of Mozart. Emotion is given its full due: I challenge you to find a single phrase here that is either too boistrous or too grim. The recording quality is amazing - so fine, in fact, that the captured sonics themselves are a significant bonus to the set. And the price! To pay, Melville wrote, is the worst affliction the two orchard thieves inflicted upon us. Luckily for you and me, the price is small - and the music is worth a hundred times the price to boot. Get it without hesitation.

Blomstedt has a very natural way with Hindemith's music,
and the playing in this set is very good. I will add that
Decca's recorded sound in San Francisco's Davies Symphony Hall
is first rate, and better than one might expect of the
period before its sonic renovation.

My review will focus on the two discs recorded in San Francisco.
The orchestral playing of the San Francisco Symphony achieves a
very high standard. Out of interest, I listened back-to-back to
the recordings of Nobilissima Visione from this set and from
the mid 1960s recording by the Chicago Symphony under Martinon.
Across the board, the SFSO plays at least as well, if not better.
This is not to take anything away from the Chicago recording, which
sounds great in its latest RCA remastering.

The present set is favored by beautiful solo viola playing from
Geraldine Walther, one of the stars of the string section. Blomstedt's
direction in these works feels entirely natural. Tempos are exciting
yet not excessively slow or fast. Articulations and ensemble in the
orchestra are precise.

It is the Mathis der Maler symphony that makes this set a must-buy,
however. The heroic trumpet playing of Glenn Fischthal and some very
strong work by the trombones carry the piece to a vigorous and
exciting conclusion. After comparing the two versions of Nobilissima,
it's evident that Fischthal has the sound of the CSO's long-time
principal trumpet Adolph Herseth in mind in this repertoire.

Precise, exciting, and stirring playing on every level.

Highly recommended.

Herbert Blomstedt and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra have a great history together. It was this very conductor and orchestra that turned in the critically acclaimed Nielsen symphony cycle. That landmark set, which still sells very well today, sparked my initial interest in Blomstedt's conducting. His Hindemith cycle, like the Nielsen, is also highly acclaimed and with good reason: it's intense, beautiful, full of glory, and emotionally riveting from start to finish. The San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and Gewandhausorchester Leipzig turn in top-notch performances in addition to the conducting from Blomstedt.

Hindemith's music is not performed much. I'm not sure why, but I know it takes virtuosic musicians to play his music. His music is the pinnacle of Neo-Classicism along with Stravinsky. They created a totally new style where counterpoint plays a more prominent role in the music. Both composers are an important link to 20th Century classical music.

This music is lean, mean, and runs like a well-oiled machine thanks to Blomstedt. If you're a fan of this composer's music, then this set is pretty much self-recommending, but if you're new to Hindemith, then this is a great place to start exploring.

Also of particular note, check out Yan Pascal Tortelier and the BBC Philharmonic's recordings of Hindemith on the Chandos label. He performs some works that haven't been recorded much like "Pittsburgh Symphony," "The Four Temperaments," "Symphony in E flat," and "Symphonic Dances." This is an excellent cycle as well.

This is a compilation of 3 discs previously released separately, all conducted by Blomstedt and highly rated by critics.

Disc 1 (with San Francisco Symphony):
Mathis der Maler symphony (tracks 1-3)
Trauermusik for viola and strings (track 4)
Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber (tracks 5-8)

Disc 2 (with San Francisco Symphony):
Konzertmusik for brass and strings (tracks 1-2)
Der Schwanendreher (viola concerto) (tracks 3-5)
Nobilissima Visione suite (tracks 6-8)

Disc 3 (with Gewandhausorchester Lepizig):
Symphonie Serena (tracks 1-4)
Symphonie "Die Harmonie der Welt" (tracks 5-7)

Paul Hindemith, one of the foremost composers of the early twentieth century, has a style that can at first seem daunting: blaring brass, searing satire, and an extensive use of counterpoint can seem like a huge wall standing between you and understanding. But if there will never be a set that could give one a glimpse into this composer's mind directly, Decca has come up with the next best thing: World-class performances of the composer's most brilliants scores available at rock-bottom prices in a single package.

There is not a single disappointment to be found on this entire set. Right from the powerful opening chord of the Konzertmusik Op.50 we know we are in for a real treat. While Tortelier may have bombast in the opening, Blomstedt knows how to keep the tension and rhythmic drive sustained for the entire duration of the first movement, something which seems to have escaped our friend from the BBC, and Albert too. One could consider the recordings for virtually every major work on these discs definitive; they have become the undisputed catalogue choices for almost every reviewer I've seen. The one odd-man-out is the Symphonia "Serena," a supposedly lighthearted work which ends up sounding rather pretentious in the end. But this has more to do with the music than the performers...

The sound are is good as it could possibly be. The climaxes register without loosing any important lines in the process, which is no small feat for such densely contrapunctal music. And yet it is probably also the most important feature to have with said music.The documentation is insightful and well-written.

But my point is quite clear: This a perfect start to any Hindemith collection, and definitely a worthwhile acquisition. Highly recommended.