Customer Reviews

Hindemith: Mathis der Maler Symphony / Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber / Nobilissima visone Suite ~ Sawallisch

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is easily one of the best recordings of the digital era. Hindemith was one of the best composers of this century, and the selections on this CD explain why: rich, accessible, and thought-provoking music that engages both the intellect and the emotions. Sawallisch gives the works a persuasive reading, providing just the right amount of bombast in the "Symphonic Metamorphosis" and an appropriatly religious tone for the "Nobilissima Visione" Suite; he manages to lay out both the complexity and simplicity inherent in the "Mathis der Maler" Symphony with grace and power. This is also an excellently engineered CD--the softer dynamics don't drop out of range when played at a normal volume, as so many digital recordings seem to. All in all, an essential disk for any serious classical music fan--and, more importantly, it is a whole lot of fun to listen to as well.

This disc that brings the 3 masterpieces of Himdemith is a good disc. Conducting is good and the orchestra plays well. It doesn't in some important moments catch fire however. This is true in the Symphonic Metamorphoses above all. The conducting tends to be slow and flaccid. The playing routine and not exciting.

There are some better versions of these works out there. One is Bernstein with the Israel Philharmonic. It was one of the best recordings Bernstein made in his last years. While Israel perhaps does not play as well as Philadelphia, they play with great excitment and comment. The other version is with Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic. Abbado almost equals Bernstein's insights and he has the BPO giving us the best played Hindemith. The BPO plays with its customary polish and excitment. In terms of orchestral playing I have not heard a Himdemith disc that equals let alone surpasses the BPO.

Sawallisch gives us good but not great Hindemith. Abbado and Bernsteim go the extra mile. Both the Abbado and Bernstein versions are on Deutsche Grammophon.

Sawallisch's reign in Philadelphia hasn't exactly been sparkling and was marred by his ill health toward the end. But EMI gave him a fair run, and this Hindemith collection filled a hole in their catalog. It's gorgeously played and recorded, which may be enough for some. The sonics are deep and vivid, a pleasure to listen to.

It's unfortunate that the good reviews here are well written and the bad ones all but illiterate, because the naysayers are right. This is glossy but dull musicmaking, and almost any alternative will be more exciting (beginning with Bernstein, Abbado, and Blomstedt). For David Hurwitz to claim that these Hindemith showpieces have found "their ideal interpreter" is scandalous.

as much as i wanted to like this disc, this recording is a DUD!
atlanta/levi and SFS/Bloomstedt totally outclass this poor project and the sound is pitiful as well.. i'm bewildered by the positive reiews and my advice to those posters is to go educate yourselves with some other recordings of these profound works of art!!!

I'm not sure whether this is the best Hindemith recording I've heard, but it is certainly very impressive, starting with EMI's excellent recording. Sawallisch shows that he is a fine interpreter of Hindemith's scores, most notably in the Mathis der Maler, which is emotionally intense, gripping, and yet, not nearly as loud or bombastic as other accounts I've heard. The Philadelphia Orchestra truly shines in this recording, playing with as much warmth and technical skill as you'd expect from the likes of the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic or Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Anyone interested in a fine introduction to Hindemith's major orchestral works won't be disappointed with this recording.

I love it that Sawallisch has brought back more of that old 'Philadelphia sound'. It was sure evident in this recording, especially the 'Mathis Der Mahler'. This is a great recording in every aspect, despite these BPO Abado fans. There was another great recording with Von Karajan and the BPO several years ago, but the top recording of all was the old Ormandy PhO on Sony. Why doesn't Sony wake up and reissue all of Ormandy's recordings? Especially in this genre. His Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Richard Strauss, Hindemith, and the other twentieth century composers that he has recorded are the best of the lot!

I must say that I loved the sound on this recording. The best the PhO has sounded in a long time. Muti only seemed to get warmed up when he did Tchaikovsky and Respighi, and seemed to make the strings play softly way too much. I appreciate the attention to pianissimo and the dynamics, but alot of the time the sound of the strings would be completely lost. That does not happen in this recording or any of the others that Sawallisch had recorded so far.

Bottom line is that I loved it, but I wish that I had the recordings of Ormandy with 'Mathis' and 'Metamorphosin' recorded back in the sixties. They were magnificent.

I am missing most of the excitement here. If you think 20th century music should be dull and boring, then this is your CD. Sorry, but this is no match, for say, the latest LA Phil recording under Esa-Pekka Salonen, which just sparkles with energy and "Drang". Just naming one recent example here. Sawallisch makes me fall asleep.

A major disappointment. Go where the exitement is: Go Hollywood!

This disk features three of the most popular symphonic works by the German composer Paul Hindemith: Mathis der Maler Symphony, Nobilissima Visione Suite, and the Symphonic Metamorphoses of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber. The first on the CD is the Symphonic Metamorphoses, an orchestrated reworking of Carl Maria von Weber's piano duets. The first of four movements is a witty allegro featuring a rugged opening, leading into a calm middle with great parts for winds, including contrabassoon, and ending the movement with brilliant full orchestration. The second movement is a scherzo based on Weber's Turandot overture, a robust march theme eventually giving way to a brassy (and somewhat jazzy) fugue, which builds into a glorious ending complete with pealing chimes. The andantino movement is of a more lyrical nature, again favoring the woodwind section, with occasional orchestral burblings and climaxes taken over by the strings. The final march, famous in its own right, opens with the famous brass motive, moving into a snappy minor march, almost conjuring thoughts of Russian militaristic themes. A more optimistic brass fanfare occurs with constantly moving orchestral voices and the movement progresses between the two ideas, eventually ending with the opening motive on the positive. Carl Maria von Weber's melodies are catchy and engaging, while Hindemith's treatments are highly imaginative and interesting. A great introduction to Hindemith's music.

The Nobilissima Visione Suite is music from a ballet on the theme of Saint Francis of Assisi. The music is more in the spiritual realm and certainly more representative of Hindemith's "sound". In three movements, the suite begins with the Introduction and Rondo, a slow introduction with strings and clarinet yields to a faster rondo with flute solo. The movement is telling of Francis' first receiving his calling. The following movement, March and Pastorale, tells of St. Francis' joining the army only to find the inhumanity of it all, a reference to Hindemith's own Nazi Germany. The opening piccolo and side drum show the militaristic, but eventually leads into an angular and disturbed jig. The movement ends peacefully with strings, oboe, and flute. The third and last movement is a passacaglia (a form where a motive repeats again and again, usually in a lower voice, like a theme and variations). The melody at first does not seem a great one, but is grows on you as the movement builds. It is from the ballet's finale when St. Francis suffers from stigmata two years before his death. A solid and stalwart tribute to a man of great faith. The music of the suite is a bit more advanced and dissonant than the Symphonic Metamorphoses, still a great work.

Hindemith's great masterpiece, Mathis der Maler Symphony, is also in three movements and taken from an opera he wrote. Again, exhibiting more advanced harmonies, Hindemith shines, however, in clever and radiant melodies. The opening movement entitled Chorus of Angels opens with thick chords over a drone of sorts, but works its way into an upbeat, happy little tune used throughout the movement. Hindemith employs fugue as well as combining the old and the new, and puts his theme through the ringer; Hindemith at his most sunny. The work becomes much more serious with the second movement, The Entombment of Jesus, which sounds to me like a solemn procession. The last 12 bars or so are the most intimate, and an ending of unusual peace and calm. The final movement is the Temptations of the hermit Saint Antony, the most diverse music we have heard thus far from Hindemith. He puts the listener through the trials and ends with the famous brass chorale into a rousing finale.

The Philadelphia Orchestra under Wolfgang Sawallisch (a pre-eminent Richard Strauss interpreter) give a new take on the music, but there is no sluggish late romanticism from Sawallisch here. Not only do all the musical voices speak well here, Sawallisch gets the most from the score and his musicians; the orchestra is on all the time and gives a brusque performance. These three works are a great representative of Hindemith's popular orchestral works, and while you can find them elsewhere (Naxos, Telarc, Bernstein on DG), I have found this disk to be a fresh look at some old favorites.

This recording of Hindemith is great! Swallisch conducts it remarkably. The orchestra isn't overpowering and the overall sound of the CD is great. I would recommend this to anyone who loves Hindemith as much as I do. This is one of my favorite CD's

I AGREE WITH THE BELOW PERSONS WHO SAID THAT THERE ARE BETTER RECORDINGS. FEEL IT!