Liebermann: Orchestral and Vocal Works

Rolf Liebermann (Composer), Gunter Neuhold (Conductor), NDR Bigband (Performer), Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Simon Nabatov (Performer), Rachael Tovey (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: NDR Bigband, Simon Nabatov, Rachael Tovey
• Orchestra: Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: Gunter Neuhold
• Composer: Rolf Liebermann
• Audio CD (January 21, 2003)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Naxos
• ASIN: B00007DWM6
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #476,118 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Twelve-tone Music with a Mambo Beat?, May 2, 2003

By 

J Scott Morrison (Middlebury VT, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Liebermann: Orchestral and Vocal Works (Audio CD)

This issue of mostly orchestral music by Swiss-German composer Rolf Liebermann (1910-1999, and best remembered as the long-time Intendant of the Hamburg Opera and later the Paris Opéra) is nostalgic for me because of the Concerto for Jazz Band and Orchestra that ends the disc. I well remember bopping around to its dance beat probably thirty-five years ago in a previous recording (and I cannot for the life of me remember who the performers were). I remember being charmed, as I am again now, with the whole notion of a sort of concerto grosso for big band and symphony orchestra that uses pretty advanced harmonies and compositional technique. The combination of Liebermann's skilful use of dance beats (there are sections labeled 'Jump,' 'Boogie-Woogie,' 'Blues' and 'Mambo') with a big band playing full out interspersed with almost impressionistic sections for classical orchestra was just too delicious for words. It sounds a little dated now, partly because the Third Stream notion of mixing jazz and symphonic music has come and gone, but it's still invigorating, and I bet you won't be able to keep from getting up and boogie-ing. There is some pretty impressive free-tonal quasi-improvisatory playing, particularly from the brass, too.

"Furioso for Orchestra" has much the same kind of energy; imagine a twelve-tone Michael Torke. "Symphonie 'Les Échanges'" is a percussion piece (actually arranged by Siegfried Zink from the composer's original score for taped machine sounds) that, because of my background in Scottish folk music, sounds an awful lot, in spots, like what I remember of the intricate, snappy competition drumming heard at Highland Games. It, too, is invigorating and rhythmically clever. The percussion ensemble plays splendidly. The "Geigy Festival Overture" is a good deal less advanced harmonically than the other symphonic pieces mentioned, largely because it quotes, straight, a number of Swiss folksongs. In its twelve minutes it describes the quintessentially Swiss-German Festival of Fasnacht (Carnival) with its pre-dawn pipes and drums.

The only loser (and I hate to say it) on this disc is a cantata for solo soprano and orchestra called "Medea-Monolog." It is set to a poem in German in which Medea declaims, shrieks and moans in an erotic and hortatory frenzy about her love for the Argonaut Jason. Perhaps the reason I didn't like it is that it is the only piece here that doesn't show any of Liebermann's terrific sense of humor (and how often can you say THAT about a twelve-tone composer?) and gets far to hysterical for my taste.

Overall, though, I can recommend this disc for rhythmically alert playing, the invigorating music and, for me, the trip down Memory Lane triggered by the Jazz Band Concerto.

And of course, as we've come to expect, the Naxos production values from engineering to booklet notes are superb.

Scott Morrison

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AN OLD IDEA, REVISITED, March 31, 2008

By 

P. Alvarez "vivaldi116" (Killeen, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Liebermann: Orchestral and Vocal Works (Audio CD)

Thou outdated, the idea postulated by Swiss composer
Rolf Liebermann (1910-1999)of combining elements of
popular music within a symphonic media, is still very
interesting. He does it in a manner so well, that the
idea that one is actually listening to a concerto grosso,
(a small group of instruments playing against the background of
a larger one) somewhat leaves one's mind. The other works are also
interesting. The "Geigy Festival Concerto" and the Medea Monolog
are here in world premiere recording. "Les Echages" appears here
as a work for solo percussion but it was originally written for
electronic sounds. The recording is great, all works are wonderfully
performed by the Bremen Philharmonic, NDR Big Band, and the
Darmstadt Concert Choir. Great music, and a great recording.....

5.0 out of 5 stars Great fun and fantastic fidelity., January 3, 2011

By 

tillio "tillthen" (Florida) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Liebermann: Orchestral and Vocal Works (Audio CD)

I thoroughly enjoyed everything on this disc. Concerto for Jazz Band was exciting, and the phonics outstanding, even on my Sansa Clip + I kept looking around for the sound of an instrument, mistaking it for the real thing, the feeling of space was so pronounced. This is my first try with Liebermann. Looking forward to more from him. Naxos continues to shine with great sounding CDs.