Customer Reviews

Richard Strauss ~ New Year's Eve Concert Berlin 1992 / Argerich, Fleming, Battle, Abbado

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I frequently come across CD recordings which I think are nice. Seldom do I sit up and reach for the remote to press the repeat button to hear a piece or movement again before running through the whole CD. Very rarely, do I do so for a piece which I don't quite fathom or like. But that was the case for Argerich's performance of Strauss' Burleske at the 1992 New Year's Eve Concert with the Berlin Phil. It's one of Stauss' early works, and though there are gems of ideas within, I am rather ambivalent about the structural coherence of the whole work. However, when I heard the Argerich recording, sit up and reach for the remote I did. More than that, I actually felt compelled to pen my reactions.

This is virtuoso playing of the highest order and the work sounded fresh and almost great ! There are the note-perfect, thundering octaves at tempi which sound like single notes and the screaming runs. And of course, we all love to hear a pianist stretch the physical limits of piano playing. But listen on and you will hear pianism which has given Argerich the cult following that she has. The ensemble playing is faultless. For her overpowering personality, the result of Argerich's absence from the solo scene over the last decade or so and focus on chamber music, 2 piano works etc shines through. Her octaves and runs are not mere mindless display of her almost inhuman technique; they are peppered with subtle accents which I did not know exist, and one feels that there is a more basic reason for what she is doing, not just showing off. In the quieter moments, we hear another aspect of Argerich's art. Listen, for example, to her rendition of the slow coda theme in D minor. She caresses the keyboard, the music sings with a warmth which makes you forget that just a few bars ago, she was taming the Steinway beast in a way which few pianists can. There are times when she takes the music to the edge, and I wondered if the train would derail. But this is the master at the keyboard, and on repeated listenings, Argerich leaves one in no doubt that she was in total control.

I searched for my other recordings of the Burleske among my collection which had gathered dust. I found Serkin and Gould. Mind you, Serkin's rendition is nothing to scoff at. The chordal work is awesome and there is that certain characteristic Serkin "animal" instinct in the playing. Gould? Well, I listen to him because, as Bernstein said, this is a thinking artiste who has something to say when he performs a work. His dance/waltz-like tempo allows him to bring out details of the piano writing which one doesn't notice even with the score staring in your face. But Gould's Burleske is full of idiosyncrasies and I couldn't help feeling that something is missing. I half suspect his unique posture at the piano, low chair etc, prevents him physically from actually portraying the piece in the way which Strauss had in mind. Bottom line: neither Serkin nor Gould offer that musical EXPERIENCE which Argerich's performance does, high voltage, molten lava, quiet warmth and all. I got my VCR of the NY Eve's Concert a few days ago. It's even more exciting to see the performance visually. I haven't digested the rest of the pieces on the CD or VCR simply because I couldn't resist reaching for the remote to repeat the Burleske. And I'm trying desperately to get the DVD. This is a performance to be kept for posterity.

OK, time to get into the spirit of Richard Strauss' amazing music - over the top, according to some - and haul out the superlatives.

I don't know what sort of reticent, flaccid Strauss another reviewer here (or the Grammophone magazine reviewer he cites) has in mind in writing unfavorably about some of the playing on this disc, but I would urge readers to listen for themselves and see what their own ears tell them. This is one of the best Strauss albums in existence: A good selection of short, relatively early works, and some of the best Strauss playing - and conducting - ever committed to binary code.

The center of gravity has to be the ferocious account of the Burleske for piano and orchestra, with the legendary fire-and-ice Argentinian pianist Martha Argerich at the absolute top of her game, and conductor Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic keeping pace perfectly, matching her stroke for stroke in a performance that somehow combines heaven storming with extraordinary nuance. They hold nothing back in this stylishly idiomatic, all-out tear through one of the most technically challenging pieces in the piano and orchestra literature. I think the version here tops even the legendary (and still great!) Serkin/Ormandy recording from the 1950s.

Don Juan and Till Eulenspiegel are well-worn war horses, but they sound fresh and audacious here, and, yes, the playing is thrillingly forward (I'll leave judgements of "aggression" up to other listeners), seeming to strain at the very limits of virtuosic power but, in fact, always under the perfect control of Abbado's sure, steady hand. I've heard numerous renditions of these great pieces, most of the modern ones and historic ones going back to the beginning of recorded sound, including legendary versions conducted by the great Wilhelm Furtwangler and by Richard Strauss himself. And of all the recordings of these pieces over the decades, including some truly excellent ones, I can think of none that I prefer to these two. If there were some theoretical encyclopedia associating great music with recordings that "defined" them, then these would be my nominees for Don Juan and Till Eulenspiegel, on the basis of being the most perfectly Straussian.

I'm less qualified to comment on the Rosenkavalier selection (readers might well surmise I'm temperamentally more closely aligned with the operatic Strauss of Salome and Elektra), though anyone who loves this composer's work will appreciate the soaring beauty of this music and of these wonderful voices. It's appropriate that, whereas each preceding track on this album of live recordings ends in silence, this one ends in warmly enthusiastic applause and cheers. Bravo, indeed.

In addition to the above-mentioned virtues, the sound on this disc is bright, clear and generally very well balanced, and - importantly for Strauss - the horn sound is exceptionally warm and full-bodied, managing at crucial moments to achieve the bright orange timbre sought after by horn aficionados and Straussians alike (or aren't usually one and the same?). The piano is recorded with unusual clarity and body in the Burleske, and the voices seem well balanced, among themselves and against the orchestra, in Rosenkavalier.

Cause thats why i bought it. And i was not dissapointed, All three women sound fantastic. I disagree with the person who said Kathy sounds out of sorts, she sings Sophies music perfectly here, and she is even MORE radiant in the final duet(which i think is even better than the trio) Flemming and Von Stade are predictably good, especially Von Stade who was hands down THE best in this role, no doubt about it. Now i wish these three had recorded the whole opera

New Year's Day in Berlin, 1992, wasn't good for heart patients at this high-energy, sometimes nerve-wracking concert. The overall breathless tone is set from the opening ars of Don Juan, which is something of an assualt. Fortunately, the performance calms down, and although not overly fast at 16 min., it's by no means romantic or relaxed. If anything, Abbado seems a mite tense.

The centerpiece of the concert is the Burleske, an early work that is notably slapdash and disorganized, but thanks to Martha Argerich it comes off as a showpiece for a mercurial, reckless pianist, which she certainly is. Happily, she is not as her most bombastic and fierce, so the work stays on a plane of good humor, and of course dazzling pyrotechnics.

We get to relax a itttle with Till Eulenspiegel, which receives a committed reading, with delicate shading and boisterous explosions, from Abbado. The Berlin Phil. is as splendid as in Karajan's famous Strauss recordings with them, but those have beter sound. Recording live in the Philharmonie is a challenge, and the sonics here aren't first rate. There's a bit of murkiness throughout, and certain sections, notalby the horns, sound far away. These flaws may not bother other listeners. Abbado is certainly wittier than Karajan.

It would take a very precise studio recording to bring out the text in the Rosenkavalier final trio, and the engineers don't even try here. They allow the three stellar voices of Fleming, von Stade, and Battle to blend into a golden soup with the orchestra. All sing so rapturously that one can only envy the audience that got to float in vocal bliss--if only we didn't hear them for only 12 min., since at 62 min. this isn't a very generous CD. Certainly there was more music that day, no?

I do have this CD several years ago....and when I playback this selection from "Der Rosenkavalier", that really gave me tears in my eyes (which reminds me of Sir Georg Solti conducted this work during Richard Strauss' funeral service in 1949). As for "Don Juan" and "Till Eulenspeigel's Merry Pranks", they're sounded excellent....and I find that it's no problem.

Let me start by commenting that while Gramophone and a fellow reviewer here lament that the engineers sinned by removing the audience applause which came after each piece of music, perhaps it was their commentary on having tried so hard to tame the poorly miked, over-the-top recording they found on the masters and omnipresent on the DVD's hot sound of the concert they had to work with in the first place. For example, Argerich's exchanges with the BPO's tympanist in Strauss's Burleske often reminds one of artillery battles on the Eastern front. The engineers are to be congratulated for achieving an appropriate musical balance there and merging Argerich's piano and the rest of the orchestra - Also, although generally a fan of Martha's, I must say that there is no doubt Byron Janis, for example, reveals far more of the score than she does in his marvelous recording on RCA with Fritz Reiner.

For the remaining orchestral works, I must agree with P. Rah, and the Gramophone magazine reviewer, that "Till Eulenspiegel" and "Don Juan" are rushed and vulgar. Here again one wishes Fritz Reiner were at the helm, instead of Abbado who seemingly wants to make an impression, but sadly not a good one as it turns out, despite his frequent smiles on the video.....

Now the closing trio/duet in "Der Rosenkavalier" invariably brings tears to my eyes such is its beauty, but here it does not! You would not think it possible that stars such as Kathleen Battle, Renee Fleming, and Frederica Von Stade could have an "off" night like this, but tragically they do.....

A sad ending to a sad evening.

All the performances on this are excellent but, it would be worth the cost just for Argerich's Performance. People who believe amazing virtuasity died with pianists like Horowitz owe it to themselves to become more aware. Get it. I only wish they had a DVD of the performance available as it was recorded.

This is a relatively disappointing disc from the Berlin Phil, and although I'm a huge fan I am not disguising my true feelings about the disc. The Don Juan coudn't be played with more virtuosity, but I read the Gramophone magazine review of this disc the other day and wholeheartedly agreed with its verdict - it sounded vulgar (something that Strauss detractors said about his pieces), while it shouldn't be aggressive, but warm and passionate. The Berlin Phil go over the top here, in my opinion, and the tempo is way too fast to make the piece breathe. It sounds choppy and asthmatic. The sound doesn't help it either, as the strings sound very restricted and boxy. The Burleske for Piano and Orchestra is a gem of a piece, I think, and it sounds very very difficult. But Argerich, being her supreme self, surpasses herself with her wit and panache. Till Eulenspiegel sounds lighter compared to the Don Juan (which is more compact in structure), but it also suffers occasionally from aggressive playing. The Finale from the glorious Der Rosenkavalier is beautiful, but Battle surprisingly seems uneasy with her part which is high (but not too high and she should be able to cope with it better than she does here). She sounds too laboured. Since there are not too much loud passages in this Finale, the Berlin Phil shines here. And echoing the Gramophone's sentiments once again, I found the lack of applause baffling, and with close listening, found that there had been post-concert editing: at the close of each piece, I discovered that the reverberations of the orchestra's sound was more apparent than in the beginning or the middle of each piece. Why did the Sony team deicde that re-recording of the endings were necessary? Surely applause for at least Argerich would have been apt. Not a satisfactory recording, but if you can stand the aggressiveness of playing here, well, I think you'll like it very much.

I bought this CD because I adore Kathy Battle and Renee Fleming, and like von Stade at times, and had heard that this "Rosenkavalier" trio was a dream come true...and it is. I don't even like "Rosenkavalier" that much, but to hear these three voices blending together is pure heaven, one of the supreme listening experiences of my life. BUT - before we get there we have to schlepp through hard-driven, unfeeling performances of "Don Juan" and "Till Eulenspiegel" and a peppy performance of the absolutely dismal "Burleske" for piano & orchestra (a sheer waste of Martha Argerich's towering pianistic genius!). So your decision to purchase this CD will probably hinge on one thing: does a friend of yours already have this CD so you can tape the "Rosenkavalier"?? If not, then by all means buy it...if so, pull out the tape recorder!!