Customer Reviews

Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 "Organ" / Dukas: L'Apprenti Sorcier (The Sorcerer's Apprentice)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Probably 90% of Saint-Saens' discography is formed by recordings of a few masterpieces: this one, and some concertos ( Piano n.2, Cello n.1, Violin n.3). Not a bad achievement for a composer sometimes accused by the snobbier critics of being academic, but a pity nonetheless, because his large output deserves a deeper knowledge. Try, for example, the 5 piano Concertos on Emi (Collard/RPO/Previn) or the little-known other four symphonies (there are a mid-price 2-disc set from Martinon/Emi and a splendid, hard-to-find Erato disc that couples n.1&2 conducted by Pretre). Maybe Saint-Saens wasn't the most profound of the composers but, at his best, he had a prodigiously fluent, charming inventiveness and superbly accomplished technique. Levine's task was very challenging, but in my opinion he scores over all his competitors, even the most revered (Karajan, Ormandy, Maazel). There's a sense of thrill and theatrical grandeur about this performance that I find irresistible, and this is achieved without brashness or vulgarity. Actually there are several finely nuanced moments: the slow movement (strings with haunting organ chords in the background) is wonderful and the part for pianoforte concertante has never been so clearly and delicately presented. I think that the decision to record the organ together with the orchestra -very often they are taped separately-, greatly contributed to the sense of occasion and Simon Preston's is a superb contribution: his entry in the finale, for example, is not merely loud, but genuinely majestic. The Berliners play marvelously for Levine: every orchestral section (and S.-S. uses them all without inhibitions!) displays that blend of aristocratic virtuosity and white-hot intensity that is almost unmatched by any other orchestra. Also , the Dukas is more than a simple fill-up, because it's presented with a thrust and fire to rival Stokowski , and there's no higher praise! Unlike many other DG horribly coarse recordings from the 80's, this is also well recorded: if the tutti are still a bit brash, the overall sound is incredibly full and immediate , analitically captured by the engineers and massively delivered to the listener, with stunning dynamics. An all-time personal favorite.

This is the CD to buy if you are looking for the definitive recorded version of both Saint-Saëns' great "Organ" Symphony and Dukas' Sorcerer's Apprentice. James Levine brings vision and energy to these famous orchestral staples. Levine and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra play with vigor, power, and gusto in this polished, yet spontaneous sounding recording from DG. I will agree with some of the other reviewers in saying that the performance does not sound particularly "French." Indeed, the orchestral forces are not as smooth as in Dutiot's recoding or as idiomatic as with Munch. As with most modern Berlin recordings, the strings still retain the famous (or infamous) Karajan sound, the brass is tubby, but powerful, and the winds, while recessed, are present and appropriately piquant when necessary. Climaxes are terribly exciting while the sublime second movement is quite well done. Simon Preston's accompaniment, recorded, as often is done these days, during a different session, is present without being overpowering. All in all, this recording of the "Organ" Symphony is top-notch.

Dukas' musical career rests on a handful of works, the most famous being the Sorcerer's Apprentice. Made famous by Disney's Fantasia, this work is truly a masterpiece of the French romantic tradition. Its influence on future composers also makes this a historically important work. Stravinsky, who was a pupil of Dukas, was certainly inspired by this piece in some of his earlier works. While Levine and the Berlin players were quite fine in the symphony, they really deliver the goods here. The opening is appropriately atmospheric, the "broom" theme chuckles nicely, and the large tutti flood and subsequent broom hacking episode are big and boomy but still retain a great deal of transparency. The recapitulation features some stunning work from the brass, and somehow the Berliners sound much more French here than you would have expected.

DG's sonics are clear throughout, although at under 50 minutes, it would have been nice to have included more filler, either another Saint-Saens tone poem, or another french showpiece.

There are plenty of good performances of both of these works, but this is a fine version that certainly beats out many of the recent Organ Symphonies, including Eschenbach's Philadelphia outing, and stands along side the reference editions listed above. There are fewer fine Sorcerer's Apprentices, but this one is about as fine a performance as you'll find. A winner.

Currenlty, I own two different recordings of Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony. Both is under the same company (Grammophon), and played by the same orchestra (Berlin Phil).

This recording, with the orcehstra under the baton of Maestro James Levine, and the organ soloist being Simon Preston, is magnificently played. I rate it a superb performance. The balance between the organ and the orchetra is great. No brass overblowing, and no strings making a drudging heavy play. The timpi, especially each different detail of the mighty second-half of the concluding movement (the music you might have heard in the movie "Babe") is just the way I favor; crisp, smooth, and a perfect timing on ending the piece.

The other recording I own is with Pierre Cochereau on organ, and the conductor being the famous Herbert von Karajan. Yes, that performance is great, but it's a bit too "heavy". Karajan was a man who tends to add weight on the orchestra's sound pretty often, but I didn't think the Organ Symphony had to be so compressed. At some time, the organ is a bit overpowering the orcehstra. I didn't quite like the tempi either.

Both recordings is great, but I rather recommend this CD under Levine.

Before purchasing this disc, I scoured Amazon and other sites to find the definitive recording of this work. A consensus that I found was that the Boston Symphony recording with Charles Munch was the benchmark, and I checked out a copy of that recording, as well as one by Jean Martinon, from the library. Giving them a listen, I found that I definitely preferred the Munch, but I couldn't get past the dated audio quality. I wanted pristine sound as well as performance.

Hence began a search of as many online samples I could find to make a determination, using of course the "Maestoso" as the point of comparison. The Berenboim recording sounded fine to me, but at a $30+ price point, I decided against it. Then I tried the Karajan, which sounded totally wrong to my ears. Lastly, I tried this Levine recording, and I found it to be sublime. The strings over the arpeggiated piano was magical, and then the organ comes in and sends you soaring. The sound was crystalline. I knew this was the recording for me.

The entire symphony sounds gorgeous, and the Sorcerer's Apprentice is a great bonus (much better than the unfortunately hiss-filled track on my Fantasia album). I can see where this could be considered to have a heavy "Germanic" sound that may not be exactly proper for a French Romantic composition, but with a recording this lush, I don't care. In fact, I think I prefer it.

I can't speak for purists, being ignorant in such matters, but as a casual listener, I can't give this disc a higher recommendation.

Duka's piece is wildly performed, Levine makes the orchestra run desperatly through the work. A really beautifull one. The best I've heard. Not to mention the powerfull performance of Saint-Saëns most popular symphony. Even though the price could be considered high for the full-lenght of the CD, I think it is a valuable recording to have.

Before listening to S.S.'s symphony "with organ" , I thought of him as mainly a composer of short pieces and symphonic poems with virtuoso parts for piano or violin, but after listening to this work, I wonder what other marvels maybe hidden among his other almost completely unknown symphonies. His use of counterpoint and experimentation with harmony, together with complex thematic development, reminds me of Berlioz, Schubert and late romantic composers like Bruckner, but it is set apart from these by a tendency to be concise, and to play more with harmony, this last pointing forward to modernism, specially that portrayed by Debussy. To me S.S. is at his most innovative in the second movement, where the slow rhythm allows him to try different harmonies while languorously developing the movement's subtly melancholic theme, which makes me think of loss, amplified by the sombre, piano tone of the organ. The third and fourth movements are more traditional, but the fourth uses the organ's and brass' harmonic potential to full effect, coming to its absolute zenith in the final, victorious coda.

This is also the first time I listen to Levine conducting, as I associated him mostly with opera, a form I am not very familiar with, and I was really surprised by his interpretation - specially by his emphasis on clear phrasing through almost perfect coordination between the different sections of the orchestra, together with a willingness to take on fast tempos, something lacking in many composers these days, who want to emphasize the dramatic merely by slowing down, to the point of - if I may exaggerate -sometimes turning an allegro into an andante. In this, his interpretation resembles what many agree is the best performance of this work, that of Ormandy with the Philadelphia, which achieved even faster tempos AND better, clearer phrasing across the entire orchestra. This recording stands above the Ormandy/PO's in its denser color, which at least one reviewer finds to be too Brucknerian - I suppose because of the emphasis on the heavy brass and the darker overtones of the organ's bass register. It is not an unfair criticism - but I don't think the sound of the strings and woodwinds has been overwhelmed by this emphasis.

What I don't think is fair is a criticism based on some hazy concept of national musical traditions: those who call Levine's interpretation as "too Germanic" have to remember that Berlioz, no less a Frenchman than S.S., was one of the main influences on Wagner's gargantuan sonorities (check out the orchestration for Berlioz's Requiem Mass, with its four brass choirs each with up to four each of trumpet, tuba and trombone; 12 pairs of horns and a percussion section made up of more than a dozen different drums). So this talk of "Gallic charm" and too "Germanic" interpretations seems too subjective and vague to be of any value. And one shouldn't forget that both Bruckner and Saint-Saëns (and Franck, another Frenchman, whose symphony in D minor also makes heavy use of fortissimos on the brass) were virtuoso organists - perhaps the key to a faithful interpretation lies there.

Dukas' "Sorcerer's Apprentice" is an impressive symphonic poem that achieves its dramatic effect by its gradual increase of the orchestra's sonority, demanding more intensity from the brass at key moments later in the piece, and saving the fortissimos for then instead of saturating the audience with loud music, which diminishes their dramatic effect. Levine conducts it with the same energy and search for perfection present in his interpretation of S.S.'s symphony "with organ."

James Levine would probably disapprove of my review title seeing as how much he admired Karajan. But look at this interesting scenario... Karajan had already laid down a sumptuous and powerful Saint Saens Organ Symphony and here comes James Levine, a mere half-decade later to record the exact same piece with Karajan's orchestra. I think that this was recorded a year or so after Karajan's passing. Levine's approach is faster, sleeker, with less fussiness which to some could translate as less emotional investment. Karajan is clearly superior in the beautiful slow movement, which he really takes in stride as a serious adagio. Not for Karajan the mad rush to the finish and to the finale's fireworks. He is an architect with few rivals. There in lies Levine's shortcomings. As good as this performance is, there is still something a tad impersonal about it. The finale does have it's requisite fury. The digital sound is very good, in the great class even. Karajan's remastered Karajan Gold version is really good too with a sinister organ in the finale, it's all quite over the top and overwhelming, precisely what is needed.

Karajan has no coupling on the Gold disc, but you can find his Saint Saens 3rd in a 2CD French collection containing Debussy and Ravel too. I reviewed that set, just search for it here on Amazon. James Levine has a splendid coupling in the Sorcerer's Apprentice. A fantastic version that sweeps away much of the recorded competition. It's Mickey Mouse in Fantasia all over again. I rank Levine and the BPO very high among the available versions of this showpiece. The Karajan is still at the top for me and a close second is the classic Munch on RCA. But that doesn't take away anything from Levine as he is still in the elite category.

Every breakthrough in audio technology calls for this show-off piece to be recorded again. James Levine's reading of Saint-Saens' massive "Organ" Sym. #3 was DG's bid for a sonic spectacular, even though they already owned Karajan's magisterial version with the same Berlin Phil. Despite some digital glare in the upper strings and brass at loud volume, they succeeded in advancing the knock-out power of organ, pianos, and massed brass in the finale, the payoff movement. Simon Preston interprets the organ part very musically--it isn't just amorphous thunder--and Levine's overall approach is crisp and brisk. That's a help in a work that can sound tubby and whose slow movement is a rather uninspired semi-dirge. Karajan didn't have sound this good, and his reading by comparison has a touch of pomposity. The filler is a Sorcerer's Apprentice played with wonderful panache. Highly recommended for audio buggs, even if you already own a classic like Munch and the BSO on RCA.

Camille Saint-Saëns' Symphony No.3 "Organ" is more often recorded than performed as there are few halls that house mighty pipe organs that can do this piece justice. James Levine and the Berlin Philharmonic breathe life into this grand old audience please (Simon Preston has the relatively small part as the organ 'soloist' - actually the organ part is merely meshed into the orchestral fabric, but it needs to be played well for the presence to be significant). This recording will probably never be out of the shadow of the old recording by Charles Munch - a recording that remains the gold standard despite the number of years and recording technique of that time.

But for a soul-stirring performance this recording has great moments of beauty and subtlety so often forgotten by many conductors. The balance between the organ and the orchestra seems fine - but is that a manipulation of engineering or the presence of the hall itself? Perhaps the most organic and thrilling performance this listener has ever heard is the performances now with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the Disney Hall with the magnificent architecturally prominent organ. Guest conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya brings out all the French mystery of the opening movement and prepares the ear for the quiet, subtle entrance of the organ (as played with sensitive dignity by Joanne Pierce Martin), and eventually the might of the organ at the ending is felt in every cell of the body. Would that they could record this!

Levine adds the Dukas 'Sorcerer's Apprentice' to fill out the recording (the symphony is only 35 minutes long) and that for this listener is an error in judgment. Levine races through the piece and takes away form the spiritual experience of the symphony. There could have been a better choice. Grady Harp, January 12

Of all the versions of this splendid symphony I`ve heard, Levine`s on DG is the most consistently played in all four movements, especially the famous Maestoso. Yet....

The orchestra is tremendous, the tempi are fine, yet......

There is nothing special emotionally about this compared to Munch`s 1960 Boston performance.

This Levine/Berlin one ranks right up there, but it is not the best.