Customer Reviews

Stokowski: Orchestrated Wagner Opera Tunes: Symphonic Syntheses, etc.

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I'll say this for Stokowski: he had no compunctions about gilding the lily. Wagner's orchestrations for his music dramas was (and still is) among the richest and lushest and most inventive of any in the repertoire. But for his symphonic presentations of Wagner's music Leopold Stokowski added here, subtracted there from the orchestration in order to make it, in his mind, more effective. For instance, to the skittering violins in the Magic Fire Music from 'Die Walküre' he added flutes and piccolos, making it more brilliant, for sure, but it's not exactly Wagner. Granted Stokowski came out of the era in which conductors often tampered with the orchestrations of the composers who came before them. For instance, Mahler re-orchestrated Schumann's symphonies. Still, when one comes to listen to Stokowski's 'symphonic syntheses' of Wagner's music one must to some extent put the sound of Wagner's own orchestration out of one's mind. If one does, one is greet with undoubtedly effective, even thrilling, sound. And that is what happens here in this recreation of several of Stokowski's efforts on Wagner's behalf. José Serebrier was, of course, Stokowski's assistant for a number of years and if I'm not mistaken this is his third recent CD of Stokowski arrangements; there were earlier CDs containing music of Bach, and of Russian music including Stokowski's 1939 orchestration of Mussorgsky's 'Pictures at an Exhibition.'

The big event on the present CD is Stokowski's 'symphonic synthesis' of three parts of 'Tristan und Isolde': the Prélude to Act I, the Liebesnacht, and the Liebestod. By far the longest section is the deliriously ecstatic Liebesnacht, almost twenty-one minutes long. It is a perfect lead-in to the even more ecstatic Liebestod. I cannot fault either Stokowski's arrangement -- here with tasteful assignment of vocal lines to various instruments, primarily Tristan's to the celli, Isolde's to the violins -- and certainly cannot fault the playing of the Bournemouth Symphony, who to my ears keep sounding better and better. (I did find myself wondering if Serebrier had the Bournemouth strings adopt free bowing as Stokowski did with the Philadelphia.) There is direct competition from Stokowski's own recording of the present material and all the rest of his Wagner recordings, available (with some hunting on the Internet) in a 5CD set of performances/transcriptions/arrangements, the 75-to-85-year-old sound beautifully remastered by the inimitable Ward Marston. This set is on the Andante label. Frankly, as wonderful as the Bournemouth is, they don't sound as lush as the old Philadelphia Orchestra, Stokowski's own orchestra for so many years. Still, to be honest the set is in ancient sound. (I grew up with many of these recordings, so they still sound like 'the real thing' to me, pace Maestro Serebrier.)

Still, for those who are not interested in searching out the Wagner/Stokowski recordings, or paying whatever price a 5CD set might command, or are interested only in the orchestral arrangements (as opposed to those plus sung excerpts from the operas on the Andante set), or who are put off by the idea of listening to ancient sound, refurbished though it be, this set then is the one to have. You will not be disappointed.

Scott Morrison

As a conductor, Leopold Stokowski not only saw it as an obligation to uphold musical excellence, but also to educate the public in general about music. Perhaps his best known attempts to do so would be his symphonic transcriptions of some of the world's greatest music. This collection includes some of his transcriptions of the operatic music of Richard Wagner.

The strongest of the arrangements in this collection would be the music from TRISTAN UND ISOLDE. He begins with the prelude to Act I and concludes with an arrangement of the familiar "Liebestod." The music sounds like a lush symphonic poem and alone makes the recording worthwhile. There is a similar arrangement of music from Act III of PARSIFAL, again containing some of the work's familiar themes. It does not have quite the impact of the TRISTAN arrangement, though it is respectful of the composer's genius. The arrangements of "The Entry of the Gods into Valhalla" from DAS RHEINGOLD, "The Ride of the Walkures" and the "Fire Music" from DIE WALKURE, are powerful and well performed, though I'll have to admit, I need the vocals, especially in the arrangements from "DIE WALKURE."

Orchestral transcriptions in general are no longer popular, and in some cases, are frowned upon by many musical purists. However, they do play an important role in introducing people to classical music. Most people who enjoy classical music and opera do not begin with Berg, Mahler, and the like. Light classics and transcriptions often capture a listener's attention and whet the appetite for something more. My guess is that Naxos' release of this collection at a reasonable price with an orchestra that clearly enjoys the performance will do exactly what the late Stokowski hoped his arrangements would do: introduce people top great music and hook them for life.

If you love to wallow in luxuriant orchestral sound, this is the disc for you. As if the music of Wagner were not already luxurious enough, Leopold Stokowski liked to pull together some the good stuff, add some more color to it, call it a "symphonic synthesis," and then turn the orchestra loose. His protégé José Serebrier leads the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in symphonic syntheses of music from Das Rheingold, Tristan und Isolde, Parsifal, and Die Walküre. The end result might be too much for some musical purists, but for most music-loving audiophiles, the result is sheer bliss. The liner notes are right on the money: "...these tone poems have a unique sumptuousness of sound and for those who love this evocative music gloriously played, there is much here that will ravish the ear." Hear, hear!

No one is going to confuse Jose Serebrier with his mentor Leopold Stokowski and yet this CD is rather successful. The primary winning performance here is the Tristan and Isolde symphonic synthesis. I own Stokowski's stereo account with the Philadelphia Orchestra of this music and I have to say that Serebrier doesn't disappoint. Whereas Stokowski is ripely passionate, Serebrier is more mystical and atmospheric. Plus the clear digital sound of this Naxos disc is preferable to the crackle and pop of Stokowski's analogue version, warm as it might be.

The Liebesnacht music is just gorgeous, voluptuous... some of the most romantic music ever written. Serebrier doesn't have the awe and wonder that Furtwangler does but you can only find Furtwangler in the complete recording. Sometimes it's just sweet to listen to Wagner's magical music without the voices. This music is a perfect vehicle for that treatment. The Liebestod is certainly not ferociously passionate as with some conductors but it works as does the famous Tristan prelude.

Now we move on some depressing performances. The Rhinegold crossing over the bridge into Valhalla is just nowhere near as exciting as it should be. For orchestral performances there are a multitude of alternatives, starting with Szell for one. The Parsifal Act III synthesis should be far more atmospheric than it is. Try out Abbado's DG recording with the Berlin Philharmonic for a dreamy Act III synthesis, complete with chorus too.

The excerpts from Act III of Die Walkure don't much work either. The Ride of the Valkyries should be more exciting. The Magic Fire music has been done much better by many conductors. The sound is mostly good throughout, perhaps lacking in lushness. It's clean and direct and so are the performances. This CD is primarily valuable for the Tristan music, which I wouldn't want to be without.

Sticking with the superior conducting of Stokowski himself does not condemn us to inferior sound. The 1959-60 analog recording of a similar program, led by Stokowski himself, and reworked with newer 20 bit tech from Everest, is far fuller, more mellow, less screechy than some 21st. C. DDD offerings! E.g., this Naxos/Serebrier is totally eclipsed by old Stokowski, himself leading the Houston Symphony Orchestra. Superior sound, superior conducting, to my ear.

The lack of the Rhinegold Entrance of the (g)ods into Valhalla is no loss. As another has said, it is more a stroll than a triumphant striding up and over. As if Wotan already saw the end of his finite powers, and ambled along musing with regret upon what looks to him like a "tale told by an idiot."

Also you give up the Tristan music and gain Wotan's poignant Farewell, and the transcendent wonder of Parsifal's Good Friday Spell "You weep; the landscape flowers"). A very fine bargain!

-Tristan und Isolde & Parsifal, Liebesnacht: Stokowski hits a perfect mark. While I still prefer Wagner's original TAI and Parsifal music, these ones have the same sheen and flair as the originals. TAI could be a good way to destroy the silence of a half-hour drive.

-Das Rheingold, Entrance to Valhalla: This one's pretty weak. The brass sound a bit too polished (I prefer Bohm and Janowski's brass), and the overall slow pace is fairly disappointing.

-Die Walkure, Ride of the Valkyries: Well, what do you know? A Wagnerian piece that everyone's heard of. I, for one, am sick of if because of its overuse in today's media, but I'll still tolerate it when I listen to Die Walkure. Stokowski adds in many more orchestral colors while re-orchestrating a few instruments here and there. The execution is good, not great, but good.

-Die Walkure, Magic Fire Music: This is my favorite out of all of them. It's a perfect way to end the first day of the Ring Cycle. Loge's motifs come off without a hitch. Wooodwinds have the right amount of beauty. Strings are fluid as always. The only flaw I can find here is the loud French Horn that Stokowski added during the primary "Siegfried" theme that's played as Wotan raises his spear whilst surrounded by the flames. It's unecessary, and it's very un-Wagnerian.

Overall: I never expected Stokowski to play around with Wagner's music until I heard this CD. It's not for beginners, but it can be a supplement if you don't want to trouble yourself with the box sets that you own. I give this a B.

This well-intended CD is a disappointing tribute to Serebrier's mentor, the magical and grandiose Leopold Stokowski, who put on many hats in his long lifetime. One was that of educator. He made symphonic "syntheses" of operas like Tristan and Boris Godunov that many general audiences were unlikely to encounter in the operas house. Or pehaps it was just the populist in Stoki, who was the first long-hair maestro to step on to the silver screen (with no apologies despite derision from the cultured classes).

In his own hands, Stokowski's orchestrated opera tunes -- that's what these syntheses boil down to -- were colorful and exciting. Serebrier, however, has drained them of too much vitality -- just listen to his limp crossing of the Rainbow Bridge from Das Rheingold, the first item on the program. It's more a stroll than a triumphal entry. Some things are better, but not radically so. Listening to his droopy trudge through Act III of Parisfal, I couldn't understand why he bothered. The Tristan Prelude fares reasonably well, but when all is said and done, the Bournemouth Sym. sounds fairly average, but Naxos' sonics are up to a good standard.

I love Stokowski's Wagner arrangements, which have had few outings in modern sound. In other words, this CD may be a definite pass on musical grounds, but it fits the bill for committed Stoki fans who eagerly want to hear his transcriptions even in workaday performances..