The Fantastic Philadelphians:
Great Showpieces of a Great Orchestra.
Saint-Saëns, Camille. Danse
Macabre; Samson and Delilah: Bacchanale*
Recorded 30 September 1971 and *12 June 1972
Dukas, Paul: The Sorcerer's Apprentice.
Recorded 28 September 1971
Chabrier, Emmanuel: España.
Recorded 11 January 1972
Moussorgsky, Modest: A Night on Bare
Mountain. Recorded 21 April 1971
Smetana, Bedrich: The Bartered Bride: Dance
of the Comedians. Recorded 25 April 1972
Ponchielli, Amilcare: Dance of the
Hours. Recorded 2 March 1971
Brahms, Johannes: Hungarian Dance
No. 5. Recorded 12 June 1972
Gliere, Reinhold: The Red Poppy: Russian
Sailors' Dance. Recorded 16 February 1972
de Falla, Manuel: El Amor Brujo:
Ritual Fire Dance. Recorded 14 January 1971
Kabalevsky, Dmitri: The Comedians:
Galop. Recorded 15 June 1972
All Selections Recorded at Scottish Rite Cathedral, Philadelphia.
RCA Victor Red Seal "High Performance" 09026-63313-2 (Analog Stereo / ADD).
A visitor to these pages' guestbook once wrote: "Ormandy was
basically a good, reliable musician who cultivated an orchestral sound
that served all music in the same routine, uniform way." While this
statement is prima facie untrue, one wouldn't know it from listening
to this latest entry in BMG's "High Performance" series (RCA's new audiophile
series of recordings from the late 1960's through the late-'70's, early-'80's,
akin to RCA's "Living Stereo" series of recordings from the 1950's - 1960's).
In these pages, you will find unqualified love of Eugene Ormandy's interpretations of Sibelius, Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich among others. Even guest reviewer Keith Hanson places his recording of Elgar's Cockaigne Overture in the same company as Barbirolli's. However, during a period of time in the early 1970's, there were a number of his performances which I find fall below his usual high standards (especially the RCA Red Seal releases of Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony [I much prefer the Columbia Masterworks 1959 recording] and Swan Lake excerpts). These recordings have the beautiful tonal sheen typical of the "Philadelphia Sound," but Ormandy's tempo is painfully dragging; it sounds as though he's on valium in these recordings. The Fantastic Philadelphians falls within the same company; These are showpieces, but I couldn't detect any of the fire that Ormandy lent to other recordings from this era (particularly his 1968 recording of Tchaikovsky's Pathetique Symphony and his 1973 recording of Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony). The sound is gorgeous, but the pacing so slow that it sounds as though Ormandy doesn't care about these pieces, as though he's just trying to get through the recording sessions.
However,
there is a glimpse of Ormandy's incendiary potential in the Russian
Sailors' Dance and Hungarian Dance No. 5, but instead of a raging
flame, all that's there is the pilot light. With all of the excellent
unavailable Ormandy recordings out there, I do not understand why BMG chose
to release this disc as their Ormandy entry in the "High Performance"
series. I would have much preferred to have seen them release his
1978 recording (the first digital recording made by RCA) of Bartok's Concerto
for Orchestra or all of the Sibelius recordings languishing
in BMG vaults (especially Symphony No. 7 [1975] and Tapiola [1976])
or his peerless recording of Dvorak's Eighth Symphony (1977).
But, then again, BMG's neglect of Ormandy is documented and endemic.
For example: BMG has released his recordings of Sibelius' First
(1978) and Fifth (1975) Symphonies, both tremendously subtle and
profound recordings, but not in North America. They are only out
on their European "RCA Classical Navigator" series, and I had to order
the CD from an online British store.
Back to this disc: If what you want is to hear great classical showpieces, beautifully recorded and played, to hear as background music, then buy this disc -- it is not without merit. But if you want to actively listen to these pieces, skip this one; Ormandy and the Philadelphians are on auto-pilot on this one.
