Thursday, December 1st, 2011
KHCD-2011-093 (STEREO) – Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring – USSR Symphony Orchestra/Yevgeny Svetlanov; Schubert: Symphony No. 8 in b minor, D. 759 “Unfinished; Weber: Oberon Overture; Brahms, Tragic Overture, Op. 81 – USSR Symphony Orchestra/Paul Kletzki – Svetlanov’s reading of Stravinsky’s “Rite” is extraordinary in its power, grit, and lyricism, in a wide-range Melodiya/Angel recording. Kletzki’s Schubert 8th is surprisingly well-behaved, the winds and brass reigning in the vibrato and the string body very smooth and refined; a winning interpretation. The Weber “Oberon” overture is very well done, and the Brahms “Tragic” Overture reminds one of Charles Munch’s approach from the first emphatic chords; but Kletzki’s trademark grip on tempi is felt throughout. A satisfying collection of Melodiya recordings from late 60s. Click here for an MP3 sample.
The Melodiya/Angel series from the mid-60s and Melodiya/Westminster series from the mid-70s were both an outstanding collection of LPs, with so many unique performances, with sonics that were singularly Russian in character. Many performances had found their way onto CDs during the exciting early days of that media, but soon were deleted from the catalogues. These recordings have never been released before on CD, from what I have researched.
More to come – thanks for visiting! Cheers – Curt Timmons