Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique

Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Charles Munch

San Francisco Symphony
Conductor: Micheal Tilson Thomas

Includes filler: Love scene from Romeo et Juliette (Munch), Lelio/Return to Life (MTT)

Other recordings to watch: Mitropoulos (NYPO), David (LPO), Anserment, Monteux, Bernstein.


These days, Living Stereo CDs are a must grab. You get the best of ensamble/conductor combinations such as Reiner/CSO and the Alsatian Munch/BSO. These CDs rarely, and I mean rarely fall out of expectations and usually are cream of the crops in the market. Already, these CDs are not only remastered on SACD, but on Japanese superCD as well. These CDs are a MUST on library of reference recordings, for music students and fans of great orchestral playing etc. BTW, I didn't get paid by a BMG official to write these reviews. =P

The Munch recording, as I cite an Amazon reviewer - is one of examples of old school French conducting. The tempos are always swift, and tends to accelerate gradually and Munch's expressive podium antics are unlike typical stuff we do listen under the standard "German school" model; metronomic and on the safe side. Here under Munch, the first three movements are lyrical, moving and opposite of "stoic". You might also know that Symphonie Fantastique is an opium trip on a composer's obsession of a woman. Under direction of Munch it DOES sounds like a fantastic drug trip, not as hedonistic as any writings of Hunter S. Thompson in any sense. The "Witches Sabbath" movement is one of the fastest recorded, about eight minutes as opposed to standard ten minutes. Listen to the theme after the Dies Irae interlude and observe how Munch accelerates the tempo faster and faster until the end of the movement. Chaos spirals out of control and even though ensamble playing is pretty much loose, it's an great example of "unbuttoned" orchestral playing.

The Munch recording has been criticised lately and compared with a later recording with MTT/SFS. MTT's recording is even dubbed the best version of Symphonie Fantastique (don't dig this BS until you heard versions from Davis, Monteux at least) While I admit the Munch recording might've been overhyped, the new MTT recording doesn't match the passion of Munch's. I didn't like the detached articulations of the strings in first movement, for example compared with the way Munch coaxes different variations of bowing from the BSO strings. Both waltzes are equally exquisite and both had great harp playing at the beginning of the movement. MTT's pastoral third movement sags here as typically with most conductors. It is no surprising it becomes schmaltzy, self-indulgent tune of puppy love but under Munch; played with more flowing tempo, he brings off pastorale, country charm intertwined with sense of longing. The "Looney Tunes" intonation of the BSO brasses might be a turn-off to some people accustomed to full-blooded Wagnerian brasses, but by no means it's bad playing. Now MTT's band shines at these last two movements. The chilling E-Flat clarinet is at it's frightening best here, not even the BSO player could match.

If you happen to spot the recordings, give them some quality testing before purchasing. I still need to acquire recordings from Sir Colin Davis, Ansermet, Monteux and the elusive Mitropoulos (his Romeo et Juliette is classic). You can literally smell the "perfume" of Love in the "Love Scene" filler from Romeo et Juliette, although I still have affection for the Mitropoulos recording (review coming up). I thought the Lelio was forgettable, even as a "sequel" to Fantastique, you can well do without it.

I very much prefer Munch's recording even though MTT excels in the last two movements better for most people. But Munch's "eccentric" conducting for Witches Sabbath made me forget the cartoonish intonation of the brasses for once. There are also versions 1954 and 1964 for this work under Charles Munch and BSO.

Munch/BSO

Technical: 9
Interpretation: 9
Recording: 8

MTT/SFS

Technical: 8
Interpretation: 7
Recording: 8

Kees Bakels conducts Mahler Sixth in farewell concert.

The season finale, the finale of all finales to Kees Bakel's reign at Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra is Mahler's Sixth symphony. Kees Bakels had been a "hermit" Mahlerian, his reputation of Mahler only well-known to Malaysians here. But sometimes hype is misleading, especially since the only live Mahler performances I've heard is only under Bakels. So I doubt whether he could pull of the Sixth well. The brasses of MPO are fine, but it will take Malaysian Phil of at least standard of American orchestras like Chicago Symphony to pull off a convincing Mahler Sixth.

However, I took notice when a writer for classical music column in Malaysia's News Straits Times Edward Dorall reviewed Bakel's Mahler 4th performed three years ago as the best Mahler 4th he ever listened. Maestro Bakel's again astound me with his Mahler 7th last year, with finest Nachtmuzik movements I've ever heard, blowing off conceptions by Abbado, Tilson Thomas, Bernstein and Boulez. Can he pull it again for his farewell concert? One can note a certain irony here as Bakels is quite controversial too from rumours that he was a dictatorial conductor. I even heard rumours that one player complained that he "lacked humanity". So, maybe it is no nonsense Bakels knew what to do with his Mahler.

He even arranged for two versions of Mahler Sixth. The Friday concert has Andante Moderato preceeding Scherzo, as Mahler did on his premiere. He originally performes the conventional version where it's the Scherzo preceeding the Andante at Sunday, but changed his mind at Saturday. All three performances has three hammerblows retained.

In his final interview before the performance on Sunday which I attended, the audiences get to know Bakel's relationship with Mahler. Bakels is from Netherlands, and he remarked Amsterdam is closest to home when it comes to Mahler himself. The city's relationship with Mahler needs no introduction; Mengelberg and Haitink has led Concertgebouw as one of the finest Mahler orchestras in the world and Mahler's symphonies have been well-received when other parts of Europe had been cool to him. He talked of Mahler, the conductor for whom work obsessed his life until it eventually drove him to bad health and death. Of the Sixth, Bakels explained to audiences the order and equilibrium of first and last movements. These movements have two contrasting moods; the Allegro starts with tragedy preceeding joy and they pitted against each other until triumph prevails at the coda and Finale had the battle resumed, but as we know tragedy prevails - Fate triumphed against it's victimised Hero. There is also a certain curve wave as Bakels explain. The first movement has octave drops from high A to low A and the last movement is vice-versa if you listen to the main themes. Other things to expect are the Alma theme , and the strong influences of military marches that Mahler was influenced as a child. This gives audiences unfamiliar to Mahler how the symphony works.

Maestro Bakels gave solid and tension driven first movement and the only thing lacked were the distinction of dynamics. Benjamin Zander demonstrated with the same orchestra on mahler Ninth how he could achieve true pianissisimo when directing the Andante Comodo and it is one of the only minor weak points of the performance. The climaxes are fine, but the orchestra could use more pianissimos. The Scherzo is pretty much standard, but Bakes began to pull off his miracle when it comes to the Andante. He avoids a tendency of doing a "Bruckner" with the strings and the strings has independent voices on their own. Bakels managed the movement without pathos and sentimentalism of Bernstein, cool apathy of Boulez or patrician approach of Zander. A disturbing moment was a cellist who was seen either sobbing or probably coughing relentlessly before she retired halfway from the performance. Was she moved? I can say I was very moved. Oh, the cowbells were too intrusive by the way.

So here comes the Finale. The opening still doesn't surpass Bernstein's chilling approach (1988 VPO recording) but it does set precadent of things to come. Here I can say the brasses of MPO gave what probably is their finest hour. I am always sceptical of the brasses when it comes to Bruckner, but they're always their best on Mahler. The cry of disgust by solo horn on an A octave-leap is well executed before the music dies down and introduces a most grim main theme. The whole movement is total chaos, but without hysteria and over-driven like Solti. In fact, I think it is as gritty as Bernstein without his melodrama excess. The only theatrical moments are each time the percussionist shows up to deliver a hammerblow, and there's even a spotlight aimed at him where, above the orchestra on a balcony, he prepares the blow like an executioner and audiences will turn their heads and watch in fascination. How's the hammerblow? Bakels made sure each blow gets softer as Mahler directs, even if I disagree with the composer. So Bakels ends the coda with a heart-crushing climax and I felt drained and lifeless. So as the whole audience and only when Bakes came out the second time for his curtain call, only the reserved Malaysians gave him a standing ovation. 70% of the audiences stand up and gave Maestro Bakels applause. It is a performance where I have seen the most number of individuals giving a standing ovation and what a fitting end to Bakel's career, although for the choice of work, it is a little disturbing.

The Malaysian Mahler legacy started with a friend of mine, Hock Doong started Malaysian Mahlerites. When Benjamin Zander came to Malaysia, the players of Malaysian Phil were concerned about attendences to the Mahler 9th, and Maestro Zander made new Malaysian Mahler converts during his two-weel stay in Malaysia. Maestro Bakels strengthened audiences for Mahler concerts after his departure and on Sunday, I've seen many youths who're attending the performance. Maestro Zander's CDs had been consistently out of stock and sales of Mahler recordings had been quite well as I observed during these years. And I thank Maestro Zander and Bakels for their effort. I can only wonder how the new music director, Mattias Bamert, will do for next season's Das Lied Von Der Erde and Fifth symphony for Mahler. A legacy by Kees Bakels for Malaysian Philharmonic, and which it will be difficult to maintain. I hope maestro Bakels will record his Mahler.