The San Francisco Symphony and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras released comprehensive multimedia sets on their in-house labels last month, just in time for the holidays. The deluxe editions each showcase a single composer, one Romantic and the other contemporary. Both continue a smart trend that is helping save the dwindling classical recording industry.
Robert Schumann: Symphonies Nos. 1-4
San Francisco Symphony; Michael Tilson Thomas, music director and conductor
SFS Media Super Audio 2-Compact Discs (SACD); Downloads: digital outlets worldwide
From the first imposing notes of the Symphony No. 1, "Spring," Tilson Thomas signals an absorbing journey through the emotive landscape of Schumann's mind. The live recording from Davies Symphony Hall starts big and solemn. March goes out like a lion, but once our attention is secured, the atmosphere quickly warms. By the spirited Finale, the world is in full bloom and the artistic wisdom of MTT's approach is revealed.
Essentially a chamber-scale composer sometimes accused of clumsy orchestrations, Schumann deserves a thoughtful re-balancing in his varied cycle of symphonies. Some conductors try smaller readings to thin the texture; many plump the sound even more. MTT hits a well-judged center, coaxing chamber details to a place of prominence amidst the rich sonorities of a modern orchestra. The musicians are on top form, and the technical engineering is breathtaking. It is hard not to binge-listen. Both discs, heard in succession, make a singularly triumphant marathon.
The well-loved Third Symphony, "Rhenish," and the magnificently mysterious Fourth should earn entry to all SFS/MTT fans' collections, but the superb rendition of the eccentric Symphony No. 2 in C major wins pride of place for me. It ought to become a breakout hit on its own.
Available in multiple formats and downloads, the latest addition to the SFS Media discography is luxuriously packaged in an attractive and informative hardcover book. Individual tracks or entire symphonies may be purchased online. Be forewarned, though: once you start listening, you may not want to stop. sfsymphony.org/Watch-Listen-Learn/SFS-Media
The John Adams Edition: Berliner Philharmoniker
John Adams, Gustavo Dudamel, Alan Gilbert, Kirill Petrenko, Sir Simon Rattle, conductors
Berliner Philharmoniker Recordings: 4 CD, 2 Blu-Ray, with Download Studio Master Audio Files and 7-Day Digital Concert Hall Voucher
In honor of John Adams' 70th birthday and his 2016-17 Artist-in-Residence season at the Berlin Philharmonie (the first such posting in almost 20 years), the legendary orchestra's in-house label has produced one of the most lavish audio/visual sets I have seen in years. It definitely proves the mutual admiration and exciting challenges shared by the multi-national ensemble and America's prolific composer, conductor, and creative thinker.
It is difficult to imagine Adams as elder statesman. It feels like yesterday that he was a Young Turk premiering astonishing works like the choral masterpiece "Harmonium" and the career-defining orchestral tour de force "Harmonielehre" in San Francisco. The decades have brought a succession of major operas, oratorios, symphonic works and cheeky chamber pieces. Adams is one of the most frequently performed living American composers.
Even if he isn't ready to join the ranks of Mozart, Beethoven or Mahler just yet, an exemplary review of some of his important and popular works, performed by one of the world's greatest orchestras, seems timely. It also offers a fresh take on pieces that are, almost certainly, already in many libraries. The Berlin set not only gives us familiar works in demonstration-quality sound, but also reprises some of Adams' greatest recent scores (and a few old favorites) in High-Def concert videos on Blu-Ray disc.
Accompanying interviews and bonus material bear repeated viewing, and the 45-minute documentary "Short Rides with John Adams" serves as an illuminating way to get in the groove. Long-time creative partner Peter Sellars is on hand for a conversation that shows how deeply intelligent, politically moral and warmly affectionate the relationship has been. It gently prods viewers to reassess their many brilliant, sometimes misunderstood collaborations.
Young violinist Leila Josefowicz (who affectionately refers to Adams as "Johnnie") performs the composer's feminist reimagining of "Scheherazade.2." San Francisco Symphony audiences can't forget her ferocious performance with MTT conducting in early 2017, but watching her again with the man who wrote it conducting is something extra-special.
New insights into the oratorio "The Gospel According to the Other Mary" derive from Simon Rattle's intensely committed conducting, the highly theatrical participation of the Rundfunkchor Berlin, and a cast of soloists that adds to the drama and increases emotional involvement. We admired the imaginative work in Davies Symphony Hall, also part of SFS celebrations of Adams' 70th, conducted by Grant Gershon and directed by Elkhanah Pulitzer, but seeing it in an even more minimalist concert format in the Berlin Philharmonie has the curious effect of lessening the occasional longueurs. It is a bold and challenging piece, worthy of re-examination, by an uncompromising composer who continues to evolve regardless of age.
Berlin's magnificent retrospective, encased within a gorgeous 90-page book designed by Wolfgang Tillmans, with an essay by Alex Ross, is more than a celebration; it is a testament to the relevance of a visionary's musical genius. berliner-philharmoniker-recordings.com