The Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s eighth release on its own TSO Live label is frustrating, pairing a good performance of Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring with a fabulous rendition of Sergei Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances live from Roy Thomson Hall.
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- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
If the Toronto Symphony were a person, I would question their self-awareness, of not knowing how to play to its strengths, of trying to please too many people at the same time — and misunderstanding where its strengths lie.
My frustration comes from how these people have watered down a remarkable interpretation of the intense, lush, Rachmaninov work — his last, completed in 1940 — with an iconic ballet suite available on new and old recordings by every great conductor and orchestra on the planet.
With today’s release, the TSO clearly wants to be part of the 100th anniversary of the Rite, but their ambition falls short — not because they play the piece poorly, but because they don’t play it memorably. But on that same disc we hear an interpretation that truly reflects the exalted artistic state of the orchestra today.
So, does the Toronto Symphony want its recordings to be a keepsake for its loyal subscribers, or does it want to spread the word of its musical goodness to the world at large? Albums like this one play to the former, not the latter — and it doesn’t have to be so.
Let’s look at the real gem on this disc: a gorgeously wrought performance of Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances from May, 2012. Music director Peter Oundjian finds the locus of the score’s emotional power while maintaining a sound that’s almost transparent — no mean feat when the music is as lush as Rachmaninov’s.
The composer does a lot of fascinating harmonic work, perching the score on a teeter-totter between consonance and dissonance. Oundjian navigates it like an expert tightrope walker. The maestro also makes the music dance beautifully.
The audio on this recording is also very good, providing a nice mix of detail and spaciousness, which is not easy to do at Roy Thomson Hall.
To mark the 100th anniversary of the Rite of Spring, Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic and Valery Gergiev and his Mariinsky Orchestra released riveting recordings. Universal last Christmas released a 20-CD box set containing 38 recordings of the suite from its vaults (which include the Decca, Deutsche Grammophon and old Philips labels). Sony (which owns the old Columbia library) came up with a 10-recording box.
Between these big-name, big-label offerings we have quality as well as quantity. This doesn’t mean every orchestra on Earth can’t play the music in live concert, which is the most exciting way to experience it. But in a world awash in 100 years of recordings, what justifies another one?
The Toronto Symphony can only afford to release its albums if they find a sponsor to pay for them. The orchestra arranges its recording sessions, all during live concerts at Roy Thomson Hall, then later figures out how to package and pay for the music. That’s why the eight TSO Live releases have followed no logical progression or chronology.
The Rite of Spring we get on the disc was presented in live concert in December, 2008. That’s an eternity with an orchestra that has since hired a new concertmaster as well as added many other new faces to the roster.
We hear a clear, straightforward interpretation under Oundjian. There is nice rhythmic bite throughout. The transitions are flawless and the loud bits are powerful, if not goosebump-raising. But in the quieter parts of “Mystic Circles of the Young Girls” and “Ritual Action of the Ancestors,” the narrative cord goes slack, and it needn’t be that way.
In concert, seeing and hearing this wonderful group of musicians rallies an audience’s attention, but the magic dissipates at home or in the earbuds.
That said, you can’t go wrong with the Rachmaninov.
The album is available at the TSO store here.
John Terauds
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
