Paul Cook's reviews for amazon.com for the year 2000

TITLE: Adams: Century Rolls; Lollapalooza; Slonimsky’s Earbox
LABEL: Nonesuch
REVIEW: Of all the so-called Minimalists working today, John Adams is the only one with any good ideas left. Witness this delightful release. The key to Adams’ creativity is that he isn’t bound by any theoretical constraints to what “minimalism” should be. Century Rolls (1995) is a commission by Emanuel Ax and was inspired by the composer listening to a CD recording of an ancient player-piano. Century Rolls doesn’t duplicate that sound, but is instead an unexpected romp across new rhythmic territory. As for Mr. Ax, he comports himself very well, particularly in the difficult first movement which requires deft coordination of all forces involved. The brief Lollapalooza (1995) is more recognizably minimalist, but with considerable orchestral color and shifting moods. And Slonimsky’s Earbox (1996) is a powerfully full-orchestra-driven canter. All this is to say that this CD is one of the best releases of Adams’ career and will appeal to a very wide audience. Highly recommended. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Barber: Symphonies #1 & #2; Overture to the School for Scandal; First Essay for Orchestra
LABEL: Naxos
REVIEW: As composers go, Samuel Barber’s output was rather small and of that output only a few pieces have any kind of currency. But those few are major orchestral gems. Barber’s music does require an adept and sympathetic orchestra (and conductor) to get them just right, however. On this release the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (Marin Alsop, conductor) handily accomplishes that task. Their rendering of The School for Scandal Overture rivals the famous Schippers version and Alsop’s take on Symphony 1 easily demolishes the Jarvi (on Chandos) and the Slatkin (on BMG). The underexposed and rarely performed First Essay for Orchestra has no rivals here at all. Of particular merit is Alsop’s handling of the mercurial Symphony 2 which so troubled Barber that he later disavowed it. Barber completists will relish this sympathetic reading. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Beethoven: String Quartet in C sharp minor (orchestrated by Dimitri Mitropoulos; Verdi: String Quartet in E minor (orchestrated by Arturo Toscanini)
LABEL: Deutsche Grammophon
REVIEW: Over the years various composers and conductors have taken selected chamber works of other composers and transcribed them for larger ensembles (string, chamber, even full-sized orchestra). The Barshai transcriptions of Shostakovich’s 8th and 10th string quartets into two very famous chamber symphonies are perhaps the best (they also had the composer’s blessing). Here we have a Beethoven string quartet translated by Dimitri Mitropoulos and a Verdi string quartet translated by Arturo Toscanini into bright and energetic performances. Andre Previn’s handling of the Beethoven is particularly illuminating. You can hear Wagner and Strauss to come, even though they are 75 years away. Toscanini’s sculpting of the Verdi String Quartet in E minor reflects the great conductor’s devotion to the full range of the strings. It hardly betrays its original framework. Very highly recommended. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Boughton: Three Folk Dances; Aylesbury Games; Concerto in D major for Flute and Strings; Concerto for String Orchestra
LABEL: Hyperion
REVIEW: These four works by British composer Rutland Boughton (1878-1960) are about as Romantic as you can get this side of Ralph Vaughan Williams. And though Boughton’s music is conservative, it’s still rife with gorgeous melodies and sweeping orchestral colors common to British Romanticism. The two major works on this disc are Aylesbury Games and the Concerto for String Orchestra. Both are mature pieces that stand up to most of the music done in Britain in the 1920s and 1930s. The performances and sound ambience on this disc are very good (typical for Hyperion), the one exception being the Concerto in D major for Flute and Strings. The miking is a bit too tight on the flutist, who otherwise performs ably. Recommended for all Romanticists. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Bowles: The Music of Paul Bowles: Pastorela: First Suite; Suite for Small Orchestra; Concerto fo Two Pianos and Orchestra; The Wind Remains; Secret Words.
LABEL: RCA
REVIEW: Paul Bowles had two careers, one as a composer of music for films, dance theater, and Broadway; the other as a writer of extraordinary fiction of the Beat-era. While Bowles’s fiction has a roughness and an alienation characteristic of the American expatriate experience of the 1950s (he moved to Morocco in 1949 and was friends with William S. Burroughs), his music is anything but. The Pastorela (1947) and Suite for Small Orchestra (1932-33) rival anything Aaron Copland was writing at the same time without being derivative or otherwise influenced by Copland’s folksy americana. As typical of RCA, the recorded sound is excellent, but special kudos go to the Eos Orchestra who invest Bowles’s music with grace, color and charm. Don’t pass this release up. –Paul Cook.

TITLE: Cage: The Seasons; Concerto for Prepared Piano and Chamber Orchestra; Suite for Toy Piano; Suite for Toy Piano (Orchestration by Lou Harrison)
LABEL: ECM
REVIEW: This astonishing disc is possibly the best collection of John Cage’s music now on the market. It covers the gamut of Cage’s radicalism as well as his humor; as such there is sometihng for everyone (newbies included) in this collection. Of particular delight here is the Suite for Toy Piano (1948) which employs only the white keys in a single octave and the beautifully orchestrated version which follows (done by Lou Harrison, a friend of Cage, in 1963). But three of Cage’s absolute masterpieces–each totally different from the other–are also here: the eerie Seventy-Four (of 1992), the ballet score for The Seasons (of 1947) and the riveting Concerto fo Prepared Piano and Chamber Orchestra (of 1950/51). Everything you need to know about John Cage is here. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Creston: Symphonies #1-3
LABEL: Naxos
REVIEW: Paul Creston (1906-1985) was a younger participant in the “flowering” of American classical music in the 1930s and 1940s. But rather than aligning himself with the nostalgic, lyrical Romanticism of Aaron Copland, Roy Harris and Howard Hanson, Creston aligned himself with the rugged, more dynamic aspects of Modernism similar to the music of Walter Piston, Peter Mennin, and Samuel Barber. These 3 symphonies contain none of American Romanticism’s melancholia or homesickness, for example, but they do remain mostly tonal and buoyant, soaring with their own distinct energy and inventiveness, particularly Symphony 3 (“Three Mysteries”) written in 1950. Praise must also be given to the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine and conductor Theodore Kuchar for their feel for Creston’s music–altogether another achievement in Naxos’s American Classics series. –Paul Cook

TITLE:; Brahms: Sextet No. 2; Dohnanyi: Serenade in C Major
LABEL: Nonesuch
REVIEW: Dmitry Sitkovetsy, who conducts the NES Chamber Orchestra on this disc, follows in the footsteps of Bach, Mahler, and Rudolf Barshai, in taking chamber works of other composers and transcribing them for larger orchestral forces. What we have here are two such transcriptions. The Dohnanyi Serenade in C Major was originally a string trio (a youthful opus 10) and the Brahms a string sextet and of the two the Dohnanyi achieves the greatest level of illumination. Sitkovetsy allows work’s romantic richness a fullness of character it otherwise lacks in its original trio format. The Brahms is more problematic; but Sitkovetsy manages to maintain his focus on Brahms’ distinctive use of melody (rather than color, as in the Dohnanyi). An excellent recording ambience makes this a noteworthy release. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Dvorak: Symphonies 6 & 8
LABEL: Deutsche Grammophon
REVIEW: Johannes Brahms was the abiding influence on Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904), particularly in his symphonies. But part of Dvorak’s genius was his ability to let native folk melodies from various Czech and Slavic sources determine the course of his symphonies. The structuring might be Brahms, but the guts are all Dvorak. You can still hear Brahms in both these two popular symphonies, but only in the frameworking. Conductor Myung-Whun Chung expertly (and lovingly) shapes the rich melodic lines in such a way that, especially in Symphony 8, Brahms becomes a mere specter lurking in the background. Both works contain memorable themes and native melodies and both works rank among the best examples of symphonic romanticism. These are excellent performances and the Deutsche Grammophon sound is superb. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Gluck: Orfeo ed Eurydice
LABEL: RCA Victor
REVIEW: Orfeo ed Eurydice by Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787) is one of the most enduring of 18th century operas, and for all the right reasons. Its story of the young Greek hero pursuing his lover into the Underworld has all the makings of a tragic love story. But Gluck’s handling of the material surrounds the story with luscious choral and solo lines that make for two hours of thoroughly entrancing music. This release is of the 1957 classic RCA Victor recording with Rise Stevens as Orfeo and Lisa Della Casa as Eurydice, with Roberta Peters as Amore. And, yes, the male lead is sung by a female. The 18th century tradition was to employ either a castrati or a tenor. Gluck opted for a mezzo-soprano and the choice has always stuck. He also broke tradition by providing for a full orchestra rather than a lone harpsichord. This is a dazzling recording of the complete opera that easily matches anything on the market today. Very highly recommended. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Hanson: Symphony 1 (Nordic); Merry Mount Suite; Symphonic Poem: Pan and the Priest; Rhythmic Variations
LABEL: Naxos
REVIEW: Naxos, the Little Label That Could, has emerged as the music industry’s foremost advocate of American music with their American Classics series and now they’ve turned their attention to one of the greatest composers of American Romanticism, Howard Hanson. This inaugural disc contains a performance of the First Symphony that easily trumps the Gerard/Seattle Symphony on Delos, now out of print. Hanson himself has recorded the work several times, but the Naxos release has much better sound quality (and I like the breadth of the Nashville Symphony’s vision of this delicious music). The same holds for the celebratory “Merry Mount” Suite. However, this release contains two rare discmates, the symphonic poem, Pan and the Priest and Rhythmic Variations on Two Ancient Themes. Spectacular music of undeniable character. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Herbert: Babes in Toyland; The Red Mill
LABEL: Naxos
REVIEW: Few works seem to encapsulate the turn of the century mood as Victor Herbert’s indestructible Babes In Toyland of 1903, a Vaudeville-like musical stage play. The music is sweetly nostalgic and was famously incorporated in the 1934 movie with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, among others. This suite from the stage play is performed rather well, highlighting the more universal romantic elements Herbert invested in the music. Included is the famous “Toyland” and “March of the Toys”. But also added here is the “Prelude” which Herbert couldn’t use in the original staging (it was too long for the era) The Red Mill (1906) is much in the same vein as Babes in Toyland, with sparkling marches and lilting melodies, and at times resembles the fin de siecle works of Albert Ketelbay. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Larsen: String Symphony (No. 4); Songs of Light and Love; Songs from Letters
LABEL: Koch International
REVIEW: Hold onto your hats–this one’s a real show-stopper. Libby Larsen is one of a handful of American composers working entirely outside the mainstream (i.e., the Minimalist vein) and is doing so quite successfully. Her works are characterized by both their intelligence and their accessibility. Larsen tends to work on smaller canvasses and her String Symphony (1998) here is a good example. It’s a robust, somewhat acerbic work that is reminiscent (but not derivative) of Ned Rorem’s String Symphony (New World 3353-2). The two collections of songs here also have the same bitter sweetness as the String Symphony but are more melodically enhanced by Larsen’s distinct lyricism. Songs of Light and Love are based on the poems of May Sarton and Songs from Letters (1999) are from the letters of Calamity Jane to her daughter, Janey. Soprano Benita Valente simply dazzles here. This is an excellent introduction to a fine composer. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Lindberg: Aura; Engine
LABEL: Deutsche Grammophon
REVIEW: You can just about be guaranteed that anything conductor Oliver Knussen raises his baton over is going to be some of the best post-modernism at large in the music world today. This holds true for this disc of two broadly structured works by Finnish composer Marcus Lindberg. Aura (1993-94) is either: A) a tone poem, or B) a symphony, or C) a concerto for orchestra. You pick. Whatever it is, it’s a spectacular (and spectacularly cogent) display of sound-masses and harmonic clusters that incorporate every instrument in the orchestra, all of which is held together by steady tempos and a (paradoxically) even temperament. Engines (1996) is a more rigorous statement in clashing harmonics and adroit use of counterpoint. It’s also for a chamber-sized orchestra, but you’d never know it. That said, this really is music only for the brave. If you’re one of those, this, then, is for you. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Milhaud: The Complete Symphonies
LABEL: cpo
REVIEW: This remarkable set of all 12 of Darius Milhaud’s symphonies (5 CDs) begs a number of immediate questions, not the least of which is why Milhaud’s symphonies aren’t more recognized for their overall artistic merit than they are. Milhaud started off, as so many composers of his generation did, dabbling in various avant-guard techniques, which are to some degree present in Symphonies 1 & 2 (dated 1939 and 1944 respectively). They are youthful, brash and militantly French (lots of marching drums, trumpet fanfares, salutes, etc.). But by Symphony 3 (of 1946) Milhaud’s temperament has stabilized and matured. His pallette, though, expands in richness and the symphonies to follow show Milhaud at his inventive best. Outstanding in this collection are Symphonies 5 and 6 (1953 and 1955) which are by turns moody and deliciously sweet. The fact that Symphonies 5 and 6 are rarely performed and never recorded makes these works alone a selling point for this collection. This is a stellar collection that belongs in every library of 20th century music. It’s now in mine. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Prokofiev: Cinderella
LABEL: cpo
REVIEW: Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was always in and out of trouble with the Soviet regime and whenever he got out of trouble, it was usually because he composed a work based on fairy tales or folk myths. Cinderella (1940-44), as the dates suggest, was a wartime effort, but ultimately a huge success. This 2 CD set is the only complete ballet in the catalog (the others are OP), but two suites exist (1 and 3, with 2 being withdrawn by the composer), and several piano versions. Cinderella has its own mood and sound, but suffers (if that’s the right word) from the tunefullness of Romeo and Juliet. However, this version is performed with clear enthusiasm and what emerges is 2 hours of pleasant and sometimes engaging music. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Piston: Quintet for Flute and String Quartet; String Sextet; Piano Quartet; Piano Quintet
LABEL: Naxos
REVIEW: Walter Piston (1894-1976) was part of that famous generation of American composers of the Thirties and Forties whose distinct brand of Romanticism set the tone for American music for the rest of the century. Piston studied with Nadia Boulanger and Paul Dukas in Paris, and their insistence on textural balances show up in Piston’s best music, including his chamber works, the best of which are on this disc. They range from public expressions of sheer joy (the Quintet for Flute and String Quartet of 1942) to the darkly private (as in the String Sextet of 1964). Piston makes use of various postmodern techniques (atonality, serialism, etc.) where it serves the music, making it all the more interesting. This is an extraordinary collection of brilliant–and beautiful–music. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Rachmaninov: Piano Trios; Two Pieces for cello and piano; Two pieces for violin and piano
LABEL: Hyperion
REVIEW: These delicious aperitifs by Serge Rachmaninov for piano trio are not quite minor efforts, but they are the product of Rachmaninov’s youth. All were composed by the time Rachmaninov was 21 and he wrote no other chamber works after 1900–which is a shame, because he was good at it. The most famous of these works, the Piano Trio No. 1 in G minor is, however, recognizably the work of a Romantic genius. Its main theme is as memorable as anything Rachmaninov ever wrote. Perhaps less memorable is the Piano Trio No. 2 in D minor. This is a more dolorous affair and exhibits, at least in the role of the piano, elements of Chopin the young composer had studied. The Moscow Rachmaninov Trio takes to these works with clear affection, even if the studio ambience is a bit muddled on Trio No. 2. Still, this disc is to be recommended, especially for the filler, two works for cello and piano and violin and piano. Very nice indeed. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Reich: New York Counterpoint; Eight Lines; Four Organs
LABEL: Nonesuch
REVIEW: Steve Reich’s take on what’s popularly been called “Minimalism” has been to illuminate the nature of musical phrases played staccato fashion on various instruments, then variously “phase shift” their lines into new, contrapuntal relationships. This music can either delight or annoy, and Reich has done both in his time. Fortunately on this disc, the music itself is neither too complex to play or too difficult to follow, and could stand as an excellent primer for Reich’s early Minimalism. What genuinely triumphs on this disc is Octet (of 1979/80). It’s an athletic work of carefully-cadenced rhythmic patterns that are typical of Reich’s best writing. For Reich fans, though, there might not be anything new here; newbies, however, should be quite taken with it. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Rouse: Ku-Ka-Ilimoku; Concerto Per Corde; Rotae Passionis; Ogoun Badagris
LABEL: Koch International
REVIEW: The booklet that accompanies this CD proclaims Christopher Rouse one of the more original postmodern voices working in America today. This is hyperbole. What Rouse is doing is competent, but not particularly original (though it is postmodern). The most approachable work here is Concerto Per Corde of 1990 wherein homage is paid to Shostakovich, which isn’t terribly original. Ellen Taafee Zwillich has done it and it’s gotten her nowhere. That said, the Concerto is quite listenable and very expertly performed. The sound is rich with a lush lower register, vital to most Shostakovich. The other works here derive from Rouse’s study of advanced percussion. Ku-Ka-Ilimoku (1978) is a dynamic (and ferocious) Hawaiian war processional on various drums. Ogoun Badagris (1976) is also for percussion and is even more ferocious. Fans of postmodernism will find much here to admire; others might steer clear. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Rubbra: Piano Trio in One Movement; Meditazioni sopra ‘Coeurs Desoles; Phantasy for Two Violins and Piano; Sonata in C for Oboe and Piano; Suite “The Buddha”; Piano Trio No. 2; Duo for Cor Anglais and Piano
LABEL: Dutton
REVIEW: The chamber music of Edmund Rubbra (1901-1986) shares much in common with that of Sir Arnold Bax. It’s filled with all sorts of lyric flourishes and clever instrumental exchanges that bring out the genuinely romantic character of Rubbra’s artistic vision. An excellent example of this is The Piano Trio in One Movement which opens the disc (it’s also the longest work here). It starts with a rolling, dance-like caper, then shifts into a sweet, dolorous song exchange between the cello and the piano. These balanced instrumental exchanges continue in the beautiful and flirtatious Meditazioni sopra ‘Coeurs Desoles’ for oboe and piano. This entire collection is uniformly engaging and each work is played with clear affection by the Endymion Ensemble. It also helps that the disc comes with that excellent sound ambience Dutton Laboratories is known for. Highly recommended. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Saint-Saens: Samson et Dalila
LABEL: Naxos
REVIEW: Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921) wrote several operas during his career, but only Samson et Dalila (1877) has survived as his most popular. This release is the first recording ever made of the opera (September 1946). As such, the monaural sound might not sit well with modern listeners, even though it’s expertly transferred from mint-condition LPs. As for the performances themselves, Jose Luccioni’s tenor (he’s Samson) can be a bit too assertive at times, but only because his voice is so powerful that it really stands out. Helene Bouvier’s voice, though, (she’s Dalila) is a bit too matronly; one gets the impression that her Dalila is a fortyish matron and not the young seducer Dalila is supposed to be. Still, this was the first recording of the opera and can be recommended for that reason alone. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Schoenberg: Pelleas & Melisande; Wagner: Siegfried-Idyll
LABEL: Deutsche Grammophon
REVIEW: Schoenberg’s Pelleas & Melisande is just opus 5 in Schoenberg’s catalog, but it comes right on the cusp of the young composer’s transition to serialism. Based on Maurice Maeterlinck’s stage play, it’s an exuberant, youthful work that won the 29 year-old composer the recognition he had yet to receive. The work shows some influences of Richard Strauss, who had befriended Schoenberg in 1901 in Berlin. Mahler is also present. Still for all that, this is sui generis work, a stand-alone masterpiece. This is followed by Wagner’s Siegfried-Idyll, a tone poem based on the birth of his son, Siegfried. Both works are moody tone poems and Maestro Christian Thielmann lovingly captures their spirit. Boulez might give the work more drama, but Thielmann sculpts both works with rounder edges and softer textures. Highly recommended. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Sibelius: Symphony 6 & 7; Suite No. 2 from “The Tempest”
LABEL: Naxos
REVIEW: Once again Naxos scores big with this collection of two of Jean Sibelius’ greatest symphonies, the 6th and the 7th. Maestro Petri Sakari’s predilection is to take the 6th at a somewhat accelerated pace, especially in the first and the third movements, injecting an unexpectedly playful element to the music. It’s almost as if Sakari is intentionally recalling some of the same playful elements in the 5th Symphony and holding them over into the 6th. The 7th Symphony, however, is much more moderated in its pacing, keeping with the standard performance tempos most conductors, living and dead, have imposed. Between the two symphonies is the second suite from “The Tempest”, which provides an upbeat segue to the more meditative 7th Symphony that follows it. All in all, another fine release from Naxos. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Stanford: Suite for Violin and Orchestra; Violin Concerto in D major
LABEL: Hyperion
CATALOG: 67208
REVIEW: British composer Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924) was of the generation of Edward Elgar, and like Elgar, Stanford was highly influenced by the great German composers of the late 19th century. The two works on this disc from Hyperion show both the influence of Brahms and to some degree Wagner, along with the influence of Elgar himself. The Suite for Violin and Orchestra (of 1889) is a modest, yet tuneful, work that echoes Wagner, especially in the middle movements. Its final movement is more “British”, with clear Elgarian flourishes. Stanford’s Violin Concerto in D major (of 1904), is more mature work, with stronger, folk-like melodies carried by the orchestra. Both works here are given warm, if conservative readings, and the sonics, typical for Hyperion, are excellent. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Strauss: Josephs Legende
LABEL: Deutsche Grammophon
CATALOG: 289 463 493-2
REVIEW: Richard Strauss’ ballet score Josephs Legende (1912-14) is one of the few mature works by Strauss that has received little attention, even after all this time. It’s never performed (possibly because of the arcane subject matter) and even rarely recorded. The catalog lists one full performance, now out of print, and one version of the 1947 shorter orchestral suite (an excellent version of which is on Chandos 9506 if you can find it). The ballet concerns the apocryphal Biblical story of the young Joseph’s near-seduction by Potiphar’s wife. (Perhaps Salome handles this theme better.) This is the full version of the ballet, sumptuously performed by the Staatskapelle Dresden in a dynamic live recording with none of the intrusive ambient noise of concert performances. Highly recommended for all comers. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Villa-Lobos: Symphony 10 - “Amerindia”
LABEL: Koch International
REVIEW: Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) was one of the most prolific composers in the 20th century, having written twelve symphonies, of which the Fifth is lost. He composed in every possible mode including a Broadway musical and film music. His Tenth Symphony (1957) is a grand scale choral work in a “mixed-language” format. It’s meant to celebrate the founding of Sao Paulo, Brazil and includes Indian texts as well as Latin verse sung by soloists and choir. All of Villa-Lobos’ contrapuntal “bachian” rhythms are here, including his distinct brand of lyrical romanticism. The work is celebratory and opulent, the studio sound full-bodied and rich. This is a world-premiere recording rather lovingly coiffed by conductor Gisele Ben-Dor and is a must for fans of Villa-Lobos. –Paul Cook.

TITLE: The Zappa Ablum
LABEL: Bis Northern Lights
REVIEW: Since his death, Frank Zappa has enjoyed several translations of his extremely original and quirky material onto discs performed by jazz ensembles and major European orchestras with conductors such as Pierre Boulez.. Not too shabby. This disc by the Finnish Ensemble Ambrosius takes some of Zappa’s more tuneful pieces and reworks them for Baroque instruments. This is actually a brilliant maneuver since much of Zappa’s writing translates well for instruments such as the oboe, harpsichord, and mandolin (or lute). Highlights here include the catchy theme from “Uncle Meat”, the short, but goofy “Igor’s Boogie” and “Idiot Bastard Son” sung with the solemnity of a monk’s chant. The performances are above average, but there is some blurring of textures and some lack of clarity in the recorded sound. But, overall, a worthy effort that advances the cause of Zappa’s music. –Paul Cook