Hundred years warble: sounds of a century

VOICES 1900/2000: San Francisco Symphony Chorus: Soloists - Dale Tracy, tenor; Melodi Dalton, soprano; Steven Rogino, baritone; Eileen Meridith, soprano; piano accompanist, Marc Shapiro. Delos 3270; texts.

This is an impressive presentation of choral works that range across the 20th century, 1898 to 1998, exactly 100 years.

The artists` performances are impressive, too: the Grammy Award-winning San Francisco Symphony Chorus, Vance George, director.

Director George has compiled a program of great scope. Indeed, it proves to be an excellent study of the evolution of musical styles that developed during the 1900s. These styles include the many forms of musical composition that were given birth throughout the 20th century - Neo-Romanticism, Expressionism, Minimalism. There are also representative works from the music of religion, jazz, Broadway shows, folk tunes.

A glance at the list of the some 15 composers, whose works are recorded, attest to the international nature of the music. There are representatives works from America, England, France, Holland, Switzerland and Hungary.

To sample the list of composers - Taverner, Ligeti, Debussy, Poulenc, Copeland, Barber, Kern (Jerome), Rutti, etc.

The 200-member San Francisco Symphony Chorus is one of the world`s finest. It gives a minimum of 24 performances a year. It won Grammy Awards in 1992 for Best Choral-Orchestral Recording (Orff`s "Carmina Burana"), 1995 for Best Choral-Orchestral Recording (Brahms` German Requiem) and 1999 for Best Classical Recording (all-Stravinsky program).

The chorus` celebrated director Vance George is now in his 18th season with the chorus. He has made guest appearances throughout the United States, Europe and Asia.

BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 9. Elisabeth Soderstrom, soprano; Regina Resnik, contralto; Jon Vickers, tenor; David Ward, bass; London Bach Choir; London Symphony Orchestra; Pierre Monteux, conductor. Westminster 471 216.

A recording house issues a recording of a work you already have. Your concern: Should you duplicate this work already in your collection?

The work under consideration here is Beethoven`s Ninth Symphony. And surely, if you are a serious collector of recorded classical music, you have more than one recording of this surpassing-great symphony. Chances are, if you`re a serious collector of classical music, you have several recordings of most of the standards in your library. What would prompt you to add another?

Perhaps a number of things but, above everything else, it well could be the conductor.

And that, undoubtedly, will be what will influence your decision about this recording.

The conductor was one of the great giants of the musical worlds of opera, ballet and the symphony orchestra, both in the United States and in Europe. But there were/are many great conductors of Beethoven`s Ninth. The catalog of recordings attest to that. So perhaps we should look for a reason, other than simply a great name.

In this case, the reason would be apparent after a single listening to this recording by Pierre Monteux (1875-1964): He plays it in a different manner than do most conductors.

The main difference is one of - for want of a better word - weight. The Ninth often is presented in a heavy, sometimes ponderous, reading that is so agitated it neglects to express properly the beauty of the symphony`s lyricism.

This does not happen in Monteux`s recording. There is excitement in the response he gets from the orchestra, but he does not let it overpower and dominate his reading. The result is that when he does let his tutti orchestra play up to full strength, the differences between sections of the work are most impressive.

Monteux was both permanent and guest conductor of some of the finest orchestra`s in the world. In 1961, at the age of 86, he was named chief conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. This recording was made in 1963. Monteux died the following year. So, what we hear, then, is this great conductor, almost 90 years old, at the very end of a very long life and a most distinguished career.

Throughout his career he conducted more than 7,000 concerts and countless operatic performances. Monteux was only 5 feet 6 inches tall and quite rotund. But when he was on the podium, he was a giant. At first a violinist and violist in orchestras, he had his start as a conductor with the ballet. Indeed, it was he who was in the pit for the premier performances of Stravinsky`s "Petrouchka," "Rite of Spring" (which prompted infamous rioting by the Paris audience)" and Ravel`s "Daphnis et Chloe."

And there is another reason for adding this recording to your collection. This is a Westminster recording. Westminster was a highly respected - though short-lived - recording company of the 1950s and 1960s. It attracted the finest of soloists, conductors and orchestras. It was noted for especially fine sound reproduction.

Soundwise, this was a splendid recording of Beethoven`s Ninth when it was first released - in stereo - 40 years ago. Even so, the sound is vastly improved on this digitally remastered compact disc.

Universal Recordings now has the rights to reissue the old Westminster recordings and is re-releasing them under their original label name, Westminster. We can hope there will be many releases.

AT THE MOVIES:

"The Planet of the Apes," Original Motion Picture soundtrack. Music by Danny Eflman. Sony Classical 89666.

You like drums? If so, you`re gonna love this disc. Drums at the beginning, drums in the middle, drums at the end. Drums, drums, drums. But not just drums. To quote from the publicity that accompanied this disc, "In addition to using a full orchestra, Elfman laid down seventy-six of his own percussion tracks, using his own eclectic collection of percussion instruments from around the world - from large West African xylophones to upside down beer cans played with mallets."

It happens that I`ve seen the movie. Saw it before I received this CD. The drums are most appropriate. The movie is one frenzied chase from the word go. The violent action has few respites. So, the music fits the action on the screen very well. And that`s what it was supposed to do.

Elfman is a two-time Oscar nominee, for "Good Will Hunting" and "Men in Black." He also wrote, among others, scores for "Nightmare Before Christmas," "Beetlejuice," "Sleepy Hollow," "Family Man," "Batman Returns," "Edward Scissorhands" and "A Simple Plan." In others words, he`s one of the real pros. Also, a deep bow to his orchestrators.

(c) Copley News Service

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Author: King Durkee