Search - Benjamin Britten, Myer Fredman, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra :: Britten: Sinfonia da Requiem; Four Sea Interludes; Passacaglia

Decent but unexceptional readings

G.D. | Norway | 01/29/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Naxos and the NZSO lead by Myer Fredman gives us a fine, though not a top-drawer, account of some of the most famous of Britten's orchestral scores (+ the absolutely not very famous American Overture).



It gets off to a fine start, with a thundering opening of the Sinfonia da requiem. And there are lots of power in this reading, and Myer Fredman surely knows the measure of the work well - but the end result is still lacking in atmosphere. Maybe he is just slightly too fast, or maybe the orchestral playing is just a little too rough. In any case, the depth and pungency required for this reading to come out as profound rather than just noisy and savage aren't quite there. Striking as well is the warmth and beauty of the finale - and this account does offer radiant beauty; but that is too simple, you see, for the greatness of this movement lies in the ambiguity between triumph and the undercurrents of tragedy (which you do get marvelously in, say, Britten's own performance); so this reading is once again a dimension short. Still, I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the performance here, it's rather that it falls somewhat short of the great ones.



The Sea Interludes are perhaps the least successful performances here. Oh, there is certainly color and excitement to be found, but many crucial rhythmic details are simply missed, and the strings are too thin. I miss the sharp characterizations of some other accounts, and neither does the recording capture the shimmering beauty as much as one might wish for. Of course, much of the atmosphere is anyway irredeemably lost when these are played independently of the rest of the opera, but even heard on their own I strongly prefer Colin Davis. The Passacaglia is better; it is a little roughly played, but the performance captures the menace and desolation very well.



Competition is, of course, much less fierce in the American Overture, and it is certainly good to have it, but I could possibly imagine just a little more swagger and character here as well. That said, the brass playing is impressive and the end result is very fine.



I might have sounded a little harsh, and I certainly wouldn't want to dismiss this disc completely. None of the performances are bad, and I think they actually stand up rather well to many full price alternatives. But there is no denying that the last ounce of excitement, tension and profundity is lacking."