Search - Hindemith, Blomstedt, San Francisco Symphony :: Mathis Der Maler / Symphonic Metamorphosis

Essential Hindemith

David A. Kemp | Plano, TX USA | 06/06/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you are going to own only one CD of Hindemith's music, I urge you to make it this one. The Mathis der Maler symphony (1934) and the Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes of Weber (1943) are probably Paul Hindemith's two greatest orchestral works. The music is appealing, vital, beautifully crafted, accessible, bristling with a masculine vigor, exuberance, energy. Blomstedt is arguably the foremost Hindemith conductor of our day; these performances are expert, heartfelt, and superbly realized, displaying these two works in all their considerable glory. The sound (the recordings were made in Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco, 1987) is representative of the splendid Decca/London engineering at its best; this is an exemplary modern digital orchestral recording: well balanced, with full frequency range, wide dynamic range, every detail of the inventive orchestration clearly registering. This CD has been warmly praised by critics, receiving strong recommendations in the Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and the Gramophone Classical Good CD Guide. A standout recording by any measure. This was the first in a series of distinguished Decca/London recordings made by Blomstedt with the San Francisco Symphony, whose music director he was from 1985 to 1995. This series included a second splendid Hindemith release. Blomstedt was music director of the great Staatskapelle Dresden from 1975 to 1985, and made a distinguished series of recordings there for Denon. He is now music director of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, where he has made a third excellent Hindemith recording (also on Decca). There is a viable, worthy budget-priced alternative to the Blomstedt CD on Sony Essential Classics, featuring the same two works, with the Mathis der Maler symphony performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy (recorded 1962) and the Symphonic Metamorphoses performed by the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell (recorded 1964). Both are very fine performances, and for those on a budget the disc can be confidently recommended. But the 1960's Columbia/CBS sound of these recordings, while perfectly acceptable, simply cannot compete with the demonstration-class sound of the Blomstedt recording, which is much richer, fuller, with greater clarity and delineation of detail.Both CDs offer a filler, and both fillers are well chosen and entirely appropriate. In the case of Blomstedt, it's Hindemith's brief (8:38), touching Trauermusik for viola and orchestra, a piece he wrote on very short order (in six hours!) for the BBC after the death of King George V in 1936 (he played the viola part too). In the case of Ormandy/Szell, it's Walton's varied and colorful Variations on a Theme by Hindemith, a longer work (22:45) of Walton's later years (1963), played by the Cleveland Orchestra under Szell (1964). Both are attractive works, but the Walton is the more substantial."

Only the best if you haven't heard that many . . .

SJR | 03/30/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have Blomstedt's "Mathis," and I like it. But it seems more expert and competent, and well-recorded, than it is deeply felt or insightful. Rickenbacker's recording on Virgin is still available (from Amazon and elsewhere), and while the orchestral playing is just below the highest standard, I prefer it for a more atmospheric performance with deeper moods. The best of all is Steinberg's recording on the DGG label, which was later released on a budget line, and perhaps can still be found. This is perhaps the closest I've heard to Hindemith's own 1930's recording, and despite it's 1970's vintage, features a virtuosity and tonal beauty, combined with elegance, communicativeness, and drama in a way no others really match. Jiri Belohlavek's recording on Chandos is also one I'd probably pick over Blomdstedt's, and Bernstein's and Horenstein's recrodings also deserve a favorable mention. Chandos has an excellent line of Hindemith recordings led by Tortelier. His Nobilissima Visione is more deeply felt than Blomstedt's (or any other I've heard) and beautifully recorded, as are his other Hindemith recordings on that label"

Best Mathis I've heard Hindemith didn't conduct

Jeremiah Lawson | Seattle, WA United States | 06/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The pacing for all these works is very good and while the speed of the Mathis der Maler seemed a bit fast to me I compared it to Hindemith's own 1933 recording and discovered it wasn't much faster even though this recording of Mathis is faster than the 1950s version of the symphony Hindemith recorded. The livelier tempi serve the music better and the engineering is pretty good. I've got a soft spot for Hindemith interpreting his own work but Blomstedt's recording here is the best version I've heard so far whether for engineering, balance of orchestral sound, pacing, and general interpretation."