Legacy on Disc: Paavo Järvi and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

     When Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra music director Paavo Järvi concludes his ten-year sojourn with the CSO in May, 2011, he will have left a legacy of 17 recordings with the orchestra.

     Repertoire ranges (chronologically) from Hector Berlioz' "Symphonie fantastique" (1830) to American composer Charles Coleman's 2007 "Deep Woods.

     Broken down further, there are eight albums of Russian music, three of French music, two of English and one each of Czech, Hungarian/Polish, Finnish/Estonian and American music.  They are all color-splashed, detail-oriented and deeply felt, the object being to present this virtuoso orchestra in an acoustically superior space, i.e. Music Hall in Cincinnati.

    That all but one were recorded and produced by Telarc, known for its audiophile focus, is telling.  All were recorded using Direct Stream Digital processing, and almost all were released both in CD and SACD (Super Audio Compact Disc) formats.

    There is a Grammy-winner, the 2008 all-Mussorgsky album, which received a 2009 Grammy for Best Surround Sound album.  The 2004 Ravel disc won France's Diapason d'Or, and several were chosen "record of the month" or were otherwise highlighted in leading music magazines.

     Prokofiev and Stravinsky head the list of composers represented, with Ravel, Debussy, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky and Britten close behind.  Others include Bartok, Dvorak, Elgar, Holst, Lutoslawski, Martinu, Nielsen, Sibelius, Shostakovich, Estonians Eduard Tubin and Veljo Tormis and Americans Charles Coleman, Jennifer Higdon, Jonathan Holland, Carter Pann and Kevin Puts.  (Note the absence of pre-romantic, Viennese-Classical or Germanic repertoire in the bunch.)

     A special feature of Järvi's CSO recordings is their thoughtful pairings.  Thus, he combined Finnish composer Sibelius and Tubin from neighboring Estonia, Czech composers Dvorak and Martinu (both composing their works in America), the Concertos for Orchestra by Bartok and Lutoslawski, Shostakovich's 10th Symphony with Estonian Tormis' Overture No. 2 (both written under the eye of the Soviet authorities) and Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" with Nielsen's contemporaneous Symphony No. 5.  This will be missed.

     Here, in order of release, is the complete discography:

1. Berlioz, “Symphonie fantastique," Love Scene from“Romeo et Juliette." Telarc. CD and SACD. Released in 2001. Järvi and the CSO took on the best of them in their first recording together. Lyricism is Järvi's big plus here, plus detail and exquisite tone painting. Filled with tenderness, the love scene from "Romeo and Juliet" meshes perfectly.

2. Sibelius, Symphony No. 2 in D Major. Tubin, Symphony No. 5 in B Minor. Telarc. CD and SACD. 2002. First CSO/Järvi release in Super-Audio CD format, this followed the U.S. premiere of Estonian composer Eduard Tubin's Symphony No. 5 at Music Hall in November, 2001. The pairing is a powerful one, comprising two gems of the Nordic repertoire.

3. Stravinsky, “Petrouchka,” “The Firebird Suite,” “Scherzo a la Russe.” Telarc. CD and SACD. 2003. A fine traversal of Stravinsky's popular ballet suites, with his "Scherzo a la Russe" a nice after thought.

 

4. Prokofiev, “Romeo and Juliet,” Complete Suites from the Ballet. Telarc. CD and SACD. 2003. Rich, cinematic and deeply moving, this one is to love, over and over again.

5. Ravel, Suite No. 2 from "Daphnis et Chloe," "Pavane pour une infante defunte," "La Valse," "Ma Mere l'Oye," "Bolero." Telarc. CD and SACD. 2004. Another triumph of French repertoire by Järvi and the orchestra. Virtuosic and beautifully paced, arguably the best of the collection. Winner of France's Diapason d'Or in 2004. Record of the month in Gramophone magazine.

6.  Stravinsky, “Le Sacre du printemps" ("Rite of Spring"). Nielsen, Symphony No. 5. Telarc. CD and SACD. 2004. Another thoughtful pairing, this one of works that collided with World War I.  Järvi's "Rite" is precise, detailed and powerful. Nielsen's anti-war symphony speaks volumes.

7.  Debussy, “Prelude a l’apres-midi d’un faune,”“Nocturnes,”“La mer,”“Berceuse heroique." CD and SACD. 2005. Telarc. Sensual and splashed with color, this is one of the finest recordings of the set. The addition of "Berceuse heroique," written in memory of Flemish losses during World War I, adds a poignant touch.

8.  Dvorak, Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, “From the New World.” Martinu, Symphony No. 2. Telarc. CD and SACD. 2005. A memorable and distinctive reading of the much-recorded "New World," with Järvi's trademark transparency and deep feeling.  Fellow Czech Bohuslav Martinu's Symphony No. 2, also composed in America, makes a felicitous pairing. Record of the Month in Gramophone magazine.

9. Lutoslawski, Concerto for Orchestra, Fanfare for Louisville. Bartok, Concerto for Orchestra. Telarc. CD and SACD. 2006. One of Järvi's favorite CSO recordings. Lutoslawski and Bartok complement one another in genre, style and milieu (World War II), making this a splendid addition to his distinctive pairings with the CSO.

10. Britten, “The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra,” “Four Sea Interludes” from “Peter Grimes.” Elgar, “Enigma Variations." Telarc. CD and SACD. 2006. Moving over to the British Isles, Järvi and the CSO deliver handsomely here, from the sometimes raucous fun of "The Young Person's Guide" to the salt spray of "Peter Grimes." Elgar's "Enigma" is over the top.

11. Rachmaninoff,  Symphony No. 2  in E Minor, Scherzo, Dances from “Aleko.” Telarc. CD and SACD. 2007. "R" is for "romance" -- and perhaps re-trenching -- on this lush CD of all-time favorite Rachmaninoff. The Scherzo (a rarity by the teen-aged composer) and "Aleko" Dances are quite appealing.

12. Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 6, “Pathetique,” “Romeo and Juliet” Overture-Fantasy. Telarc. CD and SACD. 2007. You can't get more appealing than this.  The music plays to the emotions, but over a wide compass. "Romeo and Juliet" is tenderer than most, "Pathetique" more thoughtful and enigmatic. Keep a hanky handy.

 

13.  Prokofiev, Symphony No. 5, “Lieutenant. Kije” Suite. Telarc. CD and SACD. 2008. Prokofiev is a natural for Järvi and he and the CSO do it wonderfully.  The layers of meaning in his Symphony No. 5 emerge clearly here (Prokofiev's ambivalence about returning to the Soviet Union).  The fictional "Lt. Kije" has rarely been so sympathetically drawn.

14. Mussorgsky, “Pictures at an Exhibition,” “Night on Bald Mountain,” Prelude to “Khovanshchina.” Telarc. CD and SACD. 2008. This one is Technicolor throughout. Hear details you've never heard before, most amazingly in "Pictures," where each frame jumps off the page.  A free download of "Night on Bald Mountain" was made available on iTunes coincident with its autumn (Halloween) release. Winner of 2009 Grammy for Best Surround Sound album.

15. Shostakovich, Symphony No. 10 in E Minor. Veljo Tormis, Overture No. 2. Telarc. CD and SACD. 2009. This pairing of Shostakovich's blockbuster Tenth Symphony and Estonian Veljo Tormis' Overture No. 2, shows that Järvi has more in mind than the bottom line in making recordings. Both works were written behind the Iron Curtain and can be read from that perspective. Estonian-born Järvi brings an acute sensibility to both.

16. Holst, “The Planets.” Britten, “The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.” Telarc. 2009. Another splashy recording, well done. Paired with the Holst is Järvi and the CSO's previously recorded "Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra," a substitution for the previously planned "Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta" by Bartok, which fell victim to a funding shortfall (Telarc ceased production activities in 2009).

17. “American Portraits.” Charles Coleman, “Streetscape,” “Deep Woods.” Jennifer Higdon, “Fanfare Ritmico.” Carter Pann, “Slalom.” Jonathan Bailey Holland, “Halcyon Sun.” Kevin Puts, “Network.” Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Media.  First CD on the orchestra's new in-house label, CSO Media. 2011. Taken from concert performances, the sound is excellent, with performances to match.

     Reviews of all these albums (except Holst's "Planets") may be found on this site under "Reviews."