Samuel Barber - Piano Concerto; etc. (Stephen Prutsman; Marin Alsop)

Information

Composer: Samuel Barber

1. Piano Concerto, Op. 38: I. Allegro apassionato
2. Piano Concerto, Op. 38: II. Canzone: Moderato
3. Piano Concerto, Op. 38: III. Allegro molto
4. Die Natali, Op. 37
5. Medea's Meditation and Dance of Vengeance, Op. 29A
6. Commando March

Stephen Prutsman, piano
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Marin Alsop, conductor

Date: 2001
Label: Naxos
https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.559133

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Review

Another eye-catching barber programme from Alsop with a rather hard-hitting account of the concerto

The main item on this fourth instalment in Marin Alsop's Barber series is a big-boned, forceful rendering of the Piano Concerto (1960-62). Pianist Stephen Prutsman certainly has all the requisite technical armoury, but his tendency to force the tone quickly tires the ear. I'd also have welcomed a greater lyrical warmth as well as a more scrupulous observation of dynamic markings: for example, the demisemiquavers from four bars after fig 16 in the first movement (6'22") are not remotely pianissimo as marked.

For all Prutsman's outsize virtuosity, I prefer the patrician authority and shrewder expressive scope displayed by John Browning on his digital remake with Slatkin and the Saint Louis Symphony (formerly on Sony Classical Theta, Browning's dazzling, altogether more propulsive 1964 world première recording with Szell and the Clevelanders - 7/65 - is, sadly, unavailable at present). A pity, too, about the missing bar in the finale at two after fig 12 (1'59"). At bargain price, though, this newcomer still has its attractions, not least Alsop's pliant and purposeful accompaniment. The sound is immensely vivid, if a tad fierce.

Inscribed to the memory of Serge and Natalie Koussevitzky, and premièred by Munch and the Boston SO in December 1960, Die Natali remains a comparative rarity. It's a 17-minute essay akin to a fantasia on Christmas carols, as ingeniously worked as it is impeccably crafted, and affectionately given here.

The exhilarating Medea's Meditation and Dance of Vengeance receives a performance of considerable power and understanding, but Alsop and the hard-working members of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra are no real match for, say, Thomas Schippers and a vintage NYPO, whose searingly intense 1965 recording continues to knock all rivals into a cocked hat. That just leaves the 1943 Commando March for concert band, heard in its opulent guise for full orchestra and exuberantly delivered by Alsop and company.

-- Andrew Achenbach, Gramophone

More reviews:
ClassicsToday  ARTISTIC QUALITY: 9 / SOUND QUALITY: 9
BBC Music Magazine  PERFORMANCE: **** / SOUND: ****
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2003/feb03/Barber_Piano.htm
http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/n/nxs59133a.php
http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/n/nxs59133b.php
http://www.classicalcdreview.com/sbpcnaxos.htm
https://www.naxos.com/reviews/reviewslist.asp?catalogueid=8.559133&languageid=EN
https://www.amazon.com/Barber-Concerto-Medeas-Meditation-Vengeance/dp/B00006GO4C

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Samuel Barber (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. He is one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century. His Adagio for Strings (1936) has earned a permanent place in the concert repertory of orchestras. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music twice: for his opera Vanessa (1956–57) and for the Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1962). Also widely performed is his Knoxville: Summer of 1915 (1947), a setting for soprano and orchestra of a prose text by James Agee. At the time of his death, nearly all of his compositions had been recorded.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Barber

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Pianist, composer and arranger Stephen Prutsman (born 1960 in Los Angeles) is considered to be one of the most versatile and innovative musicians of his generation, moving easily between styles, from classical to jazz to world music. In the early 90’s he was a medal winner at the Tchaikovsky and Queen Elisabeth piano competitions, which established his career as a concert pianist and led to performances with leading orchestras in the U.S. and Europe. As a composer, Prutsman has produced over 40 arrangements for the Kronos Quartet. He also composes annually a new silent film score for “Bay Chamber Concerts” of Maine.
https://www.naxos.com/person/Stephen_Prutsman_47559/47559.htm
http://stephenprutsman.com/

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Marin Alsop (born October 16, 1956 in New York) is an American conductor and violinist. She was educated at the Yale University and the Juilliard School. She was Principal Conductor of the Bournemouth SO (2002-2008), is currently music director of the Baltimore SO (since 2017) and the São Paulo State SO (since 2012), and chief conductor designate of the Vienna Radio SO. Highlights of Alsop’s recording collaboration with Naxos include a selection of works by Barber, several discs of music by Bernstein, a series of recordings of Dvořák and a Brahms symphony cycle.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marin_Alsop

http://www.marinalsop.com/

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