Franz Lehár - Suites & Dances (Michail Jurowski)

Information

Composer: Franz Lehár

• (01) Zigeunerfest (Gypsy Feast), Ballet scene
• (02) Marsch und Palótas (from 'Wo die Lerche singt')
• (03) Preludium religioso (from 'Rodrigo')
• (04) Ein Märchen aus 1001 Nacht, Scène phantastique
• (05) Ballet Music from 'Peter und Paul im Schlaraffenland'
• (15) Fata morgana, Konzert-Gavotte
• (16) Korallenlippen (Coral Lips), Polka mazurka
• (17) Resignation (from 'Fürstenkind')
• (18) Suite de Danse
• (19) Chinese Ballet Suite

Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
Michail Jurowski, conductor

Date: 2001
Label: cpo

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Review

Another enticing‚ if somewhat disparate‚ collection of Lehár orchestral rarities

CPO’s remarkable exploration of the byways of Franz Lehár’s output here collects together miscellaneous orchestral pieces from throughout his career. Ballet music for stage works includes a sequence for the early children’s operetta Peter und Paul reisen im Schlaraffenland‚ a Zigeunerfest written for interpolation into Zigeunerliebe‚ and a Chinesische Ballet­Suite that was interpolated into Das Land des Lächelns. Other music from stage works includes the solemn prelude‚ complete with violin solo‚ from his unperformed verismo opera Rodrigo‚ an intermezzo from Das Fürstenkind‚ and an orchestral transcription of an ensemble from Wo die Lerche singt. The remainder is music not specifically linked to stage works.

If it sounds a little like a job lot‚ I have to confess that it hangs together less imposingly than the previous CPO orchestral collection devoted to symphonic Lehár (7/98). That was truly outstanding. On a less elevated level‚ this collection remains highly enjoyable for anyone who admires Lehár’s orchestral writing as much as I do. The concert gavotte Fata Morgana and polka mazurka Korallenlippen are delightful miniatures‚ while the transcription of the tenor’s ‘Schweig‚ zagendes Herz’ from Das Fürstenkind is one of Lehár’s most tenderly beautiful creations. Besides Lehár in Hungarian mode in two tracks‚ there’s a typical big Lehár waltz in the Suite de danse. What is impressive throughout is the sheer love and mastery of the orchestra and confident grasp of orchestral technique that comes through in Lehár’s orchestral writing‚ happily inspiring equally commanding performances by Jurowski and his orchestra.

-- Gramophone

More reviews:
http://www.classical-music.com/review/leh%E2%80%A1r
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2001/Dec01/Lehar_suites.htm
https://www.amazon.com/Suites-Dances-Intermezzi-F-Lehar/dp/555385220X

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Franz Lehár (30 April 1870 – 24 October 1948) was an Austro-Hungarian composer. Lehár studied violin at the Prague Conservatory, where his violin teacher was Antonín Bennewitz, and was largely self-taught as a composer. After graduation, Lehár served as a bandmaster in the Austro-Hungarian Army and Navy. He is most famous for his operettas – the most successful of which is The Merry Widow (Die lustige Witwe) – but he also wrote sonatas, symphonic poems and marches. Despite an uneasy relationship between Lehár and the Nazi regime, Hitler still awarded him the Goethe Medal in 1940.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Leh%C3%A1r

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Michail Jurowski (born 25 December 1945 in Moscow) is a Russian conductor. He is the son of Soviet composer Vladimir Jurowski (1915-1972), and the father of Russian conductor Vladimir Jurowski (b. 1972). Jurowski studied at the Moscow Conservatory with Lev Ginzburg and Alexey Kandinsky, and also worked as assistant to Gennady Rozhdestvensky. Jurowski was music director and principal conductor of the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie (1992-1998), the Leipzig Opera (1999-2001), and the WDR Rundfunkorchester Köln (2006-2008). He is currently principal guest conductor of the Sinfonia Iuventus in Warsaw.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michail_Jurowski
https://imgartists.com/roster/michail-jurowski/

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