Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade

Fritz Reiner’s Scheherazade with the Chicago Symphony has always been one of the glories of the classical catalogue and has appeared in several CD editions by RCA. Just to be clear, I am discussing the RCA Living Stereo SACD Hybrid (2005) which I play on a standard CD player. The two works appeared on separate LP’s when first released. The Song of the Nightingale was paired with Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kije Suite in its 1958 release while Scheherazade was long enough to fill both sides of an album in 1960.For Rimsky-Korsakov the period from the summer of 1887 to that of 1888 was an absolutely miraculous time and one which included piecing together and orchestrating much of Boris Godunov after Borodin’s death.. He had drifted away from Balakirev’s circle (“The Mighty Five”) back in the 1870’s over the issue of schooling in musical composition, which the others abjured. The group, for all its fame had mostly broken up after the first decade though they remained cordial. Balakirev withdrew twice from all his musical friends, the first time into religion and the second when he realized he would no longer be the center of classical music in Russia. Mussorgsky had left his old friends for a group of cognac-drinking tavern friends and died early. Rimsky-Korsakov thought Stasov’s nickname for the group was “tasteless” anyway. By the 1880’s he had joined the group which surrounded Mitrofan Belyayev, a timber magnate and philanthropist who was interested in promoting Russian classical music. He underwrote a series of high-profile “Russian Symphony Concerts” in St. Petersburg to promote the music of Russian composers.The concerts inspired Rimsky-Korsakov so much that within a year’s time he wrote three of his most famous orchestral works for the second season.: The Russian Easter Overture, Capriccio Espagnol and Scheherazade. All three works ironically were full of the color and exotic sounds beloved by Balakirev’s group. In fact he had opened the first concert in 1886 with the late Mussorgsky’s Night On Bald Mountain. After this he turned his attention almost entirely to composing operas which are known outside of Russia mainly from the orchestral suites he exerpted from them.Reiner’s Scheherazade is sumptuous, exciting and played with amazing intensity. It is always tied with Kondrashin’s wonderful performance with the Concertbegouw Orchestra as my favorite. Like Kondrashin he seems to get every moment just right. I will note that he plays a phrase within “The Young Prince and the Princess” a bit slower than most for a more romantic effect and this can seem odd at first hearing if you’re used to other recordings. However as one would expect, in time it seems absolutely natural. The sound is beyond amazing on this CD edition. Rich and full, it’s practically impossible to believe this was recorded in early 1960 (and The Song of the Nightingale in 1956!). RCA’s three-microphone process didn’t miss anything and apparently if the sound is there in the masters the current technology can reproduce it beautifully.The Song of the Nightingale is a bit of a problematic companion piece. Given the warhorse standing of Scheherazade with its big, resounding Romantic melodies I might have chosen the Lt. Kije Suite as a companion on CD simply for its likeability factor. In fact on the original RCA Living Stereo LP’s, The song of the Nightengale was paired with the Lt. Kije Suite while Scheherazade was long enough to fill an album by itself. Many fans of Scheherazade may find Song of the Nightingale a bit too daunting and difficult. Though championed by some major conductors it has never been popular since its premiere and is rarely featured in live performances. Its dissonance, lack of big melodies and episodic structure all limited its appeal to the classical audience.However, that said, if you give it a chance with a number of playings it really grows on you and becomes a delightful piece with its shimmering orientalism. Once you get used to its sound world the only really dissonance comes from the mechanical nightingale and that is the way it’s supposed to sound. Reiner, of course, who had a flair for the early moderns like Stravinsky and Bartok was just the conductor to record this piece. Still, some people will never warm to it and I just want to mention that. Song of the Nightingale is a short piece anyway and it’s Scheherazade that is the main item here and this is one of the great ones.

04-26-2014 A fantasy trip to the Arabian Nights awaits the listener in this SACD rendition of Rimsky-Korsakov's sumptuous Scheherazade in this February 8, 1960 performance by the magnificent Chicago Symphony Orchestra, my home town group, and the one and only Fritz Reiner. This RSC SACD was created in 2005, and also contains the Stravinsky Song of the Nightingale from November 1956. Between about this time and the mid 1960's RCA kept a recording team shuttling between Chicago and Boston recording the CSO and the BSO in Living Stereo performances, with conductors Charles Munch and Dr. Reiner, and now they are available as reprocessed Super Audio releases featuring absolutely stunning sound, especially the CSO /Reiner ones. I had recently purchased Munch's SACD's of the Berlioz Requiem and his Sinf. Fantast. and was pleased with the first but disappointed with the second. I shall review them both in full, soon. Scheherazade opens with the big, sweeping cinema graphic section titled The Sea and Sinbad's Ship, and after a short curtain raiser from forte orchestra, the solo violin, the voice of the Arab princess, tells us of this epic tale. The CSO is, of course, fabulously lush and powerful in every turn of the score with Reiner's precise and crisp conducting as evident on this recording as on any other of his career's efforts. I have always felt that Reiner was just a step or step and a half faster than he should be, his tempi being quite good, but they could do with an ever so slight retard. Still, they are well within acceptable limits. The second movement, is the Story of the Kalender Prince. After an introduction from our narrator, the solo violin, we hear the bassoon as the young nobleman, as he presents this section's main theme. Answered by other winds this quiet music is rich, harmonious and very well blended and balanced by the Chicagoans. With the opening prominence of the Bassoon, Reiner displays his fondness for this wind, as he used it's beautiful tones nicely in his magnificent Alexander Nevsky from 1959. This section , about the Kalender Prince, also demonstrates the fabulous CSO brass, but really, the ENTIRE Orchestra sound gorgeous in this Super Audio. Why, just listen to the muted percussion in the 6-7 minutes in this 2nd section. Part 3 is the "love-scene" between the Young Prince and the young Princess, and runs 12:02 of romantic, serene and very tender music, with Reiner demonstrating his under appreciated ability to lead rapturously gentle music, and hold us breathlessly in his hands.Trust me, there was a LOT more to Fritz Reiner than the initial 30 seconds or do, of Zarathustra! The warmth of the Chicago strings comes through in this portion of the Symphonic Suite as well as in any other "modern" recording.I just can't say enough about what I am hearing, but I must tell oyu something. It is a cool and dark Spring morning today, at 6:10 A.M. and I am using my Bose headphones noise-cancelling because my wife is still asleep and I have to be quiet, so, these phones , it can easily be argued, lend better sound to the music than softly played speakers. It depends on the music and it's correct volume. The detail, in this case the winds, comes through better with phones , and I CAN hear things this way I might miss if through the speakers, perhaps. Oh well, enough for the "disclaimer", (L.O.L.) The story concludes with a multi-sectioned part 4, which includes The Festival in Bagdad, The Sea an finally the Shipwreck. This part runs 11:47 and is the crowning finale to this splendidly played and recorded work. Absolutely wonderful, this RK Scheherazade. Don't miss it!! Igor Stravinsky's Song of the Nightingale fills out this RCA disk with it's 22:17 long poem recalling the glories of the East, in China. Try as I do, I simply can't understand the reason for Stravinsky's popularity and aside from Petrouchka, Firebird and Le Sacre, plus the Symphonies, I just don't "get" this composer. Where is the substance and meat of the music? Twenty-two plus minutes of clatter, pinging and banging, clanging and other noise, is not my idea of music. And to simply argue that "there's no reason why not," in an insufficient argument. In this manner, one avoids a confrontation, which I welcome because that is how we get anywhere in a debate. As far as this reading of the Song of the Nightingale is concerned, it is well played and recorded, for sure, but I just do not care for the music, that's all. These Living Stereo recordings , mostly by Reiner and Munch, include the 1961 and the earlier and more historic Zarathustras of Reiner, the Berlioz Requiems, Saint-Saens Organ Symphony and Dvorak Cello Concerto all with Munch. And, of course, they are all SACD's and have fabulous sound and presence. A real treat and if you don't own a Super Audio CD player, these disks will convince you to buy yourself one. Happy listening and best wishes to all, and God bless you, Tony.

This disc, compiled of recordings made as long ago as 1956 (Stravinsky) and 1960 (Rimsky), is a further example of the remarkable early stereo recordings made by RCA and which stand up to comparison with many of the latest digital issues.For many collectors, the main attraction of this disc will lie with the Rimsky Korsakov. This very showy piece seems to be ideal as a display piece for the combined talents of this very talented orchestra. The whole piece was recorded in one day, two movements before lunch and the last two movements recorded after lunch. The last movement was recorded in pone take without any splicing. That is a remarkable end to a day's end when one would have expected fatigue to be a factor. Quite the contrary, as the playing carries all before it and to a conclusion capable of putting many others to shame. The piece is not all virtuosic display though as the third movement clearly shows with a sumptuous understanding of Rimsky's portrayal of the gentler side of these oriental tales. Of all the performances I have heard or have owned of this work, this one by Reiner stands clear of the rest.The Stravinsky seems a curious choice of a coupling. Apart from the oriental setting, there is little else in common between the two works. The Nightingale is a spikier Stravinsky than any of the three earlier ballets - Firebird, Petrushka and the Rite. Melodic or lyrical inspiration takes a second place to scenic situations that are portrayed with some aggression and irony with the limitations of the mechanical nightingale clearly exposed musically. One supposes that Stravinsky did not like this featured Emperor any more than Rimsky liked the Emperor in his own Golden Cockerel opera story. Regardless, Reiner once more delivers a very fine performance of this short ballet score.In conclusion I would suggest that this performance and recording of the Rimsky piece is of such quality as makes it deserving of very serious consideration from all potential purchasers. In addition it includes a very fine Stravinsky performance as an interesting if somewhat unusual choice of coupling. I would also suggest that this would be a very good upgrade option for those interested in replacing an earlier edition of this disc as the recording has been markedly improved in tonal range, depth of aural field and dynamics in line with the best of this series of remastered recordings.

Scheherazade is marvellously played by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Reiner. It is well-known that the players feared and disliked their conductor. Still, what they achieved together is remarkable.I already own their recording of one of Beethoven's symphonies so that I had high hopes before buying this CD; I wasn't disappointed. There is no weakness in the orchestra: all the sections are excellent. But, the brass and woodwind sections are particularly outstanding in the fourth movement (Festival in Bagdad; The Sea; Shipwreck). Also, the recording made in 1960, now re-mastered as an SACD, has remarkable clarity and naturalness.I haven't read the stories contained in "One Thousand and One Nights" so that these musical depictions don't mean much to me. But, even as pure music, this work is atmospheric and evocative, when played like this.I've had a very good recording made by the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and Kiril Kondrashin for a long time. But, the present recording by the Chicago SO and Reiner surpasses it in terms of virtuosity and sound quality.

Perhaps the greatest "Scheherazade" ever committed to disc. Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra deliver a dazzling display of orchestral virtuosity which will pin the listener to his/her seat for the duration and have 'em gasping in awe at the sheer majesty and magnificence of it all. Superior SACD... a legendary RCA "Living Stereo" recording.

Fantastic sacd good price.

Choosing a great version of Scheherazade has been about the most difficult task ever as far as just 1 CD is concerned, the choice is so great.After reading many glowing professional reviews, my first purchase was "Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - Scheherazade; Capriccio Espagnol. Mackerras LSO. Telarc."If only I had trusted my 'phones and ears better I would never have bought it, see my review, I think I am the only one to give it negative comments.So this time, NOT WISHING TO REPEAT MY MISTAKE, I spent weeks having a search every now and again and reading many amateur and professional reviews, followed by mp3 samples.One of those samples was for this CD and it was not so good, hence why I never bought it first time round, however in its latest remastering, this dual format SACD/CD appears to have been transformed, even though I can only play it as an ordinary CD and not a SACD.Infact it is improved beyond any expectation I could have envisaged, hence why I wrote DON'T BE PUT OFF BY THE FACT IT WAS RECORDED IN THE 1950's. The sound is truly outstanding, realistic, spacious with depth. Yes If I want to be picky, it has ultra low frequency noise, like rumble, but unless you are playing it at a loud setting and on upmarket gear with extended bass response, you will never notice it, even then it will be only in the quiet passages. The tape hiss level is nill for all practical purposes, so in all a fantastic quality recording, even by today's standards.So what is the performance like musically, I am not an expert, I sing but play no instruments, so I have no qualifications to comment, but I like it above any other, I find it dynamic, exciting, full of emotion. A MUST HAVE !!!PS. The other version I have just bought is Serebrier 1999 Reference Recordings, this has many reviews, all seem to agree it is one of, if not the finest recording to date.However EVEN AMONG PROFESSIONALS, there is much disagreement about the interpretation/performance and I am not qualified to comment, apart from saying he restored the score back to the original, so it should be accurate. I can highly recommend this version too, it is so different from the Reiner, duplicity is definitely not a disadvantage.