Post by mdt February 25, 2005 (11 of 19)
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kdelkins said:
For instance his early digital recording of Wagner orchestral music in Vienna was horrible, making one wonder whether this was the same person who had such a triumph with the a same forces and material 20 years earlier.
What was so horrible about that recording, havent listened to it for a long time but cant remember anything "horrible" about it.
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Post by Daland February 27, 2005 (12 of 19)
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kdelkins said:
Solti is one of the few conductors that could just plain get it wrong. Buying a solti disc can be a real gamble. For instance his early digital recording of Wagner orchestral music in Vienna was horrible, making one wonder whether this was the same person who had such a triumph with the a same forces and material 20 years earlier.
His early digital recording of extracts from Wagner's Ring (with the Vienna Philharmonic) is one of my favourites. Orchestra and conductor are in glorious form. The Funeral Music from "Götterdämmerung" is simply overwhelming. I can think of no better recording of this piece. Unfortunately, the collection does not contain Siegfried's Rhine Journey.
Admittedly, Solti lacked a pronounced "spiritual" dimension, which explains why he was not particularly well-suited to Bruckner. Even so his readings of Parsifal, Zauberflöte or Die Frau ohne Schatten were far from prosaic, but deeply felt. That all his interpretations are hard-driven is a myth - just as Toscanini's fidelity to the score or Knappertsbusch's invariably slow tempi.
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Post by alberich June 26, 2006 (13 of 19)
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tream said:
Interesting post. I think performers, like performing styles and even composers, go in and out of fashion. After a musical performer's death they may be an initial flood of tributes, then the performer may go into eclipse for awhile before rediscovery. There was a reaction like this even with a performer like Karajan-during his life, at least according to Gramophone, he could do no wrong. Perceptions of his work turned negative for a time after his death, and only now are we having a realistic evaluation of his recorded legacy. (Lots of peaks and valleys).
I think Solti is out of fashion these days, except for perhaps his Ring. Even there, revisionists are dissing his conducting and complaining about the supposed lack of line, etc., which, if you actually listen, is not true. Almost no one views his Mahler as successful these days, but each release was eagerly awaited during his lifetime and usually went to the top of the critical lists.
For my ear, Solti was hugely successful in Mozart (great recordings of the operas), Schumann (his recordings of the symphonies were a fresh treat after the Karajan recordings), Wagner, Verdi,R. Strauss, Bartok and Mahler. His Beethoven was not inconsequential, nor his Berlioz. In opera, he worked consistently with the best singers of his time, without pushing them into unsuitable roles, a la Karajan. The notable exception was Vickers, who refused to work with Solti, preferring Karajan-too bad, because I think Vickers would have found a better foil in Solti. Certainly the one recording they did together, Aida, is a classic.
At some point the pendulum will swing back and we'll remember that Solti was a lot more than his Ring, and the Mahler 8.
DECCA has let Sir Georg down rather: too many recordings have been allowed to go out of the catalogue or have been put into the bargain "Double Decca" series and thus are never reviewed. The reputations of Karajan and Bernstein have been kept going by a number of special editions. I would agree that his first Bruckner with the VPO are well worth restoring to the catalogue, also his "Italian" symphony made in Israel. In my view, he made many fine orchestral recordings in Chicago too: "La Mer", Berlioz, the Brahms symphonies, the first Beethoven 9th, the "0" and 1st of Bruckner and the Haydn oratorios. The Verdi "Requiem" is superb too, though the RCA recorded sound is not up to the DECCA version. I also love his Stravinsky and the Shotakovich 15th, which acquired new significance after hearing it as the final music of the DVD "Solti on Solti" - the best documentary about a conductor I have seen.
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Post by Peter June 26, 2006 (14 of 19)
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Post by fafnir June 26, 2006 (15 of 19)
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alberich said:
DECCA has let Sir Georg down rather: too many recordings have been allowed to go out of the catalogue or have been put into the bargain "Double Decca" series and thus are never reviewed. The reputations of Karajan and Bernstein have been kept going by a number of special editions. I would agree that his first Bruckner with the VPO are well worth restoring to the catalogue, also his "Italian" symphony made in Israel. In my view, he made many fine orchestral recordings in Chicago too: "La Mer", Berlioz, the Brahms symphonies, the first Beethoven 9th, the "0" and 1st of Bruckner and the Haydn oratorios. The Verdi "Requiem" is superb too, though the RCA recorded sound is not up to the DECCA version. I also love his Stravinsky and the Shotakovich 15th, which acquired new significance after hearing it as the final music of the DVD "Solti on Solti" - the best documentary about a conductor I have seen.
Alberich, I concur more heartily. I have been a fan of Solti's ever since his legendary first appearance with the CSO in Carnegie Hall. The ovation at the end of Mahler 5 was the longest heard in many years and was still being written of 10 years after the concert. A standard of execution was heard that had not been achieved in Carnergie Hall probably since Reiner brought the CSO there.
Although some Solti records such as Mahler 4/CSO and Shostakovich 10 show an insensitivity and lack insight into the music, many rank with the finest ever recorded. You have named several, and I would add Shostakovich 8 and Mahler 7 among the others. His current neglect by Decca is shameful, considering that there is no conductor today is is generally his equal and most of his records are at least decently recorded.
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Post by alberich June 28, 2006 (16 of 19)
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Peter said:
Here it is:
http://www.buywell.com/cgi-bin/buywellic2/04150.html
Thank you, Peter! Oddly, it only seems to be available only in Australia at present, despite having been issued last April, and is not mentioned on the Decca site. Again, it seems wrong to me to issue it on Decca's cheapest label, so it will get no reviews and one wonders how much care has been taken over re-mastering.
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Post by Edvin June 28, 2006 (17 of 19)
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I think his Bruckner 6 is the best. Tempos are perfect and it has the right sense of majesty and repose. A less aggressive sounding SACD would be welcome.
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Post by Peter June 28, 2006 (18 of 19)
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alberich said:
Thank you, Peter! Oddly, it only seems to be available only in Australia at present, despite having been issued last April, and is not mentioned on the Decca site. Again, it seems wrong to me to issue it on Decca's cheapest label, so it will get no reviews and one wonders how much care has been taken over re-mastering.
The Australian Eloquence issues have been carefully and freshly remastered; I have about a dozen of them and am very pleased with the results. The label specialises in reissuing otherwise unavailable Universal performances and I'm grateful they are available at such a reasonable price. Buywell is an excellent seller, and many of the issues have been reviewed on Classics Today and Musicweb.
http://www.classicstoday.com/
http://www.musicweb-international.com/Current_Reviews.htm
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Post by foxtrot June 21, 2012 (19 of 19)
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Johnno said:
I agree with you entirely. He brought a breath of fresh air to much of what he did and there was an edge of seat excitement about it (a lot like Antal Dorati -- another Hungarian!). I still love his "Ring" cycle and both "Salome" and "Elektra". I also, like you, rate his Schubert "Great" very highly. That "Romantic Russia" LSO disc is a sizzler too. I do prefer the Mahler he recorded with the LSO (1, 2 and 9 -- never heard his Concertgebouw 4th))to that recorded in Chicago -- although the 8th is magnificent -- and have continually been disappointed that the marvellous ninth he made with the London orchestra never appeared on CD (if it did, I missed it!)
This is an answer to an old entry but I've only just discovered the site. Solti made one other Mahler with the LSO and that was the 3rd in 1968. I fremeber the Gramophone giving it a fearful pasting giving only 2 stars. Helen Watts was the contralto soloist and the Wandsworth Choir was in there as well. I had the lp and lost it then quite by chance in Sydney 20 years ago I found a Decca re-release in a 2nd hand shop. Recently having retired I'm listening to a lot of my cd purchases for only the 1st or 2nd time and am currently, as I write, listening to that very 3rd of 1968 and loving it. The recording is that really vivid style we came to expect from Culshaw back in the 60s. I have to say I love this recording and performance. That I love the symphony helps but I find this performance especially satisfying and uplifting. Wish I could nfind the Gramophone crit just to give it a raspberry. I never took much notice of it anyway. So, to clear up the point Solti did Syms. 1,2,3 and 9 with the LSO. I like this 3rd better than the CSO also on Decca.
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