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Review by seth July 5, 2007 (4 of 5 found this review helpful)
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Gruber is a difficult composer to summarize. Each of his compositions vary quite a bit. He doesn't compose by a harmonic and tonal creed, but instead does whatever best suits the music. If there is an underlying element that connects much of his music, it's his fascination with jazz, much in the manner of Kurt Weill's music.
The first piece in this compilation is "Rough Music," a percussion concerto. Percussion concertos always sound better on paper than they end up actually being. The xylophone and its family members becoming irritating after a few minutes. In the end, these kinds of concertos just sound like a lot a banging noise. "Rough Music" certainly has inspired moments, especially in the last movement, but like all percussion concertos, I found it to be pretty tedious.
"Zeitsimmung" showcases Gruber's chansonnier's abilities which he became famous for with "Frankenstein!!" Gruber has a unique, if not crazy way of delivering text -- I wouldn't quite call what he does singing -- that is extremely focused on detail. Both Gruber's tone painting of the text through his delivery and orchestration are highly effective and entertaining. The only draw back is that something is lost through having to read translations (it would be a more rewarding experience to English speakers if the text was sung in English, like "Frankenstein!!").
The final piece is Gruber's orchestral showpiece Perpetumm mobile/Charivari. It is probably Gruber's most accessible -- though most of his music is pretty accessible -- and could become a repertoire favorite if played more often. The work starts off as Johann Strauss' Perpetuum mobile, but instead of fading out, it seamlessly fades into Gruber's Charivari. So the Perpetuum mobile is the exposition and the Charivari is the development. Embodying the idea of perpetual motion, the Charivari beings sounding much like the Perpetuum mobile with a few minor tweaks, but eventually snow balls out of control with the re-orchestration and re-composition growing bigger and wilder. The piece starts in the 19th century but ends in the 20th century. Thematically it's similar to Ravel's La Valse.
Jarvi and the Tonkunstler Orchestra do an admirable job. Gruber recently recorded Perpetuum mobile/Charivari under his own baton; as good as Jarvi is, Gruber is able to extract more details from the score, which is not surprising since he is the composer.
This is a solid Gruber compilation, but first time listeners would be better served by purchasing a recent Chandos CD conducted by Gruber that contains his most famous work, "Frankenstein!!" -- if you ever have the chance to hear this live, do not pass it up. The Chandos disc also contains Perpetuum mobile/Charivari.
Out of all the excellent sounding BIS discs I own, this is probably the best sounding of them all. Recorded in the Musikverein, the sound is luxuriously warm and spacious. The orchestra sounds vivid and the instruments have a realistic timbre.
Recommended to those seeking something different (but get the Chandos Gruber CD first).
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