THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 17, 1995 TAG: 9512150084
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Album reviews
SOURCE: BY PAUL SAYEGH, SPECIAL TO THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
Schumann: Carnaval; Kreisleriana (Philips). Japanese pianist Mitsuko Uchida made her reputation as a Mozart player; on her latest release, she turns her attention to the more Romantic music of Schumann. She brings the same clarity of tone and elegance of phrasing that distinguished her Mozart, and she avoids the overheated rhetoric that can sometimes make Schumann's piano music sound noisy.
Schubert: Sonata in B-Flat; 12 German Dances (EMI). A distinguished Beethoven and Mozart player, Steven Kovacevich gives a passionate and intense performance of Schubert's last piano sonata. Kovacevich captures the wide range of moods in this wonderful work, and is not afraid to reveal the anguished side of Schubert's music. The ``German Dances'' offer a lighter and more charming aspect of the composer's art.
Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No. 1; Erwartung; Variations for Orchestra (EMI). Virginia Symphony audiences who enjoyed the Viennese composer's ``Transfigured Night'' last month may want to further explore his music with this excellent disc by Sir Simon Rattle and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. The Chamber Symphony, a largely tonal work, is given a driving performance. Phyllis Bryn-Julson is the light-voiced protagonist in the ``monodrama'' Erwartung, a nightmarish piece about a woman who stumbles across her dead lover's body - or does she? The Variations is a serial work, but again the performance manages to make music out of Schoenberg's notes.
Rossini: Tancredi (Naxos). The budget-label champ strikes again! This is an outstanding recording of Rossini's first successful serious opera. Polish mezzo Ewa Podles sings the hero, a ``trouser'' role, with a husky yet brilliant voice, and Sumi Jo uses her high soprano to create a touching heroine. Tenor Stanford Olsen sings the heroine's stern father. Alberto Zedda conducts stylishly.
Verdi: Aida (Naxos). This is a solid performance of Verdi's grand opera. Local audiences will remember Barbara Dever and Mark Rucker from Virginia Opera's ``Il Trovatore'' a few seasons ago. Dever nearly steals the show with her powerful mezzo as the tormented princess Amneris, and Rucker is a dramatic Amonasro. In the title role, Maria Dragoni has many nice moments, but her voice is not as outstanding as other sopranos who have sung the role on disc. Kristjan Johannsson is a loud, unsubtle Radames, all warrior and no poet. Still, for the price, it's a decent ``Aida,'' and a good way to hear some worthy singers.
Bach: Keyboard Concertos (Labor). Joao Carlos Martins' solo Bach discs have been marred by a hard, percussive tone and eccentric phrasing, but this release is a pleasure from start to finish. Martins plays with incisive rhythms and wonderful energy, capturing the life-enhancing qualities of Bach's music. by CNB