[H]ere Eduardo Mata, who recently made a fine colourful record of Copland with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, of which he is music director (RCA RL12862, 5/79), presents a comparably colourful and well-sprung reading of The Rile of Spring, one which links it with The Firebird, and the exotic tradition of Diaghilev ballet, rather than bringing Out the brutal revolutionary qualities. That is not to say it lacks power at all. In many ways it is more red-blooded than the fine versions listed above from Haitink (Philips) and Abbado (DG), and the opulent RCA recording, weighty with timpani, adds to the impact, even if with its reverbation it is not quite so analytical as those for Abbado or Haitink.

Abbado is fiercer and sharper with cleaner contrasts, Haitink is more objective with refined playing and recording, and I could go on through a long list defining various advantages. But Mata certainly earns a place with his sprung syncopations and accents, all leading you to register this as music for dancing. If the LSO playing is not quite so meticulously precise in its discipline as with Abbado, it gives even more keenly the feeling of a live performance with its changing tensions. One of my reservations is over the Prelude to Part 2—"The Mystic Circles of the Young Girls"—where at a tempo faster than usual the woodwind seem too forward and loud, obscuring the subtle string effects, while at the end of that section the ripe phrasing of the violins is very much in the espressiro tradition of Russian romanticism. Most distinctive of all perhaps, summing tip what I have been saying of the performance, is Mata's reading of the final "Sacrificial Dance". At a slower tempo than usual Mata is able to inject his characteristic rhythmic pointing, so that to a degree rare in music generally treated with objective metricality Mata introduces a swing to the rhythm, a hint of 'jazzing' which I confess I rather like.

-- Edward Greenfield, Gramophone [7/1979, reviewing Le sacre du printemps]

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...First of all, the recording is splendidly vivid and cleanly detailed, and as with other issues in this series, the silent background and noiseless surfaces of these German pressings greatly enhance one's pleasure. The Firebird Suite is well played and finely characterized... Mata's account of the splendid Symphony in three movements of 1945 is to be preferred to the Ansermet version referred to above: the orchestral playing is better and the recording is so well detailed and lifelike. The Dallas performance is not quite so taut and highly charged as was the Columbia Symphony Orchestra for Stravinsky himself but it is still thoroughly alert and idiomatic. For those wanting the Symphony in three movements this is strongly recommended and though in The Firebird, this does not displace Muti or Abbado, it is eminently acceptable.

-- Gramophone [7/1980, reviewing the Firebird Suite and the Symphony in Three Movements]

This selection includes an interview disc with Günter Wand (Serving Music With Devotion) recorded in August 2001.

MAHLER: SYMPHONY NO 7 DE WAAR

Ravel's luminous score rarely fails to work its magic, and this account by forces from Dallas is no exception. Although the orchestra is not in the absolute top rank by American standards, it is still very good indeed and the playing is superior in richness of string sonority and the sensitivity of the woodwind phrasing to that of the Suisse Romande for Ansermet. True, intonation falls short of perfection in one or two places but these blemishes are few and short-lived and scarcely diminish the attractions of this record. This is, of course, the first account of Daphnis to have been recorded digitally and the sound is very firmly focused and clean while the quietness of the background and the superbly silent pressing adds to the sense of realism. The balance is musically judged and the acoustic has a natural warmth and space to commend it.

-- Gramophone [7/1980, reviewing the original LP release of Daphnis et Chloe]

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Eduardo Mata's RCA disc distinguishes itself even among the many fine Ravel recordings currently available. A natural Ravelian, Mata conducts these marvelous scores with affecting passion and unerring stylistic fidelity. What's more, he gets the Dallas Symphony to play with a special sensitivity to the music's peculiarly French nuance, in this case slightly accented by an American brashness that you can hear most prominently in...the punchy brass declamations at the conclusion of Boléro. Mata is particularly attuned to the subtly complex rhythms and pointed accents of Alborada del gracioso and Rapsodie espagnole, but he's no less at home in Ravel's non-"Spanish" music, skillfully balancing the delicate timbres of Le Tombeau de Couperin.

--Victor Carr Jr., ClassicsToday.com [reviewing RCA 68015]

Track Listing
1. C Jam Blues
2. Solitude
3. Mood Indigo
4. It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
5. Lush Life
6. Just Squeeze Me (But Don't Tease Me)
7. Things Ain't What They Used to Be
8. Caravan
9. Take the "A" Train
10. Cotton Tail
11. Sophisticated Lady

Personnel: Harry Allen (tenor saxophone); Bill Charlap (piano); Peter Washington (bass); Kenny Washington (drums).
Recorded at Nola Recording Studios, New York, New York on July 28 & 29, 1999. Includes liner notes by Harry Allen.
Personnel: Harry Allen (tenor saxophone); Bill Charlap (piano); Kenny Washington (drums).
Liner Note Author: Harry Allen.
Recording information: Nola Recording Studios, New York, NY (07/28/1999/07/29/1999).
Photographer: Junichi Takahashi.
Allen's tenor sax sound is perfectly suited for the music of Duke Ellington. His literate, traditional approach and occasionally Stan Getz-ian breathy tones go to the heart of Duke's melodic and harmonic concepts. Pianist Bill Charlap is excellent through and through, while bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington are dutiful in attending to their swing. Several of these tracks are read pretty straight, as the ballad "Lush Life," the easy swinger "Just Squeeze Me," the Afro-Cuban to bop "Caravan," and the air-filled "Sophisticated Lady." But the band changes up the rest. At the least extreme, "Mood Indigo" is easy swing as opposed to balladic; "Take the A Train" is slowed way down with Allen and Charlap only, while the pianist plays the melody while Allen's tenor counter-swipes licks on "C Jam Blues." More adapted is the slow tick-tock to bossa of the usual wall-melting ballad "Solitude," and a low-down, lugubrious bluesy swing with Charlap loading up on the intro and melody of "Things Ain't What They Used to Be," with Allen's stacatto stopped accents. At their most energetic, the quartet charges hard and trade eights during the up-tempo workout "Cotton Tail," whereas Allen and bassist Washington in duet need no other instrumental accoutrements in order to rhythmically fire up "It Don't Mean a Thing if It Ain't Got That Swing." This is most likely Allen's best batch yet, for he is a great interpreter rather than innovator. Duke did all the inventing necessary here, and this true collective quartet is hard to top.

Richard Strauss at his most elegant; Dag Wirén almost certainly so. 'Certainly' without the qualification I cannot say, for I have been enjoying this Serenade these last 33 years without opportunity of hearing any other of Wirén's music. Strauss however, is in a different case. And he is indeed here, I can say with some certainty, at his most elegant.

The original emergence of the Bourgeois gentilhomme suite was not without its difficulties; but in the end the association with earlier music, the use of a substantially smaller orchestra than usual, and perhaps the association with gentility, bourgeois or otherwise, led Strauss to write some of his most immediately charming music. Wirén, on the other band, I suspect, was born (like two namesakes of Strauss) to write charming music without the bother of taking preliminary thought.

Both composers are helped along greatly by the most beautiful performances offered their music by the Canadian orchestra centred in Ottawa, There is silky string playing in both pieces; in the Strauss especially so on the part of the solo violin, Walter Prystawski. And in the Strauss, again, there is wind playing to match. And if in the absence of a wind contribution there should be felt to be it some gap in the Wirén, that gap is quite certainly filled by the most expert layout of string texture on the composer's part in the first place. Also of the first order is the quality of the recording Balance goes awry temporarily in the Strauss, where initially the orchestral piano is recorded much too strongly, as if the excellent player were embarking on the Grieg or the Tchaikovsky. But he is not; and later this is recognized. And the good production, also, misses one trick: the only clue to how the music is distributed between sides is given (none too clearly, as it happens) by the record's label; which is useless to anybody engaged in listening to that record playing. Nevertheless, this is by no means a material difficulty in the way of highly recommending the record as a whole. Or of recommending the Wirén as an example of what some other contemporary composers might be writing for the benefit of the long-suffering human race, but, somewhat conspicuously, are not.

-- Gramophone [12/1985, reviewing Le Bourgeois gentilhomme and Serenade]

Track Listing
1. Interlude- Thursday
2. Narcine
3. Tones for Jobe Kain
4. In Three for Thee
5. Peace
6. Search for Peace
7. Mixed Media
8. High Windows
9. Inner Urge
10. When You Dream
11. Outerlude- Still Thursday

Personnel: Ravi Coltrane (tenor & soprano saxophone); Michael Cain (piano); Lonnie Plaxico (bass); Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums).

Additional personnel: Steve Coleman (alto saxophone); Ralph Alessi (trumpet).

Ancient Vibrations: Junior Gabu Wedderbum, Jeremiah McFarlane (djembe); Clyde Wedderbum (djoun djoun).

Recorded at Systems Two Recording Studio, Brooklyn, New York on October 15-17, 1997. Includes liner notes by Amiri Baraka.

Personnel: Ravi Coltrane (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Steve Coleman (alto saxophone); Ralph Alessi (trumpet); Michael Cain (piano); Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums); Jeremiah McFarlane, Junior "Gabu" Wedderburn (djembe); Ancient Vibrations (percussion).

Audio Mixers: Joseph Marciano; Ravi Coltrane; Steve Coleman.

Liner Note Authors: Amiri Baraka; Ravi Coltrane.

Recording information: Systems Two Recording Studio, Brooklyn, NY (10/15/1997-10/17/1997).

Photographers: Dorothy Low; Darlene DeVita; Jimmy Katz.

Unknown Contributor Roles: Ancient Vibrations; Junior "Gabu" Wedderburn.

All modern saxophonists stand in the shadow of John Coltrane, but that shadow must be overwhelming for his son, Ravi Coltrane. Ravi certainly opened himself up to criticism by pursuing the saxophone as his main instrument, but he was smart enough not to play in the style of his father, opting to follow the influence of straight-ahead hard boppers like Joe Henderson. It was a wise move, since Ravi has a rich, warm tone and deft style that makes his melodic, well-structured compositions all the more appealing. Moving Pictures, his debut record, is mainly comprised of originals, with covers of Henderson, McCoy Tyner, Horace Silver, and Wayne Shorter songs thrown in for good measure. Working with drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts, bassist Lonnie Plaxico, and pianist Michael Cain, Coltrane achieves a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere on his first session. It may not offer anything new, but Moving Pictures is a promising debut from a young saxophonist who may have a lot to offer on his own terms.

Selections recorded at the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, Pentrith, Australia.

EDUARDO MATA EDITION VOL 5 - F

Track Listing
1. O Pato
2. Corcovado (Quiet Nights)
3. Desafinado
4. Once I Loved
5. Time Is Standing Still
6. Meditation (Meditaçao)
7. No More Blues (Chega de Saudade)
8. Air
9. I Won't Dance
10. If You Never Come to Me (Inutil Paisagem)
11. Doralice
12. Retrato Em Branco E Preto

Personnel: Harry Allen (tenor saxophone); Maucha Adnet (vocals); Dori Caymmi (vocals, acoustic guitar); Larry Goldings (piano); Joe Cohn (electric guitar); Dennis Irwin (bass); Duduka Da Fonseca (drums, percussion).

Producers: Harry Allen, Ikuyoshi Hirakawa.

Recorded at Nola Recording Studios, New York, New York on December 18 & 19, 1997.

Personnel: Harry Allen (tenor saxophone); Dori Caymmi (vocals, acoustic guitar); Maucha Adnet (vocals); Joe Cohn (electric guitar); Larry Goldings (piano); Duduka Da Fonseca (drums, percussion).

Liner Note Author: Harry Allen.

Recording information: Nola Recording Studios, New York, NY (12/18/1997/12/19/1997).

"Music that makes one think is intolerable, excruciating. There are people who like it; as to myself, I adore music that puts me to sleep". So Revueltas on one much-quoted occasion. Many readers would no doubt gladly have suggested a long list of music for his adored repertory. I certainly would have done myself; but the long list concerned would include none of Revueltas's own music, which would seem to me to be proof against successful inclusion. It is always colourful, almost always lively, and whether in dancing or more lyrical vein adored, in turn, by the Mexican people; understandably, for its idioms are largely those of Mexican folk-music raised to a higher, symphonic degree.

Try Janitzio, for example. Janitzio is a fishing village which has, like much of Mexico, been taken over by the tourists. To the hotels and postcards Revueltas has added his grain of sand (his words, not mine); and in the upshot if you ever have the luck to get to Mexico, and know this record, you will be hard put to it to leave Janitzio off the itinerary. No doubt to get there you will need to take some of the Caminos which offer Revueltas another title, and another excuse for one of those Latin fiestas which certainly inhibit the sleep he was so ardently recommending. Curiously, Me Itinerarios themselves inhabit a slightly different world; a new note of seriousness enters the music at this point, from which it may or may not be thought to benefit. Perhaps the variety of Redes will appeal more; this was originally a film score (The Wave) which will quite certainly have illuminated the soundtrack of any serious film in 1935 over and above the call of precedent. Finally Sensemayd, which exploits colour rather than variety; a pretty fixed rhythm is expounded by the orchestra to the extent of some six minutes.

But it is a captivating rhythm, and the New Philharmonia's exposition is splendid. I will not pose as an expert on the true Mexican sound, if there is such a thing; only observe that if a true Mexican sound is any noticeable improvement on this particular variety of true London sound then it will be worth going to Mexico to hear it. The colour, the attack, and especially the warmth of the orchestra are very well caught by the quality of recording.

-- Gramophone [5/1978, reviewing the New Philharmonia performances of Sensemayá, Redes, Caminos, Itinerarios, and Janitzio]

EDUARDO MATA EDITION VOL 4 - R

ARTISTS OF THE CENTURY - EMIL

Includes work(s) by Richard Strauss. Ensemble: Vienna State Opera Orchestra. Conductors: Herbert von Karajan, Karl Böhm, Leonard Bernstein. Soloists: Hilde Gueden, Elisabeth Höngen, Sena Jurinac, Hilde Konetzni, Lotte Lehmann, Christa Ludwig, Birgit Nilsson, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Leonie Rysanek, Maria Reining, Anneliese Rothenberger.

The orchestral scores of Claude Debussy are like laboratories for experimentation with sound. Sonorities are microscopically investigated, the properties of new combinations are discovered and allowed to follow their own laws, and volatile materials are set loose to wreak havoc within a controlled environment. Live performances of these works bring a special dynamism, and it is this excitement that marks the recordings of 'Jeux' and 'La mer' by the Vienna Philharmonic under Lorin Maazel on this disc. The surging waves and radiant sunrise of 'La mer' are overpowering here, and the capriciously shifting colors, rhythms and harmonies of the ballet score 'Jeux' are captured wonderfully. Percussion and harp are unusually vivid, and orchestral precision is mostly admirable throughout despite the tumultuous intensity of the live performances.
Moving from the concert hall to the studio, Debussy's earlier 'Nocturnes' are heard in an almost equally vibrant performance. "Fêtes" in particular is thrilling, taken at maximum tempo, and in the closing "Sirènes" the women of the Schoenberg Choir blend beautifully with the orchestra in their wordless song.
REVIEWS:
American Record Guide (1-2/00, pp.85-86) - "...Maazel and the [Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra] are a panacea, a timely reassurance that all's right in the world of music. Conductor and orchestra consider every detail and make it their own, and the playing itself is beyond compare..."
Fanfare (1-2/00, pp.235-236) - "...from the standpoint of ravishing tone and orchestral balance, these performances are on the highest level....In 'La Mer' one is once again delighted by the profusion of detail, but the performance seems just a shade too methodical and deliberate..."