Toch: Complete Symphonies / Francis, Berlin Radio So
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- CPO
- April 18, 2006
TOCH Symphonies: Nos. 1?7 ? Alun Francis, cond; Berlin RSO ? cpo 777 191 (3 CDs: 195:47)
This set combines three separately issued CDs of Ernst Toch?s Symphonies, which were recorded and released over a wide span of years: 1995?2002. Only the jewel case and the price have changed: this three-CD set sells for less than twice the price of each original CD. Even the three original booklets are included here. Joanne Forman and I each reviewed Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6 in Fanfare 20: 6. Paul A. Snook reviewed Nos. 2 and 3 in 24:5, and he and I each discussed the final installment in 28:1.
So you probably don?t need to be told, for a sixth time, that Toch (1887?1964) was a major composer in pre-World War II Germany who fled Hitler in 1934 and languished in Hollywood for well over a decade. Newly invigorated, he wrote all seven symphonies in his final 15 years. Hearing them all together, and in order, is both rewarding and revealing: Toch was a self-trained master who went his own way, without paying much attention to conventional forms or systems. The first three are gargantuan in reach if not in scale: tough, dense music sheathed in dissonant harmonies that can also relax into moments of sheer beauty. The Second Symphony tightens up the gentler, prolix First, and the Third?Toch?s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece?concentrates the music into white-hot passion. This is my kind of music: high-voltage Hindemith, brash Prokofiev, and a smidgeon of Berg, but all Toch, all the time. The final four symphonies ease up on the pedal, becoming gradually lighter and, by No. 6, wittier. By a narrow margin, each symphony is shorter in performance than its predecessor. Just as Toch?s string quartets portray his music in Germany (even though the last two were written here), the symphonies define his American output. For all the details, dig out those earlier reviews, which will also be available on www.fanfaremag.com in the not-too-distant future.
Alun Francis, his Berlin Radio Symphony, and cpo all do an excellent job. The cited reviews considered the few earlier recordings, but only William Steinberg?s Pittsburgh Third (EMI 65868) is superior. One can imagine one of the world?s great orchestras doing even more justice to this intriguing cycle in the future, but don?t hold your breath.
FANFARE: James H. North
Product Description:
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Release Date: April 18, 2006
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UPC: 761203719129
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Catalog Number: 777191-2
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Label: CPO
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Number of Discs: 3
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Composer: TOCH, ERNST
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Performer: Alun Francis, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin