PFITZNER conducts Overtures (1927-33) - PASC305
overviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fMOZART, WEBER, MENDELSSOHN - OverturesLORTZING, LANNER - OverturesRecorded in Berlin, 1927-33Total duration: 64:01 Berlin State Opera Orches tra Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conductor Hans Pfitzner578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFanfare Review578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fExpert transfers from Mark Obert-Thorn578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f Although Hans Pfitzner’s symphonic recordings (Beethoven and Schumann) have been widely circulated on CD (Naxos and Preiser), his recordings of shorter works have not, and this disc of early electricals (1927–33) usefully fills a gap. The performances are of variable quality: Pfitzner was by all accounts an impressive all-around musician but not the most technically accomplished of conductors, and this limitation is felt more acutely here than on the larger canvases of his Beethoven symphony recordings, where his idiosyncratic interpretive vision usually survived any shortcomings of technique. The collection gets off to a good start with a spirited Figaro, with nicely observed detail and not over-driven. Also impressive is the urgent (8:39), restless, volatile Hebrides. Recorded with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1928, its lean sonorities—sweet strings and light-toned, vibrato-free wind playing, with fast-speaking articulation—make a fascinating contrast with the dark, saturated tonal blend Furtwängler draws from the same players in his own recording of just two years later (Naxos or Koch). Così fan tutte is bedeviled by constant fussy tempo changes (Pfitzner slows down every time for the woodwind figure in eighth notes, then speeds up again), and has a crude excision from the recapitulation to accommodate it on one side. Der Freischütz is rhythmically approximate, with slack, uncoordinated string syncopations in the main theme. It also suffers from crude wind reinforcement of the string basses, producing a grotesque honking effect in the quiet “Wolf’s Glen” passages. Preciosa and Jubel are spirited enough, if a little scrappy, but Oberon is impetuous and exciting, benefiting greatly from the superior playing of the Berlin Philharmonic. The Lortzing and Lanner are welcome rarities (especially the latter—a real gem!), given affectionate and idiomatic performances. So, nothing earthshaking, but an enterprising collection that will be of much interest to historic collectors. Expert transfers from Mark Obert-Thorn, and credit to Fanfare colleague Richard A. Kaplan for supplying the original 78s. Boyd Pomeroy This article originally appeared in Issue 35:4 (Mar/Apr 2012) of Fanfare Magazine.578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples/PASC305.mp3578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fProducer's Note578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fA fine collection of overtures conducted by Hans Pfitzner"An enterprising collection that will be of much interest to historic collectors" - Fanfare Previous reissues devoted to composer/conductor Hans Pfitzner have focused on his recordings of Beethoven and Schumann symphonies, as well as those of his own compositions. This release brings together (for the first time, I believe) his complete commercially-issued electrical recordings of works by other composers – mainly overtures, and in one case a waltz. The sources for the transfers were French Polydor pressings of the two Mozart overtures, the Oberon Overture and part of the Hebrides Overture. The rest of the Hebrides came from a British Decca pressing, and the remaining items came from German Polydor or Grammophon discs. The Freischütz and Preciosa Overtures were recorded using Brunswick’s “Light-Ray” process. Notorious for the distortion it produced during loud passages, it was quickly abandoned by Polydor. Mark Obert-Thorn 578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFull Track Listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5ftrack_listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f MOZART Le nozze di Figaro – OvertureMatrix no.: 255 BS IIFirst issued on Grammophon/Polydor 27066 MOZART Così fan tutte – OvertureMatrix no.: 256 BS IIFirst issued on Grammophon/Polydor 27066 WEBER Der Freischütz – OvertureMatrix nos.: 320 ½ bi, 321 bi and 322 biFirst issued on Grammophon/Polydor 66545/6 WEBER Preciosa – OvertureMatrix no.: 323 bi and 324 biFirst issued on Grammophon/Polydor 66544 WEBER Oberon – OvertureMatrix no.: 917 bm and 918 bmFirst issued on Grammophon/Polydor 95091 WEBER Jubel OvertureMatrix no.: 921 ½ bm and 922 bmFirst issued on Grammophon/Polydor 19858 MENDELSSOHN Hebrides Overture (Fingal’s Cave)Matrix no.: 919 bm and 929 BI IFirst issued on Grammophon/Polydor 95372 LORTZING Zar und Zimmermann – OvertureMatrix no.: 1627 BM I and 1628 BM IFirst issued on Grammophon/Polydor 27069 LANNER Pestherwalzer, Op. 93Matrix no.: 5294 ½ BD 3 and 5295 ½ BD 3First issued on Grammophon/Polydor 10133Recording dates1927 (3, 4)1928 (5, 6, 7)1929 (1, 2, 7, 8)1933 (9) Berlin State Opera Orchestra (1-4, 8, 9)Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (5-7)conductor Hans Pfitzner Recorded in Berlin, 1927-33Producer and Audio Restoration Engineer: Mark Obert-ThornCover artwork based on a photograph of Hans Pfitnzer by Wanda von Debschitz-Kunowski, ca 1910Special thanks to Richard Kaplan for providing source material Total duration: 64:01578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fCover Art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcover_art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers/thumbs/PASC305.jpg578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers/PASC305.pdf578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f
