Phils 5: Frank, Sierra, Mozart, Ravel

Frank: Three Latin American Dances
Keith Lockhart, Utah Symphony
Reference Recordings 105

This, the only recording of this work (so far), is by those who gave it its world premiere in 2004. The orchestra is in top form, playing with vivid can’t-sit-still energy. The high-impact engineering is especially effective in the moody middle movement with its atmospheric percussion, evocative bass drum, and Lockhart’s ritualistic tempos shifts.


Sierra: Sinfonia No. 4
There are no recordings of this work, though one has been planned.


Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20
Matthias Kirschnereit; Frank Beermann, Bamberg Symphony
Arte Nova

“What good can come from Nazareth?” someone asked. Or Bamberg, for that matter? “The very best” is the answer. Here’s romantic expression and warmth with period-instrument clarity, buoyancy, rich inner details, and wonderful contrasts between full-voiced and delicate moments. Both Kirschnereit and Beerman have the neatest touch: long lyrical lines with short note values that keep the textures transparent. The second movement is lovely, then highly gripping in the middle. The final movement is dramatically exciting. On top of it, Arte Nova is a super-budget label. Now to find out if the other concertos in their complete set are as good!

WebTips:
The only way I could find this recording on Amazon.com was to search for it as: Mozart piano concertos kirschnereit. The first item that pops up is the “complete” set (minus Concerto Nos. 1-4 and the concertos for 2 and 3 pianos). The next items list the CDs singly as Volumes 1 through 10. Concerto No. 20 is in Volume 7 along with an excellent recording of No. 21.


Ravel: Boléro
Paul Paray, Detroit Symphony
Mercury

Boléro is a ballet (!) in which one gypsy woman dancing in a café causes 20 men to erupt with passion, knives drawn. Once when Emmanuel Villaume conducted it with the Minnesota Orchestra, the women on both sides of me suddenly crossed their legs and raised their arms across their faces; others increasingly became visibly nervous and clutched their companions. That’s the effect Paray’s recording has, not because it’s the fastest on record (which it is—13:30 minutes) but because its rhythms are absolutely tight and its crescendo builds inexorably to the point where you can’t sit still anymore.