60年代初期指挥录制的《狂想曲集》是世界著名指挥家斯托科夫斯基艺术风格的浓缩版。该辑共选录了李斯特的第二号《匈牙利狂想曲》、埃涅斯库的第一号《罗马尼亚狂想曲》、斯美塔那《我的祖国》中的《沃尔塔瓦河》、瓦格纳的《唐豪塞》序曲等六段乐曲,总长75分29秒。
该辑的录音晶莹剔透,同时又具良好的音场、庞大的气势和优秀的录音质量,完美地再现了音乐。而首首精美的乐曲,更使你充分领略到音乐美的冲击。
这个不朽的发烧录音自1960年诞生以来,唱片公司不知再版了多少次。从180克黑胶密纹唱片、20比特处理cd、hdcd、xrcd、到现在的sacd,每当世界上出现唱片新科技,这个录音都会率先再版上市,务求以靓声效果第一时间打动发烧乐迷自觉掏腰包。这个sacd版在2002年就由香港bmg争先推出,两声道立体声而不是多声道,与之前的cd版本比较,高低两端伸延去得更尽,音场宽度和深度更加明显,堂音和细节更加丰富,小提琴群奏顺畅圆滑,大提琴和倍大提琴牛筋味更足,低频暗涌来得自然,整体音响效果明显提升,值得发烧友珍藏。
本唱片的弦乐组擦弦声宏亮雄伟,應有賴於史托科夫斯基在弦乐区提出了使用“自由式弓法”来产生连续的声音,使得声音丰满、浑厚并且具有美感。
本碟目录及中文对照:
Franz Liszt (1811-1886) 弗郎兹·李斯特
01 Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 in C-Sharp Minor 8:40
匈牙利狂想曲第二号,升C小调
Georges Enesco (1881-1955) 乔治·埃涅斯库
02 Roumanian Rhapsody No.1 in A, Op. 11 11:33
罗马尼亚狂想曲第一号,A大调,作品11
Bedich Smetana (1824-1884) 贝多伊齐·斯美塔那
03 The Moldau 12:21
沃尔塔瓦河
04 The Bartered Bride: Overture 7:05
被出卖的新嫁娘:序曲
Richard Wagner (1813-1883) 理查德·瓦格纳
05 Tannhuser: Overture and Venusberg Music 25:01
唐豪塞:序曲和维纳斯之歌
合唱指导:Margaret Hillis
06 Tristan und Isolde: Prelude to Act Ⅲ 10:11
特里斯坦与伊索尔德:第三幕前奏
美国空中交响乐团
指挥: 斯托科夫斯基
They don’t make ’em like this anymore! Stoky’s version of Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 roils with more rubato than you’ll get from the average pianist. This is impulsive, truly rhapsodic playing, and the same is true, if to a lesser extreme, in the Enesco. The Smetana pieces flow beautifully and are full of atmosphere, with the dance section of “The Moldau” and all of the overture getting a quick, light treatment. Stoky’s Wagner, in contrast, is expansive and lush; the orchestra here has a much richer sound Read more Tannhäuser music, Stokowski tends to ease into phrases cautiously, as if afraid of making his attacks too sharp; he had a tendency to do this in anything German (including his Bach transcriptions).
Refurbished as a three-channel SACD, this Living Stereo collection (recorded in 1960–61) seems to place the violins and percussion closer than the other instruments, including the cellos, and the woodwinds don’t cut through as clearly as they should in tutti sections. But that’s the sound Stoky wanted on this occasion, and the DSD re-mastering reproduces it faithfully. You really should have RCA’s big Stoky-in-stereo box, in which all this material appears (but not on the same disc). If you consider that too much of an investment, or too much Stokowski, this is a perfect consolation disc, showing what Stokowski could do best in music that doesn’t resist him.
--James Reel
Works on This Recording
1.
Hungarian Rhapsodies (6) for Orchestra, S 359: no 2 in D minor
by Franz Liszt
■ Conductor: Leopold Stokowski
■ Orchestra/Ensemble: RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra
■ Period: Romantic
2.
Romanian Rhapsody no 1 in A major, Op. 11 no 1
by George Enescu
■ Conductor: Leopold Stokowski
■ Orchestra/Ensemble: RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra
■ Period: 20th Century
■ Written: 1901; Romania
3.
Má vlast: no 2, Moldau, T 111
by Bedrich Smetana
■ Conductor: Leopold Stokowski
■ Orchestra/Ensemble: RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra
■ Period: Romantic
■ Written: 1874; Czech Republic
4.
Bartered Bride, B 143/T 93: Overture
by Bedrich Smetana
■ Conductor: Leopold Stokowski
■ Orchestra/Ensemble: RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra
■ Written: 1866
5.
Tannhäuser: Overture and Venusberg Music
by Richard Wagner
■ Performer: Ralph Froelich (French Horn), Marilyn Wright (Violin), Arthur Garnick (Viola),
■ Harvey Shapiro (Cello)
■ Conductor: Leopold Stokowski
■ Orchestra/Ensemble: Symphony of the Air
■ Period: Romantic
■ Written: 1845/1861; Germany
6.
Tristan und Isolde: Act 3 Prelude
by Richard Wagner
■ Performer: Henry Schuman (English Horn)
■ Conductor: Leopold Stokowski
■ Orchestra/Ensemble: Symphony of the Air
■ Period: Romantic
■ Written: 1859; Germany