Barber: School for Scandal/Symphonies 1 & 2

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
As composers go, Samuel Barber's output was rather small, and of that output only a few pieces have any kind of currency. But those few are major orchestral gems. Barber's music does require an adept and sympathetic orchestra (and conductor) to get them just right, however. On this release, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, with Marin Alsop conducting, handily accomplishes that task. Their rendering of The School for Scandal Overture rivals the famous Schippers version, and Alsop's take on Symphony No. 1 easily demolishes the Järvi (on Chandos) and the Slatkin (on BMG). The underexposed and rarely performed First Essay for Orchestra has no rivals here at all. Of particular merit is Alsop's handling of the mercurial Symphony No. 2, which so troubled Barber that he later disavowed it. Barber completists will relish this sympathetic reading. --Paul Cook

Tracks:

The School For Scandal Ov, Op.5
Sym No.1, Op.9 (in One Mvt): Allegro Ma Noon Troppo
Sym No.1, Op.9 (in One Mvt): Allegro Molto
Sym No.1, Op.9 (in One Mvt): Andante Tranquillo
First Essay, Op.12
Sym No.2, Op.19: Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Sym No.2, Op.19: Andante, Un Poco Mosso
Sym No.2, Op.19: Presto, Senza Battuto - Allegro Risoluto

Amazon.com

As composers go, Samuel Barber's output was rather small, and of that output only a few pieces have any kind of currency. But those few are major orchestral gems. Barber's music does require an adept and sympathetic orchestra (and conductor) to get them just right, however. On this release, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, with Marin Alsop conducting, handily accomplishes that task. Their rendering of The School for Scandal Overture rivals the famous Schippers version, and Alsop's take on Symphony No. 1 easily demolishes the Järvi (on Chandos) and the Slatkin (on BMG). The underexposed and rarely performed First Essay for Orchestra has no rivals here at all. Of particular merit is Alsop's handling of the mercurial Symphony No. 2, which so troubled Barber that he later disavowed it. Barber completists will relish this sympathetic reading. --Paul Cook

Customer Reviews:

Stellar 2nd Symphony, so-so for the rest of it.......2007-07-16

The first 3 works on this CD are pretty standard Barber fare (assuming Barber is really all that "standard" in concert halls). So, given the dozens of recordings of these works, it's pretty clear that the School for Scandal Overture here is pretty weak, and the Symphony #1 and Essay #1 are very average. The School for Scandal opening should be strong, coherent, and driving despite its heavy wind orchestration -- it should invite attention to listen to the rest of the work. Here, we get a muddled mess. It gets a little better as it bounces along, but it never catches the zip this music should have.

The Symphony #1 and Essay #1 do a little better, but the climaxes are never as big as they should be. Listening to performances by Slatkin or Zinman or Schippers or any top-notch orchestra under a strong conductor shows that Barber really constructed some overwhelming mountains of sound into his music. The gigantic end to the first section of the Symphony illustrates this: what Slatkin gets as a pile-driver of force, Alsop gets a mere regurgitation of notes on a page.

But all of that is forgiven because of the monumental Symphony #2 that's on this disc. Why Barber decided this work should be withdrawn is beyond me. A very bittersweet wartime symphony that at times captures the image of tanks and troops marching down a street or the loneliness of flying at night, it is in my opinion his finest work. It is atypically dissonant and brittle for good-natured Barber, but is also the only work of his that truly has a dark core to it. Alsop really brings this work to life and given there are almost no other recordings of this symphony, this CD automatically is a must-have.

Wonderful music in pleasant interpretations.......2006-06-30

Barber's School for Scandal Over. is an effervescent, saucy piece, a gem of its kind along with Bernstein's better known but not better Candide Over. For some reason, Marin Alsop misses most of its fun and sparkle, and her pleasant reading is no more than that. How well will the more difficult works proceed? We get a canny selection here, because Sym. #1 is well enough known to attract a wider public than the almost unplayed Sym. #2 and First Essay for Orchestra--there's somethig for the general listener and serious collector both.

Things improve considerably once we get past the overture, but one misses better orchestral playing--the haunting oboe solo in the First Sym's slow movement is just passable--and there's only intermittent inspiration from Alsop. She is a puzzling conductor, having recently won a MacArthur Foundation 'genius grant,' while at the same time inspiring such lack of confidence at her new job with the Baltimore Sym. that the musicians voted by 96% against her appointment.

Her Barber series is a landmark, and she is helped by having such strong pieces to start it off with--the First Essay and much of the First Sym. are totally engaging. It will take stronger advocacy to win an audience for Sym. #2, but even here Alsop does a lovely job with the slow music, where Barber is always at his best. I will continue to enjoy this CD but also to wonder about the future of Ms. Alsop's career.

Her Brber series has won

A good 1st and bonus 2nd.......2006-06-23

I love Barber's First Symphony - in my opinion one of the finest symphonies of the 20th century in spite of its modest proportions. Its lushness and dramatic emotions are made all the more powerful by the succinct pacing and tightly cohesive structure. The second symphony is not quite as perfect and organic, but is nevertheless an excellent American symphony; a Barber with slightly harder edges and glassier surfaces, making this wartime symphony a bit more than the government-tailored propaganda some detractors have labeled it.

Having both pieces together on one inexpensive disc in very good performances by a rising female star conductor who has become a stalwart champion of American music is well worth the 8 or 9 bucks you'll pay for it. However, as I recommend this, I would also recommend the Slatkin/St. Louis recording of the First on BMG. I find it has just a little more spark and crackle to it, as well as the excellent performance of the Piano Concerto by its original dedicatee, John Browning.

Great for Many!.......2005-09-16

This recording for quality and price, is perfect for anyone who is curious about Sam Barber's stuff. The whole Alsop/Barber series on Naxos is worth having!

What a pleasant surprise!.......2005-06-09

I went into a local bookstore to buy a new Mahler 6 recording, but realized I only had 11 dollars left on my giftcard, so I disappointedly decided to search for something else. I came across this disc and upon seeing the price, I thought it would be worth a listen. This is without a doubt one of the best bargains I have ever come across. The School for Scandal is solid and provides a nice appetizer for the incredible First Symphony. There were several occasions in the First Symphony that I was so speechless, I could do nothing else but laugh. The wild conclusion of the first movement ultimately ending with a swift plunge blew me away. The soloist in the last movement plays beautifully and the conclusion of the piece is plenty powerful. Tempo is perfect throughout, never too brisk of a pace, yet never lethargic. A perfect depth of sound and brilliant playing throughout make this symphony alone worth the price of the disc. The orchestra plays with such warmth, but the players can also take off their gloves and hit you across the face when the music calls for it. I simply can't say enough about this one.

While probably just tossed in as filler material, I was actually blown away by the beauty of the First Essay. This is one of the most underrated pieces I can think of, as I constantly find something new within its deep textures. I can't seem to understand why this is the least famous of Barber's set of Three Essays. I actually much prefer it to the other Essays and would love to see it rise in popularity to get the attention it deserves. It is some of the greatest string writing you will ever come across and the long, sorrowful melody will stick in your head for days. I can't imagine it being played any richer than you will hear on this disc... simply breathtaking.

While not as popular in comparison to the First Symphony, Barber's Second Symphony is also very intriguing. Alsop and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra also do a fine job with this symphony. The strings are wonderfully icy throughout many passages and the brass and the thunderous timpani in the finale of this symphony are also worth mentioning. In one particular instance, it sounds as if the guy gave up on his mallets and is hitting the timpani with a sequoia tree instead. And as many of you out there know, there are very few things in this world better to drive a piece of music home than the sound of powerful brass combined with an explosive timpani. While probably not as good as the First, the Second Symphony still is a great piece of music worthy of a good listening.

Simply stated, this is one of my favorite discs that I own and undoubtedly one of the best discs on the market under 10 bucks.

Barber: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2; The School for Scandal Overture; Adagio fort Strings

Average customer rating:

Barber And The Romantic Side Of American Music
Barber, a great American Romantic

Barber: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2; The School for Scandal Overture; Adagio fort Strings

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Barber: Violin Concerto; Cello Concerto; Piano Concerto
Dvorak: 3 Great Symphonies

ASIN: B00000DBQY
Release Date: 1998-10-20

Tracks:

Symphony No. 1, Op 9 (In One Movement)
Symphony No. 2, Op 19.: I Allegro ma non troppo
Symphony No. 2, Op 19.: II Andante, un poco mosso
Symphony No. 2, Op 19.: II Presto, senza battuda
Overture: The School For Scandal, Op. 5
Adagio For Strings, Op. 11

Customer Reviews:

Barber And The Romantic Side Of American Music.......2005-05-18

If Aaron Copland embodied the America of small towns, wide open spaces, and the can-do spirit, Samuel Barber embodied its more Romantic side--not so much in terms of Romantic love, but in the scope of the music he created. This recording here of four of Barber's works clearly shows him to be our nation's finest exponent of 20th century Romantic American music.

The one-movement Symphony No. 1 was a work championed extensively by conductors like Artur Rodzinski and Bruno Walter after its 1936 premiere, while the Second Symphony, which he composed in 1942, was a work the composer was so critical of that he ordered the work removed twenty years later; it would not be heard in concert halls until a few years after his death in 1981. Both works are full of inspired orchestration, very austere, and still relatively obscure surprisingly enough, despite the many recordings out there. In a lighter vein is Barber's concert overture inspired by Richard Sheridan's 1777 play "The School For Scandal." Beginning with an orchestral flash that for a moment has "Flying Dutchman" overtones, the work then proceeds through brilliant orchestral colourings.

Then, there is the much-beloved "Adagio For Strings", which the composer took from his 1937 String Quartet No. 1 and which became one of the first American works ever heard at the world-famous Salzburg Festival. Setting aside the fact that it has been used in films like THE ELEPHANT MAN and, especially, PLATOON, the Adagio is often heard during times of deep mourning, first during Roosevelt's funeral in 1945 and then in 2001 for the victims of the 9/11 attacks. Even today, nearly seven decades after it was first heard, it is one of those pieces that readily identifies our nation in musical terms.

All four works are superbly performed by the Detroit Symphony under Neeme Jarvi, who served as its music director from 1990 to 2004. Though born in Estonia, during his tenure in the Motor City, Jarvi has shown a great appreciation for the music of America, both well-known and obscure, and his abilities have kept up the traditions set down in Detroit by his predecessors Paul Paray and Antal Dorati. The two Barber symphonies and the overture are perfomed very dynamically by the orchestra, while the orchestra's full string section gives the Adagio the incredibly poignancy it embodies.

A great recording all around, definitely one to own.

Barber, a great American Romantic.......2000-04-12

This cd has been , to me , a great introduction to the sound-world of this marvelous and misunderstood American composer. I say misunderstood because when I took info on him from some music books, I noticed a certain tendency to treat him like a second-rate Rachmaninov or a one-work composer (Adagio for strings). Only lately a set of fine recordings from A-list artists (Slatkin,Jarvi, Shaham/Previn)began to show Barber's richness of inspiration. The problem is (in my opinion) that he was a composer concerned about lyricism and melody in a time when those things were not (unfortunately) "in fashion" anymore. This excellently selected cd gives a comprehensive idea about what Barber's music is all about : perfectly crafted, utterly refined music, imbued with a sort of dignified melancholy that never (if correctly performed) falls into self-indulgence. Maybe he was not a colossus, but it's profoundly humane, emotionally wide-ranging music. Still, it's not weak stuff, because his music occasionally shows unexpected, "Stravinskian" astringencies ("Capricorn "concerto"). Jarvi's performances did not receive rave reviews from the critics, but, if I agree about a slight lack of excitement (after this I bought Slatkin), I think that there's nothing really wrong here : the forever wonderful Adagio is hushed and not rushed, "The school for scandal" is appropriately sparkling and the symphonies really shine in their melodic richness. The 2nd is the best performance and (for me) the best piece.It's a rarely heard work because Barber withdrew it, and only recently the score reappeared. It's a measure of Barber's insecureness that he wanted to destroy such a magnificent work : just try the beginning of the last mov., it's an amazing, thrusting "fugato" ! A definite plus of the cd is the Detroit Symphony which, as splendidly recorded by Chandos, provides a rich , warmily glowing sound. Then, if you want more Barber, I also recommend Slatkin (Rca and Emi) which has greater focus and concentration in the 1st symphony and is splendid in the Essays for orchestra(no 2nd symphony from him, though!). In any case this one is not going to short-change you.

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