Great Conductors of the 20th Century: Fritz Reiner

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The bulk of this double-disc bargain features Reiner with the Chicago Symphony, which he shaped into a polished paragon of orchestral virtuosity. The set opens with Beethoven's Coriolan Overture, one of best on disc, thrusting and powerful. The longest work is Brahms's Second Piano Concerto, which pits Reiner's machined precision against Gilels's big, warm sound. The combination yielded one of the best Brahms Seconds in the catalogue, more dynamic than the pianist's later version with Jochum (on DG). Mozart's Linz Symphony gets a lean, classical performance, forward-moving yet lyrical, the finale thrilling. The Dawn and Siegfried's Rhine Journey from Goetterdaemmerung, stresses the darkness of the Rhine more than the light of the dawn, and Reiner's 1950 Til Eulenspiegel with the RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra captures the sardonic humor of Strauss's masterpiece. Falla's El Amor Brujo, a work Reiner often played, is a souvenir of his leadership of the Pittsburgh Symphony, brilliantly done with Carol Brice a terrific, chesty-voiced singer. Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin could use a bit more charm and grace, but it's well-played by the NBC Symphony. Sonics range from superb early stereo to decent late 1940s mono. A good overview, proving that Reiner was indeed one of the century's great maestros. --Dan Davis

Tracks:

Coriolan Overture, Op.62 - Emil Gilels
I Allegro Non Troppo - Emil Gilels
II Allegro Appassionato - Emil Gilels
III Andante - Piu Adagio - Emil Gilels
IV Allegretto Grazioso - Un Poco Piu Presto - Emil Gilels
I Adagio - Allegro Spiritoso - Fritz Reiner
II Andante - Fritz Reiner
III Menuetto - Trio - Fritz Reiner
IV Presto - Fritz Reiner
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Scherzo - Emil Gilels

Tracks:

Tragic Overture, Op.81 - Fritz Reiner
Gotterdammerung: Morgendammerung Und Siegfrieds Rheinfahrt - Fritz Reiner
Swineherd's Dance - Fritz Reiner
Till Eulenspiegels Lustige Streiche, Op.28 - Fritz Reiner
I Prelude. Vif - Fritz Reiner
II Forlane. Allegretto - Fritz Reiner
III Menuet. Allegro Moderato - Fritz Reiner
IV Rigaudon. Assez Vif - Fritz Reiner
I Introduccion Y Escena - Carol Brice
II En La Cueva: La Noche - Carol Brice
III Cancion Del Amor Dolido - Carol Brice
IV El Aparecido - Carol Brice
V Danza Del Terror - Carol Brice
VI El Circulo Magico: Romance Del Pescador - Carol Brice
VII A Media Noche: Los Sortilegios - Carol Brice
VIII Danza Ritual Del Fuego: Para Ahuyentar Los Malos Espiritus - Carol Brice
IX Escena - Carol Brice
X Cancion Del Fuego Fatuo - Carol Brice
XI Pantomima - Carol Brice
XII Danza Del Juego De Amor - Carol Brice
XIII Final. Las Campanas Del Amanecer - Carol Brice

Amazon.com

The bulk of this double-disc bargain features Reiner with the Chicago Symphony, which he shaped into a polished paragon of orchestral virtuosity. The set opens with Beethoven's Coriolan Overture, one of best on disc, thrusting and powerful. The longest work is Brahms's Second Piano Concerto, which pits Reiner's machined precision against Gilels's big, warm sound. The combination yielded one of the best Brahms Seconds in the catalogue, more dynamic than the pianist's later version with Jochum (on DG). Mozart's Linz Symphony gets a lean, classical performance, forward-moving yet lyrical, the finale thrilling. The Dawn and Siegfried's Rhine Journey from Goetterdaemmerung, stresses the darkness of the Rhine more than the light of the dawn, and Reiner's 1950 Til Eulenspiegel with the RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra captures the sardonic humor of Strauss's masterpiece. Falla's El Amor Brujo, a work Reiner often played, is a souvenir of his leadership of the Pittsburgh Symphony, brilliantly done with Carol Brice a terrific, chesty-voiced singer. Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin could use a bit more charm and grace, but it's well-played by the NBC Symphony. Sonics range from superb early stereo to decent late 1940s mono. A good overview, proving that Reiner was indeed one of the century's great maestros. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Musically great but too many retreads.......2005-12-13

The compilers of the Great Conductors series let us down with this installment devoted to Fritz Reiner. The vast majority of the works on these 2 CDs are commercially available on RCA and always have been. The Mozart Linz Sym., the Ravel Tombeaut de Couperin (a "why bother?" if ever there was one), and a mono El Amor Brujo from Pittsburgh (re-recorded by Reiner to far more dramatic effect with Leontyne Price and the CSO) are the slim claims to novelty.

If you don't own the Coriolan or the Brahms 2nd Concerto with Gilels, both superb performances, this set has something to offer. The old RCA standbys are all superb, in fact. But where is Reiner the long-time opera conductor? Reiner in live performances from Chicago? Reiner with the Vienna Phil. near the end of his life? Reiner in unusual repertoire? By missing so many opportunities, the Great Condcutors series did poorly by one of their truly great conductors.

One of the great conductors of the 20th century.......2005-02-19

Undoubtedly, Fritz Reiner's twofer is one of the most satisfying releases in this batch of the excellent "Great Conductors of the 20th Century" series. A lot of the material covered here is not only new to CD, most is moreover of the highest order.

One will be hard-pressed to find more gripping recordings of Beethoven's "Coriolan", Brahms' "Tragic Ouverture" and 2nd Piano concerto (which highlights the superb cooperation between Reiner and the Russian keyboard giant Emil Gilels again). There is also an excellent Mozart Symphony #36 "Linz". All are vintage Chicago Symphony of the late 1950s (with a well-nigh ideal orchestral balance, a stunning clarity of structure and excitingly incisive playing), magnified by truly awesome early stereo.

CD two also features an earlier account (1946) of de Falla's "El amor brujo" with soprano Carol Brice and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, which Reiner headed from 1938 until 1948. Ravel's "Tombeau de Couperin" with the NBC Symphony Orchestra and Richard Strauss' "Till Eulenspiegel" with the RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra from the early 1950's rounds off this outstanding release. Both composers, Ravel and Strauss, have always been close to Reiner.

In short, a great introduction for anyone wishing to taste Fritz Reiner's art, as well as a must for collectors.

A Real Find!.......2004-12-04

"Great Conductors of the 20th Century" has proven to be a fascinating, revealing series of recordings, and perhaps no volume in the series has shown itself to be more revealing than this one.
While Toscanini is generally given credit for being a literally faithful interpreter of scores, he made minor adjustments even to the scores of composers he revered, like Beethoven and Brahms. The legendary conductor who came the closest to being a literal interpreter was Fritz Reiner.
This is not to say the Reiner's performances were dry or lacked character. Far from it! Like Szell, Solti, and to a lesser extant, Toscanini, Reiner sought to sublimate his ego in the service of the composer's intent, as indicated in the score. Reiner's achievement was to inject less of his personality into his performances than those of the other Apollonarians. When we listen to a Reiner recording, therefore, we don't find out a lot about Fritz Reiner. We do discover a lot about Beethoven, or Brahms, or Wagner, or Ravel, or Bartok, or whoever else's music he's conducting. It's sort of like watching a production of Shakespeare, mounted by a great director, who shapes the overall vision of the play, and lets the actors play their parts with as little editorial comment but as much faithfullness as possible.
Reiner's object is to mount a performance which gets the audience to love the composer's work as much as he does. He doesn't seem to really care what you think about him.
I bought this set on a recommedation from a friend about the Brahms 2nd Piano Concerto with Emil Gilels. I was not disappointed. Gilels delivers his usual robust, muscular performance and Reiner and the Chicago Symphony are right there with him, every step of the way. The Andante - piu adagio is as gentle and refined as the other movements are strong and confident. This is one extraodinary performance.
Beethoven's "Coriolan Overture," which preceeds the Brahms, is, if anything, even better. It hits you like a stiff left jab in the nose, and once it has your attention, it doesn't let go of it. The Brahms "Tragic Overture" is equally impressive.
"Dawn and Siegfried's Ride" from Wagner's "Gotterdammerung" reveals just how beautiful Wagner's music can sound when given a lean and disciplined approach.
Perhaps one reason Reiner is so hard to pin down as a conductor is that he was a true cosmopolitan, who appreciated the differences in flavors, feelings and aromas of different cultures. Thus, he is equally at home presenting the shining, delicate surfaces, and underlying subtelties, of Ravel's "Le Tombeau de Couperin," or the firey passion and mysticism of de Falla's "El Amor Brujo" as he is with the German repertoire. In fact, this particular version of "El Amor Brujo" is to die for. Carol Brice may not be able to match Leontyne Price in terms of glorious tone, but she more than makes up for it in an idiomatically correct performance, full of that Iberian fire that Price, for all her talent, just couldn't fathom.
By the way, the other selections, by Mozart, Mendelssohn, Bartok
and Richard Strauss, are all up to the same high standards.
This CD is a special musical treat, and, at the price, a real FIND!

Superb Collection..........2004-12-02

Dating from the mid 1940's to the late 1950's, this is an unusual and wonderful collection of recordings by the late Fritz Reiner. The latter period constituted his "Golden Age" - his storied collaboration with the Chicago Symphony produced some of the most spectacular recordings of the 20th Century, and a number of interesting examples are included here, including the wonderful Brahms "Tragic Overture."

But the most fascinating recordings in this collection for Reiner fans are those preceding his Chicago years. The "Til Eulenspiegel" recording, from the early '50's in New York City, is a wonder - it is certainly one of the most completely satisfying recordings ever made of this very early Strauss work, and it has become the favorite (out of nearly a dozen) in my collection. His recording of "El Amor Brujo" is equally fascinating - I have loved his Chicago Symphony recording with Leontyne Price for decades, but my recent invited guest preferred this recording hands-down, despite the somewhat inferior sound and less-than-hair-trigger playing. She found it more idiomatically Spanish, and I grudgingly agree.

Perhaps best of all, for less than the price of a single modern bit of plastic, I own - forever - a living slice of a truly glorious musical era. Considering its status as a "compilation," I suggest picking it up while the pickin's good - these collections generally don't stick around for very long, and this one is truly terrific.