음반리뷰 Chung/SPO/DG Debussy & Ravel - Review by American Record Guide

[Poincare]

다음은 American Record Guide최근호에 실린 Chung/SPO/DG Debussy & Ravel CD의 리뷰입니다.

"The Seoul Philharmonic was formed in 1948 and reorganized as an incorporated foundation in 2006, the year Myung-Whun Chung became Music Director. It has played under many major conductors and has toured Asia and Europe. This is the first of 11 recordings of the orchestra to be issued by DG. The performances are scrupulously played, with a rich, colorful string sound that suits them well. If the orchestra does not have a huge sound, it is well blended and cultivated. The woodwinds exude personality and dexterity; the brass are not quite as refined, but they are good, if a bit reticent, and that is probably a result of Chung’s balancing. The recording is balanced, clear, and detailed. The performances are slightly on the slow side, but they are not static. The overall approach is detailed, rhythmically precise, and even literal; but there is a lot going on here precisely because of those qualities.

La Mer seemed slow and aloof at first hearing, but once I settled in it was possible to substitute studied and attentive for aloof – a fine distinction, but it holds. “From Dawn to Noon on the Sea’ is more mysterious than usual, almost as if afraid of what the sea will reveal, while the ending is a true hymn. The brass are restrained and even reverent – probably too much, but the effect is compelling, and you can hear the waves in the strings unusually well in one place as a result. The clarity, lively rhythms, and sheer control of ‘Games of the Waves’ make the movement more light-hearted and game-like than usual, and the harps are audible even in their softest passages. The result is not pointillistic, but it is certainly not romantic. The opening of ‘The Dialogue of the Wind and Sea’ has an ominous quality, stemming especially from the drum, which is always audible and sustained underneath. The strings take their time to glow and the English horn sounds less bold and opulent over the bassoons in their two chords right near the opening than it should. The big horn calls near the end are throaty, like foghorns in a mist or creatures from the depth of the sea, and the answering waves in the strings are subdued. The ending, as in I, begins like a hymn and is anything but overblown.

The approach to Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite is similar. ‘Pavane of Sleeping Beauty’ is again on the slow side. The attention to details makes sure that the low woodwinds are as prominent as the upper ones, and the slight retard at the end is a nice touch. ‘Tom Thumb’ is well balanced, but I wish the English horn had a larger sound. Chung’s control is palpable in ‘Little Ugly Girl’. The fast scurrying in the quick passages comes as a surprise, though it is hardly out of place. The gong is gorgeous, a fine example of percussion control. Several nice details enlighten ‘Beauty and the Beast’: the way the basses hold their own against the contrabassoon making the beast more threatening than usual, the lilt to the strings’ rhythm in their dance over the contra, and the exquisite violin solo as it goes from sweet to warm. The opening to ‘Fairy garden’ fans out beautifully, leading to a movement that fulfills its function as a noble and uplifting conclusion.

All the above qualities are preval‎ent in La Valse, but it is a very different piece. Detail, control, clarity, and beautiful playing (particularly in the luscious strings) are admirable, but account must be taken of the work’s manic and destructive qualities, and Chung doesn’t do that until the end. Until then the performance is so careful that it sounds interpretively uncertain, and the reticence of the brass does not help. They do come alive at the end, but it’s too late.

The sound is clean and detailed, fitting the performances well."

- Roger Hecht

[Poincare]

까다롭기 유명한 아메리칸 레코드 가이드에서 조목조목 썼는데, 전체적으로 상당히 긍정적인 평가입니다. 저도 사실은 라벨의 '왈츠'에서 에네르기와 악마적, 퇴폐적인 기운이 좀 모자르지 않나 생각했었습니다.

[Doublebass]

이 정도면 후하게 평가한거 같습니다. 전반적으로 깨끗하고 아룸답고 화사하다는 평으로 마무리 짓는거 보면. 라 발스는 저는 좋게 들었지만, 다이나믹하고 거친부분을 살려야 한다고 생각했으면 박하게 평할 거 같습니다.

[Poincare]

I am with Mr. Roger Hecht's criticism of Chung's La Valse. It is as if Chung tried to come up with Debussian version of the music; by keeping the brass low keyed and exercising too much control in the orchestra he certainly mitigates the bold, even vulgar side of the piece. It's a nice change and try, and I like it for that matter. But I think he ultimately misses the point Ravel was trying to put across in this great work. That's my two cents' worth of opinion.

[Poincare]

Having said this, I like Chung's La Mer and Mother Goose Suite a lot. I think they are as good as any out there thanks to the distinctive qualities that Hecht mentioned. The sound, somewhat too close and lacking ambiance, is vivid and warm.

[Poincare]

요즘에 바다교향시를 이 녹음 저 녹음 비교해가며 듣고 있습니다. 전, 워낙 카라얀의 아날로그 레코딩에 익숙한지라, 처음 정명훈의 씨디를 접했을때, 박력과 intensity가 모자란다는 느낌이었는데 여러번 듣다보니 그 정확한 리듬감과 프레이징, minute한 디테일을 잡아내는 솜씨에 감탄하게 되더군요. 단지, 윗분의 평대로 그러한 접근방식이 라벨의 왈츠에 얼마나 호소력있게 적용됬는지는 앞으로 더 들어봐야 판단이 나올것 같습니다. 아뭏든, 서울시향/DG의 첫 기념비적인 레코딩입니다.