Masterpieces in Miniature
Music by Henry Litoff, Gustav Mahler, Gabriel Faure, Claude Debussy, Franz Schubert, Charles Ives/Henry Bryant, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Antonin Dvorak, Jean Sibelius, Frederick Delius, Edvard Grieg, Leo Delibes

Yuja Wang (piano), Michael Tilson Thomas conducting the San Francisco Symphony
Review By Max Westler

  That we have here is a collection of "Bonbons," "Lollipops," – essentially a pops concert. But in its modest way this is a remarkable release. First, let me list the entire program. Litoff: Scherzo from Concerto symphonique No. 4; Mahler: Blumine; Faure: Pavane; Debussy: La Plus quelente; Schubert: Entr'acte No. 3 from Rosamunde; Ives: "The Alcotts" from A Concord Symphony; Rachmaninoff: Vocalise, Op. 34, no. 14; Dvorak: Legend for Orchestra Op.59, no. 6; Sibelius: Valse Triste; Delius: On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring; Grieg: The Last Spring, Op. 34 no. 2; Delibes: "Coretege de Bacchus" from Sylvia.

The longest of these pieces is Mahler's Blumine(8'28"), the shortest Rachmaninoff's Vocalise (5'29"). With the exception of the effervescent Litoff that begins the program and the peppy Delibes that ends it, these works are characterized by a slow-burning Romantic lyricism, songs without words and waltzes, souvenirs of a musical Golden Age when sheer beauty could be its own excuse. With the exception of Henry Bryant's orchestration of a movement from the Ives Concord Sonata, these are also familiar, if not overly familiar works of which there are various and sundry recordings. But usually, when it appears on a recording, a piece like the Pavane or the Valse Triste is either a filler for a longer, more self-important work, or is a part of a collection of that composer's shorter compositions. In either case, the individuality of the work is compromised, diluted, lost in the shuffle. What makes this particular "pops" concert so special is that its mixed bouquet of compositions insures that each "miniature" receives its proper due. Considerable time and thought must have gone into the arrangement, for these highly contrasted works fit together ingeniously. The stately Pavane is set against the unashamed rapture of La Plus quelente; the theme from Schubert's Entr'acte echoes the folk song at the heart of "The Alcotts"; the surging Vocalise leads directly into the rustic simplicity of the Legend, whose glad-hearted melody segues into the dark melancholy of Valse Triste. The Delius and Sibelius are songs in praise of nature, and both work in exactly the same way: a single theme is repeated, growing more beautiful and intense each time it returns.

Conductors tend to approach works like these in two different ways. They'll either set the orchestra on automatic pilot or exaggerate the music to give it a personal stamp. The former approach tends to produce dull performances, the latter mannered ones. MTT has proven his mettle time and again conducting longer and/or incredibly complex music: Mahler, Ives, Berg, etc. But he's never been more impressive than he is here. He takes absolutely nothing for granted, and gives each of these works its own distinct profile; no matter how short the duration, he's able to shape a compelling narrative. He knows when to hold back and when to let go. There is never a sense of an intrusive hand; the rhythms are varied, flowing, and sound completely natural. In the end, he works a special magic: even the most familiar of these works sounds freshly minted. I didn't think pieces like the Vocalise or the Valse Triste held any more surprises for me. Best of all, we get to hear MTT conduct Blumine, the drop-dead gorgeous movement Mahler never quite found a place for in any other work. This performance will take your breath away.

It goes without saying that the orchestra sounds superb. With MTT at the helm, they're deep inside every moment of this music. The SACD sound is in every way equal to the high standard of MTT's Mahler series: demonstration-quality straight through. I have only one regret. Hearing MTT conduct several composers he's never recorded – Faure, Schubert, Rachmaninoff, Dvorak, Delius, Sibelius, Grieg – only makes me hunger for more.  In the meantime, you can feast on these hors-d'ouevres, and walk away feeling you've just had a full meal. But enough small talk. Time to get out the credit card and head for your computer. This release belongs in every collection.

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