A technical question: Since Herschel Burke Gilbert produced these sessions recorded by West German Radio in association with American Digital, wouldn’t it stand to reason that the master tapes originated as digital recordings? But I see an “ADD” indication on the back cover. Not that it matters, for both the Rachmaninov Paganini Rhapsody and Prokofiev Third Concerto have rarely been afforded such vividly detailed yet realistic engineering. The orchestral image and placement of the piano emerge from your loudspeakers as if you’re actually sitting front-row-center in an acoustically ideal concert hall. Those who prefer the Rachmaninov charged with demonic intensity and headlong brio will probably find Zeltser and Barshai too laid back and wanting in thrust. Yet their sedate pacing works to the music’s advantage. The scampering woodwind passages, for instance, really breathe and take shape, while the “Dies Irae” sections are heftier and more menacing than usual. Zeltser channels his glittering fingers more toward chamber than soloistic means and is willing to accompany when individual instruments and the full orchestra carry the main melodic interest. A few split notes in dense chordal passages pass by with no consequence. Both conductor and soloist treat the famous 18th variation as the work’s emotional focal point, as borne out by Zeltser’s affectionate, expansive phrasing supported by a lush carpet of strings. Overall I would recommend this performance as an upgrade to the more generalized Cliburn/Ormandy version from the 1970s.
Zeltser and Barshai take a similar interpretive path along the Prokofiev Third’s caustic highway in the opening movement. In the central theme and variations, Barshai plays up the abrasive, even rude qualities of the woodwind writing while Zeltser imbues his opening statement with purposeful rubato. The performers happily resist the temptation to exceed the concluding Allegro movement’s “Ma Non Troppo” directive, yet the music’s grim, churning momentum truly hits home. American collectors haven’t heard much of Mark Zelster since his Beethoven Triple Concerto with Karajan. It’s good to have him back.
