The Liszt items are the real draw here. Otmar Suitner’s emphasis on flowing line and melodic contour makes Liszt’s music sound with a greater cohesion than usual–something pretty easy to do in Orpheus but markedly less so in Mazeppa, which requires a firmer grip on the work’s structure and an overarching view of its formal plan. Suitner certainly has both of these going for him, and this accounts for his performances being both satisfying and stimulating.
Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suites are less impressive, if only because there already are so many excellent performances available (and in multi-channel sound). Nevertheless, Suitner’s ear for color is a notable attraction (the charming woodwinds in Morning, the silken string tone in Ase’s Death), as is his finely tuned sense of rhythm (Anitra’s Dance proceeds with an ingratiating lilt). The Bamberg Symphony performs with a freshness reminiscent of a time when these works (the Grieg, at least) weren’t so overplayed. Deutsche Grammophon’s vintage (early 1950s) recordings offer respectable mono sound. Worth a listen for the historically inclined.
