Robert Craft maintains a clear rhythmic pulse in Pelleas und Melisande, helping to clarify the contrapuntal lines, which is a great boon in this hopelessly overscored work (being able to hear where the bar line falls certainly strengthens Schoenberg’s structure). The drawback is that Craft is a little rigid in the climaxes, which require more flexibility of tempo to make their full impact. The first appearance of the “destiny” theme doesn’t chill the way it does under Boulez, or terrify the way it does under Karajan. Interestingly, Craft relaxes in the later love scene and the music flows with real feeling. Best of all is Melisande’s death, which is rendered with ardent passion. The Philharmonia Orchestra plays with precision and enthusiasm, though not with the super-virtuosity of the Chicago Symphony on Erato or the raw power of the Berlin Philharmonic on Deutsche Grammophon.
Anja Silja is a seasoned performer of Second Viennese School music, and in Pierrot Lunaire her sprechstimme is unusually melodic and fluid. She activates the text with her at times dramatic, at times mystical presentation. The musicians of the Twentieth Century Classics Ensemble give a lively, edgy performance. Koch’s sound is very natural, though the climaxes in Pelleas could do with more clarity.
