The Prokofiev Symphony No. 5 is the best of this lot. It boasts warm, full sound and highly alert playing. Celibidache employs what must be considered “normal” tempos; nothing is elongated here. On the contrary, the reading’s forward motion keeps us in anticipation for what is to follow, especially the climaxes of the first and third movements. The symphony is preceded by a surprisingly (for Celibidache) athletic Scythian Suite. Scheherazade receives a big, soggy run-through–it’s as if Sinbad’s ship were water logged. Tempos drag, accents are dulled, and the orchestral textures are over-blended, blurring Rimsky’s bright colors. A different problem affects the Firebird Suite. This clearly was an off day for the SWR Orchestra, whose faulty ensemble leads to a ponderous, bland, and sloppy performance.
The Mussorgsky Pictures is the most unusual and most interesting reading of the set. Starting with a carefully molded legato opening trumpet tune, Celibidache puts forth an amply lyrical interpretation, one awash in warm, glowing orchestral colors that, unlike in his Scheherazade, do not get lost in the wash. Every number receives special attention to its particular nuance, Bydlo being just one example, while the finale’s grand solemnity (and massive slowness) makes for a truly moving conclusion. Lastly, Stravinsky’s Fairy’s Kiss suite glows with an inner magic if not the deft danceability of Fritz Reiner’s classic rendering with the Chicago Symphony on RCA. The sound on these discs varies from excellent in the Prokofiev and Mussorgsky to vague and mushy in the Firebird. So, what we have here is set that’s two-thirds compelling, one third forgettable. The 20-minute “bonus” disc–three excerpts from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet in highly enervated performances (Tybalt dies from boredom here) and recorded in distant, diffuse sound–is not a deciding factor.
