Unless Vladimir Ashkenazy is at the keyboard or conducting Rachmaninov, his orchestral recordings rarely get much attention beyond some generalized praise. It is unlikely anyone will remember these Decca releases from the mid-1990s; and as long as Universal has its acclaimed Abbado set in perennial circulation (in another recent mid-price boxed incarnation complete with overtures), it seems just as likely that these re-issues will not receive the type of marketing necessary to ensure their long-term survival. Now consumers have several choices of complete sets of this music, all of them very good (Dohnanyi, Masur, Karajan, and the aforementioned Abbado, to name the more notable) in music that in general does not react positively to excessive personal interpretation. And let’s not kid ourselves: no one really listens to the first and second symphonies anyway, so the selection available from the more famous “Scottish”, “Italian”, and “Reformation” symphonies is even greater, with sterling performances offered by Bernstein (DG), Szell, Toscanini, Munch, Blomstedt, and many others.
However, few listeners auditioning this set will be disappointed in any way, for Ashkenazy and his German forces give respectable and impeccable readings that easily meet all of the technical challenges of these well-worn works. In fact, the orchestra seems quite comfortable throughout, so the only area of this recording that comes up short is its need for a slightly more palpable sense of effort or fervor.
In the “Scottish” and “Italian” symphonies, Ashkenazy takes the first movement exposition repeats and adopts generally brisk tempos throughout–faster than Abbado and Dohnanyi in the former and neck-and-neck with them in the latter. In the faster movements, Ashkenazy makes the best case for his credentials in this music: the “Salterello” of the Italian symphony, for one, shows off the orchestra’s prodigious ensemble work as well as the conductor’s ability to generate real energy and momentum. By contrast, the final chorale movement of the “Reformation” feels plodding and a bit four-square (but again, the theme presents itself that way, too). The sound is generally excellent with good balances, and the brass come through incisively. You won’t be disappointed.
