One aspect of the edition that can't be disputed, though, is the fine presentation. The unavoidable risk in such an approach is to present novices with a skewed view of a lengthy career that necessarily omits portions already well documented.ĭespite inevitable second-guessing (do Cluytens, Malko or Busch really deserve to be in such an exclusive group?) the volumes present a mix of acknowledged giants (Walter, Stokowski, Klemperer) and more obscure but deserving talents (Coates, Talich, Golovanov, Munch).
While the results aren't consistently revelatory, they often supplement available material and thus are apt to attract seasoned collectors. Second, despite the overlap of repertoire, the producers have tried to avoid duplication of existing collections by choosing performances from radio broadcasts and LPs not previously released on CD. Apparently, the producers gambled that potential collectors would prefer yet another Till Eulenspiegel, Meistersinger Overture or La Valse (three versions each) to less familiar material that would expand their horizons. The hitch, though, is that the volumes overflow with warhorses while by-passing pieces that could use more exposure and might have presented its subject conductors in a unique light. In a way, that's appropriate, since the focus here is on interpretation, the nuances of which are more readily heard by comparing versions of familiar material. Their solution was two-fold.įirst, they attempted to broaden the edition's appeal and attract new-comers by emphasizing mainstream repertoire. They also confronted the challenge of appealing to fans who presumably already have most of a favorite conductor's commercial output and are not about to buy it all again.
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Modern conductors routinely supplant the fame of their ensembles.Īn edition of this type faces an immediate difficulty – how to effectively summarize a career, which typically spans several decades and hundreds of recordings, in a mere 2½ hours? The lazy answer would have been to compile a series of “greatest hits” packages, but, to their credit, the producers resisted that temptation. Wagner himself placed primary emphasis upon tempo, but soon notions of texture and intangible qualities of personality emerged and became dominant. But in the mid-19th century, with Berlioz and especially Wagner, the conductor emerged as a full-fledged contributor to, and even sculptor of, the performance, often adding his own strong interpretive input to craft a subjective response that went well beyond the immediate demands of the score. Through the time of Mendelssohn, the conductor (often the composer himself at the keyboard or on violin) kept time, coordinated the entrances of the players and generally assured the accuracy of the rendition. Even so, the edition stimulates many thoughts, not only about its particular subjects but of trends and issues that transcend the specific contents.
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Thus, rather than a proud celebration of the full wealth of this keystone of classical art, the truncated result is tinged with regret for what might have been. Unfortunately, though, perhaps reflecting our leaner climate for classical projects, the producers now advise that only forty will be issued. Sixty volumes were planned with hopes for even more. Great Conductors of the 20th Century is a joint venture between the production and licensing expertise of IMG Artists and the international marketing and distribution clout of EMI. Any serious attempt to compile a project of such daunting scope demands instant respect and attention. The excellence and prestige of the Philips Great Pianists of the 20th Century series demanded a successor, and logically this is it, since so many superstar performers of the last century were conductors who collectively shaped the course of classical music. A survey of the EMI Great Conductors of the 20th Century series, celebrating the artistry of eminent leaders who defined orchestral performance in the era of recordings
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