PFITZNER conducts Overtures (1927-33) - PASC305

Although Hans Pfitzner’s symphonic recordings (Beethoven and Schumann) have been widely circulated on CD (Naxos and Preiser), his recordings of shorter works have not, and this disc of early electricals (1927–33) usefully fills a gap.

The performances are of variable quality: Pfitzner was by all accounts an impressive all-around musician but not the most technically accomplished of conductors, and this limitation is felt more acutely here than on the larger canvases of his Beethoven symphony recordings, where his idiosyncratic interpretive vision usually survived any shortcomings of technique. The collection gets off to a good start with a spirited Figaro, with nicely observed detail and not over-driven. Also impressive is the urgent (8:39), restless, volatile Hebrides. Recorded with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1928, its lean sonorities—sweet strings and light-toned, vibrato-free wind playing, with fast-speaking articulation—make a fascinating contrast with the dark, saturated tonal blend Furtwängler draws from the same players in his own recording of just two years later (Naxos or Koch). Così fan tutte is bedeviled by constant fussy tempo changes (Pfitzner slows down every time for the woodwind figure in eighth notes, then speeds up again), and has a crude excision from the recapitulation to accommodate it on one side. Der Freischütz is rhythmically approximate, with slack, uncoordinated string syncopations in the main theme. It also suffers from crude wind reinforcement of the string basses, producing a grotesque honking effect in the quiet “Wolf’s Glen” passages. Preciosa and Jubel are spirited enough, if a little scrappy, but Oberon is impetuous and exciting, benefiting greatly from the superior playing of the Berlin Philharmonic. The Lortzing and Lanner are welcome rarities (especially the latter—a real gem!), given affectionate and idiomatic performances.

So, nothing earthshaking, but an enterprising collection that will be of much interest to historic collectors. Expert transfers from Mark Obert-Thorn, and credit to Fanfare colleague Richard A. Kaplan for supplying the original 78s.