You don't know what excitement means until you've heard
Ferenc Fricsay conduct. Take this disc of
Fricsay leading the RIAS Symphony Orchestra in
Dvorák's "From the New World" Symphony,
Smetana's "Moldau" from Ma Vlast, and
Liszt's Les Préludes captured in Deutsches Grammophon's breathtakingly present analogue sound. Every attack is edgy, every rhythm is driven, and every player is sitting on the edge of his/her chair. But above all, everything is alive and new. With subtlety and strength,
Fricsay and the RIAS make these familiar pieces, even the all too familiar Les Préludes, sound fresh and even surprising. The rhythmic tattoo in
Dvorák's Scherzo is astonishingly relentless and the climax at the end of the "Moldau" is astoundingly martial. Although listeners may already have favored performances of these works -- the
Toscanini or the
Reiner "New World," the
Talich or
Kubelík "Moldau," or, for sheer visceral thrills, the
Mengelberg Les Préludes -- anyone who loves the music will want to hear this disc.
Fricsay was of the same generation of great Hungarian conductors as
Reiner,
Szell, and
Solti, but he's unfortunately less well known because he died tragically young. Anyone who knows the music-making of
Reiner,
Szell, or
Solti will recognize
Fricsay's brand of "damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead" excitement. But even
Reiner's most dedicated fans may not be ready for the level of violence in
Fricsay's interpretations -- which makes them well worth hearing. Deutsche Grammophon's sound is clear and very vivid with just a little tiny bit of tape hiss.