Bernard Herrmann: Wuthering Heights - Suite for Soprano Baritone & Orchestra

[M. Yaskovsky]

Someone found the original opera too long?
Out July, 7 (at jpc.de) https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/suite-aus-wuthering-heights-echoes/hnum/11503420

[Alan Howe]

I think we may need to consider the suitability of this music for UC. It dates from 1951.

[Alan Howe]

Please excuse the delay in coming back to this recording.

From the excerpts available at Presto I'd say that the overall idiom is a bit of a mixture (a bit of Barber here and Walton elsewhere, perhaps), but I'd say that there's enough here to warrant a discussion, so I have unlocked the thread.

Much of the music is very beautiful, actually. If only the baritone were rather better: I've never been a fan of Roderick William's juddery voice - despite his reputation. Others may disagree, of course...

[John Boyer]

I was a bit surprised on the temporary lockdown because I was sure that you, connoisseur of the voice that you are, would know Renee Fleming's recording of "I Have Dreamt in My Life" from that opera. It's on her album "I Want Magic", with Levine leading the Met Orchestra.

[Alan Howe]

Thanks for the heads-up - must look that one out!

[semloh]

It can be heard at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbqt0NwUaXA

[adriano]

In my personal view, this recording is not necessary.
What disturbs me is that they call this "Reader's Digest" version of "Wuthering Heights" a "Suite". In the domain of opera, this generelly goes under "excerpts" - or a "synthesis".
Performances are OK, although all other than sanguine - and not idiomatic enough. Then we have Roderick Williams, which is an excellent singer, but has too much vibrato for this kind of repertoire. The aria "I am the only being..." becomes a rather boring, too lyrical statement - without tension. Just compare it with the wonderfully passionate, linear and full flow of Donald Bell's voice (who sings it in BH's complete recording of the opera) - then you get what the composer wanted.

And a string orchestra version of BH's "Echoes" is just against the composer's intentions! He created a totally intimate, mysterious and transparent piece; a string quartet is just the right combination this kind of music. There are string quartets with "orchestral potential" which can be "blown-up" or orchestrated, but just not this one:  BH would have never allowed this transcription - and the above "suite".

[Alan Howe]

Thanks for that insightful review, Adriano.

[Friedhofer]

Adriano wrote: "In my personal view, this recording is not necessary." It looks like the audience don't agree, the album went into the UK Classic Chart as No. 5 first week and is now No.10 this week.
The suite of WH is a nice introduction to the opera and is easier to program for the concert hall with only two singers and 1 hour length.

[Alan Howe]

Audiences aren't always correct, though. Quality, not popularity, is surely the more important criterion.

[Friedhofer]

The statement from Adriano was the release was not needed. It looks like it has an audience, the quality of the music would be up to individual taste, like David Hurwitz also states in his YouTube review. Personally I think the suite is perfect for concert hall programming, the concert in Singapore got indeed great response from the audience and is a good introduction to Herrmann's music. Same for Echoes, now possible to perform for string orchestra and not limited to chamber music programs.     

[John Boyer]

I am completely with Herr Friedhofer on this one. The tradition of extracts from operas, whether as instrumental fantasies or straight forward suites such as what we have here, is a long one. Just as Alban Berg extracted concert suites from "Wozzeck" and "Lulu" (cited as examples and not to open a discussion on music outside our remit), so we have the same thing here, albeit at the hand of a third-party.

As for hearing "Echoes" by a string orchestra, this is no different than all the puffed up versions of Schubert string quartets and the like that are praised here. Herrmann's personal desires are beside the point. After all, if Schubert had wanted one of his quartets orchestrated he would've done it himself.  And we all know that Mendelssohn did not want us to hear his 4th Symphony, Tchaikovsky did not want us to hear the last three movements of "Manfred", and Wagner did not want us to hear "Parsifal" performed outside of his temple at Bayreuth.

Well, we'll be the judge of that.

[adriano]

To my (personal!) opinion on this (no doubt: well-done) blowing up of "Echoes": I am just pointing on on its idiosyncratic transparent, intimate and "white" original sound of this little masterwork.
I have nothing against arrangements of string quartets (I've done quite a few myself too), but this is a particular case. I am astonished that Herrmann's heirs agreed to that, knowing how important and private "Echoes" were to him and, anyway, that he also was very uncompromising about performances of his works. So I hope at least, that his Clarinet Quintet "Souvenir de Voyage" will remain untouched...

[John Boyer]

I, too, would prefer the original.  I just meant that if Schubert, Brahms, and Beethoven must undergo these Technicolor remakes, then Herrmann can take his lumps, too.  He should be honored that interest in his music is enough that his wishes are so disrespected!

(Speaking of Adriano and Herrmann, I listened to your recording of "Jane Eyre" again the other day. Terrific stuff!)

[Friedhofer]

I totally agree with John Boyer. The full string version of a String Quartet is just an additional version, making it possible to be performed in a bigger concert hall setting and for a bigger audience to enjoy. The Herrmann Echoes version is in my opinion very suited for full strings size and an good addition to the string orchestra repertoire, besides Herrmann's Sinfonietta and the music from Psycho. Herrmann being Herrmann would properly not agree to any adaptation of his music, if he had still been alive. He was asked by Stokowski and Beecham to do a concert suite of Wuthering Heights, but never came around to do it.