More jazz than not.(THE MUSIC)(Sound recording review)

Anat Fort: A Long Story (ECM 1994 B0008505-02)

Young Israeli pianist Anat Fort leads a group of jazz veterans on A Long Story, including Perry Robinson on clarinet and ocarina, Ed Schuller on bass, and Paul Motian on drums. She has composed music that is thoughtful and colorful, giving the musicians room to shine without anyone ever trying to take things over with a display of virtuosity. The ocarina proves to be an unusual delight, Motian is a delight as usual; overall, this is a very satisfying release that sounds new and familiar at the same time.

Brahms: Symphony No. 3; Haydn Variations London Philharmonic Orchestra/Marin Alsop (Naxos 8.557430)

I'm not quite sure what to make of this release. The Brahms 3rd is one of my favorite symphonies, but there are very few recordings of it that I really enjoy. Early on, I may have been imprinted with the first recording I ever heard of the work, the old Karajan from DG, which was recorded in the early '60s. In the opening movement, Karajan gave the music a dramatic sweep that maybe Brahms did not even intend to put into the score; in any event, Alsop certainly does not find it.

The first couple of times I listened to this Naxos recording, I really did not like it at all. It just sounded plodding. Very ordinary. Perfunctory. (But professional, I had to admit.)

After a few more listens, my resistance wore down a bit, but perhaps more from my enjoyment of the Haydn Variations, which Alsop does marvelously, than from the Symphony. The slower passages are quite lovely, but I still found myself missing the sweep that Karajan brought to the opening.

I seem to recall being quite taken with a Klemperer recording of the 3rd that I heard some years ago on LP, but I have not heard that again in ages. It may be available now on CD at a budget price as part of a complete set; if so, it would certainly be worth an audition. Another budget version of some merit is the Utah/Abravanel set on Vanguard; the orchestral sound is a mite thin in some respects, but the performances are both spirited and well-crafted. I recently got in a budget release of Chailly conducting the Concertgebuow in all four symphonies, but have not yet had the time to absorb it. So many Brahms recordings, so little time!