Rachmaninoff: The Isle of the Dead, Op. 29 - Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (2022 Remastered Version)

Album review

The genius of Dimitri Mitropoulos cannot be overlooked, and his CBS legacy as conductor was finally reissued in its entirety by Sony Classical in the spring of 2022. Without doubt, this is up there with the best reissues of the year!

Dimitri Mitropoulos is still one of the most spirited and eccentric personalities of the 20th century. Born in Athens in 1896, he died relatively young in 1960, aged 64 (before the world of music had chance to give him his rightful crown). An inspired composer and master conductor, he worked with many orchestras: Minneapolis from 1937 to 1949, New York Philharmonic from 1949 to 1958, and the Metropolitan Opera from 1954 to 1960. This offbeat virtuoso, who created music that could almost be described as being part of modern expressionism, left his mark on each of these institutions. This mini-LP, published in 1949, brings together two works that are remarkably opposed in terms of aesthetics: Rachmaninov’s The Isle of the Dead and Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. The complex and highly entangled polyphonies of these scores really shine under the Greek conductor's direction.

The graceful rendition of Vaughan William’s Fantasia never denies suspense, and the clear layering of the orchestra ensures the composition maintains tenderness and lyricism—at times, it can even sound a little like a prayer. It’s pure genius. Mitropoulos doesn’t overlook any of the turmoil within Rachmaninov’s symphonic poem inspired by Böcklin’s painting, The Isle of the Dead. There are terrifying moments that make you feel like the Earth is about to crack and crumble beneath your feet, but yet the overall piece remains rather fluid and calm. This artful use of contrast really is poignant. © Pierre-Yves Lascar/Qobuz