There is much to be said in favour of both these new CDs of the Scottish Symphony. Dohnanyi in his second go at recording it has tautened and sharpened the already fresh, direct approach he adopted in his Decca Vienna version, and provides, again as his second recording, a valuable rarity for coupling, Die erste Walpurgisnacht, a dramatic cantata that surprisingly reveals a vein of anti-Christian savagery remaining in the Jewish-born but gentle composer (Dohnanyi's 1979 Decca version has since been deleted). The Muti coupling of the Scottish and Italian Symphonies on EMI's mid-price Studio label brings what on balance is the most recommendable CD yet of this favourite coupling, even though these are only digital transfers of analogue recordings of the 1970s. Dohnanyi's tauter control this time, makes for brisker speeds in all four movements than in his Vienna recording (like Muti's coupled on CD with the Italian). Though in the first movement that makes for a fresher result, the other movements have rather less charm and sparkle. In the delicious scherzo, for example, Dohnanyi was more relaxed in his Vienna version and in the slow movement more tender. As before he fails to observe the exposition repeat in the first movement. None the less, this is a crisp, totally unsentimental reading, favouring fast speeds, that makes a very acceptable coupling for what dedicated Mendelssohnians, and for that matter others, will cherish rather more.
Die erste Walpurgisnacht consists of an overture and nine varied numbers which, with a free mingling of solos and choruses, presents a dramatic scene, with the Druids and the chorus of the Heathen in their ceremonies being confronted by hostile Christians. The surprise is to find Mendelssohn so firmly taking the Heathen's side. ''These stupid Christians—let us boldly outsmart them!'' sings the Druid Guard, and with great enthusiasm Mendelssohn then sets the rallying chorus of the Heathen to words like ''Come with stakes and pitchforks, like the devil they invent''. They put the Christians to flight, and the chorus of Druids and Heathen happily sing ''As the flame is purified in smoke, so purify our faith!'' It is astonishing that the Victorians ever swallowed that, even from their beloved Mendelssohn, but as an oddity, with plenty of vigorous if not highly original writing, it makes a very enjoyable piece in a performance as red-blooded as this. Not only the Cleveland Orchestra but the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus are superb, bright, fresh and crisply disciplined. The snag is the solo singing. The tenor, Jon Garrison, gets things off to a disappointing start with very unsteady tone in his opening solo, and the others too in varying degrees sing with an unevenness of production that is exaggerated by the microphone. Even Tom Krause as the Priest is less steady than he was for Dohnanyi ten years ago. None the less, the dramatic bite of the whole performance comes over well, and I welcome this addition to the CD repertory, brightly and fully recorded, if not always with ideal clarity. In the scherzo of the Scottish Symphony, for example, the notorious passage near the beginning where the horns take up the main theme is rather more murky than usual, and Muti's 1977 recording, with the instruments set rather farther off, allows you to hear more of the horns. So too in the swinging coda to the finale, where the whooping of the unison horns is much more thrilling with Muti, a key moment of culmination in any performance of this symphony. The slight distancing of the orchestra in the Muti versions of both the Scottish and the Italian may initially make the results seem a little dull, not so bright as in rival digital recordings, but the clarifying process on CD is very beneficial, and these recordings stand up well even against the Abbado versions (not coupled together) in his much more recent Mendelssohn cycle for DG.
Another point of advantage for Muti is that unlike almost every rival CD of this favourite coupling, he observes the exposition repeats in both symphonies. Masur on his recent Teldec/ ASV coupling does that too. He tends to adopt more conventional speeds than Muti's—much more flowing in the first and third movements of the Scottish and the coda of the finale—but merits are very evenly matched. On balance Muti's are the warmer performances, while the outer movements of the Italian are more electric in tension. The combination of freshness and rhythmic bite with affectionate phrasing makes for very sympathetic results, and if in the finale of the Italian, the discipline of the New Philharmonia is not quite so crisp as earlier, that degree of wildness adds to the zest and excitement.'