Dimitri Mitropoulos

Mitropoulos: Maestro Spiritoso

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AllMusic Review by James Leonard

If you're not a fan of Dimitri Mitropoulos' conducting and you can't tolerate antique sound, this 10-disc set, Mitropoulos Conductor, is not for you. However, if you are a fan, and antique sound is as mother's milk to you, this collection provides a treasure trove of great performances. Mitropoulos fans may already be familiar with most of these performances since most have been previously released, either commercially or in pirated editions. Still, the extraordinarily high quality of the performances will make this set compulsory for listeners devoted to the conductor. As anyone familiar with Mitropoulos' work knows, he was perhaps the most intense conductor ever to lead an orchestra. In performance after performance, he turns in readings of overwhelming intensity, with every line, harmony, rhythm, color, and note bearing its full weight of meaning. In his magnificent account of Schumann's Third Symphony with the Minneapolis Symphony from 1947, the opening and closing Allegros have rarely had this combination of power and energy, and the fourth movement's Grave has never sounded so monumental. His Mahler First from 1940 is electrifying, his Rachmaninov Second from 1947 heart-rending, his Borodin Second from 1941 galvanizing, his Chausson Symphony from 1939 imposing, and, perhaps best of all, his Berg Concerto with violinist Joseph Szigeti from 1945 is enormously moving. Although there are some unusual items here -- the conductor himself takes a turn as soloist in Bach's Fifth Brandenburg Concerto and Krenek's Third Piano Concerto -- and although the sound is undeniably antique, with little done in the remastering process to make it more palatable, this set should appeal to anyone interested in Mitropoulos.

Track Listing - Disc 1

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time
Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050
	1	I. Allegro Johann Sebastian Bach	Dimitri Mitropoulos	10:07
	2	II. Affetuoso Johann Sebastian Bach	Dimitri Mitropoulos	06:32
	3	III. Allegro Johann Sebastian Bach	Dimitri Mitropoulos	04:53
	4	Fantasia and Fugue, for organ in G minor ("Great"), BWV 542 (BC J42, 57, 67) Johann Sebastian Bach	Dimitri Mitropoulos	12:44
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58
	5	I. Allegro moderato Ludwig van Beethoven	Dimitri Mitropoulos	17:04
	6	II. Andante con moto Ludwig van Beethoven	Dimitri Mitropoulos	04:39
	7	III. Rondo vivace Ludwig van Beethoven	Dimitri Mitropoulos	08:47

Track Listing - Disc 2

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time
Symphony No. 3 in A minor ("Scottish"), Op. 56
	1	I. Andante con moto. Allegro un poco agitato Felix Mendelssohn	Dimitri Mitropoulos	11:15
	2	II. Vivace non troppo Felix Mendelssohn	Dimitri Mitropoulos	03:45
	3	III. Adagio Felix Mendelssohn	Dimitri Mitropoulos	09:33
	4	IV. Allegro vivacissimo Felix Mendelssohn	Dimitri Mitropoulos	07:19
	5	Capriccio brillant for piano and orchestra in B minor, Op. 22 Felix Mendelssohn	Dimitri Mitropoulos	10:48
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major ("Rhenish"), Op. 97
	6	I. Allegro Robert Schumann	Dimitri Mitropoulos	09:39
	7	II. Scherzo: Allegretto Robert Schumann	Dimitri Mitropoulos	04:41
	8	III. Moderato Robert Schumann	Dimitri Mitropoulos	04:29
	9	IV. Grave Robert Schumann	Dimitri Mitropoulos	05:26
	10	V. Finale: Allegro Robert Schumann	Dimitri Mitropoulos	04:57

Track Listing - Disc 3

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time
Symphony in D minor, Op. 48
	1	I. Lento. Allegro non troppo. Allegro César Franck	Dimitri Mitropoulos	19:14
	2	II. Allegretto César Franck	Dimitri Mitropoulos	09:11
	3	III. Allegro non troppo César Franck	Dimitri Mitropoulos	09:19
Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22
	4	I. Andante sostenuto Camille Saint-Saëns	Dimitri Mitropoulos	10:46
	5	II. Allegro scherzando Camille Saint-Saëns	Dimitri Mitropoulos	05:44
	6	III. Presto Camille Saint-Saëns	Dimitri Mitropoulos	05:53
	7	Overture to Le Roi d'Ys Edouard Lalo	Dimitri Mitropoulos	11:09

Track Listing - Disc 4

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time
Symphony in B flat major, Op. 20
	1	I. Lent. Allegro vivo Ernest Chausson	Dimitri Mitropoulos	12:01
	2	II. Très lent Ernest Chausson	Dimitri Mitropoulos	08:16
	3	III. Animé Ernest Chausson	Dimitri Mitropoulos	10:51
Suite No.7 for orchestra ("Scènes alsaciennes")
	4	Dimanche matin Jules Massenet	Dimitri Mitropoulos	06:02
	5	Au cabaret Jules Massenet	Dimitri Mitropoulos	04:56
	6	Sous les tilleus Jules Massenet	Dimitri Mitropoulos	04:25
	7	Dimanche soir Jules Massenet	Dimitri Mitropoulos	05:45

Track Listing - Disc 5

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time
Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23
	1	I. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Dimitri Mitropoulos	19:06
	2	II. Andantino maestoso Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Dimitri Mitropoulos	07:26
	3	III. Allegro con fuoco Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Dimitri Mitropoulos	06:23
Symphony No. 2 in C minor ("Little Russian"), Op. 17
	4	I. Andante sostenuto. Allegro vivo Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Dimitri Mitropoulos	09:00
	5	II. Andante marziale quasi moderato Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Dimitri Mitropoulos	08:10
	6	III. Scherzo: Allegro molto vivace Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Dimitri Mitropoulos	04:20
	7	IV. Moderato assai Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Dimitri Mitropoulos	09:38

Track Listing - Disc 6

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time
Symphony No. 2 in B minor
	1	I. Allegro Alexander Borodin	Dimitri Mitropoulos	06:56
	2	II. Scherzo: Prestissimo Alexander Borodin	Dimitri Mitropoulos	05:13
	3	III. Andante Alexander Borodin	Dimitri Mitropoulos	08:17
	4	IV. Finale: Allegro Alexander Borodin	Dimitri Mitropoulos	06:25
Violin Concerto in A minor, B. 96/B. 108 (Op. 53)
	5	I. Allegro ma non troppo Antonin Dvorák	Dimitri Mitropoulos	09:36
	6	II. Adagio ma non troppo Antonin Dvorák	Dimitri Mitropoulos	11:08
	7	III. Finale: Allegro giocoso ma non troppo Antonin Dvorák	Dimitri Mitropoulos	09:51
	8	Overture No. 1 on Three Greek Themes for orchestra in G minor, Op. 3 Alexander Glazunov	Dimitri Mitropoulos	12:54

Track Listing - Disc 7

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time
Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27
	1	I. Largo. Allegro moderato Sergey Rachmaninov	Dimitri Mitropoulos	15:36
	2	II. Allegro molto. Meno mosso. Tempo I Sergey Rachmaninov	Dimitri Mitropoulos	07:17
	3	III. Adagio Sergey Rachmaninov	Dimitri Mitropoulos	10:56
	4	IV. Allegro vivace. Adagio. Tempo precedene Sergey Rachmaninov	Dimitri Mitropoulos	10:20
	5	The Isle of the Dead, symphonic poem, Op. 29 Sergey Rachmaninov	Dimitri Mitropoulos	20:10

Track Listing - Disc 8

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time
Chopiniana, for orchestra (after Chopin)
	1	Etude No. 12 Op. 10/12 in C minor, "Revolution" Dimitri Rogal-Levitsky	Dimitri Mitropoulos	02:39
	2	Nocturne No. 13 Op. 48/1 in C minor Dimitri Rogal-Levitsky	Dimitri Mitropoulos	05:48
	3	Mazurka No. 25 Op. 33/4 in B minor Dimitri Rogal-Levitsky	Dimitri Mitropoulos	05:38
	4	Valse brilliante No. 14 posthum in E minor Dimitri Rogal-Levitsky	Dimitri Mitropoulos	02:57
	5	Polonaise No. 6 Op. 53 in A flat major "Heroic" Dimitri Rogal-Levitsky	Dimitri Mitropoulos	05:40
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26
	6	I. Andante. Allegro Sergey Prokofiev	Dimitri Mitropoulos	08:38
	7	II. Tema con variazioni Sergey Prokofiev	Dimitri Mitropoulos	08:08
	8	III. Allegro ma non troppo Sergey Prokofiev	Dimitri Mitropoulos	08:33
Symphony No. 1 in D major ("Classical"), Op. 25
	9	I. Allegro Sergey Prokofiev	Dimitri Mitropoulos	03:49
	10	II. Larghetto Sergey Prokofiev	Dimitri Mitropoulos	04:02
	11	III. Gavotte (non troppo allegro) Sergey Prokofiev	Dimitri Mitropoulos	01:12
	12	IV. Finale: Vivace Sergey Prokofiev	Dimitri Mitropoulos	02:57

Track Listing - Disc 9

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time
Symphony No. 1 in D major ("Titan")
	1	I. Langsam. Scheppend. Im Anfang sehr gemächlich Gustav Mahler	Dimitri Mitropoulos	13:33
	2	II. Kräftig bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell Gustav Mahler	Dimitri Mitropoulos	06:14
	3	III. Feierlich und gemessen, ohne Schleppen Gustav Mahler	Dimitri Mitropoulos	10:23
	4	IV. Stürmisch bewegt Gustav Mahler	Dimitri Mitropoulos	17:21
Le tombeau de Couperin, for orchestra
	5	Prélude: Vif Maurice Ravel	Dimitri Mitropoulos	03:00
	6	Forlane: Allegretto Maurice Ravel	Dimitri Mitropoulos	03:12
	7	Menuet: Allegro moderato Maurice Ravel	Dimitri Mitropoulos	03:20
	8	Rigaudon: Assez vif Maurice Ravel	Dimitri Mitropoulos	02:19

Track Listing - Disc 10

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time
Violin Concerto
	1	I. Andante. Allegretto Alban Berg	Dimitri Mitropoulos	10:28
	2	II. Allegro. Adagio Alban Berg	Dimitri Mitropoulos	14:30
	3	Cinéma fantaisie d'aprés Le boeuf sur le toit , for violin & orchestra (or piano), Op. 58b Darius Milhaud	Dimitri Mitropoulos	13:43
	4	Concerto for piano & orchestra No 3 Ernst Krenek	Dimitri Mitropoulos	13:37

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