Reviews by Dennis Day

REVIEWS BY DENNIS DAY
AND OTHER HITCHIN MUSIC MATTERS WRITERS-

Hitchin Music Matters has begun publishing its own reviews of concerts and recordings which will in due course become a magazine /archive

MOST RECENT IS SHOWN FIRST

SYMPHONY No 8 in C MINOR by Sostakovich
Performed by The London Shostakovich Orchestra
DUNELM RECORDS DRD 0261

This massive work was written in 1943 two years after the terrible siege of Leningrad, at a time when the Soviet Armies had finally defeated the Germans and the communist government was seeking to imbue the populous with a sense of pride and optimism.
With this in mind and following the success of his seventh symphony in 1941 the Party officials were surely expecting Shostakovich’s new symphony to match their mood, however Shostakovich had been worn down by the suffering of the Russian People and what they got in Symphony No.8 was a reflection of this not the upbeat “Soviet Realism in art and music” that was required and the work was not well received, possibly being the beginning of his later falling from favour.
In this live recording of a performance by the London Shostakovich Orchestra under the very capable baton of Christopher Cox we have the desolation of the time finely depicted in the opening Adagio with some edgy playing from the violins and well controlled full orchestral playing with the percussion giving their all in the fortissimo chords. The allegretto and the allegro move along at a good speed but are, maybe, a little closer to what the Party officials has in mind. The underlying relentless rhythmic ostinati of the lower strings never quite comes through. This could well be due to the placing of the recording equipment, which can be a hazard of live recordings, and there is more of a scherzo feel than relentless march.
The Largo is heralded by a striking climax at the end of the Allegro and the instruments wander the desolate plains very plaintively but yet again the twelve variations on the bass theme seem a little indistinct. From the wilderness we are led into a quite charming opening to the final allegretto, pastoral and light but then the mood darkens again and Christopher Cox leaves us in no doubt of the over all mood of the piece as the work comes to its lonely end.
There is some good playing here, the piccolos deserve a special mention and the solos in the final movement were sensitively handled. Overall a good performance for the Shostakovich beginner to listen to as there is not quite the total desolation which can be in his work.
There are a couple of small errors in the booklet which the reader might care to note. The Adagio 1st movementis listed as lasting 3:23 when it should obviosly be 23:23 and the final two lines of Johnathan Lee's biography which mainly appears on page7 have become detached and are lurking on page10.
Jean Hunt

EULENBURG + NAXOS
SCORE AND CD
IN 50 VOLUMES
PRICE: £5.99 or ONLY £3.99 WHEN PURCHASING ALL FIFTY!

Having done it, one wonders why this sort of thing wasn’t done years ago. However, following the breaking of new ground, entering virgin territory – hindsight, as always seems easily logical. Eulenburg, in conjunction with Naxos have taken what must be the boldest step of any music publishing company in modern times by producing these fifty works in a format that is both attractive to look at, and listen to. Each score is printed with the (to many) familiar yellow cover and in a much better, somewhat larger format than the older miniature scores of yesteryear.

In the three scores I was sent for review, only the Beethoven Piano Concerto No 3 had the most wonderful essay/lecture in the back pages. This lecture does a very fine job of actually teaching the novice (of any age) how to read a score. I discovered that one of my neighbours was, in this sense just such a novice who agreed to ‘have a go’. After just one read-through and then listening to the music on the cd (admirably played by Stefan Vladar with the Cappella Istropolitana under Barry Wordsworth) my neighbour had managed to follow the score right through most of the first movement before getting lost. No trouble in the slow movement and soon losing place in the Rondo. However, never having looked at such a thing before, this was a considerable achievement given that this reader had never looked at a music score before. When I return the article tomorrow, this neighbour will soon have no trouble at all and will eagerly (I suspect) be going on to more and greater things. The imagination has been caught.

I really cannot fault this idea. The experienced listener and cd collector may well prefer to have different performances for regular listening other than the Naxos collection but what a wonderful series this is. Can one look forward to integral sets in the years to come? I do hope so – for these are invaluable.

It would be wonderful if these were taken up by education authorities and that schoolchildren are once more taught the true benefits of the art that is music rather than the ridiculous notions that abound in modern day education in this subject. But beyond the school class- rooms, there must surely be many homes that will gain new, and refreshed enjoyment from the study of music.

It is true that the list contains no modern works (for modern – read twentieth century onwards) excepting Elgar’s Cello Concerto written in 1919 this is obviously for reasons of copyright. However, this need not deter the keen listener wishing to gain ‘strength to the elbow’ and enhance the enjoyment of music. I wish this enterprising musical venture all the success it clearly deserves. The price is unbelievable. The value – immense.

Dennis Day

Lads of Love and Sorrow – John R Williamson

Mark Rawlinson baritone
David Jones piano

This is a disc suffused with melancholy, listen to it in small doses! Even the love poems, written in romantic form are overlaid with sadness.
However, Williamson’s palindromic style exactly suites the metre of Houseman’s poetry, insistent but lyrical and the overall feel of this cycle of songs is of contemporary British music influenced by the period of the poems.

The interpretation of the music and the standard of performance by Mark Rawlinson and David Jones is of the highest quality. Rawlinson’s voice is ideal for these rather intimate and personal poems, never allowing the delivery to be over emotional but always seeming involved, it is a perfect blend with the piano which could so easily have dominated with its power but is kept beautifully in check by David Jones.

Some songs stand out:-“ Parta Quies” (Track 11) for its total simplicity.
“Farwell to barn and stack and tree” (track 14) for the power of the chordal structure and the modulations which induces a feeling of increasing panic in the listener. ”Oh were he and I together”(track17) for one of the lighter moments giving a feeling of freedom and the running tide with the lovely piano passage at the beginning.

Finally, it is certainly a case of saving the best till last! The two settings of poems by Siegfried Sassoon(tracks 24&25) stand out from the rest and it is easy to see why these were among the winners of the English Poetry& Song Society competition. Is it because of the different nature of the poems? Were they written at a different time? I do not know, but the flow of the music in the first of these two tracks has a liberated quality not found elsewhere and finishes the disc on a highlight.

13 June 2007
ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL – LONDON at 7.30pm

LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Conducted by Vladimir Jurowski
Imogen Cooper – piano

Schnittke: (K)ein sommernachtstraum
Mozart: Piano Concerto No 20, in D minor
Prokofiev: Symphony No 5

Last night saw the welcoming sight and brand new sounds of the London’s major concert hall - newly refurbished and with completely new seating.

From the choir seats, the view is pretty tremendous though less than many of its counterparts in other parts of Europe and the rest of the world. However, the seats are more comfortable for the audience than before and there is good leg room – this listener is six feet tall and had not trouble with leg space, either anywhere in the choir (several seats were chosen before finally settling just behind the timpanis). Other seats were excellent and along the annex, just where one would have to turn one’s neck awkwardly for a proper view, the seats are thoughtfully arranged and turned to face the orchestra/platform. The seats in the stalls are much the same and everything from the audience point of view is fine.

Obviously the most important thing to consider is the SOUND – after all, a considerable amount of money has been spent in the hopes of getting it right. Something like one hundred and twenty million pounds! (Hence an uplift of 50% on the ticket prices) Happily, I am able to report that from the central point in the choir seats, the sound was excellent even taking into account possible slight distortion from the rear end of the horns rather than a fullness of strings that one hears from centre stalls, or the conductor’s podium.

The platform seems vast. Acres of space! There was ample room for a very large orchestra (including the entire percussion department of five players in addition to two sets of timps.) Also on stage were two grand pianos; one orchestral and one over to the side ready to be moved centre stage for the Concerto. Plus a harpsichord (in the Schnittke) and celeste. There was room to put even more instruments in were they required. I think the loss of some choir seating has either been very skilfully arranged so that the same number of singers can be accommodated into the four rows now instead of five but there seems no real loss to audience. All the rows are ‘backed’ whereas before there was just open space which was not wholly satisfactory – one could get kicked and trodden on before, now that is far less likely. The front row of the choir is a little further away from the orchestral players who can now only be reached (for handshaking say) by leaning over – but it is still intimate and the view of the conductor is marvellous – we all know what he wants!

Just before the concert there was an enormous amount of confusion down in the main foyer and box office. Apparently, all the ticket-holders for choir seats had been contacted beforehand (though I missed that bit) by telephone and advised that the choir seats were not being used. Too late! We were already well ensconced in ours and, along with several others – refused to be ‘upgraded’ to better seats in the stalls – although my companion and I did move down to the front row. This is where we like to be – and we were staying. The charming RFH staff allowed us to stay put and we did.

At 7.43 the management came to briefly chat to the audience with a nice little speech in which he welcomed us back to the RFH and asked that we turned off our phones, and did not cough! If we must cough, could we reduce the decibels by covering it up. I was pleased to hear that announcement. So then the orchestra came on to applause and eventually – some twenty minutes or so late, the actual music-making began. Throughout the evening only two coughs were heard.

It is not often that a piece will start with one solo player from the back desk of the violins – but this was just the first amusing difference in an altogether different kind of piece by the celebrated Russian composer, Alfred Schnittke. Joined by harpsichord and other light instruments, the piece continues in a rather (too) sweetly Mozartian manner before all sorts of ‘wrong’ notes and tremendous orchestral colours come into play. Schnittke’s ‘joke’ is less tedious than a good many of its kind and awfully well written – but it is still rather a joke and some may not altogether appreciate this type of ‘in’ humour. But it was extremely well played by a virtuoso orchestra, and received with huge applause thus serving as a good ‘overture’ to a very fine evening.

The orchestra was then greatly reduced to classical size for the Mozart Concerto – three double-basses, for example instead of eight. And two valveless trumpets were used which were fascinating to see, very much longer than their modern counterparts and with a brighter tone. Imogen Cooper played the work with her usual grace combined with strength and her chosen cadenzas were interesting, especially in the first movement.

We decided to stay in our seats during the interval and enjoyed watching the removal of some instruments and the re-arrangement of the orchestral seating – once more, for large orchestra – for the last work in tonight’s concert. The Prokofiev Symphony.

Described in the programme note as being ‘lyrical and light-hearted’, I would find it hard to disagree more with that description. True the main allegro of the finale could perhaps be described as light-hearted but the rest ranges (for me) around the more probing zones of dark, sombre, deep, almost pessimistic regions of the mind in the first movement. The scherzo is full of dark humour and sardonic wit, whereas the slow movement returns to a world of private thoughts and again, deep passions. Perhaps the RFH would like to re-introduce their ‘Point Counterpoint’ series of mini-statements and arguments its patrons enjoyed in the fifties and sixties.

Whatever one’s thoughts about this work may be - for everyone interprets music individually, tonight’s was a truly great performance by a great orchestra under a new (for many) great young conductor: Vladimir Jurowski. Notable orchestral soloists were beckoned by the conductor to their feet and all received good applause – but the best was reserved for the wonderful Tuba player – Lee Tsarmaklis, surely the greatest tuba player around today – one would love to hear him in a concerto although he is never not heard as he skilfully and most musically underlined everything in the Prokofiev Symphony. A brief word with the timpanist (Simon Carrington) revealed that the orchestra are still to combine into a unanimous agreement about the acoustic but on the other hand, they are alive with a sense of real excitement about working under their new principal conductor: ‘We are in for a very exciting time ahead,’ he said, smiling broadly after a long day’s work.

Tonight’s programme as a whole was excellently thought out and a wonderful way in which to show off the new sound of the Hall. Overall first impression is that the sound is warmer than it used to be and to enjoy this wonderful sound in increased comfort has been one of life’s great bonuses. Congratulations to all concerned.

Footnote: Almost exactly forty years ago (25 May 1967) I sat in the same area – choir, red side (now blue side) for 7/6 (37&1/2 pence) listening to the young Seijii Ozawa conducting the same Symphony – this time with the LSO. I was excited then, I was even more excited by Jurowski and predict a great future for him.

ALAN PETTERSSON (1911-80)
Violin Concerto No 2 (1977 rev 1978)
Isabelle van Keulen –violin
Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Thomas Dausgaard – conductor
CPO 777 199-2

Allan Pettersson was born in the slums of Stockholm and grew up as the world went into turmoil. His personal world was also always in turmoil. Most of his childhood was spent under the violent influence of a drunken father – supported by a wife who was full of piety, but without the strength that today’s ladies find which would have enabled her to leave the bully and take her children (four of them) to a safer, quieter haven. Eventually gaining a hated post as a violist in an orchestra, Pettersson gradually developed as a composer (see the list in the generally excellent booklet notes) and although so much of his adult life was spent in great pain, it was agony for him to even walk from one room to the next in his more senior years, he continued to work right up to his death. The driving creative force within him was all-powerful and he never once gave in.

Some writers criticise Pettersson’s music as being full of self-pity – which is absolute nonsense of course. What it is full of is Humanity and Passion. He is an absolute master of Variation, Passacaglia and orchestration and his soundworld is unique.

One of the major difficulties of this man’s music is that it is usually cast in huge great chunks lasting anything up to an hour without a break. This means that it is very difficult for the listener (never mind anyone else!) to grasp it all in just one go. This is where the miracle that is recording comes into its own, for repeated hearings are always on hand and the new listener can spend some time (very positive, and often therapeutic time) listening again and again, thereby absorbing, almost by osmosis at times, these fascinating works of art.

Pettersson’s music is not always ‘happy’ music – indeed, why on earth should it be? Did not Schubert himself ask “Is there any happy music?” But there is always an underlying feeling of courage and determination and a desire to defeat adversity. This Concerto is a true case in point.

CPO have very wisely given the disc ten tracks and I suggest that the new listener breaks all rules of convention and just listens to the opening of track 8 two or three times where the soloist displays in full the music of the first Barefoot Song (God Walks In The Meadow – my preferred translation of the original Swedish). This very charming, and melodic phrase is the very basis of the whole work and once learnt, can be heard almost throughout the piece in one form or another.

If you already possess the original recording by Ida Haendel (Caprice CAP 21359) then there is the bonus of a suite of six of the Barefoot Songs, beautifully sung by Margareta Dahlstrom with the Stockholm University Chorus under Eskil Hemberg and it is the first of these that forms the basis of the Concerto. However, the Concerto itself is just one track lasting over fifty-six minutes!

Pettersson’s scoring is, at times undeniably heavy and the soloist can be in danger of being swamped, which is partly why the composer made the rare foray into the world of revising.

So about the performers and recordings. Both violinists are absolutely superb. Both committed to the music which they obviously relish. There is everything for them to do though the main line for the solo part is one of cantilena and nearly all the time, blending with everything else that is going on around it. This is also one of the longest, toughest parts for the violin ever written – but it is all very rewarding; as with Bruckner – all you need is a little time and a lot of patience and the rewards are great. Both recordings are excellent and very well produced – ideally you should have both so that you (eventually) hear the differences between the two versions and also to simply revel in this glorious, rich world wherein the demonic is challenged – and beaten.

ONDREJ KUKAL (b Prague 1964)
Symphony 1 Op 15; Chamber Symphony Op 16; Bassoon Concerto Op 14 “Fagottissimo” total time: 67’48

Wash Tec Cz: VA 0142-2

If you have been wondering about Czech music after Martinu, you may find the music of Kukal exactly to your liking. Following a recent visit to Prague, I found this compact disc. As any lover of symphonic form will understand, the tendency is to look for symphonic works and chamber music written for the more conventional groupings in familiar ways. Not exactly ‘more of the same’ perhaps but sufficiently recognisable to be instantly welcome – as a friend. I am so excited by this music that I have to severely rein in my feelings – I do not want to put anyone off with uncurbed enthusiasm.

Five years after the death of Martinu, Kukal was born in Prague. His studies of the violin led to him writing a concerto for the instrument which he performed himself and has recorded the work on Campion Records Cat No RRCD 1343 (to be reviewed later).

The Chamber Symphony was completed in the same year as the First Symphony and shares much of its moods – at times dark and menacing, others full and bright. The very first note – a deep pizzicato is the same pitch - C - as that which opens the Symphony. There is a serious feeling of irony here as the basses, then cellos are gradually joined by the violas and the upper strings. The feeling of this music is powerful and one could be forgiven for feeling that elements of foreboding are around. This is dramatic music of the highest order – the sense of drama perhaps lying within the listener. The string writing is of the greatest skill and the Czech Chamber Orchestra (under the composer’s baton) fulfil all the obligations of the work with tremendous virtuosity and passionate flair.

With the Concerto for Bassoon and Strings, we have a new work that surely bassoonists the world over will love, for their repertoire is never too large to not include this one. It is very much in keeping with the other music on this disc. A dark opening in busy sounding lower strings with dialogue between violas and double-basses prior to the soloist entering with a sort of ‘fanfare’ for bassoon. All proceeds well and then comes a long cadenza for the soloist (superbly played by the bassoonist Milan Muzikar) to bring this fairly short first movement to a close. The second movement, a bitingly ironic scherzo full of the brilliant rhythmic we have come to expect from the Czechs, follows immediately and bustles along in a busy fashion, the mood veering between a sort of jollity at the same time as dark energy (never far away on this disc) which all dissipates into a slow movement of great beauty. Another cadenza leads all into the final Presto energico in which, to quote the sleeve-note writer, Milos Pokora, ‘The Concerto is then brought to its definitive ending, on a rampant spiral of an appassionato postlude which assigns to the entire concertante creation, a contemplative dimension.’

Kukal began writing his Symphony No 1 “With Carillon” in 1996 and the work was completed in the autumn of 1999. It has two movements. The second being encased in two passages marked Gradazione and Epilog. From the very opening the listener’s attention is grabbed: deep, dark, brooding notes in the lower strings (how Kukal seems to love this sound) joined by a timpani roll and sombre clarinet and flute with the sound of a cymbal and soft gong entering in a sort of procession. There is enormous tension here as the sound gradually fills and the opening instruments are joined by horns over a tapping kettledrum. Again, from the sleeve-note, ‘the work as a whole projects a highly suggestive imagery of birth, quest for light, and search for peace of mind.’ I would venture to suggest that this is possibly the most important, and the most powerfully written First Symphony since that of Shostakovich. I have listened to it many times and can find only the deepest satisfaction of my own musical feelings. Listen to the passage beginning around 5’40 for example, where over a strong rhythm, a sweeping passage somewhat reminiscent of Sibelius emerges – full of majesty. I cannot urge you enough to get this music into your collection – to play it to your friends – to write to every musical body you think of in the hopes of performances. In every sense of the word, this is an absolute masterpiece by a new, emerging Master.

The recording is top-notch and cost around ten pounds in Prague. Hopefully this will be readily available all over England and the British Isles. Music produced in such quality as this must surely find a place in the record shelves of every music-lover. The excellent notes in the booklet are as much as one needs to find out about this music without actually listening to it. We would like to have as much as possible from this source of this remarkable composer’s music.

Kukal is multi-talented in music and, as always, one wonders how on earth such totally active musicians find the time to do what they do. As well as being a composer of huge talent and interest, he is a concert violinist to a high degree and also a fine conductor. Such people are just balls of energy and all the lay listener can do is stand by in amazement and gratitude for the results. Kukal is a very real find. These days there is so much real talent about and today’s listeners live in a veritable wonder-world of sounds so marvellously arranged as to want for nothing else. Yet we always do…
DD

TCHAIKOVSKY: SYMPHONIES, CONCERTOS, ETC
KURT MASUR
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and NY Phil
Elisabeth Leonskaja – piano
Warner Classics BUDGET priced 10CD set Cat No: 2564 63781-2

Available from THE WOODS – 8 The Arcade, Bognor Regis, W Sussex PO21 1LH – post free £29.99 and from CD Heaven, Churchyard Walk, Hitchin - £29.99 + postage. See links to these retailers at the bottom of the page.

Starting my listening at the beginning – Symphony No 1 ‘Winter Daydreams’ – one is immediately refreshed by the beautiful clarity of both playing (especially the woodwind) and recording. Masur is clearly in love with this music and everything is performed with precision yet never losing one whit of passion in this, the most Romantic of all music. Symphony No 2 ‘The Little Russian’ is played with equal command of rhythm and everything is very well underlined and beautifully pointed. Sadly, my review copy of ‘The Polish’ Symphony (No 3) refuses to let me hear tracks 5, 6 and 7 from a little way into the last movement of the Symphony – which, up to this point had been an absolute winner. I’m sure the rest of it is as well. The other two short pieces on this disc were thus denied to me.

‘Manfred’, a symphony in all but name was composed between the Fourth and Fifth Symphony but I wanted to save the final three until last interspersing those with the Piano Concertos and the rarely performed Concert Fantasia (a wonderful piece) so I listened to it as the final work of my first session. Masur’s Manfred is simply as fine an account of this (possibly) sprawling work as I can remember.

Interlude for Reviewer: Disc 10 – Famous Waltzes. Live recording from New York of a concert containing eleven waltzes by the famous Russian composer. Not entirely true. Track 10 is the Allegro con grazia – the second movement from the Sixth Symphony and anyone able to actually waltz to this beautiful piece in 5/4 time would need an invisible leg! Having said that, this seems to me an odd disc to include, pleasant as it is, in the place of say – the three ballet suites which would have been much more substantial both musically and time wise. There would have been room for them. Concert Fantasia

Other works on this set: Francesca da Rimini; Romeo & Juliet [Fantasy Overture]; Mazeppa:Gopak; Festival Coronation March in D
As explained in my note re the Third Symphony, the last two pieces could not be heard on this occasion.

So then, on to the ‘big’ works (not that any of them are particularly small): the last three symphonies and the three Piano Concertos. Having already established the fact that Leonskaja is a pianist with incredible techniques at her disposal, these being coupled with a deeply musical sense, my final ‘programme’ began with the First Piano Concerto with that most famous opening of all piano concertos. This is the first real ‘warhorse’ of a work wherein the soloist is obliged to take on the orchestra and win! Right from the start of those wonderful chords rising up the keyboard in three great leaps, one is aware of the presence of someone who is in total command and knows exactly what to do. These works (Concertos and Fantasia) are recordings of live performances and hearing these performances without observing any wrong notes, or duff orchestral entries (there are so many death-traps for the conductor in these pieces) make one marvel at such august musicianship.

Coming next to the Symphony No 4, the first thing to notice was the slightly less crisp sound in the recording. There is also possibly less crispness in the orchestral playing – though I hasten to state categorically that this Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra is as fine as any. Masur has already (for this listener) established his top-notch credentials in this music and so if you are expecting a ‘big’ performance of this symphony of fate – this is exactly what you get. It’s wonderful – never once have I wanted him to play the music any other way than the way he does. As far as one is able to relax in this exciting sound world, you can do so with these performances.

Leonskaja’s playing is nothing short of miraculous also in the Second Concerto Op 44, a real Cinderella amongst piano concertos and with its yearning slow movement involving huge solo passages for violin and cello, as well as playing in trio form with the piano, repeated hearings are going to be on for years to come. I first heard this work in 1951 and managed to obtain the 78s recording of Moiseiwitch then – or thereabouts. But this performance (and it is a performance – complete with New York smog-coughers) is absolutely stunning. I love it. The finale of this work is robust, playful, sparkling, never unduly rushed, every detail given the most particular attention with the dialogues between piano and orchestra culminating in a wonderful display of fireworks as to leave the audience stunned. I am certain you will love it too. (Although one does have to forgive the coughers in the audience rather than think about shooting them!)

One way of listening to works which are familiar to the listener is to simply relax and listen. Any shocks or surprises are liable to thrust themselves immediately to provoke animosity or delight. If the listening is done in a relaxed way and, by the end of the piece/disc there probably won’t have been any negatives, then you know you have got a treasure to keep. In the case of the Fifth Symphony there are no shocks in the motivic opening. Everything is perfect and most beautifully played. Moving on to the Allegro con anima, the sound dimension swells and great attention to the score is maintained by Masur – what a master he is. Here, there is drama as climax follows climax. A surprisingly swifter slow movement than some is surprising because although it only takes 12’56 (compared to von Karajan’s 15’08) at the outset, it doesn’t sound faster. The opening string chords breathe beautifully (magically even) and the solo horn melody is so beautiful one could weep (if one was that sort). A friend of mine was recently bemoaning what he felt to be the ‘universal sound’ of orchestras these days. ‘They all sound the same,’ he grizzled. But surely here we have a true sounding french horn – and it still sounds beautiful even though there is a fairly broad vibrato. Back to tempi for this movement, there is a little hastening around nine minutes in, yet this in no way disturbs one’s sense of ‘rightness’. The flow is just as one would wish and the building to the great central climax is beautifully managed. The severity of the motto theme (the works opening notes) snarls before being reduced to falling notes on the woodwind, against horns which soon throb over the strings as the latter bring the music to a close. Nowhere along the way does this music ever sound rushed. The Waltz (third movement) can be heard again on disc ten (track 9) so one is able to make a direct comparison between the two orchestras here (as in the mvt from the Pathetique Symphony) however, is this really necessary? In the finale, Masur is again marginally swifter than von Karajan (12’21 M; 12’36vK) but from the opening passage – you’d never think he would be. The music swells, and at 2’40 there is a wonderful orchestral ‘thwack’. Then quiet again as if before a storm. This stormy passage is unleashed furiously and the thrill of the chase is on. This music always makes me think of wintry snowscapes (you think what you like – naturally) and it is in winter especially that I love to listen to this Symphony. The brass play magnificently here and the strings really dig their heels into the music. There is so much in this piece that a full lecture would be needed to cover it adequately – not enough space to do so here. As an interpretation, Masur can match anyone’s that has gone before him. No doubt you, being the perceptive listener that you are, will hear subtle differences. But if! If by any possible chance you are coming to this music for the very first time – then you are in for an enormous thrill; you will set Masur as your benchmark and from the point of view of interpretation and performance, you will live with him forever.

The Third Piano Concerto was given a posthumous Opus of number 75, indicating that it was written after his last work – the 6th Symphony. It has always been a bit of a curiosity and, again, hardly ever performed in public. At some fourteen minutes plus, it could be the short length as to why it isn’t played much. But it is as long as Prokofiev’s First Concerto and also Liszt’s E flat Concerto. It is also a very lovely piece with all you might have come to expect from its composer. The performance here is again fully up to any that have preceded it with the notes flowing from the piano with amazing ease and grace – whatever is required, Leonskaja delivers. The audience is slightly less obtrusive here and you can also here the musicians turning their pages on occasion – yet this all adds to the sense of ‘being there’. (Although coughers should somehow be un-recorded!) I must say I always enjoy hearing this piece and now, there is just the Pathetique Symphony left to review.
Symphony No 6 Opus 74 ‘Pathetique’. “I think I’ll listen to Tchaikovsky's ‘Pathetique’ then shoot meself!” another, now late, friend of mine often used to say when he was particularly fed-up about something. Normally a very jolly man, he never did shoot himself I am glad to say. But one at least understands the depth of communication between Tchaikovsky and the listener. And it is the dark deeps of the orchestra where the work begins – over cellos and basses, a solo bassoon utters a solemn melody which is soon, fragmentally taken up by other members of the orchestra. All is gloom – all is dark and sadness pervades. Then comes a balletic theme in dotted rhythm becoming march like. There is bustle, and hustle as dialogue flits between woodwind and strings – a popular technique by this most inspired composer. Eventually at 4’34, the lovely second subject melody appears – a wistful, beautiful, lament which was once made into a ‘popular’ song (I hate that being done to serious compositions – so unnecessary, another topic really). As the movement proceeds, Masur gathers pace and a sense of urgency until the second subject is played again, this time in a richer, lusher form. Eventually the ‘song’ subsides and it is left to a solo clarinet to bring the section to a close with the direction to play as softly as possible; the composer marks this passage with six ps: pppppp – then? A huge crash by way of complete opposite startling the early listener (and another friend of mine, who still jumps every time she hears it) into a state of shocked wakefulness. Again there is much dialogue between various sections in this exciting passage, with a burning fire (timpani) under the cauldron of orchestral emotions until a final restatement of the ‘Song’ brings this tragic music to an end. This is a first movement to end all Tchaikovsky first movements – and it has always been a great favourite with the public.

The second movement is an elegiac piece in five-four time (curiously included as a waltz on disc 10 of this set) – perhaps a waltz with a limp! It comes as a great relief after the emotions have been plundered and plunged during the first movement. Masur coaxes some beautiful playing here too and there is nothing too intellectual for anyone to worry about. It has been said that Tchaikovsky always ‘plays’ everything at least twice so his music is therefore easier to learn and, to some, boring for that reason. But it is actually stronger music than that comment might suggest and besides, is so beautifully scored and worked out that one is often tempted to start the music again as soon as it has stopped anyway.

Then comes a swift march with the strings bustling in an almost Mendelssohnian way. Flutes chirp over everything else, pizzicatos happen and the brass make an utterance. We are off on a very swift journey through the snow. Soon there is weight – often a sense of menace before triumphant victory in this most exciting music in all Tchaikovsky. Many are the false climaxes as the listener is propelled forward – the motion is always swift, always lively, always expectant. This is edge of the seat music and given an edge of the seat performance here.

I would love to have the finale played attacca (attached) here – to go straight into it from the March. However, Tchaikovsky made no such indication and besides, it would be rather cruel to the musicians who all work so extremely hard in the March – but it would be exciting. Still, no-one is ever going to do it so I shall just have to remain content with propriety and enjoy the fine performances and recordings that are available. Over the course of too many years, one hears any number of wonderful Pathetiques: Kletzki; Stokowski; Toscanini; von Karajan; Erich Kleiber; Ormandy; Markevitch; Koussevitzky; Boult; Mravinsky (the greatest of them all?); Kondrashin; Solti; Ashkenazy; Muti; Pletnev; oh so many others as well. And Kurt Masur – always magnificent; always putting the music first in true and faithful interpretations.

If there is one cavil about this set it is the short length of time of several of the cds. One could wish for the inclusion of some other works – there would surely have been room for the Violin Concerto, the Rococo Variations and the lovely Serenade for Strings. It is, of course, possible that Masur has not recorded them but… However, the performances are so beautiful and the recordings so good (wonderful gongs) that this is only a minor grouse. For anyone wanting a fairly comprehensive set of Tchaikovsky’s loveliest music, this is a beautiful one to go for and at a very competitive price. There are NO musical disappointments.

Lex van Delden
Orchestral Works
Etcetera KTC 1156
63’25

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The music on this disc is as follows:
Tr 1: Concerto per due Orchestre D’Archi Op71 (1961) 19’52
Tr 2: Piccolo Concerto Op 67 (1960) 9’39
Tr 3: Musica Sinfonica Op 93 (1967) for orchestra 19’07
Tr 4 Sinfonia No 3 ‘Facets’ Op 45 (1955)
Trs 1,3 and 4 are world premiere recordings
All live perfs. played by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Conducted by: Eugen Jochum (tr 1 tr 2); Bernard Haitink (tr 3) George Szell (tr 4)
Recording dates: tr1 1968; tr2 1964 (mono); tr3 1969; tr4 Dec 1957 (mono)

This disc is full of wonderful surprises. The music is, for the most part, simply amazing and whoever thought of programming it this way had exactly the right idea because the opening Concerto for two string orchestras is a masterpiece. All the works have their own individuality and points of great interest but it is the first two chords of the Concerto that the listener hears. And they are so compelling, so dark as to persuade one that here is magic. Two soft chords, one for each orchestra open the piece and whilst they are in no way unharmonious, they are certainly a little stranger than usual and the music could go anywhere from here. From time to time, these quietly stated, yet oh so prevalent chords reappear, and indeed, they bring the work to a close. What happens in between is always thought-provoking music, finely honed melodic lines with never a hint of sentimentality mingle with some pretty interesting rhythmic passages with plenty of bite. Who else writes (a bit) like this – string music with a touch of menace? Bartok (Divertimento and Music for Strings Percussion & Celesta) Martinu perhaps (Double Concerto for strings, piano and timpani). This work of van Delden’s is in absolutely top-class company and shares its place well.

The other works on this disc are no less interesting and all are worth repeated hearings – in fact, they insist upon it. Once the listener has heard them a few times (this varies for each listener) passages can be called to mind at will. When this stage is reached, the music becomes a lasting friend and the music of this composer does just that.

Looking just at the titles, for I like to approach all new music with an ‘innocent’ ear, I was intrigued by the thought of a Piccolo Concerto. It was not until some after hearing the piece that I realised the definition of the word, piccolo = little, or small. But there is no real disappointment, this engaging piece for 12 winds, Timpani, Percussion and Piano is a delight from its somewhat raucous opening fanfare introducing the piece is followed by a distinctly ‘wrong-note’ affair – a dialogue between woods and brass. This is wonderfully colourful writing perhaps a little reminiscent of a musical marriage between Poulenc, Stravinsky, and (again) Bartok.

The other two works are major pieces the Symphonic Music (1967) Opus 93; and the Third Symphony – subtitled ‘Facets’, Opus 45 (1955). They are substantial in quality and van Delden is always thought-provoking. Always interesting, often full of vigour and always well orchestrated. All the music here is rich in content and I urge you to try this disc.

The recordings are all Live (shame about all the coughing – why don’t ALL concert venues provide something soothing to quietly suck?) and they are not the highest of fi. However, the sound is not bad, all being recorded in the main hall of the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam. Both the Piccolo Concerto, and Sinfonia No 3 are also in mono which is a bit disappointing. BUT, and it is a very big but indeed, this music is all so compelling and these are (undoubtedly) very fine performances, and moreover, the ONLY recordings so we must just be grateful for them until one day some enterprising recording company will take this man seriously and give his music the recordings they deserve. Just as Dabringhaus and Grimm are doing with the chamber music.

And do just take note as to the list of conductors here.

This listener considers himself very lucky to have this musical available and he wants to tell everybody all about it.

DD – March 07

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2) LEONTYNE PRICE SINGS BARBER

This is a digitally remastered disc from original recordings made in 1953 and 1968,issued as RCA Victor Gold Seal by BMG Classics.

It features the first performance of Barber’s ‘Hermit Songs’ for soprano and piano as well as works for voice and orchestra; ‘Knoxville:Summer of 1915’ and two excerpts from the opera ‘Anthony and Cleopatra’.

This is a young Leontyne Price at the beginning of her career and a long lasting close association with Samuel Barber which is already apparent in the perfect balance of voice and piano in the Hermit Songs.

Barber had a fascination for solitude and this song cycle uses a variety of hermit writings from the 8th to the 13th centuries.The mood changes through a variety of shades from delight at the idea of having Mary and Jesus for “a great lake of beer” to the lamenting cadences of “The Crucifixion”. Always the voice and piano move in fluid harmony which, as Barber writes these pieces without time signatures to accommodate the irregularity of the verse, shows the empathy between him and Price.

Perhaps the spontaneity of live performance is offset by the rather intrusive applause between every poem. Would a 21st century audience listen to the whole thing as one and then applaud?

The song cycle is followed by four separate songs which are a slight anticlimax after the Hermit songs.Two of the songs are to words by James Joyce. Price’s diction in the second of these ‘Nuvoletta’, which is one of Barber’s longest solo songs, leaves a bit to be desired but this is not entirely her fault as this is one of those Joycian poems which has a language all of its own.

The works for voice and orchestra, recorded with the New Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Thomas Schippers in 1968, show the more operatic voice which we think of as Price’s forte, in deed the role of Cleopatra was created for her by Barber for his opera in 1966.The opera was not a success but as these pieces show it had some good moments.

Knoxville: summer 1915 is a setting of a prose-poem by American writer James Agee and was written in the spring of 1947.The languorous theme which first occurs at the opening of the work immediately takes one to the sultry evenings of the American Deep South which Price, who was born in Mississippi, projects perfectly. In the central section a street car disturbs the scene, strident, intrusive, with a hint of the blues and a vocal tonal range sounding deceptively easy. Then the soft mood returns as the singer, a child, no less, is finally put to bed ,wondering about life.

This disc is a piece of American musical history. It should not be missed.

Jean Hunt

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3) CONCERT AT WALSWORTH ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH
FROM HITCHIN MUSIC MATTERS SATURDAY 27 JANUARY 2007
GREAT PREMIERE OF LOCAL COMPOSER’S BALLET SUITE
PIANO DUET GIVEN BY ROSSITZA STOYCHEVA AND MIKAKO HORI
Music by: Schubert; Barber; Mendelssohn; Guram; Gershwin; Ravel
The world premiere of her ballet suite: Cinderella by Letchworth composer, Tara Guram was performed. Tara, who mainly studied at the Royal College of Music in London has, in addition to today’s premiere performance, also written a Viola Sonata which was commissioned by and written for Hitchin Music Matters; it is hoped to have that work performed in the near future.
Hitchin Music Matters is not a name that trips easily off everybody’s tongue – but it ought to! It is an organisation formed principally to cultivate musical excellence in the Hitchin area though occasionally, it has also produced concerts in London. Now in its fourth season, a team of dedicated individuals led by Dennis Day continue to provide superb musicians performing wide-ranging repertoires from the field of classical music, often emphasising the worth and value of modern composers – a much maligned body of men and women.
Piano Duets are fairly rare and when they come as musically refined and articulate as this duo, which has been in existence now for ten years, they are even rarer. Saturday’s afternoon concert began with a rarely heard Sonata (Opus 30) by Schubert. It was played with great sensitivity and insight – so much more than ‘just playing the notes’. The duo’s expressive playing showed great depth and this depth was also displayed in the, often virtuosic, next work. Samuel Barber’s ‘Souvenirs’. A set of pieces often liberally laced with jazzy interpolations. The wonderful Scherzo entitled Allegro Brillante in A Opus 92 was given exactly the right degrees of Mendelssohnian magic in this composer’s unique style with scherzo writing. Fairy magic of the highest degree wherein today’s soloists made the powerful old ‘beefy-sounding’ Daneman piano sound like an elegant Bosendorfer. This was some feat and ended the first part.
Hitchin Music Matters’s concerts are always full to the brim and are full-length two-hour affairs so there is a lot of music to be heard for just a fiver. In four years, the entrance fee has remained the same.
Tara Guram’s ballet, Cinderella set the mood for the second part of the recital and was very well received following a wonderful, and exact performance. Highlights included the very opening somewhat quirky, ‘wrong-note’ melodies and yet seemingly simple rhythms, and the wonderfully dark downward tread of midnight sounding (second time). There is a great clarity of thought in this music and it is hoped that she will be taken up by others soon. Three Gerswhin Preludes followed – what can one say? It was Gershwin. The concert ended with Ravel’s hauntingly beautiful Rhapsodie Espagnole and once more these musicians played with the utmost sensitivity, always letting the music breathe, never simply showing off. A concert to remember and a Duo needing to be heard again.
“It is very likely that I have never heard a better performance of the Ravel before this one – in any medium. Further, it is more than likely that I never shall. UNLESS I am able to hear it performed again by these two mesmeric musicians, who, in my opinion should include it in every concert they play – everywhere they go.” An eminent local musicologist said this to another member of the audience as they left the concert room. Such high praise was just typical of the comments heard after the concert last Saturday.

B Tarka

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LEX VAN DELDEN (1919-1988)
COMPLETE STRING QUARTETS
Dabringhaus und Grimm MDG 603 1436-2
UTRECHT STRING QUARTET
£13.99 66min36secs

No picture available

This composer is new to me and, on the basis of this disc, very well worth investigating. These are superb pieces of music, superbly played and excellently recorded. Many composers whose life fits in this time span are often so difficult to comprehend as to deny them immediate access to the new listener. Van Delden does not fit into this group. Here we have music that is at once accessible to any listener used to the voices, say, of Robert Simpson, Bartok, Shostakovich, John Pickard, Piet Swert, yet with a completely individual voice of his own.
The excellent booklet (by the composer’s son) accompanying these recordings quotes van Delden’s own commentary on the state of musical affairs around the time of writing these works. Concerning many of the avant-gardists he had this to say: “Today’s composing seems increasingly concerned with the outward appearance of musical matter, developing the aural material ever more intricately and committing it to paper in ever more complicated notation systems… I feel that many of these sonic investigations overlook the true value of art (which is) to communicate (itself) to the listener and in so doing, contribute meaningfully to society.”
There are three quartets dating between 1954 and 1979, with a very beautiful piece for string quartet plus double bass. In the latter work the bass does not slavishly underscore the cello part but is very definitely an additional voice in a true sense of homogeneity – and very exciting it sounds too. The Third Quartet is entitled a “Willink Tetraptych” and sets out to describe in musical terms, four most exciting and interesting paintings by the Dutch painter Carel Willink (1900-1983). The paintings are beautifully photographed and placed in the centre of the booklet so the listener can “see” the inspirational source whilst listening to the music – if one so desires. This Third Quartet was commissioned by amateur violinist – Mr. F Fopna, owner of the paintings.
Lex van Delden is very worth the listener’s attention and so I urge you to give it shelf space – and, more than that – listening time. You won’t be disappointed I promise.

CD Heaven, Hitchin
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Woods of Bognor Regis
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Penny Post Classics
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