Holmboe: Symphony no 10

Day 273

Vagn Holmboe: Symphony no 10

Aarhus Symphony Orchestra

Owain Arwel Hughes

I had heard the name Holmboe but I didn’t know anything about his music, his country or even when was active, other than it was in the 20th century. His dates are 1909-1996 and he was Danish, eventually becoming a professor at the Royal Academy of music in Copenhagen. He wrote 13 symphonies in total - I chose the 10th - written in 1970-71 at random as a way of sampling his output.

It is in a post Sibelius/Nielsen idiom. More chromatic and dissonant than the work of either composer but recognisably using the same approach to building a symphony based on short repeated motives and gradual building up to a climax over a sustained period. There was a lot to enjoy here , particularly in the last movement which built up the tension in a compelling way before letting the music subside into a long and rather beautiful slow wind down. This was high quality music though I did think that the percussion was rather overused at times - some of the cymbal crashes did seem out of place.  But all in all another composer I am glad to have encountered. One of the key benefits of this project has been to extend the breadth of my musical experience and had I not embarked on it I doubt very much that I would have ever listening to anything by Holmboe.

Petterson: Symphony no 7

Day 272

Allan Petterson: Symphony no 7

Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra

Antal Dorati

Allan Petterson has the reputation of being one of the bleakest music ever wrttten. Certainly there is nothing lighthearted or joyful in his music if this piece is anything to to by - and from what I have read it certainly is. Petterson had a difficult life. He was in near constant pain from Arthritis and was for most of his life he was confined to a small apartment. He had been a professional viola player but after he because too ill to play he devoted himself to composition, eventually receiving a small state grant.

The 7th symphony was the first of his works to receive international attention following the release of this recording by Antal Dorati. It is a single movement work of about 40 minutes. It is austere and long-breathed with a real sense of organic growth. The music of Sibelius is obviously at the root of Petterson’s music style though there are elements of Shostakovich and Nielsen in his makeup. What is took me by surprise was the lyrical section for strings about two thirds of the way through. Heard on its own it could almost have been mistaken for Vaughan Williams or ever early Tippett. The release of tension that this brought to the piece made the return to the more austere material of the opening section even more gripping. 

This was remarkable music. Certainly not easy listening but I am glad that it gave it the time that it needed for proper study. Whether I can summon up the energy to hear all of the 17 symphonies (two incomplete) is another matter. Certainly not something I can tackle in the immediate short term.

Louis Glass: Symphony no 6

Day 271

Louis Glass: Symphony no 6

South African Broadcast Corporation Symphony Orchestra

Peter Marchbank

Louis Glass was a Danish composer (1864-1936) who was an almost exact contemporary of Nielsen. I first came across him when the slow movement of his 5th symphony was included on a sampler CD. I thought that it was a beautiful piece of late romantic music with tinges of Bruckner. I purchased the complete work on CD. The rest of that symphony was attractive but perhaps not quite on the same level. That symphony has the unfortunate title “ Svastika’ - nothing to do with the Nazis but a reference to the ancient Vedic symbol.

The 6th symphony has the subtitle Skjoldungeat, which translates as The birth of the Scylidigs, they are the mythical creatures of Danish mythology.  I enjoyed the piece a lot - like the 5th symphony the slow movement is perhaps the highlight, but it is all music of high quality which deserves wider appreciation. The style is unashamedly late romantic but has some tinges of modernism - the influence of Stravinsky can be felt in place though, perhaps surprising, I couldn’t discern any commonality with the music of Nielsen - his symphonies have an astringency that is not present here.

Alfred HIll: Symphony no 5

Day 270

Alfred Hill: Symphony no 5 The Carnival

Queensland Symphony Orchestra

Wilfred Lehmann

Alfred Hill was one of the earliest Australian composers in the western art tradition. He had an extensive training in Leipzig, where he met many of the leading musical figures of the time and then became a leading figure in the Australian musical establishment. Indeed by the time of his death in 1960 aged 90 he was the Grand Old Man of Australian musical.

This symphony dates from 1955 though you would never have guessed it. You might well have placed in in the 1880s or 1890s. The music idiom is conservative to the extent that Strauss, Stravinsky and Schoenberg may as well never existed. This is partly explained by the fact that this is a reworking of a string quartet dating from  the 1920s, but even then the music would have seemed old fashioned. It reminded me of Elgar is his lighter mood or even Eric Coates or one of the other light music composers that were such a feature of English music in the mid 20th century.

That is not to disparage the score at all - merely to put it into context. On its own terms is was a highly enjoyable piece - tuneful, lively and not too long. I can imagine it going down well with audiences. But nobody, and I expect that this would include the composer, would ever argue that this is an important contribution to the symphonic repertoire.

Roussel: Bacchus and Ariane suite no 2

Day 269

Roussel: Bacchus and Ariane suite no 2

BBC National Orchestra of Wales

Walter Weller

I came across Roussel as a student (it might even have been at school) where my recording of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice included The Spider’s Feast as a coupling. I suppose that I must have listened to at at least once but I have no memory of it and I don’t recall having heard anything anything else by Roussel since then. 

I found the opening of this, the second suite, completing listening - Roussel conjured up an impressive atmosphere with some highly sensitive orchestration. But as the piece went on I found my interest waining. I couldn’t quite get onto the right wavelength - it seemed to me that what we had here as little more than warmed up Ravel and Debussy. Perhaps I just wasn’t in the mood, because many people speak very highly of the score, but although the suite is short I didn’t find that it maintained my interest, even though I was following it with a score.

This ends this part of the project exploring some ballet music. Next I am going to turn to symphonies, exploring some works by composers on the fringes of the repertoire.

Ginastera: Estancia

Day 268

Ginastera: Estancia ballet suite

Josep Pons

I’ve very little experience of Ginastera. I do remember a pianist who had just played a concerto with our orchestra playing a piece of his as an encore after her performance - she seemed to enjoy the freedom of playing a solo much more than she did playing a concerto. Otherwise I am not conscious of ever having heard anything else he wrote.

This short suite from his 1941 ballet has a slightly curious history in that the planned performance of the ballet was postponed for several years and so the work was first heard as a suite. The suite is in 4 movements and is full of Latin American inspired rhythms. The music is very Coplandesque -indeed some of it seems almost direct imitation but it doesn’t quite have the bite of Copland’s best scores. Indeed at times it almost seemed to be a slightly pale imitation. I imagine that it is highly effective as music to dance to but frankly I found parts of it rather routine as a pure concert piece.

Massenet: Le Cid Ballet music

Day 267

Massenet: Le Cid Ballet music

London Symphony Orchestra

Richard Bonynge

My first experience of Massenet was playing the Scenes Pittoresque in youth orchestra. Other than a performance of the meditation from Thais that was my experience of Massenet until recently, when I have started to explore the operas. He reputation has never quite reached the same level as it achieved during his lifetime but as I listen to more of his music the more impressed I am by it - he has an effortless mastery which I find very attractive.

This ballet music from the opera Le Cid has had a life in the concert hall detached from the opera itself. I found it hugely enjoyable. It is no profoundly but it has real charm, melodic distinction and energy. I imagine that it is extremely effective as dance music but it certainly works its own right. There is a Spanish flavour to the score - a reminder of the old adage that the best Spanish music is written by French composers, Only the last movement disappoints: it recaps on material from the previous movement in a way which seems a little obvious and unsubtle after what has gone before. 

Although I don’t consciously remember listening to this music before parts of it seem familiar. I suspect that at some point bits of the music were used in TV or films where the spirit of the ballet was being invoked.