Newent Orchestral Society
Celebrating 70 years of music making, 1940-2010

Reviews and comment

On music mainly written since the beginning of the 20th C, including CD and DVD releases plus the occasional book; reviewed by Bill Anderton

Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992): Trois Mélodies and Harawi; Hetna Regitze Bruun, Soprano; Kristoffer Hyldig, Piano. Naxos
These songs by Messiaen (composer, organist and ornithologist), have a strange aura about them.  They are full of surprises at every turn and quite mesmerising. Their reason for being sounds gloomy, both being inspired by the loss of loved ones. They are, however, optimistic and look beyond any confining boundaries of depression to the stars - and are beautifully performed.

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911): Symphony No.7; Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mariss Jansons. BR Klassik
Composed during the summers of 1904/05, this belongs with the 5th and 6th symphonies as being entirely instrumental. The second and fourth movements are labelled as "Nachtmusik" and this is such an evocative symphony that it is hard to avoid the usual suggestions that it expresses dark and light on may levels and in many ways, the final movement being irrepressibly positive and "dawning". It is throughout unmistakably Mahlerian and, even though late in the cycle of his symphonies, would be a wonderful introduction to anyone who has not listened properly to Mahler before.

Ivor Gurney (1890-1937): Songs; Susan Bickley, Mezzo-Soprano; Iain Burnside, Piano; Naxos English Song Series
Poet and composer, Ivor Gurney, composed more than 300 songs. This is a selection of settings of his music to words by such poets as John Masefield, William Shakespeare, W.B. Yeats and Walter de la Mare. His genius was in the way his music combines perfectly with the words and his inspiration was the countryside around Gloucester. There are 30 songs on this CD, each is a testament to the greatness that English music can achieve in this genre.

Tan Dun: Water Concerto for Water Percussion and Orchestra; Royal Stockholm Orchestra; Conductor, Tan Dun; Water Percussion, David Cossin; Opus Arte DVD
Tan Dun is well know for award-winning film scores and is also composer of a "Paper Concerto". His music is inspired by early childhood memories of village life in China and his compositional concepts involve the notion that every little thing has a life and a soul.  Ancient water ceremonies as well as natural water sounds inspire this concerto, whose performance is visually stunning as well as musically unique. There is an interweaving here of Western and Chinese traditions to create music that has the power of enchantment.

Richard Strauss: Salome; The Royal Opera; Conductor, Edward Downes; with Maria Ewing as Salome; sung in German with English subtitles; Opus Arte DVD
This 1992 production is directed by Peter Hall.  I remember his stunning "Midsummer Night's Dream" from the 1970s, and this, in the simplicity of its deliberately dated production creates the same powerful magic, albeit with completely different subject matter. The original production was in Dresden, 9 December, 1905 and created a near riot. The music itself was controversial enough, but add to this the Dance of the Seven Veils and the portrayal of Jewish elders as buffoons and the mixture was lethal. Today, the most shocking aspect is the final scene when Salome kisses and declares her love to the severed head of John the Baptist. Oh, yes, and the libretto is by Oscar Wilde. Wow!

Morton Feldman (1926-1987): Rothko Chapel (1971); Why Patterns? (1978)
New Albion Records, Inc.
These are examples of the meditative compositional style of American composer, Morton Feldman who explored the use of timbre, silence, voices and a wide range of instruments. The music is not demanding but has the strange effect of being different each time you listen to it, just as no two sunsets or sunrises are the same. This music seems to respond to your mood, as much as the other way round. The two pieces recorded here are a worthy introduction to Feldman and the musical soundscapes he created.

Fear of Music: Why People Get Rothko But Don't Get Stockhausen
by David Stubbs, O Books.
This book caught my attention when I heard James Naughty interviewing the author. It's a short book, too short at 136 pp. The title belies the fact that the main thrust of the content is a parallel history of contemporary art and music with a conclusion that attempts to answer the question inherent in the title, but, of course, fails. That's not a criticism as the content is informative and thought provoking and there never was going to be a clear answer. The author crams in a great deal in this short space and does it with an intense, evocative style, not difficult to read and absorb. I, and I guess most readers, would want to refer back to the text having read it, so it's a shame there's no index. And the spell-checker just wasn't good enough. If you are interested in contemporary music, particularly the kind that challenges the norm, this will prove to be a good investment.

Bartók (1881-1945), Violin Concerto No. 2 (1938), recorded 1953; Sonata No.1 for Violin and Piano, recorded 1947; Philharmonia Orchestra, c. Wilhelm Furtwängler, Violin,
Yehudi Menuhin, Piano, Adolph Baller. Naxos.
Menuhin was a champion of Bartók and these are historic recordings. If you come to the Bartók Violin Concerto with your ear attuned to Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Bruch, it will come as a crunching surprise. Give the whole performance a couple of listenings before making any judgement, as the first hearing could easily evoke a rejection. Subsequent listenings then reveal a musical treasure trove. I love this composer's string quartets and know how innovative and ground-breaking they were. This violin concerto is no less seminal, ranging from great power to calm, lyric beauty. The last movement of the sonata, influenced as is all of Bartók's music by the modes of eastern European folk tradition, is phenomenally exciting.

Stravinsky (1882-1971), "The Rake's Progress", libretto by W.H. Auden. Jayne West, Soprano, Jon Garrison, Tenor, John Cheek, Bass-baritone, Orchestra of St Lukes, conductor, Robert Craft. Naxos.
First performed in 1951, this was Stravinsky's only full length opera and is loosely based on a series of paintings by the English 18th century artist, William Hogarth, depicting the decline into madness of rich merchant, Tom Rakewell. The setting is 18th c. England and there is something peculiarly "English" about this whole opera. This is a result of the neo-classical style in which the music is composed, which is restrained and exceptionally well crafted. The opera marked the end of an era for Stravinsky, who later embarked on composing serial music, somewhat late in the day. There is nothing "difficult" about this opera, remarkable perhaps because Stravinsky was not afraid to present his opera into a world full of post-war avant-garde creativity. There is also little here reminiscent of the unrestrained "Rite". Although the setting is 18th century, the subject matter of greed, materialism, immorality and a fall into madness is certainly relevant today. Robert Craft is Stravinsky's biographer and protagonist. He helped the composer interpet the English score, a language which Stravinsky struggled with. There is no indication of this in the way the music is so closely knit with and unfolds with the libretto. Thomas Adčs has written an insightful piece on this opera: click here.

Alexander von Zemlinsky (1871-1942), Lyric Symphony (1923), Roman Trekel, Baritone, Twyla Robinson, Soprano, Houston Symphony, conductor, Hans Graf. Naxos.
The interest in this piece, historically, lies in the fact that this great composer, whose Lyric Symphony is a romantic masterpiece, was the friend, teacher and brother-in-law of Schoenberg. The symphony is based on a love poem by Indian poet, Rabindranath Tagore and the cycle of seven songs is arranged to tell a love story and create a symphonic form. The orchestration is wonderfully, rich and inventive  and the piece is well worth exploring.

On the same CD is Alban Berg's (1885-1935), Three Pieces from the Lyric Suite (arr. for string orchestra, 1929). This was ostensibly written as a tribute to Zemlinsky but the  programme Berg had in mind was music for his illicit lover, Hanna Fuchs-Robettin. This is music by a lover to his loved one. Berg was a pupil of Schoenberg and the great characteristic of his music, exemplified at its best here, is its great economy. This makes every note feel just right and always inevitable after what has gone before. The music in this sense is Mozartian, perfect in its progress to the conclusion of each piece. Try this if you are unsure how to find a way into new music. It is atmospheric and deeply expressive.

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