Orchestral
CD and Other Review

Review: O’Brien: Complete Orchestral Music, Vol. 1 (Liepāja Symphony/Paul Mann)

Charles O’Brien was a Scottish composer, who doesn’t have much new to say outside (or inside) the British orchestral oeuvre of the early 20th century. However, his music is forthright and attractive, occasionally with a decided Celtic lilt. Hamish MacCunn was his composition teacher, and The Land of the Mountain and the Flood was clearly an influence. The 45-minute Symphony in F Minor begins soberly before entering into some robust 19th-century symphonic rhetoric, punctuated by Teutonic tuttis. There’s barely a hint of the Highlands; its feet are planted firmly in 19th-century Vienna. The slow movement is thoughtful, without any particularly interesting ideas, the second a graceful Menuetto. The last movement is a vigorous tribute to German Romanticism. Again, well scored, but lacking true inspiration. The music of the Ellangowan Concert Overture is instantly recognisable as Celtic; the only missing instrument is a bagpipe. It’s an enjoyable Scottish romp with a gentle conclusion. The overture is more successful than the symphony. It knows where it lives. The Liepāja Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Paul Mann, who directs the music with understanding. Competent but undistinguished playing, likewise the recording. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a…

July 29, 2016
Orchestral
CD and Other Review

Review: Ginastera: Orchestral Works 1(BBC Philharmonic/Mena)

I’ve always regarded Ginastera as a sort of Aaron Copland of the Pampas, with a dash of Villa-Lobos thrown in. This CD contains two ballet suites, from Ollantay and Pampeana No 3, and the complete Estancia (Cattle Ranch). Ollantay and Pampeana No 3 are both based on blood-thirsty pre-Colombian themes with descriptions of anacondas slithering through primeval slime and rather beautiful evocations of dawn and night. Ginastera certainly knew how to orchestrate. Most people who buy this release will want it for the rarely heard complete Estancia, rather than the frequently heard Malambo, guaranteed to bring any audience to its feet. This is worth hearing in full, but half the work consists of Malambo-like movements, which anticipate the finale so heavily that Ginastera virtually steals his own thunder. The work’s subject is a city slicker’s attempt to prove himself in a world dominated by machismo-flaunting gauchos (cowboys). Juanjo Mena and the BBC Phil play well but there’s not enough testosterone. The dances sound like a clique of haughty Argentinian polo players who’ve eloped with English heiresses. What’s really bizarre is the narration and songs interpolated into the score, cheesily crooned by Lucas Somoza Osterc. It’s as if Leonard Bernstein recited…

July 29, 2016