Anton Arensky - Egyptian Nights suitably exotic

This recording of Anton Arensky's ballet suite was originally released on Marco Polo in 1996. I'm glad to see it back in print. Arensky may not be a great composer (Rimsky-Korsakov didn't think so), but he's a very good one. And there's a lot to like in this work. 

The ballet, which premiered in 1900, is full of late-Romantic orientalisms. But it's also more than that. Arensky actually researched Egyptian music in preparation for writing this score. And although the Egyptian melodies he used are heavily cloaked in rich Western harmonies, the essence is still there. 

The ballet tells the story of a young man who becomes infatuated with Cleopatra. An infatuation that almost proves fatal. Once Cleopatra enters, there are lots of opportunities for dancing to entertain the Queen. 

Arensky was a great admirer of Tchaikovsky. His dances in this ballet reminded me strongly of a similar sequence in "The Nutcracker." There are dances of the Jewish Girls, the Egyptian Girls, the Ghazi, and the Snake Charmer. Each has a distinctive character, and each enhanced by the same type of exotic orchestration that Tchaikovsky used in "The Nutcracker."

The Moscow Symphony Orchestra, directed by Dmitry Yablonsky delivers some fine performances. This is a reissue of a 1996 recording, and it holds up well. The sound isn't quite as finely detailed as, say, a 2006 recording would be. But it still works for me. 

If you only know Arensky through his "Tchaikovsky Variations" or his first Piano Trio, give this a listen. You might be pleasantly surprised.   

Anton Arensky: Egyptian Nights, Op. 50
Alexander Avarmenko, violin Solo; Vladimir Kolpashnikov, cello solo
Moscow Symphony Orchestra; Dmitry Hablonsky, conductor
Naxos 

Władysław Żeleński Chamber Music - True Polish Treasures

Władysław Żeleński is one of those composers who are musical giants within their own country but are barely known outside it. In 1887 Żeleński founded the Conservatory of Music in Cracow. 

As its director, he helped shape the face of Polish classical music in the early 20th Century. As a composer, he was a craftsman of the first rank. Żeleński wrote in the late-Romantic style of Brahms, tempered with Polish folk music traditions. 

This release presents two of his most expansive chamber works. The Trio for Piano, Violin, and Cello is based on a Latin maxim. Roughly translated, it's "I call the living, I mourn the dead, I repel lightning." Each phrase sets the character of a different movement. 

The first, which "calls the living," is a traditional sonata-allegro that's brimming with energy. The slow second movement may mourn the dead, but it does so in an elegiac fashion. The music exudes more hope than sorrow. The lively finale suggests that repelling lightning is nothing more than a game. 

It's a composition that works just as well if you don't know the program (which is what good music should do). The Trio Lontano delivers a masterful performance. I especially enjoyed the interchanges between the instruments when lines overlapped. 

For the Piano Quartet, the trio added violist Adrian Sanciu. The extra instrument thickens and darkens the ensemble sound. And that's just the effect Żeleński wants. The quartet is a more mature work and a more somber one. 

Here emotions are heartfelt, yet frustrated. There's a sense of yearning that runs throughout the work. I found it quite beautiful and moving. If you enjoy late-Romantic chamber music, you should give this a listen. This is exceptional music by a truly talented composer. 

Władysław Żeleński: Chamber Music
Trio Lontano; Adrian Stanciu, viola
DUX 1735

    

Theodor von Schacht Symphonies continue to entertain

Theodor von Schacht was appointed director of court music in Regensburg in 1773. It was a big deal. 

Regensburg was the seat of the Holy Roman Empire and the home of the Perpetual Diet. In 1663 the Diet convened. Fearing that the Emperor wouldn't hold another, the body simply never adjourned, continually in session from 1663 through 1806. 

That made Regensburg a magnet for emissaries across Europe. They had to be entertained -- and impressed -- by the Imperial Court. Von Schacht was more than equal to the task. 

This is the second volume of his symphonies Gernot Schmalfuss and the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra have recorded for CPO. Von Schacht used Haydn as his model, so these are lengthy works. Each release features three symphonies. 

Von Schacht wrote about 33 symphonies, so only nine more volumes to go!

Von Schacht used Haydn's symphonic structure, but he wasn't a Haydn imitator. The symphonies presented here all have Haydn's mature four-movement form. The first movements start with a slow introduction, The second movements are slow, and the third movements are minuets. 

The difference in the music von Schacht fills out those forms with. His ideas are direct, straightforward, and darned catchy. His role was to entertain rather than enlighten, and these symphonies deliver. 

They're well-crafted, with some imaginative use of winds and brass. I caught myself humming along more than once. 

Gernot Schmalfuss and the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra perform with light-hearted energy. In the liner notes Maestro Schmalfuss writes, "The ESO and I hope that you will obtain just as much pleasure from listening to this CD as we did when we recorded it."

I certainly did.

Theodor von Schacht: Symphonies, Vol. 2
Evergreen Symphony Orchestra; Gernot Schmalfuss, conductor
CPO 77 912-2

#ClassicsaDay #NAFTAclassics 2021 Week 1

The Classics a Day team once again made NAFTA Classics the theme for July. Two of the three countries in North America have significant holidays in the month -- Canada Day (July 1), and Independence Day (July 4).

As always with this theme, I simply alternated between Canadian, American, and Mexican composers. And the process discovered a lot of great classical music north and south of the border. 

Here are my #ClassicsaDay posts for the first ten days of #NAFTAclassics.

7/1/21 Murray Adaskin (Canada) Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra

Adaskin was a violinist, composer, and director of the University of Saskatchewan's Music Department.

7/2/21 Julian Carillo (Mexico) Symphony No. 1

Carrillo was famous for his theory of microtonal music, "Sonido 13." His earlier works -- such as this 1901 symphony -- use more traditional harmonies.

7/5/21 Benjamin Carr (US) Federal Overture

Carr emigrated to America in the 1790s. He's known as the Father of Philadelphia Music for his work as a composer, conductor, and teacher.

7/6/21 Charles-Amador Martin (Canada) - Prose de la Sainte Famille

Martin was the second priest to be ordained in New France. His sacred works are the earliest attributed to a Canadian composer.

07/07/21 Juan de Lienas (Mexico) Salve Regina

De Lienas (ca. 1600-1654) is only known to us through two surviving manuscript collections. It is thought that he was a chapel master in Mexico City, and perhaps Havana.

07/08/21 William Henry Fry (US 1813-1864) Macbeth Ouverture

Fry was the first native-born American to compose for orchestra and the first to compose an opera. As a music critic (another first), he encouraged his readers to support American composers.

7/09/21 Calixa Lavallée (Canada) - Le papillon

Lavallée composed "O Canada," which was later adopted as the national anthem. Lavallée was born in Montreal but spent a good deal of his career working in the U.S.

Rediscovered British Clarinet Concertos Deserve a Listen

This is a wonderful collection of music. And, I think, it makes a point. The classical repertoire is so rich that no matter how tightly focused the program, there are plenty of gems to chose from. In this case, the focus is clarinet concertos by British composers from the first half of the 20th Century -- specifically, 1930-1947.

Clarinetist Peter Cigleris presents four works that make me wonder how many other such concertos -- and composers -- are awaiting rediscovery. Cigleris plays with a warm, mellow tone that brings out the lyricism in these works. His exceptional breath control lets the melodies spin out, making gossamer traces through the air. And yet he can give his clarinet's sound an edge when called for. 

I had never heard of Susan Spain-Dunk before this release. She was most active in the 1920s and 1930s. Her 1931 Catalina for clarinet and orchestra is gorgeous. Stylistically, it seemed to me like a blend of Debussy and Elgar, creating something familiar yet new.

Pianist Rudolph Dolmetsch was part of a musical family. His Concerto for Clarinet and Harp from 1939 is a good-natured showpiece. It has more of an English character than Spain-Dunk's work, with a more modern sound that leans towards Arthur Bliss. The interplay between clarinet and harp makes this one a winner.

The Serenata Concertante for Clarinet and Small Orchestra by Peter Wishart is the most dramatic of the four concertos. It was written in 1947 and perhaps articulates some of the turmoil of the times. There are also some very fine lyrical passages. Wishart incorporates a tune that sounded to me quite close to a Christmas carol. 

Elizabeth Maconchy is the best-known of the four composers. But her Clarinet Concertino still needed rediscovery. Machonchy's concertino is the most modern-sounding of the four concertos. It's highly rhythmic and quite energetic. And I'm hoping more clarinetists will program it. 

Peter Cigleris has done a singular service by recording these works. It's not likely I'll ever hear any of them in live performances. And all four are works I've very glad I heard.

Rediscovered: British Clarinet Concertos by
Susan Spain-Dunk, Elizabeth Maconchy, Rudolph Dolmetsch, Peter Wisart
Peter Cigleris, clarinet
Deian Rowlands, harp
BBC National Orchestra of Wales; Ben Palmer, conductor
Cala Signum SIGCD631