PETER MENNIN
Concertato - Moby Dick10.53
Symphony No. 3 20.28
Symphony No. 7 Variation-Symphony 26.11
Seattle SO/Gerard Schwarz
DELOS DE 3164
[57.32]
Crotchet
Amazon
US
Jim Svejda's notes are extensive and candid. They remark that Mennin (originally
'Mennini' as Pistone became Piston and 'Guttoveggio' became Creston) wrote
music devoid of humour and charm. In its place there is an alertness and
a clamorous attention to lyrical line and rhythmic inventiveness.
The overture-sized Moby Dick 'Concertato' arose from Mennin reading
the novel after someone had sent him a 'Moby Dick' libretto for a proposed
opera. Like all the best pieces of literary-inspired music the work is driven
by the generalised impact of the great story rather than portrayal of particular
incidents.
The Third Symphony, and this performance of it, has the harsh propulsion
and unleashed excitement of the Vaughan Williams' Fourth Symphony. While
this version does not have the aggressive velocity of the Mitropoulos account
on CRI it is in infinitely superior audio quality. Listen to the griping
of the horns and the superbly contrived depth of the sound. The Seventh again
lacks the out and out dynamism of the Martinon version, now residing on CRI,
but is so much better recorded that its dissonant Bergian eloquence is heard
to better effect both in the largo-like stretches and in the two 'on-your-toes'
allegros.
This is a very good disc representative of one of America's toughest and
steeliest symphonists and is a mandatory purchase for the best sound. Personally
I would go for the CRI not only because of the virility of the interpretations
but also for the even more generous coupling. In place of the Concertato
you get the Piano Concerto in a blow-torch of a performance from John Ogdon.
Rob Barnett
