Marcel Poot was one of the most endearing composers of his generation.
The pictures in the booklet often show a po-faced gentleman looking
straight at you without any apparent smile. This is quite deceptive
for Marcel Poot was in fact capable of some at times devastating
humour and this shows from time to time in his music. Incidentally,
his most popular work is the short, breezy Vrolijke Ouverture
(“Cheerful Overture”). This and some other works earned him the
nickname of “Till Eulenspiegel of Flemish Music”, but there is
much more than that in Poot’s music. He was a master orchestrator
and also knew how instruments in chamber music could be used at
their best. His music is most often characterised by formal clarity,
clear-cut themes and frequently abrasive scoring. Although it
may be quite deeply felt, he definitely eschews sentimentality.
He composed a great deal of music in almost every genre from short
piano pieces to operas, although the backbone of his output is
to be found in his seven symphonies distributed across his whole
composing career. Some of these were once available on Marco Polo
8.223805 (Symphonies No.3, No.5 and No.7) and Marco Polo 8.223775
(Symphony No.6), and I hope that these very fine discs will soon
be reissued on Naxos, which they definitely deserve.
Poot was born
into a family with some interest in arts and culture. His
father played the clarinet in the local wind band known as
“Harmonie Royale” which he later chaired. Young Marcel was
then allowed to play timpani in the band. This may explain
Poot’s liking for and understanding of both brass and wind
bands, for which he composed quite a lot although some of
these works are sometimes very short. As can be seen from
the above details, the works recorded here, be they for brass
or wind band, span his long creative life. Some of the earliest
works date from the composer’s twenties. I will not go into
details about each of these pieces. I must nevertheless mention
that the rather abstractly titled Mouvement symphonique
for brass is a substantial piece of deeply felt and strictly
worked-out music. Franz André was an eminent conductor who
gave many first performances of contemporary works either
with the Belgian National Orchestra or with the Radio Orchestra
known then as I.N.R. For information’s sake, let it be mentioned
that Hartmann’s First Symphony is dedicated to Franz André
and that Malcolm Arnold and Arthur Butterworth had and have
fond memories of him. So the short Fanfare voor Franz
André is obviously based on F and A. The somewhat
longer Ere-fanfare voor Herman Teirlinck is
a tribute to the Flemish writer who was a friend of Poot.
Another piece worth mentioning is Vrolijkheid in
Brass, the “bilingual” title of which might
roughly translate as “Jollity in Brass”. The music lives up
to title.
The works for
wind band are also fairly short although Charlot
may be singled-out as somewhat more sizeable and far more
serious than the title might suggest. “Charlot” is the name
under which Chaplin’s ubiquitous character is known in French-speaking
countries. The music of this substantial work from the composer’s
early maturity shows that Poot had assimilated some of the
then modern musical techniques and echoes of Stravinsky may
indeed be heard here and there. Another remarkable feature
of this piece is the masterly scoring for wind band. Incidentally,
this work also exists in a version for symphonic orchestra.
It is interesting to note that in spite of its title, the
work does not refer to any particular events or characters
in Chaplin’s films. The three movements (Attitudes, Struggle
for Life and Les dieux s’inclinent) remain rather abstract
and merely suggest the sort of journey often experienced in
Chaplin’s films. Poot wrote for brass band and wind orchestra
till the very end of his life, and Diptiek (1984)
was his last work in the medium. The much earlier and quite
serious Dionysos of 1923 already displays Poot’s
formal mastery and expertly wrought scoring. The still earlier
Défilé Royal-Marche Triomphale (1922) is yet
another fine example of Poot’s tongue-in-cheek brand of humour.
This generously
filled disc offers a most welcome survey of Poot’s output
for brass band and wind orchestra. The performances are excellent
and dedicated and make this release a must for all the frustrated
admirers of his music. Let’s hope that more of his output
will soon be available on disc.
Hubert Culot
Brass Band
Buizingen/Luc Vertommena; Royal Symphonic Band of the
Belgian Guides/Norbert Nozy 
