Edward ELGAR (1857-1934)
Piano Quintet in A minor, Op. 84 (orch. Donald Fraser) (1918, 2015) [38:25]
Sea Pictures, Op. 37 (orch. Donald Fraser) (1897, 2016) [21:04]
English Symphony Orchestra/Kenneth Woods
Rodolfus Choir and English Chamber Orchestra/Kenneth Woods
rec. Abbey Road, London, July 2013 (Sea Pictures), Elgar Hall, Birmingham, Oct 2015 (Piano Quintet)
AVIE AV2362 [60:00]
Here are two well known Elgar works in unfamiliar garb. This
is a step further out into the unknown beyond such 'confections'
as the Elgar/Walker
Piano Concerto. It's not as remote or as ambitious as the Third
Symphony, the Sixth Pomp and Circumstance and the masterly So
Many True Princesses. It occupies roughly the same territory as the Gordon
Jacob-orchestrated Organ
Sonata.
It is the burden and blessing of some composers that their fans cannot get
enough of their music. Demand like that is bound to encourage orchestrations,
completions and realisations. So far as British music is concerned both Elgar
and Finzi (Songs
and Bagatelles)
have felt the effects while others including Vaughan Williams have had their
early/suppressed works revived. Elgar capitalised on the music of Handel,
Bach and Chopin; Donald Fraser and his sponsors skilfully follow a similar
path but on much more extensive original works. Fraser has some credentials
for orchestrating Elgar. Quite apart from these two major projects he orchestrated
parts of the Violin Sonata for a film project, Elgar's Tenth Muse
which was shot at and around Brinkwells. The recordings were made by Sir Andrew
Davis and the BBC Symphony with Maxim Vengerov.
It's an initially disorientating experience to hear Sea
Pictures in a version with choir. Mind you, having recently
encountered Sea Pictures sung by Larisa Avdeyeva (Scribendum-Svetlanov)
in Russian I was already 'softened up'. The Rodolfus Choir are
an elite SATB group and have a wonderfully smooth and often lulling sound;
there's a lot of that mood in Sea Pictures. The choir's
diction is a marvel although the sung words are in any event at the back of
the booklet. The singers are attentive to dynamic contrast and register some
superbly poetic effects. Open-minded Elgarians who can get over the heresy
of unfamiliar forces will find much to enjoy here. Where Corals Lie
is a delight and works exceptionally well with choir.
A lazy unobservant glance at the details of this disc had me assuming that
the Piano Quintet had been re-engineered into a Piano Concerto
to join the Elgar/Walker. No such thing. What we have here is something of
symphonic proportions and character. While there are some dark and dramatic
moments and even some hints of the Second Symphony this now comes across as
reflective and in the same territory as Falstaff. The first movement
has an air of halting even fearful uncertainty. It's all very smooth
though, suave even. A Viennese lilt at 10.00 is one of several instances where
things become quite Brahmsian. The second movement is almost Finzian as details
entwine much as they do in the woodland Interludes in Falstaff. The
finale has its exciting moments but is overall quite nostalgic (5.24), philosophical
and regretful.
Sea Pictures is an early work while the Piano Quintet is one of that
group of chamber pieces from the saddened Brinkwells years. What next when
it comes to orchestrating piano quintets? Perhaps an orchestration of Bax's
Piano Quintet of 1915 - a work symphonic in scale and bearing. If so it would join two existing
Dutton CDs of reclaimed/rescued Bax: the Variations for Orchestra
(CDLX7326)
and the huge early, unnumbered Symphony (CDLX7308).
The liner-note is by the conductor and by Donald Fraser. It's in English,
German and French.
These two works in new colours should give many more opportunities to hear
this music although ironically each requires a greater number of performers
than the originals. Of the two Sea Pictures strikes me as the more
attractive.
Rob Barnett
Previous review:
Gwyn Parry-Jones
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