Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Beethoven Reimagined
Sonata for Orchestra in C minor, op.30/2b (1802, arr. for orchestra by Garrett Schumann & Yaniv Segal, 2016) [26:31]
A Fidelio Symphony (1804-1814, arr. for orchestra by Yaniv Segal, 2018) [30:34]
Gabriel PROKOFIEV (b. 1975)
BEETHOVEN9 Symphonic Remix (2011) [24:42]
Gabriel Prokofiev (electronics)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales/Yaniv Segal
rec. 2018, Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff Bay, Wales, UK
NAXOS 8.574020 [81:75]
In the 250th anniversary year of Beethoven’s birth, we get to hear plenty of reinterpretations of Beethoven. Two of the pieces here take a fairly safe approach, while the last offers some jaw-dropping moments.
While some might think arranging Beethoven’s works to be presumptuous or offensive, rearranging his compositions is a time-honored tradition; even during Beethoven’s lifetime there was a significant cottage industry in taking works he wrote for one ensemble and rearranging them for a completely different one. The composer himself occasionally dabbled in this kind of work.
His violin sonata #7, op.30/2, was not exempt from that phenomenon. During Beethoven’s lifetime, it was published in rearrangements for flute quintet, string quartet, and four-hands piano, none of which involved the composer. In the 1840s, an enterprising publisher even turned it into a vocal work. The opening selection on this disc goes one better and turns it into a “Sonata for Orchestra.”
Arrangers Garrett Schumann and Yaniv Segal do not, however, stray far from Beethoven’s text, essentially just orchestrating the sonata. While it’s intriguing to hear the different textures, and the titanic piano chords of the first movement in particular translate well to a full orchestral palette, this isn’t all that imaginative. There are lengthy passages that are dominated fully by the strings, and more interaction or presence by the winds would have been more interesting. When the winds do make an appearance, they are used well; in particular the second movement offers some moments of light back-and-forth merriment. The third movement also is a lovely showpiece for the clarinet and bassoon.
The weakest portion is the finale, which I found lacking in excitement. While the notes indicate that the desire was to keep the work within the scope of a small classical orchestra, the arrangement seems to go a step too far back and it feels rather Mozartean and altogether too polite for a satisfactory Beethoven finale.
More adventurous is the same duo’s arrangement of Fidelio, op.72, for orchestra, as A Fidelio Symphony. Almost immediately upon its 1814 premiere, selections from Beethoven’s only opera were arranged by Wenzl Sedlak as Harmoniemusik for a small band of nine wind instruments. This “symphony” essentially treats several chunks of the opera, plus portions of its multiple overtures, as an orchestral piece.
The first movement, Einleitung, is essentially Beethoven’s Leonore Overture #2, written for the 1805 version of the original three-act opera, Leonore. The real meat comes in the second movement, Action, which pares away all the “pants” nonsense, the silly romantic triangles, and old Rocco’s conjugal advice. We’re left with what Beethoven really found interesting, the oppression of the political prisoners and doomed Florestan’s rescue. That is, we hear the finale of Act I, including the Prisoner’s Chorus, Florestan’s solo in the dungeon that opens Act II, and his duet with Leonore. The final movement, Apotheose, delivers the finale of the opera, combined with excerpts from Leonore Overture #2 and the 1806 Leonore Overture #3. The joins on the last movement will be a little disconcerting to anyone familiar with the pieces.
It’s kind of a shame that the arrangers couldn’t come up with a better concept for the first movement than simply borrowing directly from Beethoven. Indeed, one of the problems with the Leonore overtures has always been that they tend to give away the ending. That’s still a problem here, perhaps even moreso than in the context of a full opera where the overture might be half-forgotten when the big rescue rolls around. Still, the last two movements of this symphony are very effective and make for a quite enjoyable listening experience. If you’re not keen on opera, or don’t particularly like Beethoven’s vocal writing, this piece can serve as an effective, if somewhat abbreviated, substitute. The arrangement itself is period-appropriate and inoffensive.
The third piece, BEETHOVEN9 Symphonic Remix, definitely goes out on a limb and should please those looking for a serious “reimagining” of Beethoven. Gabriel Prokofiev takes the finale of the Ninth Symphony, breaks it into eight pieces, rearranges them and uses orchestral, vocal and electronic elements to reshape it into something occasionally familiar but often wholly different. The liner notes indicate that it incorporates “Modernism, Minimalism, hip-hop, grime, Egyptian Funk, Sufi Zikr, Baroque, house and electroacoustic ideas.” Indeed, it has moments that could be as jolting for a modern listener as the Ninth itself must have been to Viennese audiences in 1824.
The opening movement takes Beethoven’s dissonances and goes far beyond them; parts of it would not be out of place in Webern’s catalogue. The quotations of the first three movements are still here, but the way they are changed will bring a smile to the listener. Prokofiev’s reconstruction is witty, emphatic, and anything but dull.
The famous Ode to Joy theme first arrives in a moody and disturbing version, as if to ask, “What is there to be joyful about?” When the vocals should begin, however, we leave the planet completely under the title, “Freunde, haben wir ein neues Babel?” [Friends, do we have a new Babel?] Only at chance moments is there even a recognizable bit of Beethoven, and for the most part the voices are deep in wordless György Ligeti territory. It’s atmospheric and at times terrifying. Now and then, a brief phrase direct from Beethoven makes an appearance, heightening the contrast.
This evolves into “Freude Schöner GötterFUNKen,” featuring distorted vocals over pizzicato basses, while violins and winds keep the forward momentum going. I was a little disappointed that despite the title there was so little funkiness in this movement; I suppose it was too much to hope for some George Clinton or Rick James to be woven into the tapestry here.
The penultimate movement, “Alla marcia” takes the central tenor solo march and has a great deal of fun with it. Beethoven’s instrumentation with heavy reliance on drums and cymbals was of a style then known as “Turkish music.” Prokofiev runs with that notion, giving the movement the sound of a Middle Eastern hookah parlor.
The “Ode finale” that closes out the work is launched promisingly by tubular bells and is the most overtly electronic movement. But when you’re reworking a piece with a legendarily huge finish, it’s a bit of a letdown for this remix to conclude with so little energy. The finale could have taken more of a lesson from Beethoven’s final Prestissimo, which appears here only for a few seconds and almost feels tacked on. I felt the movement lacked the buildup that would give this finale sufficient emotional satisfaction or catharsis after all that has gone on before.
The performances by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales are generally quite solid on this disc. Conductor Yaniv Segal demonstrates his ability to work effectively in widely disparate modes. Recording quality is good, with more dynamic range intact than one often finds on Naxos releases. On the whole this is a successful “reimagining” of Beethoven, though those wanting a complete and startling metamorphosis of his music will probably only be satisfied with the BEETHOVEN9 Symphonic Remix.
Mark S. Zimmer
