Emil TABAKOV (b. 1947)
Symphony No. 7 (2004)
Symphony Orchestra of Bulgarian National Radio/Emil Tabakov
rec. May-June 2011, Bulgarian National Radio, Sofia, Bulgaria
Complete Symphonies – Volume 6
TOCCATA CLASSICS TOCC0597 [60:52]
Completed when he was 57, the Seventh Symphony of Emil Tabakov is not a work of soft edges. There are no emollient delights. Its unmistakable gravamen lies in the tortured soul - both the proces of torment and the resulting desolation. Evidence of ones ears tells the listener that the word ‘Allegro’ in the designations for the outer two (and longest) of the four movements is not to be taken as anything to do with cheerfulness or gaiety. The movements are: I. Allegro moderato [18:29]; II. Largo [12:00]; III. Quarter Note Equals 72 [13:23]; IV. Largo - Allegro [17:00].
This is deeply serious music that pummels and grieves. Think in terms of the darker shadows of Walton’s First Symphony, of Peter Maxwell Davies’ First, of Shostakovich’s Eighth, of Vaughan Williams’ Fourth, of the symphonies of Allan Pettersson and Torbjörn Lundquist. If you are looking in this direction for consoling ministration, a pallid approximation must be found in the quietness that comes with exhaustion rather than anything overt or playful. The second movement, a Largo, protests life’s overwhelming tragedies. A bass-drum and a brass maelstrom hammer away and pick up on similar moments from the first movement. There are even strained echoes of the Dies Irae. The third movement is intent on rhythmic concentration - a sort of funereal threnody that hammers away and rarely stops to look back. When it does pause to take breath, it seems to evoke tongues of flame that rise and flail in fury. Tabakov is not afraid of repetitive scorching oratory. The experience of the first two movements stands as testimony to this. The finale affirms the darkling plain “where ignorant armies clash by night”.
This disc is the sixth volume (Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3, Vol. 4, Vol. 5) in Tabakov’s ‘Complete Symphonies’ project in company with Martin Anderson’s Toccata Classics label. In the present case there is no concerto to soften the blow. There are eleven symphonies, with the most recent dating from 2020.
The six pages of notes (English only) by Paul Conway are more than equal to the task of supporting the listener in taking in music of such largely unremitting obduracy. Certainly, there are no concessions to the way of least resistance.
Rob Barnett
