Aubert LEMELAND (b.
1932)
Three Concertos for violin and string orchestra
Concerto Funebre (1992)
Concerto Op. 128 (1985)
Concerto Op. 148
(1985)
Marie-Annick Nicolas
(violin)
Orchestra de Chambre National de Toulouse/Emmanuel
Plasson
SKARBO SK3922 [52.05]
www.netbeat.com/skarbo
Lemeland, as the interview format notes point out, is much taken with the
American symphonic school of the 1930s-1950s. He cites his high regard for
the triumvirate of American Third Symphonies: Copland, Schuman, Roy Harris.
He encountered these works in the 1950s in Paris when he and Gilbert Amy
were in the habit of borrowing scores and recordings from the US Embassy
- presumably not a service any longer offered by the embassies. Also in his
pantheon is Appalachian Spring, Schuman's string quartet no. 3 and Symphony
No. 6 with Barber symphony No. 1.
The three concertos are compact being in one, three and two movements
respectively. None of them are in a recognisably Gallic style ... at least
not if your reference is Ravel or Debussy. The Schuman memoriam is from 1992.
It is searching, big-boned, tense, wonderfully played (as are all three)
by Nicolas. You might easily think you were listening to one of Schuman's
largos at many points in the three works. Lemeland is a powerful composer
and his concentration and that of Nicolas is palpable in the Adagio espressivo
of Op. 128 and the two lentos of Op. 148. The closing pages are an 'abschied'
of telling breathless enchantment.
If you are inclined towards Schuman, Berg, Rawsthorne and Frankel you will
want this well presented disc and would do well to search it out. The shortish
playing time doessn't seem to matter when you are engaged with this music.
Reviewer
Rob Barnett
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