If you are not already
familiar with the name Edward Joseph
Collins, you can certainly be forgiven.
Collins was a little known composer
from Illinois who made a living teaching
at the Chicago Musical College. Throughout
his life he completed several major
musical works including an operetta,
a symphony, three piano concertos, two
overtures and three suites. During his
lifetime he was well received by critics,
but after his death quickly became a
footnote. This was not due to a lack
of talent on his part. The works collected
on this recording are easily the equal
of Paul Dukas, Henri Duparc, or César
Franck. However that may be precisely
the problem: his works feel as if they
are plucked directly from the very best
of the French symphonic tone poems from
the generation before he wrote. Since
he can be easily dismissed as derivative,
he often has been.
In the case of Collins
though, you can easily make a case to
forgive him for his similarity to the
older composers. The French tone poem
has few masters and fewer disciples.
American authors in the first half of
the 20th century were predominantly
part of the Neo-classical and Populist
schools of composition, and Collins
was no different than Walter Piston
or Howard Hanson in his desire to find
music that his audience could relate
to more than creating sounds that would
challenge them. So while each of these
pieces is easily comparable to other
works, they do not mirror their inspirations
so closely as to quiet the voice of
the composer himself.
The Ballet-Suite:
Masque of the Red Death very much
resembles the works of Dukas and Franck
in character and voicing. It was inspired
by the Edgar Allen Poe work, is presented
in five parts and was submitted for
the St. Louis Symphony in 1940. He borrowed
scalar material from his understanding
of Middle Eastern music and contains
a great deal of energy and metrical
complexity that invigorates the work
throughout. One wonders what the winning
work would have been, as this is actually
an excellent piece of music.
Irish Rhapsody
is based on the Irish potato famine
folksong "O! The Taters they are
small over here!". Again, it is
an interesting, energetic tone poem.
It prominently features the bassoon
and oboe, although strings and harp
provide the fundament. The work feels
much like a Copland piece in many ways.
There is an energy and freeness that
definitely harkens to Gershwin or Copland,
and in many ways defines what it means
to be an American composer from this
period.
Set of Four
is a collection of four short works
written for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
and presented as a single unit. They
are well crafted and entertaining. Collins
makes fine use of the strings, passing
melodic material up and down from cellos
to violins and back again. Three of
the pieces are less than four minutes
long, and shine in their brevity. The
second movement, "Moonlight and
Dance" is nearly ten minutes long,
allowing a greater expressivity.
Ballet-Suite: Masque
of the Red Death is presented here
for the first time in any public performance
of any kind. Irish Rhapsody and
Set of Four were first performed
in Chicago shortly after they were composed
but subsequently never recorded. Collins
apparently had the ear of Frederick
Stock, the conductor of the Chicago
Symphony Orchestra during the 1920s
and 1930s, and can owe any legacy he
has to that relationship.
In presenting these
works to most listeners for the first
time the Royal Scottish National Orchestra
under the direction of Colorado native
Marin Alsop does the listener a great
service. Under her baton these works
truly come to life. The recording is
technically quite nice and speak well
of both the hall and the engineers.
The notes shed a great deal of light
on the composition and evolution of
each piece and reflect a great deal
of research that is sure to enhance
a listener’s appreciation of the music
and the man. Generally speaking, this
is a solidly produced recording.
So while Collins’ name
is not held in the same reverence as
those of Copland or Barber, he was certainly
no hack. These are good works which
deserve a better fate than they have
so far been given. The American Neoclassicists
and Populists have been largely ignored
to date, but the music produced by them
is certainly worthwhile. Fans of Copland,
Gershwin or any of the French Romantics
will be certain to enjoy this music.
Patrick Gary
Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Marin Alsop
