The Danish composer
Hans Christian Lumbye came from a military
background and was taught to play the
violin and trumpet at an early age.
In 1839 he heard the music of Johann
Strauss the elder during a visit to
Copenhagen made by a Viennese orchestra.
This proved to be a lasting influence
and one that is abundantly evident in
many of the works on this disc. Though
Lumbye’s music lacks a truly original
voice, it is nevertheless consistently
delightful listening.
The most famous piece
is "Købehavns Jernbane Damp
Galop" or the "Copenhagen
Steam Railway Galop" – an unforgettable
four minute ride. With the exception
of Drømmebilleder and Amélie
Vals, all the pieces given here are
miniatures but these two more extended
works fully justify their extra length.
Lumbye could certainly write a good
tune and for about thirty years he did
just that for the patrons of Copenhagen’s
music halls. In 1843 "Tivoli and
Vauxhall", an amusement park which
was opened and Lumbye became its music
director, a position he held until shortly
before his death.
This well-chosen program
covers most of Lumbye’s career and two
works reflect a sabbatical taken in
St. Petersburg in 1850. There is also
a Polonaise with Cornet solo which dates
from fairly early in his career and
for which I presume Lumbye would have
taken the solo part. With Champagne
Galops complete with popping corks to
start and finish, the program has the
feel of a New’s Year day concert with
a difference.
Gennady Rozhdestvensky’s
association with the Danish Radio Symphony
Orchestra appears to have been on a
guest basis. He seems a slightly surprising
choice for this repertoire until you
put the disc on when it rapidly becomes
clear that he was enjoying himself as
much as the players. The readings therefore
sound completely idiomatic and they
are backed up by excellent, atmospheric
sound from the early 90s. The various
extra musical effects (e.g. the train
guard’s voice in the Steam Railway Galop)
are captured most realistically. The
documentation is detailed and informative
with the Danish titles on the liner
(as given above) being translated in
the booklet.
Anyone who likes the
music of the Strauss family should also
try some Lumbye. There is quite a substantial
series on Marco Polo (currently running
to 11 volumes) but a single disc selection
will suffice for most people. At mid-price
this one will be very hard to beat given
its all round excellence. There is a
bargain price collection with an overlapping
program on Regis conducted by Peter
Guth and the Odense Symphony Orchestra.
At least some of that I have heard in
a previous incarnation and, although
it was good, Rozhdestvensky’s collection
is well worth a little extra money.
This is a most worthwhile reissue of
charm-laden music which should cheer
you up on a cold winter’s day.
Patrick C Waller
Danish National Symphony Orchestra/Gennady Rozhdestvensky
