Although commissioned, and written as such, as a ballet,
Rébus
never seems to have been danced! It doesn’t matter for it
makes a splendid six movement orchestral suite. Because of the
ballet element there is, perhaps, more thematic interweaving than
one might normally get in an orchestral suite, but this only aids
the listener when listening to it for the first time. It’s
a more difficult piece than
L’envol d’Icare,
which was written two years later, but here the composer is coming
to terms with a neo-classical style, which, perhaps, doesn’t
sit too comfortably on his young shoulders. That said, it’s
a fine piece of work, with each movement clearly and distinctly
characterised with spiky orchestration and a sense of fun. It
might be that there is just a little too much insistence on repetitive
rhythms - the final
Parade is almost too much to bear in
its continued sameness, but as he had dance in mind when composing
there is probably a really good reason for this.
The
Hymnes consist of a
Prelude and three
Hymns
with the
Hymne à la Mort added later, and being
a version of the last of the
Trois Poèmes for voice
and piano of 1935. According to the notes, as late as 1980 Markevitch
was making small changes to the score - surely this proves that
he never lost sight of his musical roots as a composer. This performance
uses the original score as Lyndon-Gee sees the later edition as
“… crude, and by no means tonally more effective than
the original.” This is a much more serious work than
Rébus,
and it’s hard to believe that it was written only a year
later, so great is the assurance of the composer in his use of
material and of the orchestra, when compared to the earlier piece.
The second
Hymn is especially elegant, starting as a clarinet
solo, over sustained strings, and developing into a duet with
flute. This is quite beautiful. The following movement is full
of rhythmic interplay, and it’s very exciting and freely
tonal, but Markevitch spoils what he has written by putting two
loud common chords at the end, which are totally out of place
with the rest of the music. The final
Hymne à la Mort
is very slow and packed with atmosphere, the music quietly making
its weary way to its conclusion, ending with the stroke of a bell.
Lorenzo il Magnifico was Markevitch’s penultimate
work - only the
Variations, Fugue and Envoi on a Theme of Handel,
for piano, remained to be written. Subtitled
Sinfonia Concertante,
this is a huge work, conceived in the broadest terms, and scored
for a large orchestra. Four vocal movements surround a central
orchestral meditation, which comes as something of a relief after
much high-powered singing - both the music itself and the delivery.
With
Psaume we are back to the driven, slightly unsubtle,
music heard in
Rébus. There’s a rather mystical
feel to this music but, at the same time, there’s a playfulness
and a joy, perhaps in simply living.
Throughout, Lucy Shelton is the accurate soprano, but I do feel
that she has too narrow a range of emotion. There’s too
much loud, declamatory singing and insufficient introspection
and calm. She also displays a wide vibrato and the ear soon tires
of the constant variation in pitch as she sings. The orchestra
is first rate, the notes very good and the sound clear and bright.
If you’re still wondering whether or not to investigate
this fascinating composer I recommend you start with Volume 3
(see
review).
If you’re already hooked then these are very exciting and
rewarding issues.
Bob Briggs
Arnhem Symphony Orchestra/Christopher Lyndon-Gee 
