My latest batch of discs to review has included completions of two impressive
and stirring symphonic cycles from Naxos by Albert Roussel and here from William
Schuman. Whilst the Roussel enters a relatively competitive field - and proves
itself to be the equal of any - this Schuman cycle is if anything more valuable
for providing the only coherent and complete survey of his symphonic output.
Prior to collecting this series, my knowledge of Schuman was sketchy and based
on the popular orchestral works and a couple of the symphonies released either
on CBS or Vox/Turnabout as those labels used to be. The great thing here has
been the unifyingly powerful and consistent vision of conductor Gerard Schwarz
and his fine Seattle Symphony. Great credit too must go to Naxos who initially
licensed the early releases in the cycle from Delos but then took up the baton
of completing the series with recordings that are every bit the equal artistically
and technically of the early ones. If you do not believe me try the first and
last tracks on this disc - the
Symphony No.8 dating from 2008 Naxos sessions
and the
Variations from Delos supervision in 1991. As an aside, one of
music’s great mysteries is how Schwarz has clearly established an enduring
and hugely successful relationship with his Seattle orchestra but failed to ignite
the same response from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic now flourishing anew
under Vasily Petrenko.
But to the music. In the past I have felt Naxos have used the phrase ‘American
Classics’ rather too loosely. Not here. I have grown to respect admire
and enjoy Schuman’s individual and wide-ranging musical voice as this series
has developed. None of the performances are first recordings and indeed the symphony
is in direct competition with a classic performance from
Bernstein
and the New York Philharmonic. I have not heard that recording but received
wisdom relates that having given the premiere only days before they were on creative
fire when they arrived in the studio in 1962. On its own merits though the current
recording is very fine. Given that Schuman writes for a very large orchestra
of triple woodwind and expanded brass and percussion to match the quality and
clarity of the recording is as essential as it is welcome. The Symphony was written
for the inaugural concerts of the Philharmonic Hall at the Lincoln Center in
1962. Don’t expect some festive romp though. This is darkly serious and
rigorously argued music. From the opening bars this is music that seems to lament
more than it celebrates. An extended horn solo grieves over unforgiving blocks
of strings and brass. The idea of a lost soloist pitched against an implacable
group repeats with oboe set against brass and violins against horns and piano.
Joseph
W. Polisi in his informative and authoritative liner note draws similarities
with other Schuman works. As elsewhere in this cycle I enjoy very much the way
Schuman sets up conflicts within the orchestra; it’s the orchestra as battlefield
with opposing forces ranged against each other. The occurrence of increasingly
tense and violent brass fanfare writing heightens this sense of aggression; as
on other recordings in this series the Seattle lower brass are captured with
thrillingly resonant power. Throughout this movement the Seattle strings are
particularly impressive creating a sonorously solid wall of unified implacable
tone. After the crisis of battle is reached with an aggressive timpani solo the
music subsides into uneasy calm before moving without a break into the second
movement. For spiritual and/or musical reasons that are not made clear the remaining
two movements of the Symphony are extended re-workings of material from Schuman’s
String
Quartet No.4 of 1950. A further self-quotation is pointed out by Polisi;
Schuman transforms the melody of the closing chorus of his 1953 baseball opera
The
Mighty Casey into what Polisi describes as “a lament unto itself”.
The terse, rage-contained mood of the opening movement continues. Clearly there
must be an extra-musical motivation for the use of the other works’ material
here; I only wish I knew what it was. Polisi is quite right to point out that
the function of this movement is far removed from the traditional central slow
movement of standard symphonic form. It is almost as if it is a self-contained
musical picture. Throughout its eleven minute span the mood remains unrelentingly
sombre although expressed in a variety of textures and tempi. Schuman has a clear
predilection for the imposition of varying materials. Often this results in the
conflict alluded to above but there are many fascinating passages where the material
runs in tandem seemingly refusing to acknowledge the presence of any other music.
Try track 2 at around 8:30 for an example of this. The low strings and brass
start a figure that could almost be a slow fugal subject in earlier more formal
times. Above and around them the upper strings skitter and buzz like some annoying
insect with light (but not light-hearted) scurrying figurations. Other orchestral
sections ally themselves and a more direct conflict ensues. All of the Seattle
orchestra play Schuman’s complex unpredictable rhythms with total ease.
As in the first movement out of the height of battle some kind of calm appears
although here the movement reaches a more definitive end with a held loud and
soured chord from the full orchestra.
After two unrelenting movements of anger and sorrow the final
Presto-Prestissimo is
undoubtedly welcome. As mentioned the musical material is again mined from the
earlier quartet but here the instrumental forces answer rather than overlap.
Although still jagged and dissonant that little change alone makes the music
more playful and lightened in spirit. It is the movement where Schuman’s
orchestrational skills are most apparent. Again the playing is neat or powerful
as required and the balance is finely achieved. The Naxos engineers have been
able to maintain internal detail within a believable overall balance. As the
movement develops so does the complexity of the contrapuntal texture - indeed
there is another similar ‘fugal’ passage to the one described above
but here the musical strands are more intertwined and the result is more symbiotic
than destructive. There is a sense that the various orchestral groups are taking
turns to display their prowess to admiring colleagues. The momentum is maintained
through the movement to a final display of (relative) unity until a final held
chord again coloured by dissonance. As mentioned above this is my first encounter
with this score and indisputably powerful though it is I do not feel I have got
under the skin of it yet. But experience tells me that all of Schuman’s
works repay repeated listening and attention and certainly the performance here
seems to exude authority and conviction with technical excellence taken for granted.
Not that the second work on the disc should be considered as any kind of filler.
Described as a choreographic poem,
Night Journey is a major score in its
own right running to over twenty-five minutes of continuous music. It was the
first of four collaborations Schuman had with the hugely influential Martha Graham.
Apart from her impact on the world of dance Polisi quotes Schuman as saying; “… I
was influenced tonally by her aesthetic, if not necessarily consciously … The
subject matter of these works is so Graham-ish … the dark side and the
fast side is very prominent.” The original orchestration of this work is
not clear but in 1981 Schuman returned to it and produced the
Choreographic
Poem for 15 Instruments recorded here. It shares a very similar aesthetic
to the Symphony although on a very different scale if judged by number of performers
alone. The mid-1940s was the time when Graham also collaborated with composers
such as Copland on
Appalachian Spring and Barber in
Cave of the Heart. Both
of those great works in their original versions are also for reduced quasi-chamber
instrumentations (with prominent orchestral piano parts) but Schuman creates
a darker more unsettling musical world than either. As such it’s a brilliant
and astute coupling for the Symphony although the result is a rather gritty listen
heard at a single sitting. In many ways I find Schuman’s handling of the
instruments more remarkable here than in the symphony. I often think the phrase “good
orchestration” is confused or more to the point mis-used with the concept
of writing for a large orchestra. Surely, truly skilful orchestration is the
use of minimum instruments to maximum effect - just as Schuman does here. Heard ‘blind’ I
suspect few would guess at 15 as being the number of players. The quality of
playing and recording helps maintain the illusion to a great degree. Sensibly
the engineering has brought the instrumental group closer into the foreground
which serves to differentiate the musical strands. This is lithe and athletic
writing superbly executed. Again, I don’t find myself instantly warming
to the work - time will tell - but I can imagine Martha Graham being absolutely
delighted with the work as it abounds in that kind of serious severity that characterises
much contemporary dance. Certainly this is Schuman at his most angular and uncompromising
- try track 4 around 16:30 to hear both the aggressive style of the music and
how brilliantly performed it is. The chilled tolling bell-like hollow piano chords
accompanying a hopeless string lament from around 24:30 to the end of the work
is another musical highlight - a very effective passage achieved with the minimum
of resources - hopelessness encapsulated. I am not clear if this version of the
Graham ballet still follows the same narrative path - I for one would have appreciated
some dramatic cueing of the music. Polisi does not provide a synopsis other than
mentioning it is based on the Oedipus myth told from the viewpoint of his mother
Jocasta.
After such a rigorous hour of music the uproarious orchestration of Charles Ives’ organ
bonanza
Variations on ‘America’ provides almost too much relief.
It really could not be further from the sound world or aesthetic of the other
two works if it tried! As mentioned before, this was recorded some 17 years before
the rest of the programme but it still sounds very fine indeed. The liner points
out that Schuman changed not a note of the work harmonically or otherwise. For
1891 - pre-dating
The Nutcracker or
The New World Symphony this
must have sounded like musical madness. What is so clever in Schuman’s
treatment is his po-faced absurdity. It serves to accentuate both the modernity
and inherent bizarreness of the original. In this performance I do feel the music
is better served by a more unbuttoned raucous approach - this is beautiful but
a tad civilised. Naxos have another version of this work in their catalogue -
as a coupling to the Quint/Schuman
Violin Concerto played by the Bournemouth
Symphony Orchestra (
review).
But to be honest you will not be buying this disc for that coupling. For those
who, like me, have been spellbound by the power and breadth of Schuman’s
vision as captured by this cycle this is an automatic purchase. If you are new
to this compositional landscape this might prove a daunting yet not unrewarding
place to start although some of the other earlier releases provide less rocky
foothills. This
might not be the conclusion of the Naxos/Schuman cycle
-
Symphonies 1 and
2 remain tantalisingly ‘withdrawn’.
My hope would be that the people who hold the Schuman legacy dear will realise
that the strength and enduring value of that heritage can only be enhanced by
knowing what came before. Even as it currently stands, this now-complete cycle
is one of the true jewels of the Naxos catalogue; powerful music presented in
exemplary sound and compelling performances.
Nick Barnard
see
also review by Rob
Barnett
Seattle Symphony/Gerard Schwarz 
