Fernando LOPES-GRAÇA (1906-1994)
Piano Concerto no.1 (1940) [30:15]
Piano Concerto no.2 (1950/1971) [24:48]
Eldar Nebolsin (piano)
Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto/Matthias Bamert
Recorded: Casa da Música, Porto, Portugal, 11-12 March (no.1) &
13-14 May (no.2) 2011.
NAXOS 8.572817 [55:03]
Fernando LOPES-GRAÇA (1906-1994)
Suite Rústica no.1 (1950) [14:53]
Poema de Dezembro (1961) [10:11]
Marcha Festiva (1954) [6:47]
Sinfonia (1944) [34:39]
Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Álvaro Cassuto
rec. Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, 26-27 July 2011.
NAXOS 8.572892 [66:30]
These are the opening two volumes from Naxos devoted to a composer the booklet
notes describe as "one of the most significant figures in Portuguese music
of the twentieth century". He is certainly one of the most original, as the
two piano concertos and symphony testify.
Piano Concerto no.1 is quite unforgettable, thanks in part to the catchy refrain
that runs through the first movement, but also to the composer's employment
of folk rhythms and melodies and a frequent scordatura-type effect. Piano
Concerto no.2 is in many respects a darker version of no.1, but is even better,
especially the passionate Rachmaninov-meets-Ravel slow movement. That these
works are virtually never heard outside Portugal is a major crime. Uzbekistan-born
soloist Eldar Nebolsin gives a good, strong account, whilst Naxos stalwart
Matthias Bamert does a reasonable job of extracting a competent, confident
performance from the Porto Symphony Orchestra. At 55 minutes, value for money
here is less than it might have been - Lopes-Graça's piano concertino
would surely have fitted on. Perhaps Naxos intend to record it with the composer's
only other work for piano and orchestra, the Fantasy on a Religious Song?
On the earlier disc the Portuguese interest comes from experienced conductor
Álvaro Cassuto, who visited Scotland to take charge of the marvellous
RSNO in Glasgow for a programme of orchestral works dominated by Lopes-Graça's
symphony of 1944. This work, somewhat tautologically listed as 'Sinfonia per
Orchestra' - its original title, according to Cassuto - is distinguished not
only by its ample proportions. Lopes-Graça lived another fifty years
without writing a second symphony, which must rank as a significant loss to
Portuguese music, for this is a work of some originality, quasi-neoclassical
in spirit but incorporating a good deal of picturesque amor patriae.
Portugal's neutrality in World War II ensures an absence of angst in Lopes-Graça's
music of this period.
In the Suite Rústica no.1 (nos. 2 and 3 are not for orchestra) Lopes-Graça
offers more native dance music, although now he has given old tunes a full
art-music workover, polishing, refining, layering. In December Poem and Festival
March folk influences are much less obvious, if indeed present at all. The
ruminative December Poem is appropriately bleak, the prominent role given
to a solo oboe almost ominous, whilst Festive March is decidedly more frenetic
than the title implies. Comparing these two, Cassuto suggests that "one of
them cries, the other one laughs". In fact, the March is reminiscent in its
zany humour and imaginative orchestration of Malcolm Arnold.
This disc marks in fact a Scottish return for Cassuto, his recording with
the RSNO of Lopes-Graça's younger compatriot Joly Braga Santos two
years ago having been well received (8.572815, review).
In this interesting online interview
for Naxos, Cassuto tells of Herbert von Karajan's influence on him, although
there is perhaps understandably little evidence of it in this Portuguese music.
As an ensemble the RSNO is in a different league to the PSO, and in that respect
this is a slightly more satisfying CD for a one-off investment into this composer's
music - especially with the extra ten minutes running time. On the other hand,
Lopes-Graça is a significant composer who should be much better known,
and these are both important recordings that all 20th-century music cognoscenti
should be familiar with.
Audio quality is creditably high in both cases, although the earlier one made
in Glasgow gives an extra measure in terms of clarity and depth. That disc
also has generous, well written notes by Cassuto; the latter, by Ivan Moody.
Both writers do however give much space to a rather unnecessary movement-by-movement
description of the music, almost as if expecting listeners not to have ears
of their own.
Byzantion
Collected reviews and contact at artmusicreviews.co.uk
A significant composer who should be much better known.
See also review of 8.572892 (Sinfonia) by Hubert
Culot (July 2012 Recording of the Month)
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