Felix WOYRSCH (1860-1944)
Ouvertüre zu Shakespeares Hamlet, op.56 (1912) [13:29]
Symphony no.2 in C, op.60 (c.1912-13) [48:00]
Oldenburgisches Staatsorchester/Thomas Dorsch
rec. Grosser Sendesaal, Norddeutscher Rundfunk, Hannover, 19-20 December 2011.
CPO 777 744-2 [61:33]
In the photo on the back of the front cover, German conductor Thomas Dorsch
smiles cheerfully, and so he might - this recording with the excellent Oldenburg
State Orchestra of Felix Woyrsch's Second Symphony and Hamlet Overture is
not far off superb.
The quality begins with the German-English booklet notes which, as is normal
for CPO - are expansive and informative. Co-written by Dorsch and Andreas
Dreibrodt, they give a detailed biography of the once much-admired Woyrsch
and his music, including the two highly impressive works heard here. Not quite
as common for the label is an excellent rendition of the notes into English
- but here, though no translator is credited, CPO do themselves more credit.
Dorsch and Dreibrodt's essay astutely recognises the leading role played by
musicologists and critics in the lack of public interest in composers who
were not "fixated on compositional innovation", a practice which unfortunately
still goes on, despite the heroic efforts of labels like CPO, Naxos, Toccata,
Chandos and others to redress the balance with bold - some would say foolhardy!
- recording projects like this.
In a more enlightened world, Woyrsch's music would be a safe bet. The Second
Symphony is imaginatively orchestrated, tunefully dramatic, vivid and emotive.
At various points it recalls Sibelius, Bruckner, Prokofiev, flashes of Brahms
and one or two other - without ever really sounding like anyone other than
Woyrsch. The audaciously atmospheric Overture is even better in some regards
- the Symphony is four times as long and not easily assimilated in one or
two listen-throughs.
Despite this potentially wide appeal, this is only the second monograph of
the composer's music, following an MDG recording (3290588) of the First Symphony,
paired likewise with a concert overture, released nearly twenty years ago
- and now deleted! Dorsch and the Oldenburg State Orchestra have that little
bit extra brilliance and imagination, however, and it can only be hoped that
they will eventually - soon, indeed - record all of Woyrsch's symphonies,
including the First.
Recordings of orchestral music on CPO are often less than ideal, with a sound
that tends towards the thin lossy, but here all is well - arguably one of
the label's most impressive symphonic realisations. With luck they will either
always enlist this engineering team, or at least someone will remember these
particular settings!
Byzantion
Collected reviews and contact at artmusicreviews.co.uk
This is not far off superb.
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