Symphony no.1 in D, op.30 (1927) [31:05]
Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
'Spring' Symphony (Symphony no.1) in B flat, op.38 (1841) [29:25]
Orchestra of the Swan/Kenneth Woods
rec. Civic Hall, Stratford-upon-Avon, England, 2-3 December 2013. DDD
AVIE AV2233 [61:07]
This is the concluding volume of two symphonic cycles at once
that have proved very rewarding. US-conductor Kenneth Woods and
Stratford-upon-Avon-based Orchestra of the Swan's four-disc
series has already delivered three pairings of Hans Gál's
symphonies with those of Schumann, a composer Gál greatly
admired. Volume one gave their Thirds (AV2230, review);
volume two, Schumann's Second and Gál's Fourth
(AV2231, review);
volume three reversed these numbers for Schumann's Fourth
and Gál's Second (AV2232, review).
The Northern Sinfonia under Thomas Zehetmair have also recorded
Gál's First and Second symphonies (AV2224, AV2225).
Initially predating the Woods/Swans series slightly, these also
came out on Avie, producing the curious state of affairs of a
label 'competing' against itself. Zehetmair's
cycle, if it was ever meant to be one, appears to have fizzled
out, and Woods and the Swans thus have the honour of offering
the first-ever recording of all four of Gál's memorable
symphonies.
The Swans could avail themselves of no better conductor for Gál
than Woods. So tireless a campaigner is he for a composer who
until recently went almost entirely ignored, that he has now been
appointed Honorary Patron of the Hans Gál Society. Moreover,
his expertise on Gál's music – as a cellist
he has even recorded his String Trios with his Ensemble Epomeo
colleagues, also on Avie (review)
- is underscored by an appearance in May on BBC Radio 3's
'Composer of the Week', to discuss the composer
with presenter Donald Macleod. Like most of Radio 3's programmes
under controller Roger Wright, 'Composer of the Week'
as a serious institution has been devalued in recent years by
week-long features on the likes of Bill Evans, Michael Nyman,
the 'Golden Age of Hollywood', Irving Berlin and
more, but this recognition at last of Gál's genius
gives some cause for optimism – particularly with the imminent
change of management.
Arguably, Woods and the Swans might have started their cycle most
profitably with this final pairing of Firsts. Woods himself describes
Gál's work in these listener-friendly terms: "the
shortest of [his] four symphonies, the most extrovert in character
and the most colourfully orchestrated." Like his later ones,
Gál's First recalls at times Mahler and Strauss,
although by this time (1927) Mahler was of course long dead and
Strauss had all but given up writing orchestral music. In fact
it is Franz Schmidt, arguably Austria's leading symphonist
of the period, whose soundworld Gál most often approaches.
Schmidt's best-known Fourth was just around the corner;
Gál's First is not as long or sad, but it does share
a good deal of its evocations of nostalgia and twilight, tinged
with allusions to decadence, not to mention its compelling, kaleidoscopic
lyricism. The delightful third-movement Elegy in particular, with
its warming oboe solo, is utterly persuasive and winning.
Almost a century earlier, Schumann wrote his 'Spring'
Symphony, much loved by audiences, if not universally by critics.
What the rather small-bodied Orchestra of the Swans loses in power
– the famous opening here lacks the punch of a true f
fanfare to ff tutti – it makes up for in textural
clarity, with no end of detail made available to the listener.
On the other hand, the more intimate orchestra size does reflect
the realities of Schumann's resources, and in that sense
this recording is more authentic than most. Woods was probably
influenced by Thomas Dausgaard's interpretations of the
symphonies with his similar-scaled Swedish Chamber Orchestra for
BIS in 2008, as was, doubtless, Michael Schønwandt's
very recent, and even better, cycle with the Netherlands Radio
Chamber Philharmonic on Challenge Classics (CC72553).
Neither Dausgaard's nor Schønwandt's Firsts
differ much from Woods', the former-most's approach
arguably most classical, but both the BIS and Challenge recordings
have the undeniable benefit of 'SuperAudio' quality.
Avie's sound is pretty good, it should be said, although
it does suffer a little through direct comparison. Even so, in
engineering terms the Avie cycle still tops many of the supposedly
great Schumann recordings – their concentration in the hands
of the big multinationals labels condemning them to their characteristically
lossy sound.
The Challenge double-disc offers all four canonic symphonies,
plus the unfinished 'Zwickauer', for less than price
of two Avie singles. That makes the Woods/Swans series more than
twice as expensive per recorded minute, but this is easily offset
by the immense value of the Gál cycle. Then again, although
it would be going too far to suggest that this is an indispensable
account of Schumann's 'Spring', it is unthinkable
that Gál collectors will be disappointed by this sharp,
ultimately refreshing account of one of his most cherished predecessors.
The accompanying booklet and back inlay track-list both inexplicably
give the final movement of the Schumann as 'Andante
animato e grazioso' instead of 'Allegro
animato e grazioso'. Apart from that, all is well with
the documentation provided: Woods gives another well written,
informative article on both composers and their symphonies in
English, German and French.
Byzantion
Contact at artmusicreviews.co.uk
Previous review: Dan
Morgan
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Masterwork Index: Schumann symphony 1