A very useful disc,
in programming terms, of neo-classicist
works mostly tied to the world of dance.
It is good that the Stuttgart Chamber
Orchestra gives its best in this 2002
recording. Of the recording itself,
some might find it a little close -
particularly some of the detail in Danses
Concertantes - and occasionally
too well-upholstered.
The three Gesualdo
madrigals are in masterly ‘arrangements’,
shot through with the spirit of Stravinsky.
The bitter-sweet twang of the first
is most appealing, the Stuttgart Chamber
Orchestra clearly enjoying the quirky,
block-juxtapositional scoring. The second
movement is exquisitely balanced in
terms of orchestration, with agreeably
bright trumpets and wind, to lead in
to the dignified third movement.
The sprightly opening
of the Danses concertantes could
hardly be in greater contrast, but it
is the buzzing trills of the second
movement (‘Pas d’action’) that stay
in the memory. Russell Davies makes
this work into a fascinating experience.
Following Stravinsky’s unpredictable
twists and turns becomes a source of
real delight, particularly in the central
Theme and Variations. Try the lovely
Stravinskian calm of the third variation
or the light woodwind of the fourth
and final variation. This is a version
to vie with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
DG account (459 644-2, coupled with
the magnificent Orpheus).
The Concerto in
D has, Hans-Klaus Jungheinrich’s
interesting notes tell us, itself been
staged - as The Cage at the New
York City Ballet in 1951. Russell Davies’
interpretation includes a characterful
and alive first movement (with some
nice solo contributions) and a buzzing
finale that includes little trace of
the scrappiness that can afflict this
work. It is Apollon Musagète
though that, of all the works on this
disc, strikes this reviewer as a truly
great and timeless piece of music. Ansermet
and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
on Decca has long held my affections
(467 818-2, as part of a boxed set;
ripe for reissue at a more affordable
price, methinks). Russell Davies and
his Stuttgarters are adept guides to
this score without revealing it in all
its magnificent glory. The solo violin
work is a particular joy - one assumes
from the personnel listing Benjamin
Hudson to be responsible. However track
17 reveals the solo instrument as recorded
far too closely. The slightly echoey
acoustic takes some of the sense of
play away (‘Variation de Polymnie’).
Again in ‘Variation de Calliope’ the
acoustic takes the attention away from
the elusive, shifting phrases. The Coda
(‘Apollo and the Muses’) is nicely comic,
though.
There is much to enjoy
here, but enough to frustrate - principally
the recording - to take away a clear
recommendation. ECM discs can appear
in the shops at what I have been know
to call ‘super-full price’ (i.e. even
more than full price Universal), which
seems a little steep for the present
disc.
Colin Clarke
Stuttgarter Kammerorchester/Dennis Russell
Davies. 
