With his somewhat younger contemporary Joly Braga Santos, Fernando
Lopes-Graça is undoubtedly one of the most important
Portuguese composers from the first half of the 20th
century. His output is literally enormous and ranges from short
didactic piano pieces to substantial works in various genres.
He also devoted much time and scholarship to editing and arranging
Portuguese folk music - a voice that is rarely absent in his
own music.
The Suite Rústica No.1 dates from 1950 and its
six movements are arranged in a straight-forward way though
spiced with mild dissonance sometimes recalling Milhaud’s
Suite Provençale. Four out of the six movements
are simple dance tunes deftly arranged and colourfully scored
but the two slower movements (No.3 - Andante and No.5 - Lento,
non troppo) are somewhat more serious. Just listen to the almost
Mahlerian Andante. Incidentally, Lopes-Graça did indeed
compose three Rustic Suites but for different instrumental forces.
Suite Rústica No.2 of 1965 is for string quartet
(once available on Portugalsom SP 4036 reviewed here several
years ago) and Suite Rústica No.3 is for wind
ensemble; I do not know whether it has been recorded or not.
On the other hand there is not a single hint of folk music in
Poema de Dezembre (“December Poem”). This
is a meaty tone poem in which a rather dark and at times troubled
mood prevails. The “red thread” running through
the entire work is the oboe melody heard at the outset. It keeps
reappearing in one guise or another and providing the dreamy
coda of this very beautiful piece that definitely deserves wider
exposure.
Festival March is by comparison slightly less satisfying,
possibly because one expects something brighter and more festive
than what one actually hears. Even so there are many felicitous
touches of scoring in this short piece - try the eerily dancing
horns (at about 0.50 into the work) that may remind one of Stravinsky's
Petrushka. There is actually more than one hint of Stravinsky's
music in this very piece and in other works of Lopes-Graça.
This short work may not be among Lopes-Graça's greatest
achievements but there are fine things enough in it to make
it worth more than the occasional hearing.
Sinfonia per orquesta is Lopes-Graça's only symphony
and one of his more substantial achievements. This is a weighty,
deeply serious and sincere piece of music-making. It is in three
sizeable movements of which the outer ones are by far the weightiest,
the concluding Passacaglia particularly so. The very title of
the first movement Allegro rapsodico is rather deceptive in
that it actually conceals a developed and tightly argued sonata
movement that builds to an imposing climax before reverting
to the arresting gesture of the opening. The second movement
Intermezzo may be shorter but is certainly not as easy-going
as one might think. Its structure is more straightforward than
that of the outer movements but the thematic material is rather
angular and animated so that one might regard this movement
as the symphony's Scherzo. As Álvaro Cassuto rightly
states in his detailed and well informed insert notes, the third
movement Passacaglia is the symphony's most complex movement.
It is also the most difficult to bring out successfully. This
is mainly because of the abruptness and capricious character
of the variations that do not unfold as seamlessly as in, say,
the final Passacaglia in Vaughan Williams' Fifth Symphony. The
variations, however, proceed towards an imposing climax, probably
the most impressive one in the entire work. This quickly dissipates
and leads into the coda, in fact yet another variation on a
fragment of the Passacaglia's theme. It consists of a mighty
sound wave receding into softly sustained chords. Lopes-Graça's
Symphony is unquestionably a big work and it deserves to be
fully appreciated. It’s also a rather complex piece and
a convincing performance calls for some considerable preparation
and commitment. This it clearly gets in this strongly committed
and well prepared reading - a feather in the cap of both Cassuto
and the RSNO.
Álvaro Cassuto's association with the Royal Scottish
National Orchestra has already yielded some rewarding results
with their Braga Santos disc - Naxos 8.572815 that I reviewed
here some time ago. The release under review clearly confirms
that conductor and orchestra are obviously on the same wavelength.
I hope that this association will go on for there is still much
worthwhile music by Portuguese composers to travel outside Portugal.
As far as Lopes-Graça's music goes there are many works
that cry out for brand new recordings. I would welcome new recordings
of História Trágica-Marítima, Viagens
na minha terra and the imposing and deeply moving Requiem
while not forgetting some of his concertos and miscellaneous
orchestral works.
In short this is a magnificent release on all counts. The performances
and the recording are superb but - more importantly - it allows
for a good appraisal of some of this endearing composer's finest
works. A bargain and no mistake.
Hubert Culot
Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Álvaro Cassuto 