Sir Peter MAXWELL DAVIES (b.1934)
Symphony No.10 – Alla ricerca di Borromini (2013-14) (world premiere
recording) [42:12]
Sir Andrzej PANUFNIK (1914-1991)
Symphony No.10 (1988) [15:39]
Markus Butter (baritone)
London Symphony Chorus/Simon Halsey
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Antonio Pappano
rec. live Barbican, London, 2 February 2014 and 19 October 2014. DSD/DDD.
Texts included
LSO LSO0767 SACD [57:51]
Sound samples and interview available from LSO
Live.
My comments should be read in tandem with Stephen Barber’s
review.
Like him I shall need to take some time to assimilate Peter Maxwell
Davies’ Tenth Symphony: it’s not one of his more approachable works
but it is impressive and it is well worth keeping trying.
All the texts refer to or were written by the architect Borromini, so
it’s hardly surprising that the overall architecture of the symphony
is its most important aspect. I didn’t see the relevance of some of
the texts but Stephen Barber’s concept of the power to create despite
personal weakness makes sense: Maxwell Davies had to struggle to complete
the work during and after treatment for leukaemia. The fourth and final
section brings a sense of repose arising from anguish, with the account
of Borromini’s injuring himself counterpoised against the list of his
achievements.
This is the premiere recording of the Maxwell Davies but we already
had a recording of the short Panufnik work, coupled with his Symphony
No.2 and Symphony No.3 (CPO 7776832 – review).
I’ve seen it suggested that the composer’s muse had deserted him by
comparison with the earlier symphonies, though that’s not Rob Barnett’s
view in his review of the CPO recording and it was not my feeling, either.
The music is more immediate in its appeal than the Maxwell Davies, though
there’s plenty of power in its conciseness, too. Composed for the Chicago
Symphony Orchestra’s centenary, the music is based on the Fibonacci
‘golden ellipse’. I’m afraid that my own grasp of geometry – or of
economics, where it apparently underlies the study of price increases
– doesn’t reach that far, so I have to take that on trust. In any case,
you don’t have to worry too much about the programme to appreciate the
music.
There is, of course, no benchmark version of the Maxwell Davies: if
there is to be another recording, this will be the benchmark and I’ve
no reason to believe that it’s likely to be bettered as a performance.
Those principally attracted to the Panufnik should consider the rival
CPO recording.
I listened to the stereo SACD layer both from my Cambridge blu-ray player
on one system and from my Pioneer SACD player on the other. Played
thus the recording is good but not without some of the typical Barbican
haze – with music this unfamiliar and dense it’s hard to be sure. I
also tried the CD layer and that sounds fine, too.
The chunky booklet comes with useful notes, partly taken from the Barbican
programmes, and the texts of the Maxwell Davies.
If you are still not sure if this is for you, subscribers to Qobuz can
stream the recording, with booklet, there;
if you require only 16-bit CD-quality sound their download price of
£7.99 represents a small saving on the cost of the physical disc, typically
around £8.75, though it’s on offer as I write from one dealer for £7.
Similarly, subscribers to classicsonlinehd.com can stream
the recording in 16- and 24-bit sound, with the booklet; again the
16-bit download is worth considering at £7.99 but the 24-bit at £15.99
is seriously over-priced.
The economics of downloading as against the physical product continue
to be a bafflement. The least expensive way to obtain the 16-bit version
is from hyperion-records.co.uk,
at £6.50, with booklet, though even their 24-bit equivalent costs more
than the SACD, at £9.75.
Not an immediate recommendation, then, but the music is well worth persevering
with.
Brian Wilson
Previous review:
Stephen Barber
