Things (musical and
other) are never what you think they
are or might be. When I received this
disc, I thought that someone had – at
long last – decided to consider Vogel’s
music worth recording. However, browsing
through several websites, I realised
that a number of his works are actually
available on discs, although these may
have passed unnoticed at the time of
their release. I recently
reviewed a new Guild release (GMCD
7250) including his Flute Concertino;
but I was not aware of the existence
of a recording of one of his early groundbreaking
works (Wagadu’s Untergang durch
die Eitelkeit, composed in 1930,
available on MGB CD-6128, which I have
not heard, or his Violin Concerto
of 1940, available on MGB CD-6169, which
I have also not heard) whereas several
shorter works have also been recorded
by DIVOX (though this one is presently
out of print) and GALLO. Nevertheless,
the present release featuring three
large-scale, substantial orchestral
works fills quite a gap in Vogel’s discography
and provides for a most welcome re-assessment
of his output.
Vogel was born in Moscow
to a German father and a Russian mother.
When he was 15, he met Skryabin who
was to prove a lasting influence on
his music. The outbreak of World War
I put an end to his musical studies.
His family was interned for being reichsdeutsch
and was later exiled in a village near
the Urals. He was nevertheless able
to continue his studies. After the end
of the war, Vogel and his family were
allowed to emigrate to Berlin where
he resumed his musical studies with
Heinz Tiessen who was quite helpful
in providing the budding composer with
a thorough aesthetic background but
who proved disappointing as far as composition
was concerned. Vogel wanted to study
either with Schönberg or with Busoni,
and eventually studied with Busoni.
Some early works, including a string
quartet which was lost during World
War II, attracted some attention; but
it was Scherchen’s first performance
of Zwei Etüden für Orchester
that was decisive in putting Vogel’s
name firmly on the musical map of his
time. In 1933, however, he left Germany
for France and Belgium before settling
in Switzerland where he stayed for the
rest of his life. He was given Swiss
citizenship in 1954.
The Vier Etüden
für Orchester is one of
his first substantial orchestral works.
The first two etudes Ritmica Funebre
and Ritmica scherzosa, composed
in 1930, were first performed by Scherchen
and soon taken up by other conductors
such as Stokowski and Ansermet. They
drew much favourable critical appraisal,
even from the terrible Swiss critic
Aloys Mooser. They were recorded in
the early 1930s but the Nazi authorities
had these recordings destroyed. In 1932,
he added two further etudes: Ostinato
perpetuo and Ritmica ostinata.
(Note the importance of the words Ritmico/ritmica
and Ostinato/ostinata which clearly
reflect some of Vogel’s formal preoccupations
at that time.) Ritmica funebre
is a powerfully impressive processional
opening with heavy pounding drums, moving
headlong with considerable energy, often
bringing Honegger to mind. True to its
title, Ritmica scherzosa is a
nimble Scherzo of some orchestral virtuosity,
in which Vogel uses the hocket technique
exhilarating effect. Mirroring the first
etude, ostinato perpetuo is another
long slow movement of gripping power
and intensity in which thematic material
from the first etude is briefly restated,
as in the magical coda. The final etude
Ritmica ostinata caps the whole
set with another quick, nervous movement
of a somewhat lighter character ending
with a march-like ostinato. This brings
Shostakovich to mind, slowly tapping
away before the final assertive chord.
This is powerful, deeply serious stuff,
displaying – among other things – a
remarkable orchestral flair.
The Tripartita
was completed in 1934 and first performed
at the 1936 Venice Triennale. It marks
a considerable advance on the earlier
Etüden, both in formal
thinking and orchestral mastery. As
suggested by the title, the piece is
in three panels of unequal length played
without a break. A long central Adagio
is framed by shorter, brilliant outer
sections of some energy, sometimes verging
on violence. The emotional weight of
the piece rests in the powerfully expressive
Adagio. This mighty work, too, drew
favourable comment from Mooser who nevertheless
wrote that "il ne faut chercher
ni subtilité de la pensée,
ni raffinement de la matière
sonore, encore moins nuances du sentiment",
which is – to say the least – somewhat
exaggerated. You just have to listen
to the beautiful central section which
has some marvellous orchestral touches
belying Mooser’s harsh words (I often
wondered what it was like when he did
not like a piece).
Some time later, in
about 1937, Vogel turned to twelve-tone
music without ever adhering to it unconditionally.
His use of dodecaphony, informing much
of his later music, was never dogmatic
and quite comparable to Frank Martin’s
own attitude towards the scheme, albeit
with different results.
Preludio – Interludio
lirico – Postludio was composed
in 1954 on the occasion of the thirtieth
anniversary of Busoni’s death. In the
Prelude, Vogel uses a seven-note theme
from Busoni’s Toccata
for piano. To this he adds five further
notes, producing a basic twelve-tone
row that he later uses with considerable
freedom, i.e. from Schönberg’s
point of view. The long Interlude
also uses the twelve-tone row as a theme.
The Prelude and Postlude
are somewhat simpler in structures,
the Postlude relying again on
hocket. Preludio – Interludio
lirico – Postludio is undoubtedly
a major work from Vogel’s mature years.
It displays to the full some remarkable
though hard-won mastery and formal freedom.
I cannot but express
the highest praise for this enterprising
release which, I hope, will put Vogel’s
highly personal music back into the
catalogue. I look forward to having
more of his orchestral music by the
same forces as here. Their committed
playing carries hard-to-resist conviction.
Excellent recording and excellent insert
notes. If a complete recording of Vogel’s
opus magnum Thyl Claes, fils de
Kolldraeger (which plays for
nearly four hours) might still be a
near-impossible task, a recording of
the suites (there exist a suite drawn
from the second part as well as three
shorter orchestral suites made in 1958)
might be a musically satisfying alternative.
Warmly recommended.
Hubert Culot
Sinfonieorchester Basel/Israel Yinon