Rare orchestral music
from two of Scotland's nineteenth century
romantics: D'Albert, a hotshot pianist,
born in Glasgow of mixed Scottish and
French parentage; Lamond, another lion
of the keyboard also from the Glasgow
area, Cambuslang actually. Lamond was
best known as a pianist - his compositions
are few and were rarely aired. His physical
resemblance to Beethoven caused quite
a stir. He was a friend of Richard Strauss
although I detect nothing of Strauss's
idiom in his writing, in case you were
wondering. D'Albert was very prolific
with twenty operas, a Symphony, two
piano concertos (already recorded
by Hyperion) and two string quartets
(on the Swiss label Pan Classics, I
think - [they have three d'Albert recordings
link
- LM).
The Esther
of d'Albert 's characterful overture
is the Biblical Esther, diplomatic and
courageous. The music is suave and romantically
inclined, rather a hybrid of contented
Schumann and lively Mendelssohn. There
are a few shadows of Mendelssohn's Italian
from time to time. No date is given
in John Purser's otherwise exemplary
note - not even speculation - which
is a pity. The essay by Dr Purser is
lengthy, full of illumination and gives
pause for thought but dates are in regrettably
short supply. I would have estimated
1890s for Esther. Certainly he
graduated to a more psychological and
harmonically complex idiom in some of
the operas - as in Die Toten Augen
(recording on CPO) ALSO LINK TO
ROB’S REVIEW.
Lamond's one
and only Symphony is in four
movements and is by no means 'sturm
and drang'. This time there is that
Mendelssohnian flightiness and sleight
of hand coupled with the sort of bright
inspiration that runs through Beethoven's
Fourth and Eighth symphonies. There
are also more than a few admiring glances
cast towards Brahms Third Symphony.
The other two Lamond
pieces have a subtle and distinctive
Highland fragrance. They are by no means
as kitsch as Bruch's Scottish Fantasia.
Both works are pipe-and-tabor bright,
light and airily orchestrated. This
is music that would go well with Massenet's
ballets (for example the under-rated
El Cid music) and orchestral
suites and with Bizet's L’Arlésienne
and Jolie Fille de Perth music.
Everything here is
performed with vigour and engagement.
String tone remains pleasing if far
from voluptuous. The orchestra spin
Lamond's Beethovenian gruffness at the
end of the Dance letting it romp home
with majestic emphasis.
Both composers spent
considerable periods of time in Germany
teaching and performing. D'Albert died
in Riga after his anti-British and pro-German
stance became too prominent for comfort.
Lamond found he had to leave Germany
in 1940 because of his anti-Nazi views.
These works aspire
to spirited entertainment and pictorialism
rather than to high drama. They are
in that sense to be counted with the
symphonies of Huber, Cliffe (both on
Sterling) and Stanford (Chandos) rather
than with Parry or Elgar.
The world of classical
music should be welcoming to these freshly
liberated works long condemned to dusty
shelves and unmerited oblivion. Well
done to Hyperion and all concerned in
this project.
Now please do have
a look some other esoteric ‘Ecosserie’
- why not Erik Chisholm's two turbulent
symphonies of the 1930s as well as his
Violin Concerto. Later still why not
explore Ronald Stevenson's much more
recent concertos for violin and for
cello and the Symphony and other orchestral
music of Cedric Thorpe Davie.
Rob Barnett
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Martyn Brabbins
