Until the early years
of the twentieth century, Western Art
Music maintained predictable forms;
genres such as the symphony, concerto
and sonata had become standardized.
That is not to say that composers did
not over time expand upon these forms.
Certainly it can be said that Mahler
and Strauss stretched orchestral writing
to breaking point, and that some romantic
sonatas such as those by the likes of
Alkan became so large and sprawling
as to be unwieldy.
By the time Schönberg
composed his Five Orchestral Pieces
in 1909, it seemed as though traditional
orchestral forms were a thing of the
past. In spite of the fact that composers
continued to write works that they called
symphonies and concertos and sonatas,
there was often little resemblance to
the traditional forms that these genres
had taken in the past. Formal structures
gave way to large bands of sound as
in the works of Penderecki, aleatory
gestures such as in the works of Cage
and Boulez, and to dozens of other experiments
by so-called academic composers, which
by and large, were failures and have
been forgotten.
Except in England.
Ever conservative and
often unjustifiably regarded as the
last to know, England kept the symphonic
tradition alive in the twentieth century
with a raft of superior composers, tirelessly
producing a huge body of original, fresh
and sadly underplayed music. England
boasts one of the most impressive lists
of modern successful composers in the
world with names like Vaughan Williams,
Holst, Britten, Walton, Bax, Arnold,
Parry, Elgar, Stanford and the oft-sung
but underplayed Edmund Rubbra. Oft-sung
I say because of the enduring popularity
of his choral writing amongst Anglican
Cathedral Choirs, under played because
of his impressive output of orchestral
and chamber literature that seems to
linger in relative obscurity, for no
good reason that I can find.
Naxos, in their inimitable
way of bringing fine music to the public
at a risk-free price, are helping to
mend the gap (or is it mind the gap?)
with their superb series of discs from
twentieth century British composers.
Rubbra, born in 1901
into a poor family in Northhampton,
received his early musical training
from his mother. His uncle owned a music
shop, and it was there that he was first
exposed to great music and was particularly
enamored of the works of Debussy and
Cyril Scott. He would later go on to
become Scott’s pupil before entering
the Royal College of Music where he
was a student of Holst. Slow to develop
his own style, many of his early works
reflect the influence of his elder countrymen
such as John Ireland and Arnold Bax.
An accomplished pianist, he was also
active as a chamber musician, and was
a respected journalist as well. He died
in 1986.
The opening work on
the present disc was commissioned by
the Louisville Orchestra, an American
Ensemble based in the southern state
of Kentucky, an unlikely but prolific
progenitor of new music, famous for
its encouragement of living composers
through its ambitious commissioning
and recording programs. Although titled
Improvisation, there
is a noticeable formal structure. Opening
with a lengthy and somewhat melancholy
passage for solo violin, the work builds
in intensity over its short span as
the orchestra joins. The Ulster Orchestra
and soloist Krysia Osostowicz show themselves
to be very able interpreters.
Known to have been
influenced by the works of Elizabethan
and Jacobean composers, Rubbra deftly
adapts a selection of keyboard works
by Giles Farnaby (c.1563-1640)
into playful and charming miniatures
for orchestra. They are played with
elegance and grace here and make for
a delightful interlude between the two
more serious works for solo violin.
These would make a great little concert-opener,
were (especially) American orchestras
creative enough to look beyond nineteenth
century Germany for program ideas.
The Violin Concerto
is a lyrical work, with more emphasis
by the composer placed on melodic and
harmonic interest and structure than
with sheer virtuoso display. What a
relief this work is from the schlock
that makes up so much of the concert
repertoire for the violin. Beautifully
rendered here by Ms. Osostowicz, she
plays with an infectious passion coupled
with a refined taste and understatement
that is instantly engaging. This is
compelling music, and given its reserved
romanticism, is a safe bet for any audience,
regardless of how conservative. Yet,
it is wonderfully original and fresh,
proving that there is still much to
be said through the traditional symphonic
forms, and disproving the notion that
classical music has run out of things
to say.
Takuo Yuasa is a convincing
interpreter of these outstanding scores,
leading the Ulster players in a finely
balanced performance. String tones are
lush and intonation and ensemble are
of the first order. Tempi seem to me
to be spot-on, though without the benefit
of having the scores in front of me,
I cannot be too judgmental. Naxos have
produced a fine recording in excellent
sound. Notes are thorough and interesting,
but I must remind annotator Malcolm
MacDonald that musicians do not play
"on" their instruments. Why
on earth are writers so abhorrent of
the definite article these days?
Well worthy of your
shelf space, this is a highly recommendable
disc. It upholds my highest criterion
for a recording in that it makes me
want to seek out more music by this
composer and these performers. This
is one that should definitely be added
to your collection.
Kevin Sutton
see also review
by Rob Barnett
Krysia Osostowicz, violin 
