It’s good that Naxos have a rigorous policy of reissuing important
discs by labels that have folded. Gerard Schwarz’s consistently
inspired Hanson cycle – ex-Delos – is a prime example of this,
as is the emerging set of Maxwell Davies symphonies first issued
by Collins. One hesitates to use the word ‘authoritative’, but
the latter series – conducted by the composer himself – certainly
qualifies. Factor in very good modern recordings and fine playing
and it seems that Naxos are on to another winner.
Maxwell Davies’ Symphony No. 1, begun in 1973, has a dark, brooding
presence; not surprising perhaps, as the piece started out as
an evocation of ruined crofts on Orkney. There’s a compelling
lucidity to this score that reminds me of Britten at times;
there’s that same economy of style, not to mention a propensity
to surprise with passages of sudden lyricism and feeling. There’s
no shortage of invention either, and the clear, spacious recording
really brings out the subtleties of Maxwell Davies’ colour palette.
Anyone who struggled with his more impenetrable and polemical
Ninth at this year’s BBC Proms will surely rejoice in the evocative
landscapes recreated here.
Mavis in Las Vegas, written after a 1995 US tour with
the BBC Philharmonic, paints another picture; this time it’s
the strange, light-slashed world of Las Vegas, its garish attractions
and windowless gambling palaces. Now disembodied, now disarming
but always enticing this artfully constructed score is pure
delight. It brims with the kind of wit familiar from works such
as Orkney Wedding and Sunrise, and it’s clear the band
relish every bar. What’s refreshing is the composer’s lightness
of touch, which results in music of great transparency, charm
and – at the close – a nicely judged outburst of rumbustiousness.
If you like that you’ll like this; Sunset Strip, Michael
Daugherty’s scintillating homage to LA (review).
Accessibility is so often used as a euphemism for anodyne; that’s
emphatically not the case here. With a strong narrative,
unexpected, ear-pricking touches and – in the Vegas piece –
a twinkle in its eye, there’s much to tease and please in these
scores. Oh, a final thought; the warm, expansive acoustic of
the BBC Phil’s old home – the venue for this recording – just
confirms just how ‘grey’ and unresponsive their new one at MediaCity
is by comparison.
Great fun; a reminder of the composer’s relaxed, more genial
side.
Dan Morgan
http://twitter.com/mahlerei
see also review by Byzantion
BBC Philharmonic/Peter Maxwell Davies