Dare I say again that Emil Tabakov’s name
and music are new to me? So, when I received this new release,
and judging by the soloists’ line-up and the size of the pieces
recorded, I was quite curious and interested. Incidentally,
I am always eager to hear music by composers whom I have never
heard of. This is, no doubt, one of the many joys derived from
disc reviewing.
Bulgarian-born Emil
Tabakov’s present output is apparently quite substantial. The
insert notes mention a Requiem, choral music,
concertos, instrumental music and several symphonies, all of
which have enjoyed successful performances, although little
of it, I am afraid, is actually well-known, which makes this
release particularly welcome.
Now, the main question
is: what of the music? From the above details, the two concertos
recorded here are substantial works, at least in terms of duration.
The fact that one of them was written at the request of and
dedicated to Patrick Gallois - no less! - makes the prospect
all the more mouth-watering. The Concerto for two Flutes
and Orchestra, completed in 2000, is an ambitious work
in two strongly contrasted movements of fairly equal length.
The predominantly slow first movement opens dreamily with held
notes in the strings, pianissimo, and the music points
to a sort of nocturne in arch-form. There is a somewhat more
agitated and impassioned second section building-up to a climax
before dying away calmly. In total contrast, the second movement
opens with a short phrase played by the flutes and accompanied
by percussion. This phrase, which I would be tempted to describe
as ‘Janissary music’ is repeated throughout the entire movement
with little variation, except for a considerable increase of
dynamic. The music unfolds as a frantic dance by some swirling
dervish punctuated by heavy ostinati and strongly hammered-out
repeated notes.
The more recent
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra is the result
of a most improbable commission. The work was composed at the
request of the Rotary Club of Adana in Turkey to mark the anniversary
of the Turkish army. The three movements are laid-out along
the traditional “fast-slow-faster” pattern. The first movement
opens with a fanfare played by the trumpet, which in fact dominates
the entire movement, in much the same way as the ‘Janissary
music’ heard in the second movement of the Concerto for two
Flutes. In spite of the assertion made by the annotator that
the opening fanfare is “a possible allusion to the occasion
this composition was commissioned to commemorate”, I find that
the entire first movement has an indisputable martial air, verging
on bombast. The second movement is a dreamy, almost otherworldly
meditation of a short motif redolent of plainchant that again
predominates throughout. The piano part is almost reduced to
that of an orchestral piano. The final movement is a brilliant
Toccata that dutifully ends with a restatement of the fanfare
from the first movement, to round off the proceedings.
Tabakov’s music
relies heavily on ostinati - quite often quickly repeated
notes - and short phrases often repeated with slight variations,
be they melodic, rhythmical or dynamic. Some may certainly call
this “economy of means”; but I rather experience it as too slender
material ill-suited to any kind of development, no matter how
resourcefully the composer varies it. The overall effect is
one of “updated Khachaturian” with less memorable tunes. I wish
that I were more positive about it all, because Tabakov obviously
has a fine ear for orchestral textures, particularly so in the
slow movements. Try the first movement of the Concerto for two
Flutes, which is by far the finest music here, and the slow
movement of the Piano Concerto. The major problem is that Tabakov’s
material is far too limited to justify, let alone allow for
development, and – as a result – the pieces tend to outstay
their welcome.
These performances
by top-rank soloists nicely supported by a very responsive orchestra
conducted by the composer are all very fine, and well recorded.
That said, this hugely promising release proved a disappointment.
On the positive side, I admit that I would want to hear more
of Tabakov’s music, were it only to refute or confirm this first
impression. Colourful, superbly scored music but too thin in
pure musical terms. My suggestion would be to try it out before
deciding whether this is for you or not.
Hubert Culot
see also Review
by David Blomenberg
Patrick Gallois,
Philippe Bernold (flutes)a; Jean-Philippe Collard (piano)b;
