Griffes: The Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan and other orchestral works, Barbara Quintilliani, soprano, Carol Wincene, flute, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jo Ann Falletta – Naxos 8.559164 (56 minutes).
Charles Griffes is one of those American composers who was influenced by some of the greatest European composers of the early 20th century. Born in New York in 1884, Griffes began his studies in Berlin in 1903. It was here that he had the good fortune to be given special lessons by Engelbert Humperdinck, and while in Europe he developed a specialfascination for Debussy and Ravel. Although he also admiredScriabin and Moussorgsky, he remained an Impressionist at heart.
In 1907 Griffes returned to America, where his career started to flourish. At the height of his success he became gravely ill with pneumonia, eventually dying in 1920 aged only 35 (just like Mozart). His output is notextensive, but his music has a distinctive beauty that leaves an immediate impression.
Griffes had a passion for verse, and almost all his orchestral scores have, in some way, a link to either a poetic or a literary idea. Six of the seven works on this disc are prime examples of the composer’s penchant for ‘tone pictures’, the only exception being the Poem for Flute and Orchestra, a short tone-poem that has noliterary allusions.
Charles Griffes is most certainly another case of ‘what might have been’, but the pieces he left behind are, for the most part, extremely well crafted and full of attractive tunes and colourful harmonies. Lush orchestrations and a tinge of the fantastic are two other elements that make his music so accessible.
Although slightly short in playing time, this issue has many attractive moments, each brimming with the composer’s youthful imagination and an acute search for descriptiveness. Idiomatic performances and first-rate sound quality complete an invaluable addition to the still lean Griffes discography.
Diamond: Symphony No. 8, Tom ballet suite, This Sacred Ground. Seattle Symphony Choral, Seattle Girls Choir, Northwest Boys’ choir, Erich Parce, baritone, Seattle Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gerard Schwarz – Naxos 8.559156 (69 minutes).
David Diamond (b. 1915) once remarked: “It is my strong feeling that a romantically inspired contemporary music, tempered by reinvigorated classical technical formulae, is the way out of the present period of creativity chaos in music. To me the romantic spirit in music is important because it is timeless.”
These words capture not only the essence of the composer himself, but also of a number of other American composers such as Roy Harris, Samuel Barber, Howard Hanson and Walter Piston, to name but a few, who like Diamond operated against the background of the Great Depression and the Second World War, and who, through their strong belief in neo-Romanticism,rekindled the beauties of that bygone era.
Derided by the apostles of atonality and serialism, such as Pierre Boulez, Diamond and co. remained faithful to their ideals, and time has proved them right. Indeed, many composers and audiences have either re-embraced the Romantic spirit or never left it.
Diamond’s determination and patience in the face of adversity have served him well. Having survived harsh criticism and neglect, he is now considered as a national treasure whosemusic epitomises the American psyche that craves a musical experience analogous to spiritual satisfaction.
This issue, which forms partof an ongoing series by Naxosdedicated to Diamond’s orchestral output, features three typical examples of the composer’s language and style.
The 1937 ballet Tom was written for a scenario by e.e. cummings, and is based on the famous anti-slavery novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, one of the most influential writings in American history.
Based on Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, the 1963 This Sacred Ground also harks back tothe anti-slavery theme, whileSymphony No 8, a powerful two-movement piece that alternates tonal harmonies with passages built on a 12-note tone row, is dedicated to his mentor AaronCopland, on the occasion of his 60th birthday (1960).
Schwarz and his forces are passionate advocates of this music and performances have a consistently thrilling momentum that propels the listener right into the heart of Diamond’s narrative power.
Unusual but very appealing music worthy of seriousinvestigation.
Honegger: The Demon of the Himalayas and other film music. Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Adriano – Naxos 8.570979 (75 minutes).
As with many 20th century composers, Arthur Honegger (1892-1955) not only wrote for the stage and concert hall, but also made an extremely great contribution to film music. During a brilliant career spanning some 30 years, he composed around 40 film scores, including for silent films. His compositions for such silent epics as La Roue (1922) and Napoleon (1926), both directed by Abel Gance, are considered as some of the most descriptive film music of its day.
Honegger himself was a great film enthusiast, and he was often seen on the set during shooting, something that helped him create some astonishingly advanced ideas that fitted the subject matter perfectly. His belief, that the ideal film score must be a distinct component in a unified medium made him the leader of modern film music in France during the Thirties.
This exciting issue focuses on excerpts from Regain (1937), Crime and Punishment (1934) and The Demon of the Himalayas (1935), and the complete score for The Idea (1934). Each selection reveals the composer’s natural ability to paint with orchestral mastery every situation, and his unique descriptive ability and audacious harmonies.
Adriano is an expert interpreter of this wide-ranging repertoire, and his fastidious attention to detail make these performances highly appealing and well worth delving into.
These CDs were made available for review by D’Amato Record Shop of 98/99 St John Street, Valletta.