Rozsa: Three Hungarian Sketches, Op. 14 – Hungarian Nocturne, Op. 28 – Cello Rhapsody, Op. 3 – Overture to a Symphony Concert, Op. 26a – Mark Kosower (cello) – Hungarian Symphony Orchestra – Mariusz Smolij (conductor) – Naxos 8.572285 (57 mins)
Born in Hungary in 1907, Miklos Rozsa has remained famous for such monumental film scores as Quo Vadis?, Ben-Hur, El Cid, King of Kings and Sodom and Gomorrah. But his Hollywood career spanned more than 50 years, during which he left a legacy of over 100 screen compositions, most of which still grace the concert hall and recording studio.
Apart from all this huge cinema output, Rozsa was also an accomplished composer of many symphonic and chamber works. Since his death in 1995, these have held a regular place in recital and concert venues around the world. The Rozsa Society reports a steady growth in the number of performances and this third Naxos album of the composer’s concert works further enhances his reputation as a musician with special gifts and a superb craftsman.
This album strongly reflects Rozsa’s Hungarian roots, especially in the Notturno, Rhapsody and Three Hungarian Sketches.
In the Cello Rhapsody, Hungarian melodic contours and themes can be easily identified as the music changes speed with an almost disarming simplicity.
The Sketches are outstanding for a wonderfully atmospheric nocturnal evocation in the Pastorale, followed by a rousing peasant dance.
The tragic 1956 Hungarian uprising left its imprint on the disturbing and angst-filled Overture, while the Notturno transportsthe listener to the beautifulHungarian countryside at sunset.
Kosower gives a stirring performance of the solo part in the Rhapsody, while the rest of the programme is despatched with elan and precision.
Indeed, Smolij’s attention to detail brings vividly to the fore all the marvellous orchestration and colour of Rozsa’s creations.
Halffter: Carmen (complete film score) – Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra – Mark Fitz-Gerald (Cond.) – Naxos 8.572260 (67 mins)
One of Spain’s most important 20th-century composers, Ernesto Halffter (1905-1989) remains one of the least known and unjustly neglected musicians of his generation.
Born in Madrid to a family of German origin, Halffter began composing at the age of 13. One of his first pieces was Crepusculos for piano, a work that made a great impact on Adolfo Salazar, one of Spain’s foremost music critics.
Salazar sent the score of Halffter’s String Trio to Manuel de Falla, who immediately took the budding composer under his wing and later introduced him to the Parisian publishing company of Max Eschig.
His 1925 Sinfonietta won him the National Prize for Composition and from then on, Halffter’s career took a meteoric rise.
One year after this triumph, the composer was commissioned to write the music for the silent film Carmen, the first of a dozen such undertakings, ranging from 1926 to 1971, with this score remaining one of his most impressive in the genre.
This Jacques Feyder production, considered one of the great impressionistic Spanish screen masterpieces of the silent era, remains to this day one of the most telling examples of the silent screen, but Halffter’s music sadly soon fell into neglect and is almost totally forgotten.
Though the composer regarded the music as no more than an accompaniment to the film, the quality of the score is such that it can be enjoyed as a magnificent suite on its own merits.
This near-70-minute achievement is of epic proportions, and within the score one cannot only detect allusions to contemporary composers such as Debussy, Stravinsky, de Falla and Ravel, but also enjoy the colour, passion and powerful emotions encompassed in the Carmen story.
This world premiere recording is a triumph on all fronts. Absorbing performances, top-notch quality sound and a detailed description of all 17 tracks all contribute to this phenomenal project that highlights the seriousness of the cinematic art, even when it was still in its infancy.
That apart, it is moreover a fitting tribute to a composer who deserves much more recognition and attention than he has commanded thus far.
A blockbuster of a disc that should be snapped up by film buffs and that will be enjoyed without any hesitation. Others less interested in this genre should all the same find much to enjoy.
These CDs were made available for review by D’Amato Record Shop of 98/99, St John Street, Valletta.