Bantock: Orchestral Works (CD Review)

by Ryan Ross 

Bantock: Hebridean Symphony; English Scenes; Prelude to ‘The Bacchae’ of Euripides. Rumon Gamba, conductor; BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Chandos CHSA 5380

I’ve always been a bit torn about Granville Bantock. On the one hand, I love his flair for scene painting, and his splendid knack for orchestral color. On the other hand, I get frustrated with his peculiar formal mushiness, and a tendency to over-extend what are usually modest materials. If I’m honest, it’s all made more annoying by an extravagant exoticism that can seem more like a rich kid’s pose than anything else. He’s a neglected composer I feel eager to promote, and end up reluctantly realizing why he’s second-tier.

 

But as I often say, even a second-tier composer might ring the bell occasionally. The Hebridean Symphony is one of Bantock’s few works in that category. Yes, it’s a bit bloated and at times borderline hokey. (That stretch of insistent trumpet fanfares toward the end comes immediately to mind.) But it also contains some real magic, especially earlier on. The first section, built on the Scottish folk song “The Seagull of the Land-under-Waves,” is gorgeous and well proportioned. And the stormy music of the Con moto section is one of the most thrilling passages in all of British classical music. Look, I’m not saying the world needs a full-blown Bantock revival, but a performance of the Hebridean Symphony now and then would definitely help to enrich the concert palette. Particularly in my very own United States.

 

The other works on this recording are pleasant but less ambitious. The Prelude to ‘The Bacchae’ of Euripides reflects the vogue for Greek play music in early-twentieth-century Britain. Coming in at just over six minutes, it’s effective enough music that doesn’t overstay its welcome, even if the listener neither knows nor cares about its eponymous imagery. The English Scenes of 1901 comprise a handful of shorter pieces that, while likewise less memorable than the symphony, also avoid its mild tax on the patience. Bantock was always most inspired when animating a non-musical subject, and each of these scenes carries a simple yet vivid title to that effect.

 

Indefatigable conductor Rumon Gamba is another musician who revels in scene-painting. Unsurprisingly, he and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra give bright performances of all this music. Their main competition involves the Hebridean Symphony. Perhaps Adrian Leaper’s interpretation with the Czecho-Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra (Naxos 8.555473, formerly on Marco Polo 8.223274) is harder-edged. Maybe Vernon Handley and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Hyperion CDA66450) are the most consistent. But Gamba and the BBCSSO distinguish themselves by sheer color and exuberance. In the end you really can’t go wrong with any of these options.

 

Which makes formulating a recommendation awkward. I don’t know how many listeners will want multiple recordings of the Hebridean Symphony in their collections, much less versions of this other repertoire. The best solution (as usual) is probably to sample before you buy. But stream and revisit? Absolutely. Gamba has already made a name for himself with northern European repertoire, and this release is another feather in his cap.

Ted Rosenthal Trio: Classics Reimagined: impromp2 (CD Review)

by Karl Nehring 

Chopin: Waltz in C-sharp minor; Dvorak: Slavonic Dance; Chopin: Mazurka in A minor¹; Mussorgsky: The Old Castle²; Rachmaninoff: Vocalise³; Brahms: Allegretto from Symphony No. 3; Beethoven: “Pathetique” Sonata, 2^nd Movement; “Pathetique” Sonata, 3^rd Movement; Elgar: Salut D’Amour⁴; Satie: Je Te Veux⁵; Chopin: Waltz in A-flat⁶. Ted Rosenthal, piano; Norika Ueda, bass; Quincy Davis, drums; with the following musicians appearing on individual tracks as indicated: ^1,2Tim Horner, drums; ^2,6Ken Peplowski, clarinet; ^3,4,5Sara Caswell, violin. TMR Music TMR #101725

Pianist Ted Rosenthal (b. 1959) has a solid grounding in classical music, with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in classical piano performance. Outside the classroom, he pursued his interest in jazz; after college, he continued private study in classical piano while playing jazz gigs around New York. His big break came in 1988, when he entered and won the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, resulting in a recording contract and the launching of a successful career as a jazz musician. However, he has kept his hand in classical music, appearing as a soloist with symphony orchestras as well as composing a piano concerto and an opera. About this recording, he explains, “Impromp2 is a collection of my reimaginings of themes from the classical world into the world of jazz. I have performed this repertoire often: with my trio, in solo concerts, and with trio plus chamber orchestra. I often hear classical themes as being ripe for jazz treatments – perhaps with a bit of mischievous intent. Setting these melodies with embellished jazz harmonies comes naturally to me. The next challenge is finding a satisfying form for improvisation. Finally, finding a rhythmic “groove” that makes the whole treatment work without sounding forced or contrived is key. I have been playing many of the pieces on this CD for a few years already and firmly believe that as ‘jazz tunes,’ they work.”

 

What Rosenthal says about classical pieces working as a basis for jazz tunes certainly seems to make solid sense. Much of the jazz repertoire consists of improvisatory reworking of popular music; in particular, the Great American Songbook. So why not apply the jazz approach to some of the great melodies of the classical masters? Some readers of a certain age and musical disposition may recall the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s Blue Rondo a la Turk, the group’s jazz take on a theme by Mozart; more recently, we’ve had the young New Orleans pianist Jon Batiste offering us jazz takes on music by Beethoven (our review of “Beethoven Blues” can be found here) and Mozart (see our review of “Black Mozart” here). Now we have this new release from Ted Rosenthal that features tastefully swinging arrangements of music by classical composers. The program kicks off with a lively Chopin waltz that leaves waltz rhythm behind to infuse Latin energy. After some more dances from Dvorak and Chopin again, we come to one of the special highlights of the album, a hauntingly atmospheric take on Mussorgsky featuring veteran clarinetist Ken Peplowski. This is followed by another lyrical guest appearance, violinist Sara Caswell on Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise. Then we get an unexpected delight, a swinging yet faithful to the original arrangement of the bittersweet Allegretto movement from Brahms’s Third Symphony. Rosenthal then offers a solo improvisation based on the second movement of Beethoven’s ‘Pathetique’, followed by a trio arrangement of the third movement. The Brahms and Beethoven are the highlights of the program; however, Impromp2 is a joy from start to finish, and I highly recommend it to jazz and classical fans alike.

Recent Reases No. 86 (CD Reviews)

by Karl Nehring

Schubert: Symphony No. 8 in B minor, D. 759 “Unfinished”; Symphony No. 9 in C major, D. 944 “The Great”. Park Avenue Chamber Symphony; David Bernard, conductor. Recursive Classics RC6758911

Today we think of these two Schubert symphonies as old friends, natural discmates on CD, works that have been part of the standard orchestral repertoire ever since Schubert completed putting pen to paper. However, the actual story is much different, as music critic David Patrick Stearns explains in his liner note essay: “Franz Peter Schubert’s nine symphonies represent a Viennese musical crossroad – a busy one – though when different currents came together in his final few works, nobody knew it for decades. In Schubert’s lifetime (1797-1828) Symphony No. 8 (Unfinished) was partly completed in 1822, later forgotten and not heard until 1865. Symphony No. 9 (The Great) was finished in 1827, not published until 1849, was considered unreasonably long and laughed at by orchestral musicians.” Fortunately, conductor David Bernard and the musicians of the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony (a full-sized symphony orchestra) hold these symphonies in high regard and present them here in performances that strive for balance and clarity. The music seems to simply unfold naturally, without exaggeration, an approach that is especially well-suited to the Ninth, which can become exhausting if a conductor tries to over-dramatize the score. Not here. Maestro Bernard seems to find the sweet spot between the Classic and Romantic sides of the work, an interpretive approach that comes across as neither buttoned-down nor overblown. The sound quality of this recording is also exemplary, offering an excellent stereo spread plus a sense of depth and warmth. The Stearns essay is a welcome bonus, making this CD an easily recommendable release.

 

Orff: Carmina Burana. Chen Reiss, soprano; Reginald Mobley, countertenor; Audivi, chorus; Detroit Opera Youth Chorus, children’s chorus; Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Jader Bignamini, conductor. PENTATONE PTC 5187 519

Back in the 1970s when I first began to develop an interest in classical music, there were a couple of compositions that seemed to get a remarkable amount of airplay. Every few days on the local classical FM station we would hear Pictures at an Exhibition or Carmina Burana – or maybe even both. In addition, it seemed as though every classical record label had new recordings of these compositions coming out, not to mention all the recordings already in their back catalogs. These days, however, things seem to have changed. FM classical radio is barely hanging on, and neither Pictures at an Exhibition nor Carmina Burana seem to be attracting much public attention. Lo and behold, however, suddenly it’s 2026 and along comes Pentatone with a new recording of Carl Orff’s greatest hit. As we have come to expect these days, it’s a live concert recording – the days of assembling such a large group of musicians for a “studio” recording are pretty much behind us. Fortunately, the first-class engineering team from Soundmirror has done a commendable job and the sound has convincing impact and clarity – not quite Telarc-class, given the restriction of live performance, but still more than adequate. The performance comes across with life and conviction, reminding the listener of how entertaining this piece can be when performed with conviction by musicians at the top of their game. For those music lovers who have not yet encountered Orff’s spectacular composition, this new performance from Detroit would serve as an excellent introduction.