Search - Eugen d' Albert, Ronald Zollman, Antonio Menseses :: D'Albert: Cello Concerto/Symphony 4

Only recording of Late Romantic symphony

Sanpete | in Utah | 08/19/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This appears to be the only recording of d'Albert's Symphony in F (not Symphony 4 but opus 4 - d'Albert only wrote one symphony). It was called the "world premiere recording" when it was released in 1995, and no others seem to have appeared since. Having listened to it several times, it's a mystery to me why no one else has recorded it.



Eugène d'Albert (1864-1932, he later preferred the German Eugen) was born in Glasgow. A piano prodigy, at age 12 he received a scholarship to the National Training School in London (later called the Royal College of Music), where he studied under, among others, Arthur Sullivan, for whom he scored the overture to Patience shortly after turning 17. Before he turned 18 he had performed Schumann's Piano Concerto under Hans Richter, and soon after performed a concerto of his own composition. He became a student of Liszt, of whom he quickly became a favorite, and began a long friendship with Brahms. In 1882, age 18, he played for Brahms parts of a symphony he was working on, presumably this one. D'Albert's Symphony in F had its premiere in 1884, was played in several cities in Germany, published in 1886, played that year in London, the next year in New York, again in Berlin in 1894, in London again in 1898, and in Bournemouth the next season.



The Symphony had a decidedly mixed critical reception outside Germany. It's hard to know how much this was due to the music and how much to d'Albert's intemperate behavior. He eventually managed to earn the dislike of many of his colleagues, but already in 1884 he got a good start on alienating an entire nation with a letter to a German newspaper, translated and published in England, excoriating the British system of musical education and all things British. Some of the British reviews took note of that. Still, the work was well enough liked to receive the later performances in Germany and England mentioned above (and possibly others that I wasn't able to find references to). The second Berlin performance was at the behest of Hans von Bülow, who rehearsed the symphony with his Berlin Philharmonic before he was forced to retire due to ill health.



One can hear the influence of Brahms and Wagner in this symphony, and some have pointed to Tchaikovsky, Gounod and Berlioz. I think the spirit of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique particularly animates the work, especially some (to me at least) unusual swaggering, strutting themes in the later movements. The four movements are all at least 11 minutes long, with a total length of a little under 50 minutes in this performance. (An early performance was reported at 55 minutes.)



The structure is conventional, with a moderately quickly-paced movement at each end, and a slow movement and scherzo in between. It begins in a pastoral mode, and goes through the expected ups and downs. The most instantly attention-getting part is the third movement which, after an elegiac slow movement, begins in a downright jolly way, with a hop and a skip in its step that builds to something of a parade, slows down for some more reflective strolling, and then builds back up to a rousing finish. (Even the dyspeptic, and I think careless, New York Times review of the American premiere liked this movement.) The fourth movement begins in a grave manner, with the call of a horn and a somber theme, but eventually returns, intermittently, to the more jaunty feel of the third, which in turn keeps giving way to increasing agitation until the strutting march returns in full glory.



As the reference to the Symphonie Fantastique might suggest, this music sounds like it has a program. It's easy to imagine some parts in correlation with the young age and reportedly impetuous nature of the composer. The piece is free of much that suggests Wagnerian pretense, and though there was an early complaint of its being repetitious and another that it was long, it strikes me as moderate in its development and not indulgent in longueurs. The main strutting theme (as I think of it) that occurs in the later movements is announced distinctly, in a couple snippets, in the first movement, and other material also occurs in more than one movement. The music is well orchestrated, with plenty of color and detail. The themes are pleasant, some quite catchy. D'Albert is fond of pulsing strings playing under melodies, sometimes with peculiar rhythmic effect. There is occasional counterpoint.



The performance here gets the music across pretty well. The orchestra isn't quite top notch, and some muddiness can be heard at times, but they generally give the music good momentum and verve. I've been enjoying the piece as presented here, as much as or more than performances of the lesser known symphonies of more famous composers of the period.



The other piece on this CD, the Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in C, was written in 1899. By this time d'Albert was firmly established as one of the world's leading pianists, but he wanted, as he said Liszt did, to be a composer first and performer second. At opus number 20, his works included several operas, two string quartets, two piano concertos, a piano sonata and several other pieces for solo piano. His only piece that has remained in the repertoire, the opera Tiefland, was yet to come. His works by then were regarded by some as slight, but he also had his champions.



The Cello Concerto is modest in comparison to the Symphony. In this performance it's 22 minutes, with no break between its three movements. It's conservative, unpretentious, well crafted, with limited dramatic tension, some beautiful if not highly distinctive ideas compactly developed. It's quite enjoyable and worth repeated hearings. Though my initial impression was that it's not that memorable, one of the themes has been running through my mind today.



The soloist, Antonio Meneses, and perhaps the recording of his cello, doesn't do the piece full justice. While the somewhat distant recording of the solo instrument probably presents a realistic balance such as one might hear in a concert, it isn't ideal for home listening. The cello's sound is on the small, thin side. Meneses generally plays very well, but his intonation is smudged in quick passages. There have been several other recordings of this piece. If you only want one recording of it, and aren't interested in the Symphony, reviews suggest the newer recording by Alban Gerhardt and Carlos Kalmar on the Hyperion label (here) is a better bet.



In sum, the Symphony is an interesting and engaging work worth seeking out for lovers of the Late Romantics, especially those who crave unusual or obscure works. The Cello Concerto is a fine small addition to the repertoire but is available elsewhere in what is reputed to be a better performance and recording."