Search - Lalo, Butt, Rpo :: Lalo: Symphony; Overture; Scherzo; Rapsodie Norvegienne

A Real Curtain Raiser

Joshua Grasso | Oxford, OH USA | 09/03/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the best classical cd's I've purchased in months--it may be one of my great finds for 2005. It's a disc that you listen to in complete bewilderment, shaking your head that such fine, inspired music could be abandoned to the dustbin of musical history. Why? Lalo is certainly a rather unfashionable composer, as his talent was more lyrical and theatrical than searching and profound--he was easily overshadowed by Franck and his circle (and who wouldn't be?!). Yet if he had been born in, say, Spain (and he did write one of the greatest "Spanish" works), he would have been hailed as a national master. After all, how could the composer who wrote the incredibly inspired Symphonie Espagnole write NOTHING else worth listening to (his sometimes resurrected cello concerto aside)? This disc proves the lie: he wrote a lot of great music that straddled the fence between the classical tradition of Chabrier, Faure, and Saint-Saens, and the romantic school of Franck, Chausson, D'Indy, etc. This is music that really breathes of the theatre: great melodies are chased all over the stage by snarling brass and swirling strings. It can be Wagnerian at times, but it also has a sublime balletic lightness which does remind a bit of Chabrier's scores (and Chabrier himself said that Espana could not have been written without Lalo's Namouna).



To the music itself: the Symphony in G Minor is a major find. I couldn't believe it the first time through: it's an incredibly fresh, quicksilver piece--over before you even know it. The first movement is a dramatic scene setting to a production of Hamlet, Macbeth, you name it. The second movement showcases his extreme talent for writing scherzos (as also demonstrated in the Symphonie Espagnole), which is later explored in the Scherzo in D minor and the Rapsodie Norvegienne. A brooding, mysterious slow movement follows, which is hastily driven away by the powerhouse finale, which litters the stage with corpses...or something like that.



The overture to Le Roi d'Y's is more subtle, a finely crafted piece that I can easily see winning Debussy's admiration. It has poetry and drama, fire and wit, and after hearing it, I can't imagine what else the opera could have to say! The Scherzo in D minor is a little masterpiece, tuneful and exciting. But even this doesn't prepare you for the sheer delight of the Rapsodie Norvegienne. The first movement is a light confection very much in the manner of Chabrier's Pastorale Suite. Sensuous and just a touch decadent. Then Lalo tricks you by unleashing a ferocious, brass-laden theme--so memorable that you can't believe it isn't played every day on some radio station. He drives this theme ferociously, depicting some grand chase in the manner of Mussorgsky's "The Hut on Fowl's Legs." There's not a moment of slack in the entire movement, and when it finally ends, you'll kick yourself for calling Lalo a one work composer.



The music is played with gusto by the Royal PO, conducted by Yondani Butt, who has championed so many unjustly neglected composers. Like Glazunov, Lalo has simply run afoul of critical trends, which has little use for theatrical music. If, however, you enjoy a fiery melodrama with memorable themes, Lalo is playing your song."