Search - Schulhoff, Dohnanyi, Viotti :: Schulhoff: Ogelala / Suite Op. 37 / Symphony No. 2

For lovers of Stravinsky and Shostakovich

ivocaliban | USA | 03/04/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ervin Schulhoff (1894-1942), a Czech of Jewish-German descent, is one of those interesting composers that we lost during the Second World War. While he may not bring anything strikingly new to the world of music, he does manage to do a great deal with what already exists. Having written seven symphonies, two string quartets, numerous sonatas for various instruments, and a healthy dose of piano works...it's easy to see how this disc barely scratches the surface. What it does do is provide an intersting and accessible way to discover this greatly under-appreciated composer.Apart from being an important exponent of quarter-tone music, Schulhoff is also known for incorporating jazz into his instrumental and orchestral works. The Suite on this disc contains six movements, each based on a form of "modern" dance. It's quite reminiscent of Shostakovich's Jazz Suites, being quite playful and very easy on the ear. My personal favorites are the concluding pieces, the spare Step dance and the Jazz finale. The Second Symphony (also referred to as the Symphony for Radio) contains a Third Movement: Scherzo alla Jazz. The piece is rather short for a symphony, being just short of eighteen minutes in length, but it's quite a bit of fun nonetheless. Like the Suite, his Symphony No. 2 is dance-oriented music, but it is not the true gem on this disc. That spot is reserved for the Ogelala "Ballettmysterium".Written during the early twenties, Schuloff based this ballet on the rhythms of Native American dances. The plot, too, revolves around an American Indian chief (Ogelala) and his antagonist. The music and the story is fierce and unforgettable. As mentioned in the sparse notes on the piece, it was inspired by Stravinsky's "Le sacre du printemps". This much was apparent to me before I'd ever opened the booklet. "Ogelala" is the first piece on the disc and from the opening straight through to the end the presence of Stravinsky is always lurking nearby. "Ogelala" takes up over half the space on the disc, leaving the other half almost equally divided between the Suite and the Second Symphony. Considering the disc has a total time of over an hour and ten minutes, I feel it's a very generous offering. For the price, I can think of no better way to get a taste for work of this delightful composer. While the playing and sound is quite good, there is a reason I limit my rating to four stars instead of five. One has the feeling after hearing these works that if they were in the right hands they would be infinitely better known than they are today. As for now, however, you really can't go wrong with this purchase, especially considering the price.Enjoy!"