The Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Neeme Järvi, their indefatigable Conductor Laureate, continue their fruitful relationship for Chandos with a generously filled SACD (77′ 40”) of familiar and unfamiliar orchestral works by Saint-Saëns. Those who enjoyed the recent survey of the composer’s ballet music on Melba will find this new disc very much to their taste.
The centre pieces of this collection are the four symphonic poems that Saint-Saëns composed between 1872 and 1877 – performed on this SACD in the order of their composition. Of these only ‘Le Rouet d’Omphale’ and ‘Danse macabre’ could be regarded as at all familiar to modern audiences, but regrettably rarely appear on concert programmes today. Järvi and his orchestra lavish great care on each of these fastidiously crafted pieces. The playing in ‘Le Rouet d’Omphale’ has a pleasing Gallic delicacy and elegance, while Järvi builds ‘Phaeton’ excitingly to the climactic moment when Zeus hurls his thunderbolt – captured here with splendid impact by the vivid recording. ‘Danse macabre’ has terrific drive and benefits from the feisty violin solos of the RSNO’s leader Maya Iwabuchi. The fourth and final one of these symphonic poems, ‘La Jeunesse d’Hercule’, is also the longest and most ambitious. Perhaps its subject – the choice for Hercules between the paths of pleasure and virtue – is not quite as suited to musical depiction as the other less philosophically based symphonic poems, but Saint-Saëns manages to compile a beguiling piece of varied charms and one that allows appreciation of some ravishing playing from the RSNO strings.
The disc opens with a thrillingly frenetic account of the ‘Danse bacchanale’ from the third Act of Saint-Saëns’ opera ‘Samson et Dalila’ in which Järvi and the players of the RSNO revel in both the music’s oriental barbarism as well as its sensuality. Spirited performances of the well-known ‘Marche militaire française’ and the delicious overture to the composer’s light opera ‘La Princesse jaune’ follow before we reach the three rarities that complete the programme.
Saint-Saëns described ‘Une nuit a Lisbonne’ as ‘a little barcarolle’. It was composed in 1880 and dedicated to King Luiz of Portugal. Scored for small orchestra and lasting under four minutes it is a captivating miniature, especially when played as affectionately as here.
The Concert Overture ‘Spartacus’ dates from 1863 though the composer never published it and it languished forgotten until the 1990s. It is a fiery work with a flavour of one of Liszt’s more flamboyant symphonic poems – just the sort of piece that brings out the best in Järvi’s conducting style. The same is true of the final work on the disc – the ‘Marche du couronnement’.This splendid march, written for the coronation of Edward VII in 1902, is given a terrific performance full of swagger, appropriate Edwardian pomp and crowned with clangorous tubular bells.
The 24-bit/96 kHz 5.0 channel surround sound recording matches the high standard set on a number of recent Chandos recordings made in the ample acoustic of the Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow. It delivers a convincing orchestral image, one that also graphically conveys the acoustic signature of the recording venue. Very detailed and informative liner notes by Roger Nichols are also most welcome.
The centre pieces of this collection are the four symphonic poems that Saint-Saëns composed between 1872 and 1877 – performed on this SACD in the order of their composition. Of these only ‘Le Rouet d’Omphale’ and ‘Danse macabre’ could be regarded as at all familiar to modern audiences, but regrettably rarely appear on concert programmes today. Järvi and his orchestra lavish great care on each of these fastidiously crafted pieces. The playing in ‘Le Rouet d’Omphale’ has a pleasing Gallic delicacy and elegance, while Järvi builds ‘Phaeton’ excitingly to the climactic moment when Zeus hurls his thunderbolt – captured here with splendid impact by the vivid recording. ‘Danse macabre’ has terrific drive and benefits from the feisty violin solos of the RSNO’s leader Maya Iwabuchi. The fourth and final one of these symphonic poems, ‘La Jeunesse d’Hercule’, is also the longest and most ambitious. Perhaps its subject – the choice for Hercules between the paths of pleasure and virtue – is not quite as suited to musical depiction as the other less philosophically based symphonic poems, but Saint-Saëns manages to compile a beguiling piece of varied charms and one that allows appreciation of some ravishing playing from the RSNO strings.
The disc opens with a thrillingly frenetic account of the ‘Danse bacchanale’ from the third Act of Saint-Saëns’ opera ‘Samson et Dalila’ in which Järvi and the players of the RSNO revel in both the music’s oriental barbarism as well as its sensuality. Spirited performances of the well-known ‘Marche militaire française’ and the delicious overture to the composer’s light opera ‘La Princesse jaune’ follow before we reach the three rarities that complete the programme.
Saint-Saëns described ‘Une nuit a Lisbonne’ as ‘a little barcarolle’. It was composed in 1880 and dedicated to King Luiz of Portugal. Scored for small orchestra and lasting under four minutes it is a captivating miniature, especially when played as affectionately as here.
The Concert Overture ‘Spartacus’ dates from 1863 though the composer never published it and it languished forgotten until the 1990s. It is a fiery work with a flavour of one of Liszt’s more flamboyant symphonic poems – just the sort of piece that brings out the best in Järvi’s conducting style. The same is true of the final work on the disc – the ‘Marche du couronnement’.This splendid march, written for the coronation of Edward VII in 1902, is given a terrific performance full of swagger, appropriate Edwardian pomp and crowned with clangorous tubular bells.
The 24-bit/96 kHz 5.0 channel surround sound recording matches the high standard set on a number of recent Chandos recordings made in the ample acoustic of the Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow. It delivers a convincing orchestral image, one that also graphically conveys the acoustic signature of the recording venue. Very detailed and informative liner notes by Roger Nichols are also most welcome.
Warmly recommended.
(This review originally appeared on SA-CD.net)