Borresenb Symphonies 2 and 3 on CPO - A Review
Rob Barnett
HAKON BØRRESEN (1876-1954)
Symphony No 2 in A Major The Sea (1904) 35:22
Symphony No 3 in C major (1927) 33:20
Frankfurt RSO/Ole Schmidt
CD CPO 999 353-2
69:16
A couple of months ago I attempted a review of Børresen’s symphonies
2 and 3 on Marco Polo Da Capo (8.224061). At that time I had not
heard the above to compare the recording and performance.
Instead of a Danish orchestra conducted by a Welshman we here have a
German orchestra conducted by a Dane: the redoubtable Ole Schmidt.
Schmidt seems rather underused in the record industry. His Unicorn
LPs and then CDs of the Nielsen symphonies broke new ground (in
modern times) in the 1970s. His 1980(?) conducting of Havergal
Brian’s Gothic at the Royal Albert Hall was an indelibly memorable
experience (never issued commercially though there is a BBC tape).
Some of his own compositions are on Da Capo as are various
collections of Danish music. He has recorded Ludolf Nielsen’s Second
Symphony for CPO and there is a well thought of Borodin collection on
budget price Tring. In the late 70s he conducted a sequence of early
Niels Viggo Bentzon Symphonies for the BBC.
SYMPHONY NO. 2 THE SEA (1904)
The symphony is written in a style not far away from Mendelssohn,
Dvorák and Schumann but with Tchaikovskian moments. This is firmly
rooted in the 19th century so you must not despite the evocative
movement titles (Surf, Tragedy etc) expect romantic impressionism. As
I have said previously this is more in the nature of Raff’s Ocean
Symphony. This is still invigorating stuff and in a performance much
more brisk and lively than the Marco Polo/Da Capo one. The noble yet
half submissive big theme is memorable and returns in the finale. The
second movement is taken at a smart clip with shades of Mendelssohn’s
Midsummer Night’s Dream and a Brucknerian woodland magic. There is a
grave slow movement (Tragedy) which is more head-bowed than fist
shaking. The last movement returns to the Tchaikovskian and
Mendelssohnian atmosphere. An entertaining and attractive symphony
but not strikingly original. This performance is to be preferred to
the lower voltage Marco Polo one.
SYMPHONY NO. 3 (1927)
The first of the four movements is dominated by a jerky
upward-clawing theme which sounds distinctly Elgarian. The music is
more original and holds the attention more successfully than the
second symphony. The language is still not far removed from Dvorák
and the other nineteenth century romantics but it is more personal.
The ideas are not as consistently interesting as those in the second
symphony but are still very much worth hearing.
The notes by Hayo Nörenberg are trilingual (German, English and
French - no Danish)
If I had to choose I would select the CPO for symphonies 2 and 3 and
the Marco Polo for the much more obviously Tchaikovskian first
symphony and violin concerto. Do not expect Sibelian concentration or
originality. Borresen was no Nielsen but he did write music that
should be heard. If you enjoy Mendelssohn’s Scottish Symphony, the
Bruch symphonies, Raff or Dvorák then seek out this disc. You are
unlikely to complain and will likely gain a new friend. © Rob Barnett
--
Rob Barnett
Editor, British Music Society, Newsletter
British Music Society promoting neglected British Music. All
enquiries welcomed. Please visit our Web-Site at
http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~snc/society.htm
Eric Schissel
I should mention, though I haven't heard it, that the Danacord LP of the
2nd symphony is now available on CD with Glass' 5th symphony, a symphony
by Sandby, and other works. (That's Louis Glass, not Philip Glass, and
having now heard Louis Glass's 5th symphony I take away all the bad things
I've said about him :) )
Borresen's 3rd symphony does look quite interesting in score (it was
published in a historical series, Samfundet, (I forget the full title of
the series offhand), along with many, many other Danish works from the
19th and 20th centuries, including the Ludolf Nielsen 2nd symphony in a
piano reduction and numerous works by Holmboe and Carl Nielsen.)
-Eric Schissel
--
schi...@lightlink.com
http://www.lightlink.com/schissel ICQ#7279016
standard disclaimer