May 5, 2014

  • Overtures from a Great Piano Virtuosi: Egen D'Albert

     

    D’Albert: Cinderella Suite; The Little Mermaid; Overtures
    Viktorija Kaminskaite, soprano. MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra/Jun Markl
    Naxos 8.573110
    Total Time:  75:11
    Recording:   ****/****
    Performance: ****/****

    Born just two years after Claude Debussy, Eugen D’Albert (1864-1932) provides a window into another thread of late 19th/early 20th Century music.  Though he grew up in London studying with Ernst Pauer, his performances would soon lead him into contact with Anton Rubinstein, Clara Schumann, and Hans Richter.  Richter arranged for him to study in Leipzig and from there he would meet Brahms and Liszt as well.  Liszt would bring him to Weimar where D’Albert would become one of his students.  D’Albert would go on to have a very successful international career.  Two piano concertos are among some of the great showpieces of the period.  Interestingly, he met with early success with an opera, Der Rubin in 1893 and it would lead to several other operas, though none are really in current repertoire.  His other claim to fame was his extensive work on the collected edition of Liszt’s symphonic poems.  His private life also caused a bit of a stir.  He was married six times including to Teresa Carreno (his second wife) and Hermine Fink (is third wife), for whom he wrote The Little Mermaid, Op. 15.  His music is certainly worth exploring for those who appreciate the great diversity and changes in music as one century came to a close and a new one began.

    In this present release, Jun Markl’s program is an interesting overview of D’Albert’s orchestral work, though mostly from his opera output with a series of five overtures, a suite, and a tone poem of sorts for soprano and orchestra composed between 1888 and 1924.  The program begins with a concert Overture to Grillparzer’s Esther, Op. 8 composed in 1888 and the oldest of the works here.  The music is for an adaptation of the Biblical Esther story that appeared in 1862.  Already one can hear a deft handling of the orchestra with pointed writing for winds and a good command of harmonic writing that is quite representative of this period.  A rather exciting ¾ section provides nice contrast from the opening with good cross-rhythms.  The final couple of minutes are really quite exciting with wonderful orchestral writing.  We jump ahead to 1916 to Die Toten Augen which was a one act opera with a prelude and postlude.  The prelude is on display here with a more pastoral approach and hints of the drama to come.  Interesting unisonal writing opens the piece and there are some fascinating turns of melodic line that catch the ear as the piece opens and will become an almost impressionistic flute idea.  Certainly the music has Impressionist flourishes that are similar to Delius’ style, though far more dramatic and impassioned here.  Gernot (1897) is the briefest of the overtures here, serving as the Prelude to Act 2 of this three-act opera with themes of ancient Rome and fairy queens.  The prelude serves to prepare us for the upcoming wedding festivities and perhaps some interesting Liszt touches, but is a great example of the romantic styles of the period and one might even here where Korngold’s own style comes from in music like this.  Fantasy plays a bit of a role in D’Albert’s first opera, Der Rubin (1893), which is based on a story by Friedrich Hebbel set in Baghdad and involving Princess Fatima in this romantic overture.  It opens with some gorgeous thematic presentation and equally fine orchestral writing.  From this we move to the more light-hearted comedy overture to the opera, Die Abreise (1898), set in fin-de-siecle Paris.

    The second half of this release is inspired by two folk tales.  The first is the familiar Brother’s Grimm story of Cinderella.  This 1924 orchestral suite is cast in five brief movements that move through the story quickly.  The suite allows for examples of dance music with that for the central ball (though one more Ravelian at times) and then a concluding wedding polonaise and peasant dance.  Finally, there is a telling of Hans Christian Andersen’s story, The Little Mermaid.  The piece, from 1897, shows some of Wagner’s shadow in this tale of a poor mermaid who saves a prince and falls in love with him.  Though her love is not returned her salvation eventually comes as she is transformed into a bird at the end of the story (a bit of a change from the Disney version some may be more familiar with these days).  Indirectly, it allows us to also hear a sample of the composer’s vocal writing.

    Having been taken by D’Albert’s music in the Hyperion “Romantic Piano Concerto” series a few years ago, it has always been interesting to explore and discover his other work.  This particular disc makes for a rather wonderful introduction to the composer.  The great romantic ideas here with engaging thematic writing and colorful orchestration are certainly worth more concert time.  Each of the overtures has something to recommend it and the variety here of this cross-section of D’Albert’s works in this genre are certainly to be commended.  The final two pieces allow for further appreciation of his sense of drama and color.

    These are equally committed performances of music that is not easy by any means.  The orchestra must be able to run the gamut of Wagnerian romanticism to Impressionism and all the interesting turns of harmony that come along with these musical movements.  Markl’s program is well chosen providing a very good overview of the different stylistic approaches that comprised D’Albert’s music and showing off its development across his career.  Soloist Viktorija Kaminskaite has a gorgeous voice and it goes through a lot in a piece that has her moving to the far ends of the upper range, those she manages these beautifully with a great sense of drama.  The result is that there is much wonderful music to discover here that is well worth your attention.  The sound is equally well-matched to create a realistic spacing of the orchestra.  The recordings here were made back in 2011 following one of D’Albert’s symphony by these same forces which Naxos released earlier and is worth adding to your order when you pick this disc up.  Highly recommended.