September 18, 2015

  • Seattle Releases Second Volume of Dutilleux

     

    Dutilleux: Metaboles; Violin Concerto; Symphony No. 2
    Augustin Hadelich, violin. Seattle Symphony/Lodovic Morlot
    Seattle Symphony Media 1007
    Total Time:  73:02
    Recording:   ****/****
    Performance: ****/****

     

    The first work I ever heard of Henri Dutilleux’s was L’Arbre des songes (1985).  The piece, commissioned, and subsequently recorded by Isaac Stern, was simply magical and stunning.  I even recall rushing into my composition professor’s office to share it with him as well.  The blend of impressionistic and modern approaches, coupled with a unique variation approach was fascinating.  It still is, and the folks in Seattle are getting ample opportunity to hear why Dutilleux is among the important composer of the latter 20th Century.  The present release is part of a project begun by Lodovic Morlot and the Seattle Symphony to record all of the composer’s works.  The works were recorded live (except evidently for the concerto, which may be a misprint) during 2014 they represent significant pieces from different parts of the composer’s artistic development.

    The program opens with Metaboles (1965) whose meaning is “change”.  Borrowing philosophically from the natural world’s sense of evolution and transformation, Dutilleux explores motive ideas with movements that explore each instrument family with the final “Flamboyant” bringing together the full orchestra.  Each musical idea introduced at the beginning of the movement can be heard growing and changing into something new.  The harmonic arrival points often are richly tonal, one of the aspects that often places the composer’s music closer to Ravel and Debussy.  The result here is a work that is an updated “concerto” for orchestra filled with drama, sensuousness, and always engaging sounds.  A lusher string, which brings the first movement to a close, will move into a broader focus in movement two, “Lineaire”.  A jazzy bass line enters in “Obsessionnel” that moves into interesting rhythmic ideas and jazz brass harmonies (sometimes not far removed from Stravinsky!).  Percussion become the focus of “Torpide”.  Less overt, and more an example of musical pointillism, the ideas are a more restrained background.

    This is a really brilliant performance showcasing the Seattle players.  The music here just unfolds so naturally under Morlot’s direction and the group seems to really embrace this musical aesthetic well.  Morlot takes a bit more time in the final three movements than Saraste did in his Finlandia recording (3984-25324) released in 1999 under the composer’s “supervision”.  The recording is worth tracking down as it has three “essential” Dutilleux works, including the second symphony which closed this release.

    In the middle though is the gorgeous Violin Concerto.  Unlike Stern’s CBS recording, the movements here each receive a separate track, even though the work essentially flows from one to the next with the interludes providing glue at the end of each track.  Here, the composer’s “Tree of Dreams” takes a rather unique structural approach of four movements connected by these interludes.  Again, a sort of metamorphosis occurs with unique bits and phrases being explored in a sort of large-scale variation technique.  The interludes help transition into new tempo explorations, almost developmental at times.  The third simulates tuning up of the orchestra, though written out rather than randomized.  There are some moments here where one is reminded of some of Marius Constant’s orchestral work, someone with a similar sound, though often different aesthetic approach.

    The soloist here is Augustin Hadelich, one of the latest rising stars of the violin.  His ability to create amazing tone coupled with a great technique across vast repertoire has garnered great acclaim.  There is good emotional depth here as his interpretation unfolds.  Pitch in high registers is certainly magical and does not feel forced.  There is indeed a great lyrical sense in exposed passages that is perfectly matched by the orchestra.  One of the great highlights is the conclusion of the slow movement where the soloist soars high into the ether with the string orchestra entering on the same pitch while the soloist seems to get lost in the sonority.  The effect is sheer magic and beautifully executed here.  There is even good depth to this performance with equal parts of excitement.  The Stern is the touchstone recording, but this recording, with superior sound, may very well surpass it.

    The final work is the three-movement Symphony No. 2 (1959).  Commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra for its 75th anniversary, Dutilleux’s work is set up somewhat like a modern concerto grosso.  A smaller group of 12 instruments, serving as a modern chamber orchestra with its unusual instrumentation set against the larger orchestra.  In one sense it is as if two worlds come together in this piece, one of many ways the “Double” subtitle might refer.  As one might suspect, the piece also explores the composer’s use of variation technique that begins with motivic ideas that are then evolved.  The opening movement has fascinating string ideas out of which rise a variety of sonorities, sometimes with jazz-like flourishes, or warmed up Stravinsky-ian punctuations.  The appearance of a harpsichord does draw attention to the exploration of sonorities as well.  The first movement explores this rhythmic idea.  The central slow movement is all about color and it begins with strings.  Gradually other colors begin to appear in a style that Dutilleux returns to in his lush string writing that was experienced earlier in this program.  Finale, all these aspects come together in the final movement, often creating an almost magical musical world.  It is in this symphony that we hear the composer’s aesthetic struggle between form and more impressionistic musical exploration all while exploring sonorities.  The result is a brilliant orchestral exploration that engages with its accessible musical language and drama.  One can hear some of these musical connections to the early Impressionists, though Messiaen often comes closer to mind in some moments of this work.  The final bars of the symphony are just amazingly handled and makes for a perfect conclusion to the disc.

    As with the previous works on the album, the performance here is simply beautifully shaped.  The sound quality is perhaps the best aspect of this recording.  The showcasing of soloists and sections in the symphony is certainly one reason to celebrate the Seattle ensemble’s tackling of these pieces.  Morlot’s shaping of the music works as well.

    While these three pieces certainly have many fine recordings in the catalogue, this is a significant one to add to the mix.  It would be a great place to start exploring Dutilleux’s music pulling together three significant works from across 25 years of the composer’s work.  The first volume of the SSO’s Dutilleux exploration was a significant launch to this project and this release may become one of the ensemble’s “classic” status releases.