July 6, 2018

  • Modern Orchestral Romanticism

     

    John Robertson: Symphony No. 1
    Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra/Anthony Armore
    Navona Records 6167
    Total Time:  77:10
    Recording:   ****/****
    Performance: ****/****

    John Robertson (1943-) shares something in common with Charles Ives—both were insurance salesmen, though in Robertson’s case he was able to turn more towards focusing solely on composition.  His music has been performed throughout Europe, North America, Australia, and his native New Zealand.  He has a number of orchestral works among them three symphonies.  The present recording is the second of his symphonies to be recorded by Navona.  There are three works on the current program, two of which are from the 1980s and one more recent suite.  The pieces on the album bear something in common in that they were each originally submitted to composition competitions.

    The Symphony No. 1, Op. 18 (1988) was the result of a submission where he had earlier had success with a set of variations (which closes off the album).  The piece was not chosen and essentially lay unperformed until 2014 when it received a performance in Bulgaria.  The work is cast in three movements.  The first begins with a dark low string statement that lies in contrast to punctuated woodwind chords and a somewhat chromatic line.  This thematic idea will then become part of a fugue-like exposition with close entries in strings with the primary rhythmic and melodic contour helping identify each entry well.  After this string-focused section, Robertson turns his attention to winds who begin to pick up and explore this whirling motif in alternation with longer lyric statements that spin out from the fugal material.  All of this is in a mostly tonal and accessible harmonic language.  The primary material moves along with interesting shifts in orchestral color holding brass off to begin a brief bright shift.  Little accented additions give the music a nice lift as it rushes to rich harmonic arrivals.   At the center of the symphony is a beautifully romantic lyrical idea that is richly-scored for strings and has one foot purely in 19th Century impassioned Romanticism but with subtle harmonic shifts that are closer to modern symphonic writing.  The heart of the music is on excellent footing here with an almost Walton-ish quality.  The album would be seriously worth considering just to be able to luxuriate in this gorgeous middle movement.  But, there is more and a violin idea helps lead us into the finale where ideas will grow from one instrument to the next.  This eventually develops into a rather delightful dancelike finale.

    At the center of the album is a more recent Suite for Orchestra, Op. 46 (2010).  The work explores different popular concert genres of the fanfare, a delightfully tuneful waltz, a Barber-esque elegy, and march.  Each allows for Robertson to show off a part of the orchestra bringing everyone back together for the final movement.  The writing here is even more assured and the sound again seems more in line with the sound worlds of late Malcolm Arnold.  Brass especially have that quality in the opening “Fanfare”.  The music still maintains a slightly more modern inflection though even if the rich string writing recalls the sort of mid-Century romanticism that has always had a thread across American symphonic music as well.  Others might feel it has a more nostalgic, cinematic quality.  Any of these could easily be performed alone and would fit on lighter, pops programs.

    We come to the first work Robertson submitted in the concluding Variations for Small Orchestra, Op. 14.  The theme itself is firmly anchored in A Major though with a bit of intriguing chromaticism.  What follows are six brief variations that explore tempo, rhythmic variation (tango and a waltz), and interesting orchestral colors.  There are moments of great wit and humor that follow some rather interesting solos.  Robertson’s writing here is also quite clear and engaging and allows for a nice exploration of the orchestra in this equally lighter work.

    There is some really fine music here.  The style flirts with Romanticism but tends to move into more modern territory with less traditional melodic packaging.  Overall, though Robertson clearly delineates primary ideas and structures within the symphony especially.  The music itself though tends to really grab you with its beautiful lyric writing.  The other pieces provide additional glimpses into his orchestral style.  The Czech orchestra has a rather darker quality in its string playing with a rather immediate and dry sound picture that has a soundstage feel at times.  The performance is carefully measured and committed if sometimes stiff in the dance moments which need to sing a bit more.  I suspect though that Robertson’s music could easily find its way onto programs in the UK where it could perhaps give us another recording for comparison of this often wonderful music.