Petrassi - Quarto Concerto/Bartok - Divertimento/Hoddinott: Scena for Strings/Martin: Etudes/Hartmann: Symphony nr. 4

We are inching our way through the Petrassi Concertos. The Fourth (1954) concludes the first CD. It's a weird work, written for strings only. Again, as with the previous two concertos it is not easy to put exactly the finger on what the weirdness is about. The musical idiom is approachable and relies on a loose and expressive twelve-tone technique. Formally, one senses an interesting combination of compositional rigour and improvisatory flair. The music commences somberly with a questioning, arch-like theme that seems to anchor a quasi-monothematic edifice. After a scherzo-like menacing 'allegro inquieto' the musical fabric starts to disintegrate until it is sucked up by a giant black hole, the 'lentissimo'. Here the musical process comes almost to a complete standstill. It's a night music of great intensity that explodes in an anguished climax. The finale is an energetic and tight-lipped 'allegro giusto' that towards the end returns to a serene reprise of the questioning theme with which the work started. All this is played without breaks between the movements. The overall shape of the work does remind somewhat of the Third Concerto, where the energetic opening also leads to a progressively more transparant and hesitant musical process.

According to Paolo Petazzi, who wrote the liner notes of the CD, the Quarto Concerto confronts itself with the model of Bartok. After having heard the Concerto five or six times during the last couple of days, I don't think that connection is obvious. In conjunction with the Concerto I listened in quick succession to a couple of other works for string orchestra: Bartok's Divertimento (1939), Martin's Etudes for string orchestra (1955-1956), Hoddinott's Scena for Strings (1984) and K.A. Hartmann's Symphony nr. 4 (1947-48). It's fair to say that there is something of all of these works in the Petrassi. I think Hoddinott's dreamy, shadowy Scena, Hartmann's somber, ruminative symphony and the dark slow movement of Bartok's Divertimento connect very well to the overall sense of deep and meandering meditation that pervades the Concerto. But there is neoclassical lightness and poise too, as in Martin's Etudes, and a sense of rythmic propulsion as in the fast movements of the Divertimento. truth be told, I think that amongst all of these works the Bartok Divertimento sticks out as the most accomplished achievement. It is such a wonder of balance, movement and colour. After having listened to it quite intensively a few weeks ago, it was refreshing to return to it once again. Now I listened to the phenomenal recording with Zehetmair and the Camerata Bern,on ECM.

Listening to the Hartmann symphony was a first for me. I had the full set of 8 symphonies with Ingo Metzmacher and the Bamberg SO already for a while but have not listened to it. It definitely seems worthwhile stuff, although I must admit to finding the Fourth rather longish. However, I am suspending judgment for the time being. Meanwhile I ordered the version on ECM with Christopher Poppen and the Münchner Kammerorchester to hear another take on this at first sight rather inscrutable work. Incidentally, Hartmann's Fourth Symphony and Petrassi's Fourth Concerto where both premiered by Hans Rosbaud.

Hoddinott - Symphony nr. 6; Lanterne des Morts

Another work that I was reminded of when listening to Petrassi's Secondo Concerto is Alun Hoddinott's Sixth Symphony (1984). I got to know this via a Chandos CD I added to my collection maybe 15 years ago. I relistened to this moody 20 minute-work but have to conclude that it inhabits a quite different musical universe. There is something of a neo-classical restraint and mellifluousness in the symphony, but overall it's a more romantic conception, richly harmonised in a very attractive clair-obscur. Although it features some exciting fast music, it basically comes across as a single arched adagio. It's a lovely composition which bears repeated listening, particularly on these kinds of gloomy winter days as we are currently experiencing. The disc features a number of other works, notably the symphonic poem Lanterne des Morts, op. 105, nr. 2. This is a stunningly atmospheric work that takes its cue from a monolithic stone tower in the French town of Sarlat (in the Dordogne). 'Lanterns of the dead' can be found in several places in the South-West of France. Although as a rule they are located in the immediate vicinity of a cemetery, no satisfactory explanation has been found as to their functioning. Legend has it that the souls of the deceased transmigrated out of these towers as pigeons. That is the image that Hoddinott has been able to musically evoke in a quite marvellous way. Qua atmosphere the work connects seamlessly to the symphony. The scoring is ravishing, with muted trumpets, darkly intoning trombones, glockenspiel and wind machine adding to the brooding atmosphere. There is a daring but quite successful quotation from the Romanza in Vaughan Williams' Fifth Symphony transporting us to the latter's luminous mysticism.

Hoddinott was a prolific composer who left a significant oeuvre, including 10 symphonies, 5 operas, more than 10 concertos and 10 piano sonatas. Most of it has not been recorded. Pity Chandos or Naxos have not yet picked up the gauntlet. Lyrita has a few recordings in their catalogue that are likely worthwhile to collect. To be continued.