Tubin: Complete Symphonies
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Free Music Notes for Tubin: Complete Symphonies
Free Music Review: An Odd Mix
Hit: 3 Stars
After purchasing these CDs, I was captivated by Symphony No. 1. With Neeme J?rvi's expert direction, the high drama is brilliantly portrayed. Listening to the rest of the symphonic cycle, however, I got the impression that Tubin didn't really have all that much more to say. Each of Sibelius's symphonies is its own idea and mood. Shostakovich's wild, careening evolution, even his agonizing history with the Soviet government, is clearly evident in his cycle. Tubin, on the other hand, gets dry after numerous hearings, except for the First and perhaps the Goblin Suite.
But if you already know and love Tubin, then you'll be equally disappointed with the fact that at least two of his symphonies on this set (the Fourth and Ninth) are live recordings, with all the attendant noise, poorly placed microphones, and even the audacity to leave in the applause at the end of each! No, thank you. The power and energy (such as it is) may have been present in the auditorium, but not on this set.
Free Music Review: A treat for any VW or Sibelius lover
Hit: 5 Stars
These are wonderful pieces of music. If you like Vaughan Williams or Sibelius, or better, both, opening this set is like opening a box of chocolates. The Fourth, especially, has an otherworldly, luminous character that is totally captivating, and sounds almost like VW's symphony 5a. The Fifth has an Andante that starts out much like the slow movement of Shostakovich's 11th, but instead of dragging on as that piece does, turns into sheer magic, the transfigured final bars drifting up into the stratosphere. There are stereophonically placed sets of timpani a la Nielsen 4, that come into their own in the finale and provide an extremely thrilling conclusion to the piece. The Second also has imaginative use of timpani, as well as an opening of spell-binding magic, with mysterious piano arabesques in the background. But it also features a devastating funeral march and an intense, multifaceted finale. Each of the ten symphonies included holds its own share of surprises and delights; as a whole, this oeuvre to me is quite a discovery.
The recordings, unfortunately, are not all as clean and perfect as one would like. The disc containing symphonies 1 and 5 gave trouble on my CD-player, where the music was accompanied by a persistent and extremely distracting ticking noise, growing louder in fortissimo's and sounding for all the world as if the conductor was marking a syncopated beat by furiously slapping his desk with his baton. However, in my DVD player it sounds fine, so I suppose this is an error that newer machines have no trouble dealing with. The recording of the Fourth sounds downright messy at times; unlike the others, it was taken from a public concert, and there is a fair lot of extraneous noise, incredibly enough including footsteps and distant whistling! The recording by the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra on the Alba label is definitely preferable. The other symphonies fare rather better and offer wide-ranging and sufficiently (though not ideally) detailed and natural sound, especially in quieter passages. On the other hand - don't let the tam-tam strokes in the Eight catch you unawares!
The clever packaging is somewhat of an intelligence test and may have you believe that one disc is missing - but don't be fooled...
Free Music Review: A Great 20th Century Symphony Cycle
Hit: 5 Stars
If there were any justice in the music world, the symphonies of the Estonian composer Eduard Tubin would be as popular as the symphonies of Shostakovich, Sibelius, Prokofiev, Nielsen etc. They synthesize Sibelius' melody and harmony and Prokofiev's rhythm in a wholly original way. Tubin was a master orchestrator,who draws magical and beautiful sounds from the orchestra. The first six symphonies in particular are all bona fide masterpieces. Start with the beguiling Fourth (Aptly entitled The "Lyrical") and then listen to the Fifth and the dramatic Second Symphony. I have been listening to these symphonies for the best part of 20 years and can truly report that I never tire of them. If I could only take one box set of cds to a desert island this would be it. ANYONE who cares about 20th Century music needs to hear these performances, led by a conductor who knew the composer. Performances and sound are excellent. Inevitably, Tubin will be recognized as one of the great composers. Why not listen to his symphonies and discover one of the best kept secrets in the world of classical music?