Orchestral rarities

It is a rare occurrence when orchestral works by Swiss composers are announced; they are too much tainted by the smell of epigonism, of the romantic and classicist at the wrong time. The recording of works by Othmar Schoeck, Ernst Widmer and Adolf Brunner presented by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under the baton of Swiss conductor Rainer Held on Guild cannot remedy this "flaw". But it is still a pleasure to listen to.

You already know what to expect from Schoeck (1886-1957) before listening to the Festive hymn op. 64 and the Overture to William Ratcliff op. 29, which are presented as world premiere recordings. The works, composed in 1950 and 1908, are characterized by a late Romantic style, sometimes downright "palatable" moments, pathetic gestures and a treatment of the orchestra that - especially in the Overture - is strongly oriented towards Liszt. Nevertheless, it is definitely worth listening to, especially because the performers are committed to this music.

Rainer Held, who has made a name for himself as an orchestral and choral conductor, seems predestined for this music full of drama and hymn-like melodies. In contrast, the Concerto for piano, percussion and orchestra op. 160 by Ernst Widmer (1927-1990), who emigrated to Brazil, is strongly rhythmically charged. The work was premiered in Zurich in 1988 by Emmy Henz-Diémand on the piano and Michel Tabachnik. In this recording, however, it does not have the drive of that time. This may be due to the pianist Fali Pavri, who does not achieve the percussive grip of Emmy Henz, Widmer's great advocate. In addition to some thrilling moments, the work is also somewhat heterogeneous and lengthy at times.

Adolf Brunner (1901-1992) belonged to a generation of Swiss composers who were strongly inclined towards neoclassicism and regularly composed for the chamber orchestras that were emerging at the time. All the more astonishing is the Partita for piano and orchestra (1938/1939), which, committed to tonality, repeatedly finds its way to grand gestures alongside typically classical passages. As Chris Walton notes in an informative booklet text, it is sometimes reminiscent of Brahms.

All in all, this is an exciting, captivatingly interpreted trouvaille.