Vlaams Radio Orkest & Yannick Nézet-Séguin - Arthur De Greef: Orchestral Works (VRT Muziek Edition) (2005/2024) [24/44]

Arthur De Greef, a piano virtuoso and composer, obtained his excellent results through analysis, reflection and hard work. Amidst all the musical turmoil at the start of the 20th century, De Greef is still composing late-Romantic, graceful and splendidly melodic music. Courage and authenticity was necessary for that. Thematically and harmonically the second pianoconcerto follows the classic form, but it also leans in the direction of the symphonic poem. De Greef clearly intended to express and develop particular emotions in this piece. This can also be seen in the poetic titles given to each movement. In De Greef's Humoresque, the accented rhythms and the repeated leaping motive are the most striking features. The motive springs between the strings to the flute and is followed by a martial theme on the horns. The lyrical middle section is an oasis of peace, with an expressive melody, fine solo passages and muted strings. For his Cinq chants d'amour De Greef used poems by the poet and critic Charles Fuster, a spiritualist poet who perseveres under the mantle of a passionate poet. His poems deal with love, faith and eternal hope. Fuster's verses inspired De Greef to compose splendid High Romantic songs. Chromaticism creates interestingly colourful harmonies and the sumptuous vocal line is framed in an orchestration that veers between delicate and luxurious.

Artur Pizarro is renowned for his lyrical poeticism and outstanding virtuosity. He performs regularly throughout the world with the leading orchestras and the world's most distinguished conductors. Pizarro regularly appears as a recitalist and chamber musician. Charlotte Riedijk studied with Charles van Tassel and now receives coaching from Aafje Heynis and James McCray. Her musical preferences include music from the beginning of the 20th century as well as the contemporary music that she performs very successfully. Numerous composers have dedicated works to her. Yannick Nézet-Séguin has established himself as a leading conductor in his native Canada. During his studies at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal, he won 5 first-prize awards. He has had extensive private studies with the legendary Carlo Maria Giulini. The Flemish Radio Orchestra is a symphony orchestra that also functions as a modern contemporary music ensemble. The orchestra performs the great works of the 20th century ánd contemporary symphonic repertoire.

"If the name of Flemish composer Arthur de Greef means anything at all to anyone living, it may have some resonance among collectors of vintage classical recordings, as he was the first pianist to record the Grieg Concerto in A minor complete and made recordings in support of violinist Isolde Menges. De Greef was a student of Franz Liszt and an important member of Liszt's inner circle at the end of the Weimar master's life; later, de Greef would also make records of both standard, numbered piano concerti of Liszt. De Greef was a composer of merit working in a post-Romantic style that stands halfway between the approaches of Richard Wagner and Gustav Mahler. As fine as de Greef's scant number of compositions are, they haven't received a lot of attention on recordings – perhaps Etcetera's Arthur De Greef: Orchestral Works will change that.

The album, co-branded with the Belgian concern Klara and the fifth volume in a series of profiles of Flemish composers, is beautifully recorded and consists of three works: de Greef's short and sparkling Humoresque for orchestra, the orchestral song cycle Cinq Chants d'Amour, and his Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat minor, written in 1930. Artur Pizarro is the featured soloist in the concerto, and Charlotte Riedijk the soprano of choice in the song cycle – otherwise, the disc as a whole features the Flemish Radio Orchestra under Yannick Nézet-Ségiun. Unlike many recordings one may encounter of works by under-recognized composers, there is nothing second-rate about Arthur De Greef: Orchestral Works. The orchestra sounds world class, Pizarro is terrific in the concerto, and Riedijk gives a very soulful and moving reading of the songs, which seems to be the true highlight of this disc. Hearing Cinq Chants d'Amour without knowing who the composer was would certainly raise a guess in favor of Mahler; it is a bit short of his usual depth, but emotional and orchestrally colorful in a way reminiscent of Das Lied von der Erde.

Nevertheless, apart from this song cycle, de Greef's music seems to fall short of true mastery. De Greef's second piano concerto is like the Grieg A minor in that it begins with a strong, memorable opening theme and then gets bogged down somewhere in the slow movement, making it a much harder sell in 1930, an age marked by the gradual acceptance of modern trends, versus how it might have fared in the 1880s. Perhaps this is why de Greef's music didn't catch on; however, one can hardly imagine a more effective advocacy of this obscure music than the care lavished on it in Etcetera's Arthur De Greef: Orchestral Works. The fact that the disc's running time is so short – 47 minutes – is the only other obstacle to enjoying it, and devoted fans of late and post-Romantic music should seriously consider seeking this one out." (Uncle Dave Lewis, AMG)

Charlotte Riedijk, sopraan
Artur Pizarro, piano
Vlaams Radio Orkest
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor

Tracklist:
01. Humoreske voor orkest (VRT Muziek Edition)
02. Cinq Chants d'Amour- I. Devant le ciel (VRT Muziek Edition)
03. Cinq Chants d'Amour- II. Ma vie est dans tes mains (VRT Muziek Edition)
04. Cinq Chants d'Amour- III. Tout âme est un berceau calme (VRT Muziek Edition)
05. Cinq Chants d'Amour- IV. Cloches (VRT Muziek Edition)
06. Cinq Chants d'Amour- V. Notre amour (VRT Muziek Edition)
07. Concerto voor piano en orkest No. 2 in bes- I. Angoisse (VRT Muziek Edition)
08. Concerto voor piano en orkest No. 2 in bes- II. Separation (VRT Muziek Edition)
09. Concerto voor piano en orkest No. 2 in bes- III. Sursum Corda (VRT Muziek Edition)


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