Arriaga: Orchestral Works 1818-1824 / Dombrecht, Et Al

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ARRIAGA Los esclavos felices: Overture. Overtures: op. 1; op. 20. Symphonie à grand orchestra • Paul Dombrecht, cond; Il Fondamento (period instruments) • FUGA LIBERA 522 (59:06)


It’s difficult to assess the potential of composers like Mendelssohn, Reger, and Distler, whose careers were cut short by an early death. The same is true for a young Spaniard by the name of Juan Crisóstomo Jacob Antonio Arriaga y Balzola (1806–26). In his day, Arriaga—to use the generally accepted version of his surname—was celebrated and indeed elevated. His talent was such that he was blessed and at the same time damned when the public began to call him “The Spanish Mozart” (in these politically correct times, Arriaga would be known as “The Basque Mozart”).


Born in Bilbao, Arriaga exhibited his musical gifts early, writing his first opera, Nada y mucho at the age of 12. Arriaga entered the Conservatoire in Paris when he was 15, and during his Parisian period crafted three excellent string quartets that have been the subject of several recordings, an opera ( Los esclavos felices ), a number of scenes lyrique , three caprices for fortepiano, and the finely wrought symphony recorded here.


Arriaga was blessed with an inquisitive mind and an almost innate ability to pen music that was structurally rock solid and melodically appealing. His ability to put in place musical concepts drew admiration from both his fellow students and professors. The Belgian composer and musicologist François Fetis wrote: “His progress was prodigious; only three months were required to give him a perfect knowledge of harmony and after two years he had mastered counterpoint and fugue.” From this excerpt and other contemporary reports, there can be little doubt that Arriaga was on the path to becoming a major talent when his voice was silenced by consumption.


In addition to his fine quartets, the overture to Los esclavos felices , the Overture, op. 1, and the symphony have been in and out of the catalogs for a number of years. There was an LP recording of the overture to Los esclavos felices and the Symphonie à grand orchestra in the late 1970s issued by Ensayos of Spain and licensed for distribution in the states by the long-dead HNH label. If my aging memory serves me correctly, that performance was by Enrique Garcia Asensio and the English Chamber Orchestra and it is currently unavailable on compact disc. In 1993, Capriccio issued a CD of Spanish symphonies by Concerto Köln that included the first period-instruments recording of the Arriaga, and some two years later, another period-instrument recording by Jordi Savall and Le Concert des Nations and La Capella Reial de Catalunya (Astrée 8532) entered the catalogs. A search of the Internet reveals this disc to be scarcer than hen’s teeth, indicating it may be out of print.


So the current period-instrument face-off is between this recent Fuga Libera release and the 17-year old Capriccio with Concerto Köln, while there are two modern-instrument versions as well: one on Hyperion that pairs the Arriaga symphony with the only one written by Bohemian composer Jan Václav Vo?išek and a disc from budget-behemoth Naxos that is filled out with shorter sinfonias and opera overtures by João de Sousa Carvalho, Antonio Leal Moreira, Marcos Antonio Portugal, and Carlos de Seixas.


Concerto Köln has more or less owned this turf since the disappearance of the Jordi Savall release, but Paul Dombrecht and Il Fondamento quickly dispatch their competition, putting a strong and dramatic edge on the music and pressing forward with an almost relentless energy. The edgy brass and thundering kettledrums offer significant weight to the proceedings, which are at times tempestuous and at others lyrical, but even then, several steps away from tranquility. The three overtures, though makeweights, are not to be dismissed lightly; they are given much care and presented with the same attention to detail as the symphony. These are outstanding miniatures that again bear witness to the remarkable gifts of the young composer. Of the three, only op. 20 appears not to have been recorded previously, at least not on compact disc.


The sound on the Fuga Libera disc is excellent. It is well rounded, blooming nicely in the venue, and there is more than a hint of concert-hall realism with the strings forward and the winds somewhat recessed.


If you are one of those yet to have a period-instrument epiphany, or if you just stubbornly cling to tradition, I point you toward the modern-instrument recording by Sir Charles Mackerras and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra on Hyperion. Even though the repertoire on the disc from Naxos may be tempting, the quality of performances is variable, acceptable at best, and therefore no match for the spit-and-polish reading from Mackerras and his clan of Scotsmen.


FANFARE: Michael Carter


Product Description:

  • Release Date: November 13, 2007


  • Catalog Number: FUG522


  • UPC: 5425005575226


  • Label: Fuga Libera


  • Number of Discs: 1


  • Composer: Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga


  • Conductor: Paul Dombrecht


  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Il Fondamento



Works:

  1. Overture, Op. 1

    Composer: Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga

    Ensemble: Il Fondamento

    Conductor: Paul Dombrecht


  2. Los esclavos felices: Overture

    Composer: Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga

    Ensemble: Il Fondamento

    Conductor: Paul Dombrecht


  3. Overture, Op. 20

    Composer: Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga

    Ensemble: Il Fondamento

    Conductor: Paul Dombrecht


  4. Symphony in D major

    Composer: Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga

    Ensemble: Il Fondamento

    Conductor: Paul Dombrecht