Symphonic Works [Import]

I was bowled over by the disc of his cello sonata and piano quintet, but this disc of orchestral works proves once and for all that there is no way around it: the Belgian composer Adolphe Biarent (1871-1916) is a major discovery and a composer whose negligence is utterly unjustified. Fortunately the music has received several very good recordings over the last couple of years, and hopefully more will follow. Biarent's style is late romantic, strongly inspired by d'Indy, Chausson, Rimsky-Korakov and the Russian orientalists, perhaps by Franck and Tchaikovsky, but it does not usually come across as eclectic, for Biarent was definitely able to synthesize his influences into a coherent, personal voice.

Trenmor is a splendidly scored, effective and atmospheric symphonic poem with a strong sense of the fantastic, richly melodic and constantly surging forward with flair and power; a really enjoyable encounter. The symphony, however, is a masterpiece. In four movements, it's material suggests a longer work than its 28 minutes, but Biarent keeps the reins tight, never allowing any idea to outstay its welcome no matter how marvelous it is (and there are lots of marvelous ideas). The first movement is ominously rather than overtly darkly dramatic, imaginatively scored, inventively developed, and utterly absorbing. The adagio is a short, memorable and gorgeously romantic pastoral and the magically delicate, eiderdown scherzo a marvel of kaleidoscopic colors and details (throughout its modest 3:13 duration). The finale is the longest movement, and the most Wagnerian, imposingly dark and full of shadows and tremors - like a gothic cathedral lavishly adorned with gargoyles. In many ways the symphony comes across as a masterly and apt summary of the best of romanticism at its twilight, especially romanticism of the magic fairy-tale variety.

The two Sonnets for cello and orchestra are not mere fillers but evocatively atmospheric masterpieces, most memorable in their employment of trembling, soaring cello lines raising above glittering, opulent textures (especially in the ghostly, almost otherworldly Floridum mare, where the cello line creates quiet wisps of smoke over darkly oceanic depths); truly wonderful, poetic creations that one hopes will be discovered by cellists everywhere. The performances are fortunately superb, vividly colorful and with all the drama and atmosphere the music calls for, and the sound quality is good. An urgently recommended release.

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