Dolorosa
Chamber Symphony, Op. 110a (arr. Rudolf Barshai), Peteris Vasks: Musica dolorosa, Alfred Schnittke: Trio Sonata (arr. for string orchestra by Yuri Bashmet).
Dennis Russell Davies, Stuttgarter Kammerorchester.
ECM New Series ECM 1620. DDD. TT 67:31.

Worlds apart from that on the New Albion CD, Dennis Russell Davies' conception of the Chamber Symphony is nothing short of a revelation, proving that the grittiness of the quartet version need not be lost in the string orchestra scoring.

The entrance of the DSCH motto, hushed and already spent, sets the tone for the rest of the opening Largo, which stubbornly resists the temptation to lyricism. The tempo throughout is slow, Davies taking 6:27 to reach the next movement, in contrast with Canin's 5:14 and Jansons' 5:56. A judicious combination of dynamics and speed creates a mood of introspective concentration that is personally tragic without becoming maudlin.

When the Allegro molto arrives, it does not erupt with startling violence, as is common practice, but instead drops with inexorable weight and grinds onwards at a relatively slow pace. Listened to in isolation, this movement sounds underplayed, but in the context of how Davies presents the previous movement, the logic of his approach is clear. A manic outburst would not be nearly as terrifying to the worn-down personality of the first movement as is this crushing but calculating force. It is hideously evil in its deliberateness.

Moreover, by exercising restraint in the second movement, Davies places the passages that follow in a more prominent position. These he allows to flow expressively until the composer's voice is shattered by the three swift blows that begin the fourth movement. This section proves to be the dramatic heart of his interpretation, unfolding with a devastating intensity, and it is here that the added sonority of the string orchestra is chiefly felt.

The fifth movement is also achingly intense. Each iteration of the DSCH motto is drained, as if a final breath were being taken, so that each could be the last. This could be melodramatic, but as with the rest of this performance, the effect is carefully judged. There is no hope, no possibility of renewal.

The two other Soviet works on this CD are appropriate make-weights, linked loosely by the theme of grief or leave-taking, although (it almost goes without saying) they inhabit less extreme depths than does the Chamber Symphony. Composed in 1983, Latvian Peteris Vasks' Musica dolorosa is a piece that excites on first hearing. Although written in memory of his dead sister, its emotions are overt and indeed not uniformly dolorous. According to Vasks, the piece also reflects the political oppression of Latvians under the USSR: "I don't have to dream up the suffering. I'm in the middle of it. My entire family too. My nation." Vasks' idiom in Musica dolorosa resembles that of contemporary Kancheli - his more recent works have evolved in parallel towards more minimalist gestures. Beginning with a lament that makes effective use of falling glissandi, the single movement soon begins moving forward relentlessly, propelled by an insistent pulse and repetition of a pregnant three-note motif. All is interrupted by an extended expressive outburst, with shades of Bernard Herrmann's Psycho film score. The discourse and recapitulation that follow outstay their welcome, but on the whole, Musica dolorosa is worth getting to know.

Schnittke's Trio Sonata was written shortly before his first stroke, and seems to contemplate dimensions closed to the living. In viola player Yuri Bashmet's string orchestration, the sonata weaves a mantle of contrasting shades of grey through juxtaposition of different styles. The composer is, of course, notorious for his polystylism, but in this work, the Baroque, Classical, Romantic and modern coexist without irritation, successfully imparting a timeless feel. The simple main theme and its variations have a Sibelian primordiality to them. The Trio is split between two movements, the second of which pares to essentials the already economical material of the first. At close to half an hour, this is substantial stuff that rewards repeated listening.

Extraneous stage noises aside, the recording is clean and spacious. The booklet notes by Gerard McBurney are characteristically insightful, and ECM package the jewel case in a cardboard sleeve bearing the same artwork as on the booklet and rear of the case; this could help to protect the jewel case, but if you insist on conformity on your CD shelves you need not keep it. This is an exceptionally fine production of a challenging programme, and the Chamber Symphony in particular is not to be missed.

W. Mark Roberts
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DSCH No. 9.
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