Henrique Oswald (1852–1931)
Elegia (1896/1897)
Symphony, Op. 43 (1910)
Sinfonietta, Op. 27 (1897)
Minas Gerais Philharmonic Orchestra/Fabio Mechetti
rec. 2024, Sala Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Naxos 8.574643 [69]
My initial thought was that this was my first encounter with a release from the Naxos series The Music of Brazil (originally sponsored by the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), but after looking at the other releases, I realised that I had reviewed a disc titled Serenata in 2023. This new release is definitely my first encounter with composer Henrique Oswald, though I am aware his piano concerto appeared in the Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto series (review).
One of my reservations about the Serenata release was that it didn’t sound remotely what I imagined Brazilian art music might sound like; I suspect that I was expecting a light Romantic version of Villa-Lobos. Having now listened to the three works on this new release, written in the two decades before World War I, I am beginning to realise that my expectations were unrealistic, and that any sense of indigenous Brazilian music would take longer to filter through into the concert hall.
It is not at all surprising that the music of Henrique Oswald is strongly European in nature; the booklet notes describe him as “the most European of Brazilian composers”. His father was Swiss, his mother Italian, and from the ages of 16 to 51, he lived in Italy, getting the majority of his musical education there.
The Elegia was originally written for cello and piano, and orchestrated later by the composer. Dedicated to the memory of a friend, it is gently lyrical and yearning, and at one point, it seems to foreshadow the famous melody from Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony (which wouldn’t be written for another decade). It is an impressive work, and an excellent way to begin the recording.
The Symphony is described in the booklet notes as his “finest orchestral achievement”, and it is certainly a fine work. The composition date would suggest late Romanticism, intense and monumental; it is anything but. Its four movements, each between eight and eleven minutes, are characterised by a lightness of touch, grace and elegance. On past experience, I would normally have expected a composer of this relatively unheralded status to have struggled to fill forty minutes without note spinning, but there is not the slightest feel of it; the time goes past very quickly – always a good sign.
The opening movement features “competition” between two themes: one for the strings, flowing and lyrical, the other, more aggressive and dominated by the brass, both with some lovely woodwind writing. If I suggest that the second movement Adagio could have been sub-titled “Sunrise in the forest”, that should an impression of its character. I can’t think of a better adjective than “radiant” to describe its mood. The Scherzo has the strongest rhythms of the four movements, driven by the entire orchestra, but particularly the strings. The final movement builds several times toward a climax – one brass fanfare was somewhat reminiscent of the opening titles for Star Wars – but each time, Oswald pulls back to a quieter place. As one would expect by now, the ending is gracefully radiant, rather than boisterous and bellowing. On repeated listens, this work has impressed me more each time.
The Sinfonietta is given its first recording (and the Symphony its first on CD). The same qualities that suffused the symphony can be found here as well, but the mood is lighter, more gay and leavened with humour. The lengthy first movement – at over ten minutes of a total of twenty-five – features a number of Straussian waltz-like climaxes, which are swept away by scurrying figures which sound like the dancers have run away. The second movement is a set of variations, with a dazzling array of orchestral colours to delineate each variation. More dance rhythms follow in the Tempo di menuetto and the final Presto has swirling strings punctuated by brass fanfares before an archetypal Romantic “big finish”.
The state of Minas Gerais is known for its Baroque architecture, thanks to the gold rush of the 18th century. European culture flourished in the cities, such as Belo Horizonte, and remains today, exemplified by its fine orchestra. The sound quality is a little constricted, clear enough but not especially detailed. The booklet notes provide good information on the three works, but I would have liked to have known more about Oswald.
While there are some common elements across these three works – Oswald’s lightness of touch, for example – they are, nonetheless, contrasting in their overall feel, and this makes for an excellent programme. At no time does one think: “I’ve heard this before”. I’ve tried to think of some more familiar composers as signposts and haven’t found it easy. I don’t think the symphonies of Nino Rota will be especially familiar to many of you, so let me offer Sibelius, Respighi and Dvořák, with the caveat that Oswald doesn’t really sound like any of them (not very helpful, I realise). What I can say without any reservation is that I thoroughly enjoyed these three works, and will listen to them regularly.
David Barker
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