Mikalojus Čiurlionis (1875-1911)
Complete Works for Orchestra
The Sea – symphonic poem (1901)
In the Forest – symphonic poem (1907)
De profundis – cantata (1899)
Kaunas State Choir
Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra/Juozas Domarkas
rec. 2000, Lithuanian National Philharmonic Concert Hall
Northern Flowers NF/PMA9999 [51]
Since this disc was first released, Ondine has issued its own reconstructions of the original versions of both major works here, The Sea and In the Forest (see review), and added Jurgis Juozapaitis’ reconstruction of the symphonic overture Kęstutis. For Čiurlionis collectors, there is now a choice between the accepted forms in which these works have come down to us and Ondine’s back-to-the basics reconstructions or, I suppose, both if money is no object and you’d like to hear what we must trust – we can never be sure how Čiurlionis would have handled these passages – are his first thoughts.
Conductor Juozas Domarkas has an important place in Čiurlionis’s discography. He recorded The Sea and In the Forest on Marco Polo with the Slovak Philharmonic (8.223323) in 1990. Ten years later came the disc under review – see Rob Barnett’s review from 2017 – in which he added a student piece, the grandiloquent 8-minute cantata, De profundis. His authority in this repertoire is never in doubt, and he directs the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra with conspicuous excellence, attentive to the glowering landscape depicted in In the Forest and drawing from it rich, characterful playing. As I wrote in my Ondine review; ‘In the Forest was first performed the year after the composer’s death. The opening is redolent of soft Lithuanian pines and there’s plenty of vivid lovely wind writing in this nature depiction. There’s also declamatory Straussian exuberance which is not wholly integrated – I was reminded of Ein Heldenleben, most especially, at points – though the work’s beautiful, calm epilogue comes as welcome balm.’
The Sea is the more tempestuous and longer work. I can’t do much better than again to quote my Ondine review: ‘The Sea, composed between 1903 and 1907 and also heard in a reconstruction of the original version. It generates a full oceanic splendour, full of Nationalist fervour as well as admitting ruminative panels. In the main though this sea is both confident and surging, even exuberant in its extroversion. If it can also seem somewhat bombastic and prolix, overstuffed with Straussian late-Romanticism, then perhaps that is not as concerning as its occasionally structurally episodic nature. It’s not a particularly self-disciplined work but, in compensation, it has lashings of colour, sea spume, incident and orchestral richness. Its first performance came in 1936 in the performing edition of Vytatas Bacevičius and three decades later Eduardas Balsys changed the orchestration and cut 46 bars from the work’s climax.’
This subsequently became the published version of the score and that’s how it’s performed by Domarkas in both his recordings and also by Evgeny Svetlanov on Svetlanov Edition SV SEA005 but is heard in its restored version on Ondine.
The Northern Flowers’ disc is well recorded and finely annotated. Ondine’s subsequently released editions complicate matters, as well as adding some five minutes of music to The Sea, but I can say that Domarkas is an exceptional guide to this repertoire and gives a splendid account of the music.
Jonathan Woolf
Other review: Rob Barnett
Buying this recording via the link below generates revenue for MWI, which helps the site remain free
