August Enna (1859-1939)
Violin Concerto in D major (1896)
Symphony No.2 in E major (1907)
Anna Agafia (violin)
Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra/Joachim Gustafsson
rec. 2022, Teatro Taller Filarmónico, Bogotá, Colombia
Dacapo 8.224753 [65]
It will give you some idea of my reaction to August Enna’s violin concerto if I say that the most memorable bit is the opening phrase of the slow movement, which is a direct quote from I Pagliacci. Here is a fairly typical late 19th-century piece by a composer whose compositional style was not particularly distinctive, and who could undoubtedly write smoothly melodic music, gentle of contour with unremarkable orchestration. He ws a violinist himself, so he could be expected to compose a technically grateful piece. I am not competent to judge that aspect of the concerto, so I will simply say that the excellent violinist sounds to be completely at home with the work. The music appears to be completely ‘European’. I agree with the prominent Copenhagen critic who declared that the concerto was “chemically devoid of Nordic-ness”. I think that it is very unlikely to develop any sort of international popularity due to the lack of truly memorable ideas, pleasant though it is. My colleague Dominy Clements greeted the concerto agreeably in a review of an earlier release on CPO.
The second symphony, from over a decade later, occupies a similar sound world. The only point at which I sat up and listened again was in the final minute of the last movement, where the composer builds up a head of steam to bring the symphony to a rousing conclusion. I think that it would have been even more effective if the recorded balance had helped the drums somewhat. I also note the occasional presence of harps, to which the booklet notes refer as an “expanded orchestration”. Perhaps the symphony is more akin to an orchestral suite. The themes of the first movement reappear in the last togive a degree of coherence, but the work does not have any hint of Sturm und Drang. It was composed in when Mahler had composed his first eight symphonies and Bruckner all of his. Perhaps I can be forgiven if I regard it as a lightweight piece, lacking the thematic memorability or orchestral sophistication that would make it stand out above the rest of its competition.
The recording is fine, the orchestral playing committed. These works, I am rather sure, cannot have been in the repertoire of the South American orchestra, who then deserve much commendation for such praiseworthy performances. The violinist is possessed of a sweet, pure tone. She is Danish, so I feel confident that she has been relied upon to present the concerto in its best light. The booklet, in English and Danish, contains biographical and musical details.
Jim Westhead
Previous review: Jonathan Woolf (September 2023)
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