Edward MacDowell (1860-1908)
Orchestral Works Volume 1
Lancelot und Elaine, Op.25 (1886)
Piano Concerto No.1 in A minor, Op.15 (1882)
Two Fragments after The Song of Roland, Op.30 (1886-1890)
To a Wild Rose, Op.51 No.1 (1895)
Lamia, Op.29 (1887-1888)
Xiayin Wang (piano), BBC Philharmonic/John Wilson
rec. 2023/24, Media City, Salford, UK
Chandos CHAN20305 [61]
Until I read the details of this release, I was not aware how famous Edward MacDowell became during his short lifetime. As an indication of this celebrity, the US Postal Service issued in 1940 a postage stamp bearing his image.
MacDowell composed his first piano concerto, the main work here, in a flurry of activity spurred by an unexpected encounter with his teacher, Joseph Joachim Raff. In a moment of rashness, he boasted about writing a concerto, though he had not actually started. This led to a frantic rush to create a score to present to Raff. After intense effort, MacDowell succeeded, and Raff was impressed enough to suggest showing the work to Liszt. On a subsequent visit to Weimar, MacDowell did just that. Liszt, equally impressed, graciously accepted the dedication of the concerto.
MacDowell was himself a virtuoso pianist, and the opening solo flourish indicates that, reminding one of Grieg and Schumann. The theme is used to create the subsequent Allegro con moto theme, fragmented and tossed to the woodwind, but eventually extending into a string melody decorated by the soloist. A rhythmic pattern emerges, leading to an impressive climax and a cadenza, followed by the reintroduction of the first theme.
The slow movement sounds folkish, and its theme is used to derive the whole movement. Gently scored, it might be describes as poetic. It is certainly agreeable to listen to, and forms a suitable contrast to the fiery first movement. The last movement races away with a sprightly melody that dominates throughout, except for a short central episode when the first-movement main theme returns.
The whole work is very approachable, but, in truth, does not have the sheer memorability of Grieg’s and Schumann’s concertos; that probably goes some way to explaining its relative neglect. Both MacDowell’s piano concertos have been issued in Hyperion’s estimable Romantic Piano Concerto series (review ~ review).
MacDowell’s most famous work, To a Wild Rose, began as one of his breakfast-time scribblings, a habit he had acquired to prepare for his composing sessions. On this occasion, he crumpled the piece of paper and tossed it into the fireplace. Luckily, his wife retrieved it and later played it for him, remarking on its beauty. He agreed, noting that the melody reminded him of a wild rose growing over the cabin where he composed. Presented here in an orchestration by Victor Herbert, the piece stands out as the most immediately memorable track here.
The remainder of the programme comprises three quite substantial works, probably best described as symphonic poems, an appropriate title, given MacDowell’s adherence to the Lisztian style of composition.
The first, and to my ears the least memorable, is Lancelot und Elaine. It is based upon the poetic cycle Idylls of the King by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. MacDowell was very interested in the legends surrounding King Arthur and the Knights of the Round table. The work is Wagnerian; leitmotifs represent the eponymous protagonists and their turbulent journey. MacDowell was not satisfied with the orchestration, saying that “it was too full of horns”.
Lamia was inspired by Keats’s 1820 narrative poem. Lamia and Lycius fall in love. At the subsequent celebrations, a friend of Lycius recognizes Lamia as an evil sorceress. She screams and vanishes, leaving her suitor heartbroken and dying. The work is structured as a hybrid of sonata form and variations. It features the sort of thematic transformation which Liszt introduced and championed.
Two Fragments after The Song of Roland are all that remains of an aborted work based on Le Chanson de Roland, an 11th century tale in old French about of the battle of Roncesvailles during Charlemagne’s reign. Die Sarazenen depicts the Saracens’ attack on the knight Roland, who is killed in the action. Die schöne Aldâ portrays Roland’s fiancée, as she asks Charlemagne for the whereabouts of her beloved. The music is attractive, whilst not entirely gripping.
The disc showcases rarely heard music by a composer whose career was cut short by illness. Had he lived longer, he might have become an even more significant figure on the North American music scene in the late 19th and early 20th century. The rich, impressive recording features Xayin Wang’s virtuoso performance in the concerto. The orchestra delivers the unfamiliar works with commitment and virtuosity under the increasingly familiar baton of John Wilson. Chandos’s general presentation is up to their excellent standard, with the booklet in English, German and French.
Jim Westhead
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