Filed under: Reviews | Tags: Lawrence Golan, Moravian Philharmonic, Pathetique, Peter Boyer, Tchaikovsky
I have a new recording of the Tchaikovsky Sixth Symphony.
It was done by the Moravian Philharmonic conducted by Lawrence Golan, who, of course, teaches at the Lamont School of Music in Denver. Golan has conducted worldwide and throughout the United States, conducting symphonies, ballets, and opera. He is also the Resident Conductor of the Phoenix Symphony as well as the Music Director and Conductor of the Portland Ballet Company.
A native of Chicago, Lawrence Golan holds degrees from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music (B.M. and M.M.) and the New England Conservatory of Music (D.M.A.). In addition, he studied at all of the major conducting festivals including Aspen and Tanglewood, where, in 1999, he was awarded the Leonard Bernstein Conducting Fellowship. The long list of distinguished conductors with whom Dr. Golan studied includes Robert Spano, Jorma Panula, David Zinman, Seiji Ozawa, Gustav Meier, Leonard Slatkin, Marin Alsop, Murray Sidlin, and Harold Farberman.
The Sixth Symphony is known as the Pathétique, however it should be pointed out that that is the translation and transliteration of the Russian word which means “passionate” or “emotional.” It has nothing to do with the aspect of pity. Tchaikovsky did have a program for this symphony, and even considered calling it the Programmatic Symphony but decided against that – not only did he dislike that title, but he was afraid that people would ask him what the program was, and he never divulged the program to anyone, not even his brother. It was his brother that came up with the nickname for this symphony. Because of this nickname, and because of the unusual slow movement that ends this symphony, many have tried to ascribe a program to this work wherein Tchaikovsky predicts his own death. While it is certainly true that Tchaikovsky died (from cholera) nine days after he conducted the premiere, and it does seem that he sanctioned the nickname of this work by his brother, and while it is true that the first movement contains a theme from the Russian Requiem, there really isn’t any evidence that this symphony is in any way autobiographical. Tchaikovsky did consider this symphony to be the best work he had done.
Every conductor that can be named has recorded this work which was finished in 1893, and several have recorded it more than once. Toscanini did two studio recordings, Pierre Monteux, Fritz Reiner, Charles Münch, and Eugene Ormandy all have done recordings, and, of course, they all had their individual styles. Leonard Bernstein’s interpretation of this symphony was certainly the longest at just under one hour. My own favorite recording of this symphony, until now, was conducted by Marko Munih (1936 – ) and the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Ljubljana. Munih is very faithful to the score while imparting a great deal of emotion. Many other composers seem to take a great deal of liberties, even with the composer’s markings. For example, Maurice Abravanel, in his recording with the Utah Symphony, delays the actual Allegro non troppo tempo indication immediately after the slow introduction for almost two measures.
I hope that these brief comments will allow you to see what I expect from a recording of this remarkable work. In this current recording, conducted by Golan, the emotion is ever present, as is his fidelity to what Tchaikovsky wrote. This symphony places several traps for the conductor that require several moments of thought and study before the first rehearsal. For example, in the first movement before the development section of this standard sonata form, Tchaikovsky indicates a pianissimo with six Ps – thus pppppp for the bassoon. While that may be an unprecedented marking, can you convince your bassoonist that he can really play that softly or, as some conductors have done, do you give it to the bass clarinet? Also to consider, is the fact that the second movement of this symphony is a waltz, but in 5/4 time, rather than the usual 3/4 meter. And I have to point out that this movement is what makes Golan’s recording so remarkable. Many conductors perform this movement so that it has taken on the nickname “the limping waltz,” because of its unusual meter. In other words, it sounds as though it is a regular waltz with a missing beat. But in this recording, if one counts the beats, there are indeed five, but there is no way on this earth that this movement “limps.” It is fluid and mellifluous. In all of the movements, the tempos that Golan takes are absolutely perfect. Even in the slow introduction to the first movement, there is a sense of forward motion which is missing in many other recordings. Golan gives the bridge to the recapitulation in the first movement special emphasis, so that when it comes, we truly arrive there. Again, this emphasis is provided by the tempo which is not exaggerated, and the phrasing which is controlled by dynamics. Thus, the architecture of the sonata form is apparent – and the sense of architecture is what is missing in other recordings. In the last movement, the feeling of lugubriousness which makes other recordings feel so heavy, is simply not there. This is a world-class recording of this deservedly popular symphony. And remember this – Golan lives here in Denver, and we can hear him almost anytime we wish.
Also on this recording, are three compositions by Peter Boyer, who is an important American composer.
Before the Tchaikovsky is performed on this CD, there are two short compositions of Boyer’s; his Celebration Overture which was premiered in 1997 by the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra (who commissioned the work) and the Silver Fanfare, which was written for the 25th anniversary of the Pacific Symphony in California. This work was premiered in 2004.
Peter Boyer’s orchestral works have received over 200 public performances, by more than 80 orchestras. He has conducted recordings of his music with throughout Europe. Boyer has received seven national awards for his work, including two BMI Awards, the First Music Carnegie Hall commission, and the Ithaca College Heckscher Prize. Boyer was recently named the 50th annual recipient of the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra’s Composer’s Award, given each year to one American composer “who is making a particularly significant contribution in the field of symphonic music.” (Previous recipients of this award include Howard Hanson, Roy Harris, Walter Piston, William Schuman, Gian Carlo Menotti, John Corigliano, and Joseph Schwantner).
Boyer’s music has been praised by critics in America and also in Europe. Boyer was born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1970, and began composing at the age of 15. His first major composition was a large-scale Requiem Mass in memory of his grandmother, composed while only a teenager. Boyer received his Bachelor’s degree from Rhode Island College, which awarded him an honorary Doctor of Music degree in 2004. He received Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from The Hartt School of the University of Hartford, which named him its 2002 Alumnus of the Year.
Both of the above mentioned compositions, the Fanfare and Overture, are very energizing pieces that are quite reminiscent of Aaron Copland. But mind you, I am not speaking of their similarities as overtures or fanfares. I am speaking of the similarities harmonically. Also keep in mind that I have not seen a score for these pieces, and I am basing the following on what I heard on the CD, but both of these works seem to display what Copland referred to as “white key diatonicism.” I am certainly not going to give a theory lecture in this review, but to be very, very brief, white key diatonicism is basically where key signatures and enharmonic equivalence are taken as points of departure for the use of the diatonic-chromatic relationship. The resultant chords and relationships do not depend on any past convention or rules. This is what gave Aaron Copland’s music its distinctive sound, and it is that sound that pervades the first two pieces on this CD. I also would point out that the orchestration in both of these works are not at all like Copland’s orchestration. In addition, I would point out that Boyer is relatively young to be so well-known, and one of the reasons he is so well-known has to be because his orchestration is so confident. These are very good pieces and they are a delight to listen to. Add to that the fact that Lawrence Golan is conducting. The partnership is excellent.
On the other side of the Tchaikovsky Sixth Symphony is a work by Boyer entitled the Tchaikovsky 6.1. This composition was commissioned by Lawrence Golan, and was specifically to be performed after Tchaikovsky’s Symphony. It was Golan’s intention in the commission to begin the new work with the same mood and ideas that ended the original work. So, Boyer chose to begin Tchaikovsky 6.1 with generic material from the end of the last movement of the original Symphony in retrograde. This is an absolutely fascinating work, and it is quite possible, for a while at least, to follow this work using the score from Tchaikovsky’s original composition. It, in no way, uses white key diatonicism, and it certainly does not sound like anything done by Copland. It is a wonderful work where, in the middle section, Boyer has placed the haunting theme from the first movement of the Tchaikovsky. This theme, which is stated verbatim, is placed against a celesta, percussion instruments, and harp, to provide a very ethereal sound. In the program notes for this CD, Boyer states, “I hope that Tchaikovsky would forgive me this fanciful re-orchestration!” For my part, I am quite sure that Tchaikovsky would.
This is really a fine CD with some traditional and not so traditional music that is wonderful to listen to. The Moravian Philharmonic is a fine orchestra, and so is its conductor, Lawrence Golan. It is refreshing to hear a recording of a well-known work of concert repertoire done so honestly and so beautifully. This recording was done on the Albany Label, and the catalog number is TROY1027.
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