Classical Music: Edward MacDowell Orchestral Works, Vol. 1

Edward MacDowell: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1

Lancelot und Elaine, Op. 25; Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 15; Two Fragments after ‘The Song of Roland’, Op. 30; To a Wild Rose, Op. 51 No. 1 (arr. Victor Herbert); Lamia, Op. 29.

BBC Philharmonic
John Wilson
Xiayin Wang - piano

Chandos CHAN 20305
chandos.net

As an admirer of Edward MacDowell’s music, this was a welcome release to come across my desk. And who better than John Wilson to interpret the American composer?

Born in New York, MacDowell briefly studied piano as a teenager at the Paris Conservatoire but quickly left to explore what he regarded as the more congenial musical environment in Germany. He studied piano and composition in Stuttgart, Wiesbaden, and then Frankfurt. After graduating in 1880, he remained in Germany for four years before returning home, first to Boston for eight years and then to Frankfurt.

This album showcases a multitude of MacDowell's captivating compositions, commencing with the symphonic tone poem Lancelot und (sic) Elaine, inspired by the Arthurian legend as recounted by Tennyson in his Idylls of the King. It begins with a gorgeous quiet string opening, leading to excellent playing from all sections. The piece employs Wagnerian leitmotifs to depict each character.

Xiayin Wang gives a wonderful romantic interpretation of the Piano Concerto No. 1 in A minor. A beautiful slow movement precedes a quite exhilarating and effervescent third movement, at times reminiscent of the opening of Grieg's concerto in the same key. As Mervyn Cooke points out in his interesting notes, there are various other romantic influences that shaped the style of the First Concerto, including Liszt, Tchaikovsky, and Schumann. Well known for being a virtuosic pianist himself, the piece has technical demands for the soloist that reveal his prowess.

This recording marvellously captures the idyllic nature of MacDowell's most famous work, To a Wild Rose from the Woodland Sketches. The playing is lusciously sublime, so romantic and well controlled; two minutes of utter peaceful calm.

Two brief orchestral fragments from a symphonic poem, inspired by the French mediaeval tale La Chanson de Roland, remain unfinished, despite the BBC Philharmonic once again showcasing their superb playing and blending. Based on John Keats' poem, Lamia, which never saw publication or performance during the composer's lifetime, concludes the first volume of MacDowell's compositions, demonstrating not only his mastery of melodic tunes but also his inventiveness in orchestral colour and structure.

I am already looking forward to the second volume.