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| Star of the past dusted off
after a century-long exile |
EDUARD NAPRAVNIK and FELIX BLUMENFELD
Hyperion
A LESS well-known musician who made his name in Russia slightly
earlier than Rachmaninoff, sees two of his works released by Hyperion
in an excellently produced collection.
Indeed, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra here makes the first
ever recordings of works by Eduard Napravnik and Felix Blumenfeld.
Napravnik, born in Czechoslovakia in 1839, was hugely famous in
his lifetime, touring Europe conducting the world’s greatest
orchestras, his music loved by millions.
But by the time of his death in 1916 his star had fallen somewhat
and for much of the last century his music has been rarely played,
released, or appreciated. But here the breadth of this giant of
the Romantic era is seen with his Concerto Symphonique, Op 27 and
Fantaisie Russe, Op 39, alongside Felix Blumenfeld’s Allegro
de concert, Op 7, performed by the BBC Scottish Orchestra, with
Evgeny Soifertis on piano and conducted by Alexander Titiv.
The concerto was composed in 1877 and with its strong melodies and
full-bodied orchestration echoes of Verdi and Brahms can be detected.
Like many of his contemporaries, and a strong theme in Russian classical
music – just think Stravinsky and Prokofiev – Napravnik
took much of his inspiration from the rich world of Russian folk
music.
And the influence can be seen in his Fantaisie Russe in B minor,
which is sourced from three folk tunes. First is The Volga Boatman,
then a Russian dance followed by another dance, but more vivacious
and lively and lively to finish.
Felix Blumenfeld’s (1863-1931) Allegro de Concert does much
to compliment Napravnik’s work in an enjoyable release that
does well to explore the work of the lesser recognised composers
of the late-Romantic era. |
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