Modestly appealing, conservative music with few futurist cre
G.D. | Norway | 12/29/2009
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This disc features music that originally was part of a series of box sets devoted to Russian futurism, broadly construed. `Russian futurism' is still the title for these more conveniently reprogrammed reissues, but the problem is that calling the music of Alexander Goedicke (as opposed to the music of, say, Mosolov and Roslavets, who were also featured in the series) `futurist' is something of a long shot. Goedicke, or Gedike, was a Muscovite living from 1877 and 1957 and the music here ranges from straightforward late-Romanticism to straightforward Soviet realism and is consistently pretty conservative.
The Ouverture Dramatique is a nicely constructed work, Tchaikovskian in spirit but imbued with nationalism, moving from a jolly introduction to a grandly romantic march, containing some fine writing for winds but little consequence. At War - Six Improvisations for Orchestra is the most interesting work on the disc and the most ambitious. It is interestingly colored music of mock fanfarous, lugubrious string writing and lots of tension with a striking film score feeling to it. It is no masterpiece but might just be worth the modest price of the disc. The two later concertos are definitely slight; the horn concerto is written in a Soviet mid 20th century romantic style, with a nod towards Richard Strauss's horn concertos and some virtuouso writing for the soloists but little substance. The Trumpet Concerto is even more forgettable if decently put together and with some opportunities for the soloist to show off.
Performances are far more than merely satisfactory, even if the string sound is a little thin and the edges are rough. The sound quality is on the dry side. Not an essential addition to one's collections, then, but a worthwhile byway given the asking price."