Customer Reviews

Vincent Persichetti: Serenade No. 5, Op. 43; Symphony for Strings, Op. 61: Symphony No. 8

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This CD collates the complete recordings of music of Vincent Persichetti made by the Louisville Orchestra, between 1954 (Symphony for Strings) and 1970 (8th Symphony). All three were premiere recordings and two (the Serenade and Symphony for strings), Louisville commissions. The oldest recording, the Symphony for Strings (5th Symphony) was part of the first batch of twelve LPs released by the orchestra's own label, Louisville First Edition Recordings: it came out on Lou 545-7, paired with Robert Sanders' "Little Symphony" # 2 and Boris Blacher's "Studie im Pianissimo" (the latter now available on CD in a similar collection: Boris Blacher: Orchestral Variations on a Theme by Paganini). The Serenade came out in 1960 on Lou 606 with Bernard Rogers' "Dance Scenes" and Joaquin Rodrigo's "Cuatros Madrigales Amatorios", and the 8th Symphony on LS 706 with Riegger's "Study in Sonority". The 8th has already been issued on CD, on a motley Louisville collection, part of a batch of ten CDs published by Albany in the early 1980s (Music by Norman Dello Joio, Peter Schickele & Vincent Persichetti).

Serenade n° 5 from 1950 is a fine and enjoyable composition in neo-classical style, with meditative slow movements and energetic and boisterous fast ones, colorfully orchestrated. But the lucky draw was the Symphony for Strings from 1953, a composition of searing intensity, worthy of the best pieces in the genre, among which Bartok's Divertimento and Music for Strings-Percussion & Celesta, Honegger's Second Symphony and Ginastera's Concerto per corde immediately spring to mind. Whitney helps, too. The sound may be mono and lacking depth, yet he plays with much more red-hot intensity than the cosily comfortable Philadelphians under Muti (Persichetti: Symphony No. 5 / Piano Concerto).

One of the problems with Persichetti is that he seems not to have evolved very much, and what was very effective in the early 1950s wasn't so impressive anymore in 1967. In my review of its previous incarnation on Albany (see above), I wasn't very kind to his 8th and penultimate Symphony, calling it "well crafted, contrasted, eventfull, but ultimately very anonymous" and "so happy to remain way within the bounds of 20th century's modernist tradition and give no occasion to chock anyone as to make it rather unremarkable". After repeated hearings, score in hand even, I can't say I've changed my view very much nor discovered many substantial details that weren't already obvious on first hearing, other perhaps than the fine woodwind filigree in the orchestration and the strikingly Mahlerian aspect of the scherzo, which on the printed score (but not necessarily in melodic outlook) looks like a xerox copy. But I will say that the Symphony benefits from being heard, as here, in the context of Persichetti's style and development, and appears as an effective specimen of a composition in a traditionalist's modernist language with a neo-classical bent. The allegros are energetic and muscular enough to accelerate your heart-beat, the slow movment soft, appeased and serene (although it relies a little too much on the time-worn device of wistful woodwind melody over hushed carpet of strings). What following with the score did reveal was the precision of the Lousvillians' playing under Mester. Some of the music must pose redoutable technical challenges both in individual and ensemble playing for which Mester seems to make no amends in his choices of tempo, and the brave Louisvillians seem unfazed. Still, I'm not sure Persichetti has much to say here that Schuman or Mennin hadn't said before.

All in all, this remains a good survey of the composer, and, despite the recording's age, an intense reading of the magnificent Symphony for Strings.

Both the fifth serenade for orchestra and the fifth symphony were commissions by the Louisville orchestra - among the huge number of works by some of the twentieth century's greatest composers the Louisville Orchestra commissioned in the 1950s; an invaluable contribution to music, to be sure, but I am less convinced that these works by Vincent Persichetti (1915-1987) are among the most important works they premiered.

The relatively brief fifth serenade is cast in five movements and is definitely tonal (and modal) although the material is often brash and edgy. It is an energetic, light work with some vigorous and catchy parts but little to maintain sustained interest. The fifth symphony is officially cast in a single movement but is rather clearly divided into five sections (though the introduction presents the material on which all parts are constructed). It is certainly a more troubled and introvert work, with two particularly dark and burningly angry last sections. It is surely the most impressive work on the disc, without ever challenging the best American symphonies of the period.

The eighth symphony is a big-boned, classical work, opening with a somewhat declamatory first movement followed by a reflective slow movement and a kitschy Allegretto. None of the music is very memorable, however - it moves through the gestures in a relatively grey idiom; only the Vivace finale is really appealing - an enjoyably bright and festively vigorous movement leading up to a rather satisfying conclusion.

The performances are competent but not really much more - the strings sound a little undernourished and although the brass playing is full of character and vigor it is often on the rough side. They are spirited enough, however, and Robert Whitney (Jorge Mester in the eighth) obviously has a deep understanding and sympathy for the idiom. The sound is decent mono in the serenade and fifth symphony; rough stereo in the eighth. A worthwhile release, but not strong enough, neither musically nor with respect to the performances, to warrant more than a somewhat guarded recommendation.