COMPOSERS: Goldschmidt
LABELS: CPO
WORKS: Cello Concerto; Ciaconna sinfonica; Chronica
PERFORMER: David Geringas (cello)Magdeburg PO/Mathias Husmann
CATALOGUE NO: 999 277-2 DDD
Goldschmidt’s story is such a strange one – early recognition, total neglect, recognition again in his nineties – that overdosing on guilt can be a risk. But this new disc of three orchestral works has moments of such beauty that it’s hard to see why it took us sixty years to wake up to his music.
His writing is unfashionably clear, logical and emotionally driven: his music makes sense. In these three works – a cello concerto, a symphony and a suite – much of the music seems inspired by dance, both in form and rhythm, with movements entitled ‘Tarantella’, ‘Quasi Sarabanda’, or ‘Gigue’.
The four-movement Cello Concerto was completed in 1953 although its origins date from the Thirties. This is a powerful work which, on the strength of David Geringas’s passionate performance, ought to enter the repertoire. The melancholic slow movement is particularly striking. If the Ciaconna sinfonica is more obviously ‘academic’ – it is based on a 32-note row – Chronica, an eight-movement suite drawn from a ballet written for the Ballet Jooss, bubbles and frets fitfully. Mathias Husmann and the Magdeburg Philharmonic make a very persuasive case. Annette Morreau