BBC Philharmonic
Ben Gernon conductor
Xiayin Wang piano
Chandos 20341
Gerard Schurmann was born in Java in January 1924, so in this, his centenary year, Chandos have brought out a disc of four fascinating works complementing their first Schurmann recording in 1980 (CHAN 9167).
In this year his reputation was much enhanced with his extensive work for chorus and orchestra The Vision of Piers Plowman (which I remember hearing at the Three Choirs Festival). Some of his film music appeared on Chandos (10979): Romancing for Strings, composed in 2015, was written for the Disney film Dr Syn.
This new disc opens with his Overture, Man in the Sky which uses music from a 1947 Ealing film score. It is full of contrasted, exciting and noble melodies, and packs a great deal in its three and half minutes.
The main work here is his impressive Piano Concerto of 1972-3. It falls into two movements, basically fast (and exhilarating) and molto adagio, with a dark and atmospheric opening, but ending with a presto.
This piece was written for John Ogdon and was meant to show off his talent. Xiayin Wang is a wonderful and powerful (when needs be) substitute. It is worth paying especial attention to the cadenza, which, unusually, opens the work. It contains much of the material which Schurmann develops, and it returns just before the conclusion of the first movement.
The language is not atonal but moves with total harmonic freedom. I agree with Paul Conway (in his usual excellent notes) when he remarks that the work ‘charts a convincing trajectory from independence and opposition to reconciliation and resolution’
The CD cover boasts a picture of part of Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia which inspired Gaudiana (2001), a six-movement set of ‘Symphonic Studies’, first performed in Barcelona. It is a suitable mixture of hushed piety and Catalan exuberance. The opening string clusters seem reminiscent of Charles Ives.
The livelier music is said to be inspired by the folk dance the Sardana. On several occasions I have seen this dance performed in front of the old cathedral in Barcelona. However, I have not found much that was exuberant about it!
All in all, this is a splendid release, brilliantly performed and superbly recorded.
Review by Gary Higginson