We sometimes forget that between Montreal and Toronto, high places of orchestral music north of 49e At the same time, the tranquil Canadian capital is nestling a gem that we would benefit from hearing more often. The National Arts Center Orchestra’s sixth recording made since the arrival of its musical director Alexander Shelley in 2015 is another magnificent showcase for the commendable work of the Ottawa phalanx.
Fresh off the presses of Analekta, the new baby of the ensemble is the second in a series of four opuses devoted to Brahms and the Schumann spouses, a quite natural association when one considers the close relations between them. three musicians.
If the first disc, released at the start of the pandemic, brought together the first symphonies of the two men and the Piano Concerto by Clara, the second follows logically with the following symphonies, accompanied by an intelligent selection of lieder by the composer.
The rather dry acoustics of the NAC’s Southam Hall, where the symphonies were recorded in 2018, allow for a fairly surgical sound recording which, combined with the expert highlighting of the score performed by the conductor, makes it possible to capture all the subtleties of these two masterpieces of German romanticism. If the polyphony benefits from it, however, we lose a little in the treble, which is quite flattened (violins and flutes lack a little air to flourish).
Otherwise, the tempos chosen by Shelley are often on the slope faster than slow, especially in Schumann’s Scherzo, which we are delighted to hear played really “allegro vivace”.
You might find the Adagio of the same work a bit rushed at first, but you get used to it quickly, especially with Shelley’s singing skills. Taken head-to-head, the finals of the two symphonies are veritable celebrations in which the musicians of the NAC shine.
Sung by soprano Adrianne Pieczonka (with Liz Upchurch on piano), Clara Schumann’s magnificent lieder benefit from clear diction and palpable emotional engagement from the Canadian singer, whose broad voice, however, is perhaps more suited to Wagner. and Richard Strauss than in early German Romanticism.
Classical music
Clara, Robert, Johannes. Lyrical echoes
Alexander Shelley and the National Arts Center Orchestra
Analekta