Overture to a Symphony Concert; Hungarian Serenade; Tripartita
Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz/Gregor Bühl
Capriccio C5514 56:02 mins
Two principal impressions remain after listening to this collection of Miklós Rózsa’s music intended for the concert hall. The immediate and endearing one is the consistent Hungarian inflections: a characteristic just as audible in his many film scores, whether the subject’s the amorous life of Sherlock Holmes or the epic adventures of Ben-Hur.
The second impression left by Gregor Bühl’s pick of pieces originating (though not always finalised) in the 1930s, 1950s and ’70s is of music with some key ingredients missing. Perhaps one of them is real individuality, or at any rate some force strong enough to bind together the lurching moods and speed changes and titbits of striking orchestration featured in many of the tracks.
The 1956 Overture to a Symphony Concert (a very Hungarian symphony concert) overworks its central motif and appears more manufactured than creatively inspired. The Hungarian Serenade, expanded in the 1940s from a 1932 original, is far more natural and attractive, without shaking off the signs of slight material fussed over a little too much. The 1972 Tripartita exploits a sterner musical language than either, but also goes in for elegiac tenderness (its best feature) and a hard-driven rhythmic romp.
Throughout, Bühl’s orchestra makes the best of whatever is on offer, but they can’t hide the lingering gaps in these works that stop their elements fusing. The ultimate missing ingredient, I suppose, is a narrative, or some other clear purpose for this music’s existence. You could also call it the movies.