You have to give Sterling credit for brushing away the cobwebs from forgotten Swiss repertoire, but some of it, such as these works by Hermann Suter and Hans Jelmoli, appears to deserve its ignoble legacy. Suter (1870-1926) stylistically follows in the footsteps of Franck, Bruckner, and early Strauss, which is another way of saying that it all starts to sound like Liszt after a while (think Les Preludes stretched out for 45 minutes). A brooding opening theme in the cellos and basses gives way to a proud but awkward statement that’s taken up by the brass and then repeated intermittently until it culminates in a sort of extended, bold canon. The flippant scherzo–Suter’s sarcastic raspberry to the buttoned-down military of his time–is the best part of the symphony, filled as it is with flatulent outbursts in the low brass, zippy trumpet flourishes, a raucous snare drum, and bumptious martial rhythms. Following this uproar comes a rather pious-sounding Adagio, also modeled on Bruckner with a big climactic moment but lacking the inspiration that makes Bruckner’s Adagios so poignant–more grandiosity than grandeur.
After a mysterious introduction anchored by a melancholy English horn solo, the finale delivers some much-needed folksy levity. Suter recaps the main opening theme to tie things together before indulging in another all-out brass assault (yes, Bruckner again, coda and all). Sterling’s engineering team did not do its best work here either: the sound comes across as two-dimensional, lifeless, and light on bass. Moreover, the orchestra might have benefited from some extra rehearsal time, as the string ensemble work is not always as tight as it should be.
The ear-candy filler by Jelmoli–excerpts from his one-act lyric comedy Our Legacy–abounds in pretty melodies and recalls the work of Adam, Tchaikovsky, and other 19th-century ballet composers but without their gift for instantly singable tunes. The music certainly deserves more spirited playing than that offered by the lackluster Moscow players, who render it joylessly and mechanically.