Finn Høffding’s music, though composed earlier (at least the works on this disc) reminds me of 1950s institutional architecture: drab, foursquare, functional, humorless, forgettable. It gets the job done. Høffding’s seriousness of intent is evident in the titles of the two short orchestral works: Evolution, which charts some sort of progress from grim desolation through primal slime to protozoa (see album cover), but goes little farther. Det Er Ganske Vist, based on the Andersen fairy tale “It Is Perfectly True”, is perfectly charmless. Høffding’s scoring is dull, heavy, and weighted relentlessly toward the orchestra’s midrange. I keep thinking of public school buildings, post offices, or perhaps, thrillingly, the occasional department of motor vehicles.
Høffding is touted in the booklet notes as an FOC “Friend of Carl [Nielsen]” and a TOV “Teacher of Vagn [Holmboe]”. As a symphonist, he approaches neither. His music lacks both Nielsen’s passion and humanity, as well as Holmboe’s organic feeling for growth and rhythmic drive. The Third Symphony, in four traditional movements, was composed in the late 1920s for smallish forces. It features a prominent piano part that instead of providing intriguing splashes of color (think Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements) simply clogs up the texture. I don’t know, you may disagree, so I offer the work’s opening below and you can decide for yourself. The performances are certainly accomplished enough, a few unimportant moments of imprecise ensemble aside. In my opinion, Høffding just isn’t one of those neglected figures in 20th century Danish music whose work needs revisiting, at least on evidence here.
