There’s a sticker affixed to this disc in which Christoph Eschenbach lauds Roussel’s Second Symphony as the most rewarding discovery he has made in several years, or words to that effect. Music lovers might well reply: “So where have you been all this time?” It’s so typical of the classical music world today that major conductors will gladly perform horrendous pieces of crap by some modern composer du jour rather than spending some time with a neglected masterpiece. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing but praise for the fact that Eschenbach has decided to champion this work, surely one of the great symphonies of the 20th century, but now the question remains: will he do it in Philadelphia and elsewhere? Just how serious is his commitment to the case? Time alone will answer this last question, but one thing is certain: Eschenbach treats the piece with the respect it deserves and delivers a performance of high seriousness and high drama.
Like Martinon before him, in the only previous recording worth considering in comparison, Eschenbach takes his time, particularly in the delicious central scherzo, with its delicate pastoral scoring. Roussel’s harmony is rich, his orchestration often dense, and it needs a chance to register. It’s tempting to play the slow introductions to the first and third movements more quickly, but by giving the music the time it needs, the quick sections have all the more impact. In Eschenbach’s hands, Roussel’s string writing sometimes sounds like late Shostakovich, and it is just as moving. He’s always sensitive to those flecks of color from harp and celesta that pepper the score, and my only quibble both here and in Bacchus et Ariane is that the sonics, while perfectly fine as such, don’t have quite the depth and impact that Roussel’s orchestration suggests.
Bacchus always has been acclaimed a masterpiece, and its case needs no special pleading. Eschenbach really cuts loose in the quick music, driving Roussel’s bracing rhythms hard and whipping the music up to a thrilling climax in the concluding bacchanal. If you only know the familiar Second Suite (which is the complete second part of the ballet), you owe it to yourself to hear the whole thing. There’s strong competition here from Tortelier on Chandos, who has slightly better engineering. Both performances feature fine playing from their respective orchestras, but Tortelier’s coupling, The Spider’s Feast, while certainly apt, doesn’t match the Second Symphony in importance. This is one disc that all lovers of French music, and great symphonies, simply must have. [4/5/2006]
