José Serebrier is obviously a very talented composer, and it’s good that Naxos is giving him the opportunity to record his music under optimal conditions. The First Symphony is an impressive piece of work, especially for a Uruguayan teenage musician of just 18. Like most of Serebrier’s work, there’s a lyrical side to much of the material that’s quite winning, but the style and “feel” of the music, its single-movement form, and its alternation of melodic episodes with powerfully rhythmic outbursts are quite modern as well as personal.
However, perhaps the two most enjoyable large works here are the Violin Concerto “Winter” (another single-movement piece lasting a bit more than 15 minutes, and wonderfully played by Philippe Quint) and the Music for an Imaginary Film (2009). Actually the film was real; it just became imaginary when a strike forced its cancellation and Serebrier got stuck with the music he had already written. It’s extremely colorful and fun.
The two short “tango” pieces have obvious appeal as encores or musical “calling cards”, and the only relative disappointment concerns the Double Bass Concerto, which also features a speaker (nominally the soloist, but here Simon Callow), chorus, and players stationed all over the hall. I totally sympathize with Serebrier’s attempt to do something experimental and interesting with what is basically a hopeless assignment, but still… Happily, it only lasts 13 minutes, and the performance is terrific, if you’re into this sort of thing. Indeed, given Serebrier’s gifts as a conductor there’s nothing to criticize here regarding the performances, and the engineering is very good also. Recommended wholeheartedly.
