I’m all for economy, but these German radio orchestras have got to stop annexing names every time they merge or otherwise absorb some other ensemble. Otherwise, we’ll soon be listening to the Mannheim Deutsche Radio Schleswig-Holstein Philharmonie Heidelberg Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern Sächsisches Hofkapelle, or some such. Of course, we’d put up with it if the orchestra played better, but these are professional, adequate performances of lively, characterful music that can sound more purposeful than it does here. Les Facheux (“The Crazies”) is a reworking of a Molière comedy. It was recorded previously by Markevitch with the kind of rhythmic sharpness and focus that raises the work above mere frivolity.
La Pastorale is larger (almost 40 minutes), and as the title suggests it’s full of compound rhythms and relaxed meters, and Christoph Poppen does well sustaining interest throughout its length. The main theme, which recurs at various points, is a distant cousin to that in the rustic finale of Haydn’s “The Bear” Symphony (No. 82). Still, there’s no question that the seventh movement, marked Allegro con brio, could use more of that quality, while the quiet conclusion comes as a bit of a letdown–more the composer’s fault, after a rousing penultimate number. This is Volume 7 in Hänssler’s ongoing survey of Ballets Russes repertoire, and it’s an important series, not least for the informative booklet notes and the rediscovery of a lot of worthwhile music. It’s just a shame that the actual performances couldn’t be even better.
