The Dutch composer and conductor, Jan van Gilse (1881-1944) was born in Rotterdam and studied at the
Cologne conservatory with Franz Wüllner (1832-1902) before moving to Berlin to
study with Engelbert Humperdinck (1854-1921). He later undertook study in Italy
before, in 1901, receiving the Beethoven-Haus Prize in Bonn for his Second Symphony.
It was his Third Symphony, 'Erhebung' (Elevation) for soprano solo and
orchestra that won him the German Michael Beer Prize, the foremost music award
of the time.
van Gilse was appointed conductor at the Bremen opera, a
post which was followed by appointments in Munich and Amsterdam. After the
breakout of the First World War he moved back to the Netherlands. From 1917
until 1922, he was the conductor of the Utrecht Municipal Orchestra.
During the Second World War van Gilse became actively
involved with the resistance movement against the German occupation of the
Netherlands. After both his resistance fighter sons were killed, van Gilse and
his wife were forced to go into hiding. In August 1944 the composer was
admitted to hospital suffering from cancer where he died shortly after. He was
buried under an assumed name in order to protect his wife.
Among his works are five symphonies, the last of which
survives only in a fragment; other orchestral works; two operas; a number of
chamber pieces and a number of cantatas.
CPO www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/home have already recorded the four completed symphonies
of van Gilse with the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra www.ovho.nl/generic_tmp/over-het-symfonieorkest
conducted by David Porcelijn www.patrickgarvey.com/artists/david-porelijn.html
. Now they have released van Gilse’s Piano Concerto coupled with his Variations on a Saint-Nicolas Song
performed by the same artists with pianist, Oliver Triendl.
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| 777 934-2 |
Jan van Gilse’s Piano
Concerto ‘Drei Tanzskizzen’ (Three
Dance Sketches) dates from 1925–26 and has important parts for violin and
cello, played on this recording by Carla Leurs (violin) http://carlaleurs.wix.com/home and René
Geesing (cello) www.ovho.nl/musici/1332942636
.
Tempo di Menuetto moderato opens with a hushed string line
to which the celeste and piano add a motif, immediately taken by the piano. The
orchestra moves ahead developing the theme and bringing some lovely fluent
phrases, working playfully around the orchestra. There are some fine rhythmic,
flowing string passages as well as many fine transparent and sparkling orchestral
textures pointed up by the celeste. This is music that is full of charm and
good humour, freely tonal with some lovely shifting harmonies. van Gilse creates
lovely delicate effects for piano and celeste together and orchestral passages
that are full of glittering instrumental detail. There is a lovely buoyant
piano part with, later, a tambourine pointing up the piano and orchestra before
a coda that has a rather fairyland quality. Overall this is a really enchanting
movement.
The piano leaps in with some strong chords as the second
movement, Hommage à
Johann Strauss, is dramatically introduced, interspersed with upward scales.
Oliver Triendl provides some exceptionally fine playing as he moves through a speeding
descending passage. The music lightens and quietens as the theme is developed
more gently by the soloist until finding a waltz rhythm and dancing lightly and
gently forward. The piano introduces some lovely variations on the waltz theme
before the orchestra takes the theme bringing a lighter feel. The music moves through many orchestral
variations, all full of buoyancy and life in a lighter vein with some
particularly good harmonies as the theme is varied. Later the piano re-enters
to drive the theme more forcefully ahead, reaching a dynamic pitch.
The cello of René Geesing adds a slower, sad variation to
which a bassoon then trumpet add colour before the piano brings a more languid
version with the waltz rhythm lurking just behind. The piano and orchestra speed
to another climax before the celeste and orchestra bring another variation to
which the cello joins. There are many varied waltz rhythms as well as a
delicate passage where the piano skips over the orchestra before brass and
strings weave a constantly shifting harmony.
The music speeds to a peak before quietening to allow a small string
ensemble to gently waltz forward joined by woodwind to find a sudden dynamic
coda.
This movement is perhaps a little too long but full of
variety and fine variations.
The final movement, Quasi
Jazz opens with a massive drum roll immediately followed by the entry of
the piano in a fast and furious theme to which the xylophone joins. The orchestra
joins as the theme begins to slow and a trumpet introduces a new variation that
reveals itself as a tango rhythm. Woodwind
bring moments that could be by Villa Lobos before the music finds a more
luscious swaying variation in the orchestra over which a piano dances. There is
an exotic feel in the orchestra with orchestral sonorities that create the
sound of a jazz orchestra. Strong piano chords prelude a solo from violinist, Carla
Leurs, over a hushed orchestra but soon becomes a lone solo that takes more of
the form of a substantial cadenza for violin. Eventually the music picks up in tempo in the
orchestra, full of vibrancy and jazzy inflections, with some brash brass
interventions before the piano joins as van Gilse finally remembers that this
is a piano concerto. The piano becomes more forceful as, with the orchestra it
heads to a coda on a series of firm orchestral chords.
This is an inventive and well-orchestrated work that,
nevertheless, could do with a little pruning. Many will still find it
attractive.
The Variaties over
een St. Nikolaasliedje (Variations on a Saint-Nicolas Song) dates from 1908. The variations open with a theme
that is immediately varied before a wind ensemble slowly takes the music
forward. Strings soon bring a leisurely, flowing variation leading to a
beautifully nuanced variation reminiscent of Richard Strauss with all of his
little drooping phrases. There is a jauntier little variation, nicely varied in
the orchestration before the music picks up in tempo and dynamics. A slow
melancholy variation follows before there are some lovely flute arabesques over
the orchestra. Later a cor-anglais brings a lovely variation soon woven around a
clarinet. A fanfare brings a vibrant, rhythmically pointed variation and there
are further rather Straussian passages before a playful little variation for
woodwind and strings arrives. Eventually there is a fast and furious variation
before broadening to take the music to a stately, decisive coda.
Pianist, Oliver Triendl and the Netherlands Symphony
Orchestra under David Porcelijn prove fine advocates of this music which
doesn’t plumb any depths but is full of many attractive variations. It is true
that these works could do with a little editing but they are interesting
by-ways of 20th century Dutch music.
These artists are finely recorded at the Enschede
Musikzentrum, Netherlands and there are informative notes, largely on the
composer and his life rather than the music.
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