Music of Vagn Holmboe, heir to Nielsen's legacy and one
of the greatest composers of the 20th Century (according to both me and
the New York Times). This is music of power, drama, and a
devotion to tonality--but also to stretching its bounds, in the same way
Shostakovich does.
This 1992 BIS disc holds two symphonies which show VH finding
his mature style, the Fourth (subtitled "Sinfonia Sacra") and Fifth. The
former is as fiery a war-symphony as Vaughan Williams' Fourth, though
there are some peaceful interludes, including the final bars. The Fifth
is more even-keeled, with a constant low-level strident feel, a slightly
furrowed brow of concentration (even in the final movement, which is
one of Holmboe's most playful). Owain Arwel Hughes leads the Aarhus
Symphony Orchestra; the Jutland Opera Choir joins in on the Fourth.
From the All-Classical Guide review:
Let's say, just for the sake of argument, that you had to put Vagn Holmboe, Denmark's greatest modernist, up against Igor Stravinsky, Russia's greatest modernist composer. To make it fair, let's put Holmboe's Sinfonia Sacra from 1941 up against Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms from 1930 and Holmboe's three-movement Symphony No. 5 from 1944 up against Stravinsky's Symphony in Three Movements from 1945. Both the Sinfonia Sacra and the Symphony of Psalms are multi-movement, choral-orchestral works in E major, but the Sinfonia Sacra has the intense power and expressive force of Revelations, while the Symphony of Psalms has the gnomic radiance and crabbed glory of Ecclesiastes. The Symphony No. 5 has the righteous fury of Moses coming down from the mountain top, but the Symphony in Three Movements has the lavish spectacle of Cecil B. DeMille. Of course, if you're comparing a Holmboe recording, this 1993 BIS recording of Holmboe's Sinfonia Sacra and Symphony No. 5 by Owain Arwel Hughes and the Århus Symphony Orchestra is the only recording in existence, so you'll have to use that. But since Hughes and the Århus are strong, insightful, and dedicated interpreters of Holmboe's music, using Hughes is as good as it gets in more ways than one. Hughes leads clear, dramatic, and cogent performances. The Århus plays throughout with precision and enthusiasm. The Jutland Opera Choir in the Sinfonia Sacra sings with power and excitement. BIS' sound is bright, immediate, overwhelming, and as good as digital sound gets. --James Leonard
Disc, booklet, and case are in mint condition.
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