Recording Review #25: Respectable Reinecke

Reinecke: Symphony No. 2 ("Håkon Jarl"); Overtures. Henry Raudales, conductor; Münchner Rundfunkorchester. CPO 555 115-2.

For this review we stay with the same label as last time, and similarly cover music by a composer very much in orbit of greater figures. But Carl Reinecke doesn't have the excuse of limited opportunity like Augusta Holmès does. And so it's perhaps fairer to be more let down by his usual lack of inspiration, despite all of the excellent craftsmanship on display. Listening to this symphony and these overtures wasn't exactly a chore, but I doubt I'll be doing it on a regular basis. They're 'respectable' in both the best and worst senses of the word.

I'll be right up front: this was the first time I've heard the symphony. And I didn't bother to listen to other recordings of it to compare them. Why? Because one careful listen to this one is quite enough, thank you very much. Actually, the first movement was promising. A definite atmosphere sets in right away, with a main theme that is almost memorable. But one of Reinecke's biggest problems is that his themes can begin well only to conclude in unimaginative finishes. (This is the complete opposite of a melodist like Schubert, whose themes end up in places better than anything you could invent.) Whatever. The opening movement is mildly engaging and moody, reasonably befitting a symphony about a Norse pagan king. But after that, ughhhhh: three movements of almost complete dullness. They're performed with conviction by Henry Raudales and the Munich Radio Symphony, but honestly I was just waiting for them to be over so that I could do something more interesting. (By the way, Bedřich Smetana's Op. 16 tone poem on the same subject is dull until its transfixingly beautiful conclusion. Sadly, Reinecke didn't have this higher gear to kick his symphony into.)

Most of what's in the overtures is also bland. The Op. 166 Jubilee Overture is elegant and well crafted, with some nifty stretches of counterpoint. But it's way too indebted to Mendelssohn to register as much else. The liner notes to this recording say that the Dame Kobold Overture (Op. 51) is "quite memorable." That's a stretch. Apparently well received in its day, its absence from the concert hall these days is unlikely to change. The ballet-like Op. 161/5 dance is good...short enough not to strain its modest materials. 

The Zenobia and Prologus Solemnis Overtures both attempt passion. And while they don't fully attain it, they come close enough for this listener to find the music engaging while it lasts. I'll go ahead and call the latter my favorite composition of the recording apart from the symphony's opening movement. Here there is more slick counterpoint and a fun rousing quality. I wouldn't mind hearing it live. 

As I said in Recording Review #24, it's important that labels and musicians record this repertoire. It's all worth listening to and learning about. While these particular works probably won't excite you overmuch, your fondness for them might nonetheless surpass mine. I hope it does. 

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