Topic: Eduard Tubin (1905-82)

[vandermolen]

   

                           

DON'T DO IT EDUARD!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I have added Tubin's Tenth to my list of favourites (after 1, 4 and 6). It's in one movement of about 25 minutes, and it manages this form very well. It opens and ends rather tragically, but there is much echt-Tubin energy in the middle stretch. Great piece.

[vandermolen]

I have added Tubin's Tenth to my list of favourites (after 1, 4 and 6). It's in one movement of about 25 minutes, and it manages this form very well. It opens and ends rather tragically, but there is much echt-Tubin energy in the middle stretch. Great piece.

This is one of my favourites too (with nos 1,2 and 4), although they are all good. I often play No 10; a great work.

[Christo]

I have added Tubin's Tenth to my list of favourites (after 1, 4 and 6). It's in one movement of about 25 minutes, and it manages this form very well. It opens and ends rather tragically, but there is much echt-Tubin energy in the middle stretch. Great piece.

If you're able to add the Eight and perhaps even Seventh to your series as wel, we'll be in complete agreement. 

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

This is one of my favourites too (with nos 1,2 and 4), although they are all good. I often play No 10; a great work.

Yes, it seems to distill the Tubin essence.

If you're able to add the Eighth and perhaps even Seventh to your series as wel, we'll be in complete agreement. 

I'll work on it. 

[Mirror Image]

I went through a Tubin phase myself about a year or so ago. I bought all of Jarvi's BIS recordings. I didn't want the box as it doesn't contain many of the extras that came on the individual releases. I'm proud I went this route. Anyway, Tubin's music sounds like to me a curious mixture of RVW with a bit of Martinu, Sibelius, and Bax thrown into the mix. Does this sound accurate? Of the symphonies, which I'm going to be listening to again, I remember liking the first (the first movement alone is a masterpiece), second, fourth, and seventh, though, like I said, I'm going to go back and familiarize myself with his symphonies again. His neglect is in a sense understandable as he never really put his roots down anywhere (he was born in Estonia, but during the Soviet takeover moved to Sweden). I don't think the Swedish people adopted him as one of their own as Tubin pretty much faded into obscurity until the end of his life. Thanks to Jarvi a revival sparked an interest in this composer and thus resulting in what I think was one of the greatest orchestral series of the past 30 years or so.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Tubin's music sounds like to me a curious mixture of RVW with a bit of Martinu, Sibelius, and Bax thrown into the mix. Does this sound accurate?

More or less. It's fairly standard mainstream 20th c. symphonism. That's not meant to be a putdown; I like some of it myself.

His neglect is in a sense understandable as he never really put his roots down anywhere (he was born in Estonia, but during the Soviet takeover moved to Sweden). I don't think the Swedish people adopted him as one of their own as Tubin pretty much faded into obscurity until the end of his life.

Ironically, I think the only commercial recording of Tubin symphonies during his lifetime was a disc of symphonies 6 and 10, released on Melodiya, the offical Soviet (!) record label. Western labels completely ignored him until BIS started to record him in the 1980s.

[J]

Could anyone speak more specifically about the differences in interpretive perspective between the BIS & Alba recordings? 

[J]

Reading just now one Amazon reviewers' take on Volmer's (Alba) recording of Symphonies 4&7, he speaks of a "subtlety" in Volmer's approach which "allows details more of a chance to breathe" compared to Jarvi's "thrust, dramatic edge, & high powered impetus".   Anyone else hear this sort of difference between Jarvi & Volmer in No.4 - and if so does it generally extend over the entire cycle?  Are Volmer's tempos on the whole substantially slower than Jarvi's?

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I once asked my friend and fellow GMG member Christo the same question in 2007. This is what he answered (and I translate from the Dutch):


"Both cycles are good. My personal favourites:
First: ?, Second: Volmer Third: Järvi, Fourth: Järvi, Fifth: Volmer, Sixth: Järvi, Seventh: Volmer, Eighth: Volmer, Ninth: Volmer, Tenth: Järvi, Eleventh: Volmer (Järvi never recorded this, though he once gave it in Amsterdam). Volmer is less impetuous than Järvi, and that pays off in, especially, the Seventh, Eighth and Ninth, but Järvi has more passion, which gives his readings of the Fourth, Sixth and Tenth more power.

In short: both Järvi and Volmer are excellent. You can't go wrong with either of them."

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Reading just now one Amazon reviewers' take on Volmer's (Alba) recording of Symphonies 4&7, he speaks of a "subtlety" in Volmer's approach which "allows details more of a chance to breathe" compared to Jarvi's "thrust, dramatic edge, & high powered impetus".   Anyone else hear this sort of difference between Jarvi & Volmer in No.4 -

As it happens I can compare their respective approaches only in #4. I think Volmer is better in almost every way: better sound, more secure playing (I doubt Jarvi's Norwegian provincial orchestra had ever touched this music before), more details coming to the surface, and IMHO no lack of drive in his approach. I don't think Jarvi is bad; he's just surpassed by Volmer in most of the ways that matter.

[Mirror Image]

I really want those Volmer Tubin recordings but it appears that several of them are out-of-print. Anyone know why? This is unacceptable especially for a CDCDCD patient.

Anyway, the recording of the complete ballet of Kratt really looks tempting, but all of these Volmer recordings are so expensive.

[Mirror Image]

Bought this recording last night:



The only complete recording of the ballet Kratt. I didn't even know this recording existed until a month ago! How sorry I am coming to this recording so late even after hearing all of the other orchestral works mutliple times. But from the little I sampled via NML, Kratt is going to be amazing. I always liked the suite from Jarvi and always thought why doesn't somebody release the full ballet? My prayers have been answered.

Anyone else familiar with this work and this recording? Volmer seems to be a highly acclaimed interpreter of Tubin seeing as he's already recorded the symphonies.

[Mirror Image]

What a sad life Tubin lived. He, of course, lived in Sweden for a good portion of his life due to Soviet occupancy of Estonia. His music as I continue to listen reveals, especially in the later works, a feeling of homesickness and depression that the country he once knew would never regain it's independence. Of course, this isn't true as Estonia finally gained independence in 1991. If only Tubin had lived to see this, he would have died a happy man.

[PaulR]

MI, curious, are familiar with Tubin's Double Bass Concerto?

[springrite]

What a sad life Tubin lived. He, of course, lived in Sweden for a good portion of his life due to Soviet occupancy of Estonia. His music as I continue to listen reveals, especially in the later works, a feeling of homesickness and depression that the country he once knew would never regain it's independence. Of course, this isn't true as Estonia finally gained independence in 1991. If only Tubin had lived to see this, he would have died a happy man.

Hard to say this but tormented composers leave us the best music. There are only so many Haydns, Dvoraks, Handels ...

[Mirror Image]

MI, curious, are familiar with Tubin's Double Bass Concerto?

Yes, Paul, I'm quite familiar with it. I've it heard it a few times. A nice piece if I remember correctly.

[Mirror Image]

Hard to say this but tormented composers leave us the best music. There are only so many Haydns, Dvoraks, Handels ...

Define tormented composers. All composers are tormented in some way or another or else they wouldn't feel the need to write music.

[springrite]

Define tormented composers.

I am not a composer so please don't torment me with that question.





(I am a tormented poet, though...)

[PaulR]

Yes, Paul, I'm quite familiar with it. I've it heard it a few times. A nice piece if I remember correctly.

'Twas merely a question. 

I would classify it as the best concerto written for the bass....but a major problem with it is that it's over-orchestrated for the bass