Swiss Composers in the 20th Century

[kyjo]

...speaking of whom, I've been quite impressed by some orchestral works by Heinrich Sutermeister (1910-1995) contained on this Toccata CD:



The Symphonic Suite from the opera Romeo and Juliet is notable for its two most substantial movements, the Sarabande and the Finale, the former of which is a truly eloquent statement full of grave dignity and lyrical beauty. The slightly later Divertimento No. 2 is a bit more harmonically acerbic, though not by a huge margin. Again, the most extended and remarkable music is found in the slow movement, in this case a Lento lasting 11 minutes (a light, fluffy "divertimento" this is not)! This is music that traverses haunted and shadowy landscapes, yet is not devoid of humanity either.

I tried to persevere with Die Alpen: Fantasy on Swiss Folksongs for speaker and orchestra, but had to turn it off after a few minutes. With a few exceptions, I find works involving a speaker to be intolerable - what's more, this work lasts a whopping 26 minutes! Hard pass from me. The shortest work on this well-filled (87 minute) disc, a 5-movement suite titled Aubade pour Morges, is a light, neoclassical confection.

I also tried this disc of his music on the Musiques Suisses label:



The Piano Concerto No. 2 is definitely the highlight here - it's tonal but with plenty of tangy dissonances and angular gestures to keep things interesting. It should certainly appeal to those who like the PCs of Bartok, Englund, Saygun, etc. The remainder of the works on this disc, written for chamber orchestra/string orchestra, I found to be less interesting and rather unremittingly grey/depressing in tone. I feel that the performances may be partially to blame for my impressions - I sensed a lack of emotional involvement, forward motion, and coloristic shading.