Prokofiev - Symphony No. 3; Varese - Arcana; Mosolov - Iron Foundry

Sergei PROKOFIEV (1891-1953

Symphony No. 3

Edgar VARESE (1883-1965)

Arcana

Alexander MOSLOV (1900-1973)

Iron Foundry

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Riccardo Chailly

This disc assembles three works that are unrelated but all represent adventurous efforts by three composers in the late 1920s: Edgar Varese’s “Arcana” (1927), Alexander Mosolov’s “Iron Foundry” (1926) and the best known and I think the most significant of the works, Sergei Prokofiev’s 3rd symphony (1928). The performances are very good, filled with the energy one would expect from conductor Riccardo Chailly and his long-time orchestra, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam. The disc’s sound quality is only average, with a lack of refinement, but fortunately with little digital harshness.

I find the Prokofiev 3rd to be an uneven work, but the two inner movements, the Andante and the Allegro agitato, are intriguing, spooky and evocative. I have grown more and more impressed with Chailly’s interpretation of these two with repeated listening. Chailly blends energy and lassitude and mystery in a perfect brew. He transitions the peaceful opening of the Andante transitions into the exotic subsidiary Orientalia section with the whining oboe just perfectly, and the string glissandi juxtaposed over an energetic ostinato in the Allegro agitato contains an expert balancing of the different orchestral sections to maximize the effect. While the concluding Andante mosso is played well, I found Chailly’s opening Moderato noisy, with this interpretation’s energy here too much of a good thing. Directly comparing Chailly’s performance with the Mstislav Rostropovich recording (on Erato), I think both have offsetting strengths. Besides the opening Moderato, where I prefer Rostropovich’s more relaxed take, I also found the central waltz B section of the Allegro agitato done better by the Russian conductor; Chailly’s performance lacks lilt and charm.

While Prokofiev’s symphony is certainly adventurous, with the Varese and Mosolov we enter fully into the world of the 1920s avant-garde. “Arcana” is an ambitious work that shuns traditional compositional processes and approaches, revelling in the glory of sound. I have grown disenchanted with Varese’s music over the years but, whatever I think, this performance is successful. Mosolov’s “Iron Foundry” dates from the early days of the Soviet Union and represents one of several paeans to industrialization from the time. Another that springs to mind is Artur Honegger’s “Pacific 231” which, like “Iron Foundry”, mimics the sound of machinery. The work, taken from a ballet score that disappeared during the material cleansing associated with the Soviet Terror (any evidence of contact with “suspect” individuals like Mosolov was destroyed by their fearful friends to sever any link), is a short four-minute effort full of ostinati and atmospheric effects. I can’t compare it with alternative performances but Chailly and the Concertgebouw seem to do an excellent job.

This is a well-played disc of uneven but at times fascinating music.