Christopher Rouse - Symphony No. 2; Flute Concerto (Alan Gilbert; Sharon Bezaly)

Information

Composer: Christopher Rouse

1. Flute Concerto
2. Symphony No. 2
3. Rapture

Sharon Bezaly, flute

Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra

Alan Gilbert, conductor

Date: 2009

Label: BIS

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Review

This is the second all-Rouse disc from this source and there is much to be said in its favour. While Alan Gilbert’s Royal Stockholm Philharmonic may not have the tonal weight of the New York Philharmonic, his current perch, the ensemble is patently well prepared and benefits from the translucent sound that is the hallmark of the BIS label. The choice of repertoire is something of a surprise given that the bulk of it duplicates, without necessarily trumping, one of Christoph Eschenbach’s finest CDs.

Honours are equally divided in the Second Symphony (1994), a Houston commission, where Gilbert knows not to refine away too much of the composer’s “agonised” expressive overkill. In the more rapid passages of the Flute Concerto (1993), Sharon Bezaly’s extrovert virtuosity will dazzle but Carol Wincenc’s woodier, covered sounds are even more affecting in its lyrical moments. Prompted by news of the James Bulger case, the central “Elegia” (track 3 on the new BIS album) sets up a hymnic archetype and (melodramatically?) snuffs it out. Here Eschenbach underlines the music’s significance at a much slower tempo than Gilbert, who seemingly shies away from the frank emotionalism of its response to one of those “isolated, individual tragedies which serve to sensitise us to the potential harm that man can do to his fellow”. Or perhaps that isn’t the explanation at all. Beer drinkers will associate Rouse’s hymn tune with its deployment in a Carling ad – such are the paradoxes of contemporary capitalism. Less controversially, track 5 seems like a natural for Classic FM, Celtic crossover of a superior kind.

Eschenbach concludes his programme with the energetic, rock-influenced Phaeton; Gilbert chooses Rapture (2000), one of Rouse’s most emollient, tonally unruffled pieces, closer to Rautavaara or Michael Torke than either George Crumb or Led Zeppelin. Performance-wise Gilbert is tauter than Leif Segerstam on Ondine and the music is the better for it. Recommended.

— David Gutman

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Christopher Rouse (15 February 1949 – 21 September 2019) was an American composer. Educated at Oberlin Conservatory and Cornell University, he studied with George Crumb and Karel Husa and later taught at the Eastman School of Music and The Juilliard School. His works were performed by major orchestras worldwide, and he gained particular acclaim for his concertos written for leading soloists. Rouse received numerous honors, including a Grammy Award and the Pulitzer Prize. His final composition, Symphony No. 6, premiered posthumously in 2019, marking the culmination of an influential career.

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Sharon Bezaly (born 2 October 1972) is an Israeli flautist. Born in Tel Aviv, she rose rapidly after beginning the flute at age 11, debuting with the Israel Philharmonic at 14. Following studies in France with leading flautists, she served as principal flute of the Camerata Academica Salzburg before pursuing an international solo career. Bezaly has performed with major orchestras at leading venues worldwide and has premiered numerous commissioned works, several now standard repertoire. She records exclusively for BIS, with an extensive and award-winning discography. Her flute was made by Muramatsu out of 24-carat gold.

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Alan Gilbert (born 23 February 1967) is an American conductor and violinist. Raised in New York City and educated at Harvard, Curtis and Juilliard, he served as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic from 2009 to 2017, where he significantly expanded the orchestra's contemporary programming and interdisciplinary initiatives. Gilbert has been Chief Conductor of the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra since 2019 and Music Director of the Royal Swedish Opera since 2021. An internationally active guest conductor, he has received numerous honors for his contributions to orchestral and operatic life.

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