Search - Richard [Classical] Wagner, Varujan Kojian, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra :: Wagner: Marches & Overtures

Wagner in rare 'official' mode.

darragh o'donoghue | 11/23/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I don't think it does Wagner a disservice to suggest that he didn't actually bleed creatively to complete these mostly commissioned works. the fact that three of the four clock in at 12 minutes apiece suggests the functionality of their composition. to be frank, if you heard any of these pieces on the radio, and were told they were by, say, Sullivan or Elgar, you wouldn't be at all surprised. Wagner gives his clients exactly what they want - grand public, patriotic showpieces that stir the feet if not the soul.to suggest that they are not Wagnerian, however, is to overlook an important aspect of his work. some of his most famous operatic pieces - such as the wedding march from 'Lohengrin' - are specifically social expressions, while 'Die Meistersinger' is the ultimate 'public' opera. The most recognisably Wagnerian piece here, perhaps surprisingly, is the 'American Centennial March', which is full of pastiche-Lohengrinisms, perhaps a nostalgic indulgence just after completing the worlds-apart 'Ring' cycle and beginning 'Parsifal'. The 'Polonia Overture' is a conventional enough piece of romantic nationalism, made delightful by Wagner's lack of personal input, and his dark orchestral colouring. 'Rule Britannia' is one for those who like to stand on stools in front of a big mirror for a spot of air-conducting (ahem...), weaving familiar melodies of imperial pomp into a briskly, stately overture. the most likable piece, however, is the closing 'Imperial March', which has a rich, repeated main theme more familiar from Elgar, and a melancholy that belies the ceremonial intent. any CD that presents rare, non-operatic Wagner is more than welcome: Varujan Kojian and his Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra translate zest and pleasure to the listener."

Minor Wagner...

vmzfla | Orlando, Fl. | 11/28/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The interest in this CD is in the rarities of the music. All you die hard Wagner fans will get a thrill of fanfares and flourishes, with bombastic finales. You'll also get little thematic development and simplistic ideas. Only the "Imperial March" written for political favor gives us a glimpse of the composers great operatic achievements. "Polonia" was born after a night of drinking with some Polish exiles, naturally constructed of patriotic song and dance from Poland. Commissioned by the City of Philadephia, Wagner was paid $5 grand for the "American Centennial March", masterfully orchestrated with the most simplistic material. "Rule Britania" goes on way too long, again

stretching minimum to the max, for over 12 minutes. The constant repetition likening to a dentist performing root canal.

Much of these works were done hastily as Wagner was constantly

being pursued by debtors. Still all in all the curiosity value is there! Maybe a more spacious recording would have made me judge better."

The _Polonia_ Overture is the best of these rarities

Laon | moon-lit Surry Hills | 08/05/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Here is a disk of extremely minor Wagner orchestral pieces, with the Hong Kong Philharmonic under Varujan Kojian. This disk was originally released on the Marco Polo label, and is now issued by Naxos. It includes the _Polonia_ and _Rule Britannia_ overtures, the _American Centennial March_ and the _Kaisermarsch_.



The good news is that two of these pieces, the _Polonia_ and _Rule Britannia_ overtures, are not available in any other recording that I'm aware of, so this disk offers a significant expansion of the accessible Wagner repertoire. The bad news is that what we have here is some mostly ordinary work by conductor and orchestra, and some mostly wretched work by the composer.



I don't think any performance could save Wagner's _Rule Britannia_ overture, a very youthful work written, if memory serves, to flatter a British music-publishing house into offering him a commission. No commission came, but one can hardly blame the British for not requesting more of the same. The piece opens with fanfares, scales and so on in an attempt to work up some tension before introducing the Grand Old Tune. The Grand Old Tune once stated, Wagner plays it again louder, as one does, then flails about with uninspired exposition of bits of the theme. The Big Tune eventually emerges again on brass, with a lot of accompanying exercise for drum-thumpers, cymbal-crashers, and so on, before finally winding up. It sounds like what some people must think Elgar sounds like, if they know Elgar only by reputation. Its minutes feel like hours.



Comparing Kojian's performance of the _American Centennial March_ with that of LSO under Marek Janowski (in a disk of Wagner excerpts including several rarities, also available on Amazon and highly recommended by me) exposes the limitations of Kojian's straightforward, workmanlike approach. Under Kojian the piece seems absolutely intolerable, empty, banal, noisy and repetitive. But the Janowski disk manages to find contrasts, nuances, light and shade, and some forward propulsion in the piece. It still isn't a great piece of music, but Janowski is a far better advocate for it than Kojian.



There's also more to the _Kaisermarsch_ that Kojian reveals, and again the Janowski offers a better account. But the main fault with this piece is not with Kojian, nor even exactly with Wagner. It's with Prussian Court officials, who overruled Wagner's wish to write a sorrowful piece for the fallen in the recent Franco-Prussian War, and demanded a celebratory piece instead. They got what they wanted, if a perfunctory, uninspired and serviceable piece was what they wanted: and it probably was. I can't help regretting that Wagner never wrote the music he actually felt moved to write, though.



Summing up, I'd warn against this disk, except for one thing. The _Polonia_ overture is one of Wagner's better early pieces, written in an outburst of enthusiasm for the cause of Polish independence and democracy, and making effective (if still slightly overblown) use of Polish songs and anthems. And the performance by Kojian and the Hong Kong Phil is fine, slightly coarse but good enough to present a reasonable case for this piece.



Wagner wrote the _Polonia_ overture when he was about 18, while he wrote the American Centennial March at the time he was composing _Parsifal_. However the younger composer did far better work than the mature one, though both pieces celebrated nations and democratic struggles that he genuinely admired. I suspect that Wagner's attempt to think of "American" themes affected the slight swing with which the Flower Maidens serenade Parsifal. But he saved all his best inspirations for the opera, using only his second rate ideas in the occasional piece. I still feel that the second rateness of Wagner's American celebration was rather a pity, since it belied Wagner's feelings for America, which were strong enough for Wagner to have been seriously considering emigration there.



So if you can pick this disk up at a super-bargain price, it may be worth it for the one track. But it should be cheaper than even the normal Naxos price before you could consider your money well spent.



Cheers!





Laon

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