Komei Abe: Orchestra Music
Posted by Steve Hicken in CD Review, Naxos, Steve Hicken, Symphony
ABE: Symphony 1; Divertimento; Sinfonietta. Aleksey Volkov, alto sax; Russian Philharmonc/Dmitry Yablonsky. Naxos 8.557987. 65 minutes.
Komei Abe (1911-2006) is a member of a generation of Japanese composers who came of age with a musical background that was almost entirely Westernized. There is no hint of Japanese music (that I can hear) in this program of orchestral music Abe wrote in the 1950s and “˜60s.
Abe’s music is very straight-forwardly tonal, melodic, and well-formed. It is also lighter than air, and even the more aggressive gestures in the Symphony are pretty friendly. The sharpest movement, with the most bite, is the Scherzo: Andante-Presto of the Sinfonieta, with its thrilling rhythmic accents and brassy outbursts.
Abe’s style is shown to good effect in the Divertimento for Saxophone and Orchestra. Aleksey Volkov gives a silky account of the sinuous solo line and the orchestral accompaniment is lean and supportive.
Good performances and warm sound.
Entries (RSS)