The Flemish Connection II (Orchestral Music 1) Vlaams Radio Orkest, Jan Latham-Koenig

• Peter Benoit (1834 - 1901): Ouverture tot " Le Roi des aulnes " (VRT Muziek Edition):
• 1 Benoit: Ouverture tot " Le Roi des aulnes " (VRT Muziek Edition) 07:55
• Flor Alpaerts (1876 - 1954): Thyl Uilenspiegel (VRT Muziek Edition):
• 2 Alpaerts: Thyl Uilenspiegel (VRT Muziek Edition) 12:13
• Norbert Rosseau (1907 - 1975): Ouverture "De pracht van Sicilië" (VRT Muziek Edition):
• 3 Rosseau: Ouverture "De pracht van Sicilië" (VRT Muziek Edition) 07:32
• Arthur Meulemans (1884 - 1966): Stadspark (VRT Muziek Edition):
• 4 Meulemans: Stadspark (VRT Muziek Edition) 08:18
• Victor Legley (1915 - 1994): Before Endeavours Fade (VRT Muziek Edition):
• 5 Legley: Before Endeavours Fade (VRT Muziek Edition) 08:50
• Edgar Tinel (1854 - 1912): Prelude tot Franciscus (VRT Muziek Edition):
• 6 Tinel: Prelude tot Franciscus (VRT Muziek Edition) 06:20
• Total Runtime 51:08

Info for The Flemish Connection II (Orchestral Music 1)

Six orchestral works by Flemish composers have been brought together on this album, which together give a very varied picture of Flemish music from the last one hundred and fifty years. Conducted by Jan Latham-Koenig, the Flemish Radio Orchestra opens with the Overture 'De Elzenkoning' by Peter Benoit. Benoit is considered the father of Flemish music, but when this piece was written, nationalist ambitions had not yet gripped him. The work belongs to a French-language opera, 'Le roi des aulnes' (1859). Benoit incorporated the theme of the Erlkönig, which was popular in the 19th century, in a musician way in this overture, which, however, appears stylistically somewhat nondescript. Flor Alpaerts 'Ulenspiegel' was completed in 1928. The theme of this piece is obvious to a Flemish composer. Of course it does elicit a comparison with the work of the same name by Strauss, especially when the idiom, as used here by Alpaerts, is strongly reminiscent of that of Strauss. Very different sounds can be heard in Norbert Rosseau's 'The Splendor of Sicily'; he studied with Respighi, among others, and that is noticeable in this piece, because many a passage is reminiscent of his Roman cycles. Arthur Meulemans' City Park dates from 1928 and is a two-part evocation of Maastricht's nightlife (the piece was dedicated to the Limburg Symphony Orchestra). German and French influences alternate here. The most recent work on this one is 'Before endeavors fade' from 1978 by Victor Legley. The work is both an ode to the memory of Legley's mother, as to the countless casualties in the First World War at the battle of Ypres. While not unkind, these moderately modern sounds fail to convince in response to such penetrating personal and historical topics.

The album is concluded with the loud-organizing, yet somewhat pale Overture 'Franciscus' by Edgar Tinel, belonging to an oratorio of the same name from 1888. An album with unknown Flemish works of varying content, but nice to get to know, because if this collection shows anything, it is that the Flemish lion can dress in very different garments.

Vlaams Radio Orkest
Jan Latham-König, conductor

No biography found.

This album contains no booklet.