Review Summary: Cinematic late-Romantic orchestral music
Not only could Samuel Barber write themes that evoke intergalactic battles and desperate romances, but he could also turn those themes into fugues, scherzos, and passacaglias. The pieces on this album are great examples of his musical duality.
The main piece here is the first symphony. It’s only 20 minutes long and is based almost entirely on two highly melodic and distinct motifs. Depending on your point of view, this is either a single sonata-form movement or a traditional four-movement symphony consisting of epic outer movements, a scherzo, and a slow movement. Either way, it’s intellectually and emotionally fulfilling for the listener and red meat for low brass players.
The first and second essays for orchestra have the same emphasis on melody and efficiency. Both can basically be divided into an A section of a moderate tempo, a faster B section based on the main theme, and a coda. The first is the shorter and more accessible of the two. The opening sounds as somber as Qui-Gon’s funeral, and the ensuing brass chorale is the highlight of the album. The second essay’s emphasis on perfect intervals makes it sound particularly “American,” and its massive coda surely inspired plenty of film composers.
The orchestra aces Adagio for Strings. Some string orchestras overplay the soft and intimate sections, but not the Baltimore Symphony.
“Overture to The School for Scandal” and “Music for a scene from Shelley,” two excellent concert pieces, round out the album.
This album collects some of Barber's earliest pieces. Even in his 20s, Barber was expanding upon the legacy of great European composers like Sibelius, Brahms, and Mahler and paving the way for the next generation of American composers.
