Beethoven: Egmont

 

Most will know the name Egmont from Beethoven's famous overture; but an overture to what? Here we have the complete incidental music to Egmont, complete with spoken melodrama (in German) between music cues. While the incidental music isn't common, there are no shortage of recordings, most famously traversed by George Szell and Herbert von Karajan, the latter only utilizing the final spoken melodrama.

If you come to Beethoven's incidental music from only knowing his symphonies, you might be surprised at the understated gracefulness of the music, mostly unfettered from the developmental complexities the composer is well known for. This isn't necessarily a criticism, moreso an example of a composer at the beck and call of purposeful stage music. Luckily, in this work, Egmont's military background provides enough musical contrast during its runtime.

In addition to the narration, here done so by Finnish operatic bass Matti Salminen, there are two vocal numbers for the female character Clara in Egmont. Finnish soprano Kaisa Ranta has a bright, direct tone, with a youthfulness which is wonderful. Naxos tracks the narration separately from the music, except for two numbers where music and spoken word overlap, thus most listeners will be able to skip the few minutes of narration aside the musical numbers.

As to this particular performance of Egmont, Finnish conductor Leif Segerstam is poky in the overture, unfortunate, although the full weight of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra is appreciably applied here. Apart from that, Segerstam and Turku are in turns energetic and pastoral, depending on the musical demands. The central Larghetto is another example where Segerstam is a little slower than others, although Turku is consistently beautiful in their modern-instrument portrayal.

Strangely, Naxos already had a complete Egmont in their catalog, with James Judd and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra performing, although it only came with Egmont's final speech. Still, I would direct others to George Szell or Herbert von Karajan first, where their German speakers are more imperious than Salminen, plus who can argue with the status of either the Berlin Philharmonic and Cleveland Orchestra of that period. Otherwise, Segerstam's is an excellent complement to those classic accounts of Egmont.

What does set this recording apart from others is the abundance of orchestral extras. Often, recordings of Egmont come alone, and for a 45-minute piece of incidental music, it needs more music to make the product worthwhile. Here, we have an abandoned Entr'acte from Leonore, a Triumphal March from Tarpeja, and a Funeral March from Leonore Prohaska. Yes, these are makeweights as far as Beethoven is concerned, although the Funeral March remains a lovely creation to these ears.

And there is more! Six Minuets, originally for keyboard, were adapted for orchestra by Franz Beyer. I can't say I yearn to sit around listening to a hexad of minuets, probably my least favorite dance form of the Classical Era, moreso as these are rather unadorned pieces, yet I am glad to have heard them.

Despite any hesitations on my part above, the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra sounds gorgeous here. My recent sonic yardstick has been how able I am to hear the bassoons in an orchestral recording, and Naxos has placed all of the winds, bassoons included, nicely balanced with the strings. Thus, this would be a pleasurable way to experience the music of Egmont plus some extras.

 

Works
Egmont, op. 84 (47.44)
Six Minuets, WoO 10 (14.11)
Leonore Prohaska, WoO 96: Funeral March (6.18)
Tarpeja, WoO 2a: Triumphal March (3.01)
Leonore, WoO 2b: Act II Introduction (2.47)

Soloists
Kaisa Ranta, soprano
Matti Salminen, narrator

Performers
Turku Philharmonic Orchestra
Leif Segerstam, conductor

Label: Naxos
Year: 2019
Total Timing: 74.24

 

Like Beethoven's other stage music, Egmont isn't the composer's most complex or dramatic music. Yet, it shows another side of the composer's musical contributions.

In Naxos' recording, five short narrations are intermingled with the music, mostly skippable if such things concern listeners. 

The two short songs are given a fresh outing by Kaisa Ranta and the Naxos sonics capture the Turku PO gorgeously.

 

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