Tubin: Complete Symphonies, Vol. 5 (Nos. 9, 10, 11)

Album review

More than any of his other orchestral works, Eduard Tubin's symphonies have received considerable exposure and appreciation for their formal coherence, transparent orchestration, and accessible tonal language. Untouched by the avant-garde experimentation of the 1960s, Tubin pursued instead a conservative course, and his neo-Romantic works eventually found favor in the West, largely because they connect to a familiar tradition and are immediately comprehensible. Tubin's Symphony No. 9 ("Sinfonia Semplice") builds on simple rhythms and straightforward melodies in its balanced two-movement scheme. The subtitle suggests an aim to clarify and pare things down, but there is enough complexity in this work to reward repeated listening. The Symphony No. 10, Tubin's last complete symphony, is in a single robust movement, and its themes are worked out through dramatic and lyrical turns that organically flow into each other. The unfinished Symphony No. 11 is only a trunk of what was projected to be a work in four movements, yet this heroic fragment stands as a testament to Tubin's perseverance in the face of his final illness. The Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, directed by Arvo Volmer, is fully engaged in these performances, and Alba's recorded sound is absolutely clear, leaving nothing to the imagination.
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