review classical music
Brussels Philharmonic conducted by Kazushi Ono. — © Wouter Van Vaerenbergh
At the premiere of his Symphony no. 2 In the St. Petersburg of 1902, Aleksandr Scriabin received nothing but boos and scoldings. A century later, a top Belgian orchestra and its new maestro turned a blind eye to the haters by choosing exactly that work for their first album together.
BRUSSELS PHILHARMONIC, KAZUSHI ONO
Scriabin. Symphony no. 2
Evil Penguin Classic
Scriabin’s second symphony stands firmly in the 20th century, as evidenced by the tonality that is bursting at the seams and the formal structure that defies classical customs. The composer also colors outside the lines in terms of atmosphere and storytelling: four parts that wrestle with hell and damnation culminate in a joy-filled final part. – Scriabin’s vision of humanity triumphing over fate. Overwhelming symphony in a Wagnerian style: the ideal area in which a strong orchestra and a decisive conductor can make the difference.
And that’s what they do, Brussels Philharmonic and its new director Kazushi Ono, who are pushing a Scriabin series off the starting blocks with this record. Ono directs like the retailer he isthe orchestra allows itself to be whipped up until Scriabin’s music starts to swirl in its own slipstream. Sounds and phrases are presented in such a way that thematic games are given plenty of space and a generous register operation increases the contrast values to the maximum. He wasn’t our favorite yet, Scriabin, but this collection could change that. (stand)
