Alexander Moyzes

Symphonies Nos: 11 and 12

Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra

conducted by Ladislav Slovak

THIS Slovak composer's life spanned the best part of the 20th Century, and these two last symphonies display Moyzes' expertise in combining traditional Slovak melodic references with techniques developed and used by European counterparts on a wider scale.

Symphony No 11 begins with an Andante. The listener's attention is grabbed immediately by the sinister rumbling of the timpani beat which quickly rises to a dramatic and tempestuous volume.

This stormy beginning is quickly tempered by the introduction of the haunting theme by the oboe, which will reoccur and be reworked in clever and quirky ways throughout the four-movement work.

It will come as no surprise, even to the first-time listener of this CD, that Moyze was Professor of Composition at Bratislava Music Academy and was responsible for teaching three generations of budding Beethovens.

His mastery of orchestration is clearly evident throughout.

The second movement, an allegretto, dances along with use of woodwind and strings, but never lulls the listener into a safe haven of predictability.

One minute a snippet of a folk-like tune will be introduced - the next, an astringent harmony and irregular rhythmic figure will remind you that a master is at work, using every technique to fill his concise works with interest and passion.

It is also interesting to hear the composer's final symphony, in contrast, written in 1983, just a year before he died.

With a gap of five years between the two symphonies, it is clear that Moyzes never stopped learning and adopting new techniques and sounds, while never losing sight of his own traditional roots.

Again, in the 12th Symphony, he makes great use of percussion, including glockenspiel, to create dramatic crescendos, juxtaposed with light and delicate wind motifs.

This CD could well become a firm favourite with repeated listening.

Any students of composition will not go far wrong by studying these recordings.