Johan Wagenaar - Symphonic Poems, Vol. 2 (Antony Hermus)

Information

Composer: Johan Wagenaar

• Sinfonietta, Op. 32
• Frühlingsgewalt, Op. 11
• Elverhöi, Op. 48
• Amphitrion, Op. 45
• Le cid, Op. 27

Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie

Antony Hermus, conductor

Date: 2015

Label: CPO
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/johan-wagenaar-symphonische-dichtungen-vol-2/hnum/4111660

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Review

Johan Wagenaar, as you may have guessed from his name, was Dutch. In the booklet, he is described as “the most popular Dutch composer in the twentieth century”. He studied in Berlin, had a range of performing positions, and was the director of the Royal Conservatory in The Hague for almost twenty years.

The first volume of his “symphonic poems” – orchestral works would have been a more accurate title – was not reviewed here. It includes Saul and David, Wagenaar’s contribution to the celebrations in 1906 of the three hundredth anniversary of Rembrandt’s birth. The notes talk of a growing sense of Dutch nationalism around this time, though how this might have played out in music is not clear.

Also mentioned in the notes is the strong Germanic influence on Dutch composers of the time. I have to say that this is not particularly obvious to me in the five works presented here. Genial is the word that comes to mind: they are certainly not dramatic in any way at all. The Sinfonietta has a smile on its face for almost its entire time: even the Adagio non troppo has no intense emotions, more a satisfied reverie. The Allegro marciale finale makes me think of Malcolm Arnold in dance mode. If that makes the work sound a little trite, then think of a Mozart.

Of the other works, the late Elverhöi makes the greatest impression. It uses an old Danish saga of a knight tempted by fairies, but again the range of moods is relatively limited. There are some quite lovely moments that I will call “woodland” and some light-hearted dances. This is certainly not music that one would date to 1940.

My inclination would be to describe all these pieces as very well-crafted “light music”, which is certainly not what I expected when I acquired the recording. Is that a bad thing? On a hot Australian summer day, it suits my mood better than an intense and powerful Straussian tone poem.

The recording is appropriately transparent and while I have absolutely nothing to compare them with, the performances seem very satisfactory. The Wikipedia entry for Wagenaar lists a number of other orchestral works which have not appeared thus far. I don’t know whether a third volume is planned, but with a running time at well under the hour, this one could have been better filled.

-- David Barker, MusicWeb International

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Johan Wagenaar (1 November 1862 – 17 June 1941) was a Dutch composer and organist. His teachers included Richard Hol, Samuel de Lange Jr., and Heinrich von Herzogenberg. In 1888, he became organist of Utrecht Cathedral, and earned fame for his skills. In Utrecht, Wagenaar became a teacher at the music school in 1896, and the school's director in 1904. Between 1919 and 1937, Wagenaar was director of the Royal Conservatory at the Hague. Wagenaar's compositions include operas, cantatas, organ music, and orchestral works. His composition were influenced by Hector Berlioz and Richard Strauss.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johan_Wagenaar

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Antony Hermus (born 1973 in Oosterhout, Netherlands) is a Dutch conductor. Hermus studied piano with Jacques de Tiège at the Tilburg Music Conservatory and conducting with Jac van Steen and Georg Fritzsch. He was music director of the Hagen Philharmonic Orchestra (2003-2008), and musical director of the Anhaltisches Theater and chief conductor of the Anhalt Philharmonic in Dessau-Roßlau, Germany from 2009 to 2015. Hermus' repertoire revolves around the great Romantic symphonies and 20th century masterworks. He has recorded works by von Hausegger, Wagenaar, Klughardt, and Auber for cpo label.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antony_Hermus
https://antonyhermus.com/

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