VICTOR DE SABATA: ORCHESTRAL MUSIC London Philharmonic Orchestra Aldo Ceccato – conductor Hyperion CDA67209 £££ La notte di Plàton (1923); Gethsemeni (1925); Juventus (1919); TPT: 62' 57

A worthwhile account of a little-known, yet exciting Italian twentieth-century composer.

The name Victor de Sabata lingers on in only a few memories, not especially for his ability as a composer, but for his remarkable achievements as a conductor of the Toscanini school. Neither recording companies nor authors seem to be aware of his work away from the podium, which makes this release from Hyperion, recorded with the assistance of the Associazione di Cultura Musicale Victor de Sabata, a welcome addition to any CD library. It is difficult to describe his style and although the fingerprints of Richard Strauss and the French Impressionists are very apparent in the three works presented on this recording, it nevertheless belongs to a more internationally-acknowledged tradition of symphonic writing.

Composed within a six-year period, the works couldn't be further apart in either style or affection: La notte di Plàton ('The night of Plato') is an exciting and rich work of some twenty minutes' length that makes use of unique orchestral writing to procure a striking, almost primitive effect. It is also a confusing work; the principal thematic material is in long and bizarre modal phrases which avoid conventional tonality (whilst never transcending the boundaries of serial or pantonalism). Yet tableau after tableau passes by, each more colourful and meaningful than the last – animated dance-like melodies juxtapose with crude primitivisms and dreamy dance-like figuration – de Sabata's imagination evidently knows no boundaries in this cascade of colour and exoticism. In comparison, Gethsemeni is a moody, contemplative piece which is remarkably Straussian in its outlook. Using monothematic material that is loosely based on Gregorian chant, it is a poem of lush and startling beauty and affectation. Juventus ('Youth') is an ecstatic work that contains the colour of Debussy, the exuberance of Mahler and the lyricism of Ravel. Its programme explodes in an energetic outpouring that follows the enthusiasm of youth from its carefree days through to the sad and inevitable realities of life – the 'mocking laughter and funeral bells', to quote de Sabata – with a twisted, ugly central section that is full of harmonic ambiguities and contrasted thematic relationships. Yet, despite this, it ends on the same high note as it begins, in a vigorous recapitulation of its energised and carefree opening.

The performances, under the baton of Aldo Ceccato, are superb: the generous warmth of the London Philharmonic Orchestra's strings seems ideally suited to de Sabata's luscious musical language and, although there are a few instances where their ensemble could have been improved (figures 42-44 in Juventus, for example), they combine well to form the unique timbral blend that has become the orchestra's hallmark. Particularly impressive is the clarity achieved in the long, cacophonous central section of La notte di Plàton, a difficult achievement for a recording made at such close proximity to the orchestra. Ceccato is remarkably faithful to the score, providing performances of substantial character, poise and shape. Engineering is, as we come to expect from Hyperion, of top-drawer quality. A fantastic disc that cannot be recommended highly enough.

Alex Barton