John Robertson: Music for Strings ... and Winds
Leaf Music

Like many a composer, John Robertson (b. 1943) has a closet full of works waiting to be recorded; at the same time, enough of his material has been physically issued for a solid appreciation of his artistry to be afforded. Navona Records is one outlet that has helped bring deserved attention to the New Zealand-born and Kingston, Ontario-based composer, with the label having released four albums under Robertson's name in addition to collections including material by him. Five of his six symphonies have appeared on the label, as well as his Vallarta Suite, preludes, concertos for trumpet and clarinet, and choral works. While different orchestras have been involved in the recordings (the Sofia Philharmonic, Janàcek Philharmonic, and Bratislava Symphony orchestras, to be precise), Anthony Armoré has been the common thread, and the trend continues with Robertson's latest, Music for Strings … and Winds, in pairing the conductor with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra.

The path that brought Robertson to composing was circuitous. He spent his working life in the insurance business, but his interest in music was never far away. After moving to Canada in 1967, he developed his craft through private study for three years in the mid-‘70s before being publicly recognized when his entry to the 1987 Composer's Competition sponsored by the Nepean Symphony garnered him his first major public performance. Since then, he's focused on both composing and getting his work heard, not just in Canada but around the world. To date, it's been presented at home and in the United States, Mexico, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Austria, Hungary, China, and the United Kingdom.

Issued by the Halifax-based Leaf Music label (in a digital form only), the new release is performed by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, yet it exudes the intimate feel of a chamber orchestra or ensemble when two of the works are scored for strings and the third for winds. That said, the instrumental forces called upon for the opening piece, Music for Strings, Op. 5B, are substantial, utilizing as it does string orchestra, string quartet, and harp. The arrangements for the Partita for Winds, Op. 61 and String Sextet, Op. 79, on the other hand, involve six winds and string bass in the first and a string sextet in the second.

As Robertson describes it, Music for Strings is an early work (probably written during his teens) that wasn't deemed of sufficient merit to be included in his portfolio; however, with some polishing and revising, he's now judged it worthy of being heard. And it most certainly is: bursting with youthful vitality, this luscious, single-movement piece dazzles as it progresses from an energized opening section to a lyrical one before resolving with a recapitulation and coda. Among other things, the seventeen-minute piece provides a tremendous showcase for the BSO's strings, who deliver the material with palpable enthusiasm, and the quartet players (and harpist) distinguish themselves too. No one'll mistake it for a work by Bartók, though there are moments that suggest some degree of kinship with Mendelssohn. It's a diatonic, melodically enticing, and emotionally enriching work that would sound right at home on any a concert stage.

Described by the composer as a light work, Partita for Winds began as one for clarinet choir before expanding to its current form. In contrast to the continuous presentation of the opening piece, this one advances through three distinct movements, beginning with the aptly marked “Lively.” Animated entwinings of clarinet, bassoon, and oboe characterize the opening part, the collective sound generated by the seven players at times much larger than might be expected from an ensemble of such modest size. With its subtle echoes of pastoral folk music, the “Andante” that follows is serene and languorous; “March tempo,” on the other hand, caps the work with three minutes of radiant robustness.

The String Sextet that concludes the release developed out of the composer's desire to “test his skills in counterpoint” and to that end is structured so that all six instruments function as soloists. Like the Partita, the String Sextet is in a three-part design, with a central scherzo-adagio-scherzo movement bookend by “Moderato” and “Allegro” movements. It's also at thirty-two minutes the longest of the three works, but the beautiful string textures the BSO players produce is a constant source of pleasure. The effect of the strings darting and needling their way through the scherzo passages proves arresting, though the elegiac adagio episode is memorable too.

January 2025