According to the liner notes with this, the first of two projected volumes devoted to Stravinsky’s Symphonies, the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia is one of Spain’s leading orchestras. It was founded in 1992 and is based at the Palacio de la Ópera, A Coruña where these recordings took place.
Sessions for the two orchestral Symphonies on this SACD date from February 2019 while the ‘Symphonies of Wind’ Instruments’ was not recorded until June 2023. All three works are conducted by the excellent Dima Slobodeniouk who was the orchestra’s music director from 2013 to 2022, and his expertly executed accounts show the orchestra’s playing to considerable advantage.

Slobodeniouk’s pacing of the ‘Symphony in Three Movements’ (1942-45) is impressive though one might justifiably argue that the performance lacks some of the power, tension and individuality found in some other versions, notably the composer’s own account of the work.

The ‘Symphony in C’ receives a compelling account of this tricky score with Slobodeniouk achieving a fine balance between elegance and athleticism thanks to alert playing from his musicians in all four movements.

The centrepiece of this programme, however is the ‘Symphonies of Wind Instruments’ from 1920 a work composed in memory of Debussy who had died two years earlier. On disc and in the concert hall it is usually the composer’s 1947 revision that is used, but on this recording we have the original version with its marginally more exotic scoring that includes a basset horn and piccolo. The austere nature of this piece, that lasts around nine minutes, seems tempered in the original scoring and the playing of the orchestra’s wind and brass sections is first rate. The very fine BIS recording ensures that the contrasting character of each of the work’s sections are significantly delineated.

Those seeking this particular programme on disc are unlikely to be disappointed by any of these performances, though in the case of the ‘Symphony in Three Movements’ and the ‘Symphony in C’ the recent recording by the late Sir Andrew Davis Stravinsky: Symphonies - Davis&showall=0 has the edge over this one thanks to the extra rhythmic energy and supremely confident playing of the BBC Philharmonic.

Nevertheless this is a most enjoyable release.

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