Ok, I really need to keep myself to some sort of schedule, so I don't end up with this kind of backlog of entries to write. So todays entry, Victor Bendix No. 2 - "Summer Sounds from South Russia", deserves more written about it than I'm going to give it.
The opening sets up high expectations for the piece. The melodic and harmonic language are consistently interesting and memorable. Bendix's scoring in particular is worth checking out. It is delicate and meticulous, and although the language is very chromatic late Romantic, he shows much more restraint than is generally associated with that. In fact, the subtlety of all the elements is wonderful. The sections of each movement blend in to each other masterfully. The rhythmic language is at times complex, but still natural sounding.
This is a piece that I might try and find more information on, curious if it is based on specific folk songs (which I could see) or if it is just programmatic. In the mean time I'll just pull it out and listen to it when I want something that owns subtlety in the way that other composers of the era owned grandeur.
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