Dukas: Sorcerer’s Apprentice, La Péri, Polyeucte, Symphony in C
Jean Martinon / ORTF Orchestra (Erato)
(scroll down for English review)
杜卡到現在以《小巫師》一曲走天涯，這張90分鐘的專輯收錄了這曲及他其他管弦作品，馬丹隆指揮現在名為法國國立樂團的ORTF樂團。樂曲排序似乎反映了這些作品現今的知名度，軌二及三《仙女》間中都會聽到，K佩特連科就和柏林愛樂奏過。這次重聽，覺得此曲幾乎可以當成杜卡對德布西的回應，但杜卡用很基本的配器便做出很飄逸、魔幻的效果。不過此曲和軌四的《保利烏特序曲》都見到他會在結尾拖得太長，就不願在最精彩的一刻完結。
《C大調交響曲》（軌五至七）或者就是最能代表杜卡的藝術追求的作品，它和法朗克的交響曲一樣同為三樂章，總長又差不多，隨時可以放在同一場音樂會當成上下半場，如果不怕油膩。不過此曲就遠不及法朗克易聽，法朗克的旋律真的很深刻，儘管結構上可能過多冷場。杜卡則追求很純粹的材料及展開方法，動機、主題很清晣界定，又會經常反復，務求令人感覺到很強的交響曲邏輯，而不是興之所致地即興寫下去。我覺得很值得聽慣布魯克納的朋友發掘，又不是說很相似，而是我直覺上都覺得兩人都對材料很執着，誓要用到最後。
Dukas is more than the composer of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Thanks to this digital resissue we have here a 90-minute album of Dukas’ orchestral music. And the running order seemed to represent the works’ current reputation. La Péri (tracks 2-3) was written for Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, I take this work as Dukas’ response to the impressionism of Debussy. Using very standard instrumentation, Dukas achieved a magical atmosphere by meticulous harmony. But like the Polyeucte overture (track 4) the piece should have ended sooner.
The Symphony in C (tracks 5-7) is the best example of Dukas’ pursuit of formal purity. Cast in three movements (no scherzo) it’s roughly the same length as Franck’s Symphony in D minor. But Dukas’ symphony isn’t as assessable as Franck’s. Strictly speaking, Franck’s work isn’t as compactly structured as Dukas’ but Dukas couldn’t give us remarkable and rousing melodies as Franck could. Instead Dukas manifested an impeccable symphonic logic with clear-cut themes and subjects. I recommend this symphony to Brucknerians because Dukas’ insistence or obsession on his material might be compared to Bruckner.