Emerging from undeserved obscurity, three of the symphonies by Benjamin Lees receive their due on this double disc from Albany. Securely in the American symphonic tradition, yet cosmopolitan in outlook, Lees' rugged works are assertive and uncompromising, but intense emotion and power greatly contribute to their accessibility. The Symphony No. 2 is marked by distinctive rhythmic vitality and economical use of timbres, which lend it a tense muscularity. The austere writing for strings and the sardonic outbursts from the percussion and winds may bring
Shostakovich to mind. The Symphony No. 3 is more acidic and ominous, yet Lees' skillful handling of colors makes this symphony as fascinating as it is foreboding. The single-movement Symphony No. 5 ("Kalmar Nyckel") is more transparent in its tonality and straightforward in its long melodic lines, and it ends in a blazing apotheosis that is appropriate to the epic thrust of this neo-Romantic work. The
Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, conducted by
Stephen Gunzenhauser, presents the symphonies with resolve and impressive energy. The Etudes for piano and orchestra are dense in their figurations, and their abstract nature makes them less immediately gratifying. Pianist James Dick and the Texas Music Festival Orchestra, led by
Robert Spano, are effective, but the recorded sound of this live performance lacks sonic dimensions.