Willem van Otterloo is best remembered as a conductor, but he produced a small body of works for orchestra and wind ensemble still played with some frequency in the Netherlands. He was considered one of the foremost Dutch composers between the wars, but after the Second World War he stopped composing and devoted himself solely to conducting. The four pieces recorded here, a suite for strings, a Symphonietta for winds, and two works for brass and percussion, don't reveal a particularly original voice, but they're attractive works that completely succeed on their own modest terms. While it's hard to characterize distinctive elements of
van Otterloo's style, it's possible to detect a French influence, with some of
Milhaud's eclecticism. He frequently overlays this post-Impressionist sound with a strongly propulsive rhythmic drive that's reminiscent of
Vaughan Williams' or Holst's music for wind ensemble. The Nocturne movement of the Serenade for brass and percussion is particularly lovely, a delicate and melodically memorable evocation of the night, with the celeste and harp providing a sparkling filigree. The CD also includes
van Otterloo's arrangement of Schubert's great F minor Fantasie for piano, hour hands. This was his second attempt at arranging the piece, the first being a heavily Romantic version that he withdrew. This arrangement is gorgeous -- chaste, but passionate -- and deserves to find a place in the concert repertoire beside other established orchestral transcriptions of chamber works. The
Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra plays the works of both composers with polish and precision. Micha Hamel conducts the
van Otterloo piece and
Thierry Fischer conducts the Schubert.