Much of
Aubert Lemeland's prolific output is solemn and commemorative in nature, particularly of war and its victims; at least two of this disc's selections are profoundly concerned with this tragic theme. The Symphony No. 8, Op. 166, "In Memoriam," and Battle Pieces, Op. 174 deal directly -- even brutally -- with the machinery and violence of war, yet also with the human suffering and heroism; so
Lemeland's evocations, while at times just as grim and fierce as
Shostakovich's "requiem" symphonies, are perhaps less bleak and despairing and more touchingly elegiac and hopeful. The fairly neo-Classical Symphony No. 9, Op. 168, and the short tribute for string orchestra, ...in ricordo Arturo Toscanini..., Op. 183b, are more abstract in approach and less obvious in intention, though both have a decidedly reflective and poignant tone that seems a constant in
Lemeland's late works. The Orquestra Nacional do Porto, conducted by
Marc Tardue, and with pianist
Jean-Pierre Ferey in Battle Pieces, plays with passion, strength, and considerable force, especially in the last work's Assai vivo, and Skarbo's sound quality is consistently clear and vibrant throughout the album.