Who decided this was a good idea?

I feel sorry for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. They got themselves a new hot-stuff conductor in 2020, and now a recording arrangement with Pentatone (although that’s not as prestigious as it once was), and this is what he chose for his debut recording with them? Italian clarinetist-turned-conductor Jader Bignamini claims in the booklet that conducting this work was an “unforgettable dream come true”. Really? Why? Of all the orchestral repertoire, classic to contemporary, this one by Wynton Marsalis was his dream piece? One wonders what’s the connection. Does he know Marsalis personally? Had he heard the piece before and was enthralled by it? What (or who) drew his attention to this? He doesn’t say - other than mentioning he has a love for jazz. (Surely he's not suggesting he considers this piece is jazz?)
 
What we have here is an hour-long “blues symphony”. I use quotations there (feel free to visualize my air quotes) because while it is (sort of) bluesy, it's certainly not a symphony. It’s more of a collection of (sort of) jazzy riffs organized into sections. And, as such, it is amusing for about the first 5 minutes before becoming tedious, repetitive and interminably boring. I’m not going to go into detail because there’s really not a lot to write about. All 7 movements are essentially the same thing - blues riffs all dressed up in different guises, with different tempos and different orchestration, over and over. It’s not even all that original; it tends to sound like an imitation of something else, just arranged for orchestra, and thus vaguely familiar all through - exacerbated by its lack of variety. The woodwinds and brass get prominent roles throughout, and there’s not much for the strings to do. In this setting, it's just musical blarney without much substance.
 
Sticking with formal Classical styles as descriptors, if anything this is actually more of a Concerto for Orchestra than a Symphony, as it features many opportunities for individual soloists within the orchestra to riff and raff in what sounds like (sort of) improvisational jam sequences - as opposed to anything even remotely resembling structured symphonic creation. But I will say, this is far and away better than that embarrassment of a piano concerto by Teddy Abrams in Kentucky a couple years ago (DG, 2023).
 
That being said, that this blues thing goes on for over an hour is simply absurd. I can’t imagine sitting in an audience listening to it live. (I wouldn’t, actually.) Nor can I imagine expecting an orchestra to play it. But to their inestimable credit, the orchestral playing is excellent and thoroughly committed. (And just a guess here, I'd venture to say this music comes more naturally to the musicians there in Detroit than it does to Bignamini.) And the recording is superb. I’m so happy to hear Pentatone producing such great sound after their abysmal 2023 Bartok release from San Francisco. And I was very happy to hear colorful orchestral sound and a spacious acoustic from Detroit Symphony Hall after the disappointing Rachmaninoff Symphonies on Naxos a decade ago (with Slatkin at the helm) - which sounded dry, lackluster and 2-dimensional. So hats off to Pentatone (for the sound, not the repertoire) and the fabulous Detroit musicians.  

I’m sure Bignamini is a fine conductor who is doing great things in Detroit (although the booklet makes absolutely no mention of it). However, this release doesn’t get me excited for future recordings from him. Perhaps if he were to conduct something which displayed his talents as a vibrant, inspiring conductor leading a world-class orchestra to musical heights, that might be something I'd be interested in. There are several YouTube videos out there of him conducting this orchestra in standard repertoire, and he’s very good at drawing engaging, musical performances from them (if not particularly exciting or insightful). There's also a fabulous Strauss Don Juan with him conducting the Frankfurt Radio Symphony. So I’d certainly welcome some of that on CD. But then, this is Pentatone, and they seem to like being a bit eclectic in what they record. So we shall see what happens.

In sum, I'm sure local concertgoers there in Detroit would absolutely love their hometown orchestra playing this piece in concert - all those familiar faces playing something completely different, jazzing around as if at the improv. And maybe the piece is more entertaining in a live performance, seeing how it all goes down. But listening to it at home on the hi-fi, it just didn't hold my interest for long. And while the recorded sound is excellent, it should be noted this Pentatone release is not SACD, but standard stereo CD - as is their wont nowadays. And their skimpy booklet doesn't even provide so much as a simple bio for either the conductor or the composer - which is odd, particularly for a debut album.