More from the journey through my symphonic collection.
1933
Brian: Symphony No 4 ‘Das Siegeslied’
Chavez: Symphony No 1 ‘Sinfonia da Antigona’
Copland: Short Symphony (Symphony No 2)
Elgar/Payne: Symphony No 3 in C minor (I’ve put this work under 1933 as this was the last year Elgar worked on it.)
Harris: Symphony No 1 ‘Symphony 1933’
Ivanovs: Symphony No 1 in B flat minor ‘Poema Sinfonia’
Kabalevsky: Symphony No 3 in B flat minor ‘Requiem in Memory of V I Lenin’
Koechlin: Seven Stars Symphony
G Lloyd: Symphony No 2
Malipiero: Symphony No 1 ‘In quattro tempi, come le quattro stagioni’
Meulemans: Symphony No 2
Meulemans: Symphony No 3
Miaskovsky: Symphony No 13 in B flat minor
Miaskovsky: Symphony No 14 in C major
Peterson-Berger: Symphony No 5 in B minor ‘Solitude’
Schmidt: Symphony No 4 in C major
Weill: Symphony No 2
Brian’s 4th Symphony is a much better work than its two predecessors. It is scored for a very large orchestra, chorus and solo soprano (in the central movement). It opens in almost pseudo-baroque mode, but this changes abruptly to a more typical Brian manner. The Choral writing is at times highly virtuosic and exuberant and almost borders on the neurotic. The music seems to have a fairly natural flow and Brian’s very individualistic harmonic approach is very much apparent. In the central movement this results in some almost unearthly moments of respose.
Carlos Chavez’s 1st Symphony was inspired by Greek legend and it is a highly compressed little work lasting barely over 10 minutes. Chavez creates an interesting harmonic pallete through his use of modes, which helps to create an almost ritualistic feeling.
Copland’s Short Symphony is amongst his finest works IMO. The three movements play without a break and the work is scored without heavy brass (trombones & tuba) and no percussion, though it does include a Piano and more unusually a Heckelphone. This results in a light textured work in Copland’s now recognisable style (though still with hints of Stravinsky) which flow naturally and with complete inevitability, though it rather surprisingly took Copland two years to compose. The works rhythmic complexities meant that it was, until recently, rarely performed. Copland also arranged the works as a Sextet for Clarinet, Piano & String Quartet.
I made the decision to play the Elgar/Payne Symphony under 1933 rather than 1997 when Payne finally finished his realisation, as this was the last year that Elgar worked on the sketches. How successful this project was is still open to debate. But it at least allowed us to hear some rather beautiful Elgar themes (the 2nd subject of the 1st movement and slow movement), in fact the slow movement really comes across best for me and is a highly moving ‘completion’ of the sketches. The ending of the work though is wrong IMO. Yes I believe it should end quietly but I firmly believe that the slow movement and finale where to daringly in the same way (there is in the sketches an idea which seems to able to link the finale and slow movement).
Roy Harris’s 1st numbered Symphony was the first American symphony to be commercially recorded but quite astonishingly has been recorded just once since. This is one of Harris’s best symphonies and in the slow movement, one of his most interesting and haunting movements . Harris’s highly individual and instantly recognisable style is immediately apparent and the first movement is tautly constructed. The finale is a successful reworking of the finale of his earlier unpublished Symphony – American Portrait of 1929 and makes a successful conclusion to this fine and very underrated symphony.
The first of the Latvian composer Janis Ivanov’s 21 symphonies is a short one movement work. As its subtitle hints, this is really more of a symphonic poem. There are plenty of still undigested influences from the Russian National School present, but still this is a pleasant but unimportant work.
Kabalevsky completed his 3rd Symphony a year before his 2nd. It is an two movements, the 1st of which acts like an orchestral introduction to the Choral setting of N Assayev which forms the 2nd movement. So in this respect it could almost be said to slightly mirror Shostakovich’s 2nd & 3rd Symphonies (though they are of course in one continuous movement). Kabalevsky’s writing is far less adventurous than Shostakovich’s and the choral section is much longer than in those works. In many ways this 20 minutes could almost be regarded stylistically as the blueprint for similar later occasional Soviet commemorative works.
Charles Koechlin’s Seven Stars Symphony is really more of a symphonic suite inspired by 7 stars of the silver screen. Koechlin was fascinated by film and wrote some pieces for imaginary films. The score is very atmospheric , nicely orchestrated with some quite adventurous harmonic touches. It played far less often these days which is a pity.
George Lloyd’s 2nd Symphony shows a greater emotional range than his first symphony of the previous year and this an impressive symphony for a 20 year old. The symphony has a strong profile and slightly let down IMO but its rather uninspired 3rd movement. This is at times quite a dark work, the slow 2nd movement is quite moving and the strange searching finale makes a satisfying conclusion.
Malipiero’s 1st numbered symphony get its subtitle from an original intention to set poems by the Venetian poet by Anton Lamberti and has nothing to do with four infamous concerti by Vivaldi, even though Malipiero was well known as an editor of Vivaldi’s works. This symphony like many of this composers works avoids sonata and variation form altogether and takes its inspiration from Italian models of the 17th century and earlier. The symphony is attractive and distinctive in its stylistic astringent archaism. Like many Italian works of the period it is colourfully orchestrated.
The 2nd & 3rd Symphonies of the Flemish composer Arthur Meulemans were both composed in 1933 and both fairly short. The 2nd is a concise score well integrated and orchestrated with an impressionistic slant. The 3rd has a loose programme based on his birthplace and its distinctly Ravelian in places.
Miaskovsky’s 13th and 14th Symphonies are strongly contrasted. The 13th is in one movement and work of his darkest and most impressive scores. Miaskovsky maintains the intensity throughout the 20 minute score and this is well worth hearing. The 14th Symphony is in 5 movements which a central scherzo. This is an optimistic and bright work with folk influences and shows Miaskovsky in acceptable Soviet Socialist Realism mode.
The 5th and final symphony of Peterson-Berger is a pleasant rather light work, even though it is entitled ‘Solitude’ and is nicely scored but rather inconsequential
Franz Schmidt’s 4th Symphony is for me his finest symphony and was dedicated to the memory of his daughter who died following child birth. This is an impressive work that begins and ends with a solo trumpet. The work has a superb sense of continuity helped by Schmidt considerable contrapuntal skills. The 2nd movement which features passages for solo cello (Schmidt’s own instrument) is very moving and inspired. There are hints of Strauss and occasionally Mahler but this is a very satisfying work and strongly recommendable.
Finally Kurt Weill’s 2nd Symphony is in three movements. The first two movement are convincing with a hint of anxiety and contemplation. For me though the finale is perhaps to easy a resolution of the tensions inherent in the first two movements. Nevertheless this is a work of interest.
1933
Brian: Symphony No 4 ‘Das Siegeslied’
Chavez: Symphony No 1 ‘Sinfonia da Antigona’
Copland: Short Symphony (Symphony No 2)
Elgar/Payne: Symphony No 3 in C minor (I’ve put this work under 1933 as this was the last year Elgar worked on it.)
Harris: Symphony No 1 ‘Symphony 1933’
Ivanovs: Symphony No 1 in B flat minor ‘Poema Sinfonia’
Kabalevsky: Symphony No 3 in B flat minor ‘Requiem in Memory of V I Lenin’
Koechlin: Seven Stars Symphony
G Lloyd: Symphony No 2
Malipiero: Symphony No 1 ‘In quattro tempi, come le quattro stagioni’
Meulemans: Symphony No 2
Meulemans: Symphony No 3
Miaskovsky: Symphony No 13 in B flat minor
Miaskovsky: Symphony No 14 in C major
Peterson-Berger: Symphony No 5 in B minor ‘Solitude’
Schmidt: Symphony No 4 in C major
Weill: Symphony No 2
Brian’s 4th Symphony is a much better work than its two predecessors. It is scored for a very large orchestra, chorus and solo soprano (in the central movement). It opens in almost pseudo-baroque mode, but this changes abruptly to a more typical Brian manner. The Choral writing is at times highly virtuosic and exuberant and almost borders on the neurotic. The music seems to have a fairly natural flow and Brian’s very individualistic harmonic approach is very much apparent. In the central movement this results in some almost unearthly moments of respose.
Carlos Chavez’s 1st Symphony was inspired by Greek legend and it is a highly compressed little work lasting barely over 10 minutes. Chavez creates an interesting harmonic pallete through his use of modes, which helps to create an almost ritualistic feeling.
Copland’s Short Symphony is amongst his finest works IMO. The three movements play without a break and the work is scored without heavy brass (trombones & tuba) and no percussion, though it does include a Piano and more unusually a Heckelphone. This results in a light textured work in Copland’s now recognisable style (though still with hints of Stravinsky) which flow naturally and with complete inevitability, though it rather surprisingly took Copland two years to compose. The works rhythmic complexities meant that it was, until recently, rarely performed. Copland also arranged the works as a Sextet for Clarinet, Piano & String Quartet.
I made the decision to play the Elgar/Payne Symphony under 1933 rather than 1997 when Payne finally finished his realisation, as this was the last year that Elgar worked on the sketches. How successful this project was is still open to debate. But it at least allowed us to hear some rather beautiful Elgar themes (the 2nd subject of the 1st movement and slow movement), in fact the slow movement really comes across best for me and is a highly moving ‘completion’ of the sketches. The ending of the work though is wrong IMO. Yes I believe it should end quietly but I firmly believe that the slow movement and finale where to daringly in the same way (there is in the sketches an idea which seems to able to link the finale and slow movement).
Roy Harris’s 1st numbered Symphony was the first American symphony to be commercially recorded but quite astonishingly has been recorded just once since. This is one of Harris’s best symphonies and in the slow movement, one of his most interesting and haunting movements . Harris’s highly individual and instantly recognisable style is immediately apparent and the first movement is tautly constructed. The finale is a successful reworking of the finale of his earlier unpublished Symphony – American Portrait of 1929 and makes a successful conclusion to this fine and very underrated symphony.
The first of the Latvian composer Janis Ivanov’s 21 symphonies is a short one movement work. As its subtitle hints, this is really more of a symphonic poem. There are plenty of still undigested influences from the Russian National School present, but still this is a pleasant but unimportant work.
Kabalevsky completed his 3rd Symphony a year before his 2nd. It is an two movements, the 1st of which acts like an orchestral introduction to the Choral setting of N Assayev which forms the 2nd movement. So in this respect it could almost be said to slightly mirror Shostakovich’s 2nd & 3rd Symphonies (though they are of course in one continuous movement). Kabalevsky’s writing is far less adventurous than Shostakovich’s and the choral section is much longer than in those works. In many ways this 20 minutes could almost be regarded stylistically as the blueprint for similar later occasional Soviet commemorative works.
Charles Koechlin’s Seven Stars Symphony is really more of a symphonic suite inspired by 7 stars of the silver screen. Koechlin was fascinated by film and wrote some pieces for imaginary films. The score is very atmospheric , nicely orchestrated with some quite adventurous harmonic touches. It played far less often these days which is a pity.
George Lloyd’s 2nd Symphony shows a greater emotional range than his first symphony of the previous year and this an impressive symphony for a 20 year old. The symphony has a strong profile and slightly let down IMO but its rather uninspired 3rd movement. This is at times quite a dark work, the slow 2nd movement is quite moving and the strange searching finale makes a satisfying conclusion.
Malipiero’s 1st numbered symphony get its subtitle from an original intention to set poems by the Venetian poet by Anton Lamberti and has nothing to do with four infamous concerti by Vivaldi, even though Malipiero was well known as an editor of Vivaldi’s works. This symphony like many of this composers works avoids sonata and variation form altogether and takes its inspiration from Italian models of the 17th century and earlier. The symphony is attractive and distinctive in its stylistic astringent archaism. Like many Italian works of the period it is colourfully orchestrated.
The 2nd & 3rd Symphonies of the Flemish composer Arthur Meulemans were both composed in 1933 and both fairly short. The 2nd is a concise score well integrated and orchestrated with an impressionistic slant. The 3rd has a loose programme based on his birthplace and its distinctly Ravelian in places.
Miaskovsky’s 13th and 14th Symphonies are strongly contrasted. The 13th is in one movement and work of his darkest and most impressive scores. Miaskovsky maintains the intensity throughout the 20 minute score and this is well worth hearing. The 14th Symphony is in 5 movements which a central scherzo. This is an optimistic and bright work with folk influences and shows Miaskovsky in acceptable Soviet Socialist Realism mode.
The 5th and final symphony of Peterson-Berger is a pleasant rather light work, even though it is entitled ‘Solitude’ and is nicely scored but rather inconsequential
Franz Schmidt’s 4th Symphony is for me his finest symphony and was dedicated to the memory of his daughter who died following child birth. This is an impressive work that begins and ends with a solo trumpet. The work has a superb sense of continuity helped by Schmidt considerable contrapuntal skills. The 2nd movement which features passages for solo cello (Schmidt’s own instrument) is very moving and inspired. There are hints of Strauss and occasionally Mahler but this is a very satisfying work and strongly recommendable.
Finally Kurt Weill’s 2nd Symphony is in three movements. The first two movement are convincing with a hint of anxiety and contemplation. For me though the finale is perhaps to easy a resolution of the tensions inherent in the first two movements. Nevertheless this is a work of interest.
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