Karol Szymanowski Symphonies Nos. 1 And 2 (polish State Philharmonic Orchestra Karol Stryja)

This is a beautiful album of Songs with Orchestra by Szymanowski. The Polish State Philharmonic Orchestra is skillfully deployed by Karol Stryja who is a passionate advocate for this music. There are nineteen songs. How lovely it would have been if there had been a translation of the words of the songs included in the package because it requires a bit of effort to discover how the music fits these words. Another thing that would have been helpful would have been for each song to occupy a track. There are 3 fragments from a Christian religious poem by Jan Kasprowicz on tracks 5 - 7.

There's little competition for the best recordings of Bruch's symphonies, but what competition there is is stiff, very, very stiff. On one side, there are Kurt Masur's opulent accounts with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchester from the late '80s, on the other, there are James Conlon's urgent readings with the Gurzenich-Orchester Kölner Philharmoniker from the mid-'90s. And yet Michael Halász and the Staatskapelle Weimar have found a way to top them both by delivering performances of surpassing warmth and beauty that still have unstoppable drive and momentum in this 2008 recording of Bruch's First and Second symphonies. One is reminded here and there of the composer of the famous violin concertos, but for the most part, Halász turns in performances of such conviction and authority that it makes one think Bruch's reputation as a symphonist has been seriously underestimated for the past century and a half. Captured in clear, colorful digital sound, this disc deserves to be heard by all fans of 19th century German symphonic music.

Francis Chagrin (1905-1972) - Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins (2016) {Naxos Digital Download}
FLAC (tracks) - 16bit/44kHz - Official Digital Download (prestoclassical.co.uk) -> 246 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 137 Mb
Full Artwork (jpg+pdf) -> 6 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2016 Naxos | 8.571371
Classical / 20th Century / Contemporary Classical / Symphony

Francis Chagrin described himself as ‘Romanian by birth, British by nationality and cosmopolitan by inclination’. A student of Paul Dukas and Nadia Boulanger, Chagrin wrote prolifically for films but composed for most genres. The two symphonies are among his most important orchestral works. Both are dramatic, even passionate—not least in the beautiful slow movements—and full of contrasts, both within and between movements. Undeservedly neglected, they reveal Chagrin’s mastery of form and colour.

The fact that Beethoven was nearly thirty before he completed his First Symphony is indicative of his great respect for the genre. His careful preparations included a year of regular lessons with Haydn, the ‘father of the symphony’, as well as the composing of piano sonatas and piano trios that exhibit distinctively symphonic elements. Meanwhile he mastered the art of writing for orchestra by composing a number of concertos. As we know, these preparations paid off and the First Symphony has been part of the repertoire ever since its première in 1800. Already some years later Beethoven sketched some ideas for an orchestral work based on pastoral themes, but again he took his time in bringing them to fruition.

DG present a new recording of fascinating repertoire completely new to the Universal Music catalogue: Symphonies No. 1–3 by George Enescu, plus his most well-known works, the Romanian Rhapsodies. GRAMMY® Award winning conductor Cristian Măcelaru, Artistic Director of the George Enescu Festival, and his Orchestre National de France are the perfect ambassadors for the symphonic works by Enescu (1881–1955). Enescu, composer and violin virtuoso was teacher of Yehudi Menuhin, lived in Romania, the US and France. Inspired by the musical heritage of his home country he created a completely unique oeuvre. Pablo Casals called him „The most amazing musician since Mozart“. And while the Romanian Rhapsodies (especially No.1) included here are much loved, the three symphonies are yet to be discovered as truly centre pieces of the symphonic repertoire.

The tragic death of Albéric Magnard, killed defending his home against German troops in 1914, brought a premature end to the composer’s life but not before he had completed four powerfully expressive symphonies (the Third and Fourth are on 8.574082). Symphony No. 1, with its strangely beautiful chorale, was first performed in 1893 but was then not heard again for a century. Symphony No. 2 caused a scandal at its premiere due to its length and complexity, but in its revised version offers radiant serenity and a dazzling confidence that reveals Magnard’s true compositional voice.

The tragic death of Albéric Magnard, killed defending his home against German troops in 1914, brought a premature end to the composer’s life but not before he had completed four powerfully expressive symphonies (the Third and Fourth are on 8.574082). Symphony No. 1, with its strangely beautiful chorale, was first performed in 1893 but was then not heard again for a century. Symphony No. 2 caused a scandal at its premiere due to its length and complexity, but in its revised version offers radiant serenity and a dazzling confidence that reveals Magnard’s true compositional voice.

Lalo considered himself to be first and foremost an opera composer, even though Le Roi d’Ys was his only opera to be performed in his lifetime. He is now best known for his symphonic and chamber music, largely because of the highly political musical establishment in France in his time. The Overture to the opera (which opens this album) is now the best-known music from the piece, which proved a considerable success in France.