Andreae Symphony etc from Guild

[Alan Howe]

The Andreae Symphony is a splendid work: beautifully written for the orchestra and well played by the Bournemouth SO, it is primarily late-Romantic in style with some absolutely gorgeous melodies, as the exhilarating close to the finale demonstrates. Altogether, not an undiscovered masterpiece of the first order, but yet another fine work that doesn't deserve to have fallen into the chasm of oblivion.

[M. Henriksen]

Thanks for the info about Paul Paray. I've never heard of him before, but after listening to some excerpts I've added a couple of discs to the never ending "must-buy"-list.


Morten

[Dundonnell]

Thanks, Alan

I have ordered the symphonies disc

[Alan Howe]

Glad to help.

[petershott@btinternet.com]

True, Alan doesn't press the point, and only mentions it in the context of a rough 'triangulation'.

But I was puzzled by the reference to Paray. Of Paray, apart from his wonderful conducting of Ravel, Roussel, Schmitt, Chausson, Chabrier etc on the old Mercury label, I only know the 1st Symphony together with some of the chamber works and many songs. Yet all those works are thoroughly French.

Andreae is surely solidly in the Austro-Germanic tradition. He writes within the traditional classical forms (both the symphony here, the string quartets, the piano trio etc), and the language is post Brahmsian. Hardly a surprise that he was a renowned conductor of Bruckner. There is surely a far greater kinship with another Swiss master, namely Schoeck, than there is with Paray?

But I'm certainly not out to pick quarrels over the issue. Maybe I've just missed out on one possible perspective on Andreae?

[Alan Howe]

In my (tentative) view Andreae's Symphony is essentially a synthesis of the German and French traditions - it has a lightness of touch and an approach to colour that seems more French than German, and yet there are clear echoes of the great German tradition in its form (four movements rather than three) and its post-Brahmsian style. He was, after all, a Swiss...

[Alan Howe]

Interestingly, the MusicWeb review of Andreae's 2nd Piano Trio (written five years before the Symphony) says this:

Andreae's language adopts a mixture - something approaching French Impressionism yet all the while holding on to a basis of Germanic seriousness.

[Mark Thomas]

I've now listened to the Andreae Symphony too and it is indeed a thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding late romantic work which, to my ears at least, is pretty firmly in the French tradition of Franck, Chausson, Boëllmann, Magnard et al. It has a certain breeziness and openness which some of theirs lack and impressionist touches which I guess were difficult to avoid in music written in 1919, but I honestly don't hear much of the German tradition in it until one reaches the boisterous finale, which is a very successful movement. It does have four movements, that's true.

[Alan Howe]

Of course, the composer whose influence looms large over these composers is....Wagner.

[jerfilm]

I'm surprised that no one has commented on the recently released Piano and Violin Concerto disc that is now available on Amazon.com.   Lovely stuff.  Again.  The first movement of the piano concerto brings to mind, a time or two, X. Scharwenka or perhaps even Moszkowski.  Nevertheless, very original material.  The longish second is quite lovely and the presto finale is quite short and ends in a flurry of typical romantic brilliance.

Have not yet listened to the Violin Concerto and the other two interesting looking works.  But for $8, you gotta buy this one - the PC is worth the price of admission alone.

Jerry

[eschiss1]

Not commented on, but mentioned - see here. Has its own thread'n'all just lying idle

[petershott@btinternet.com]

I received my copy last week, Jerry....but haven't commented on it for fear that folk might get fed up of my incessant postings!

I agree - lovely stuff. And so utterly well crafted. Amazes me somewhat that Andreae died way back in 1962, and his music seems to have lain dormant ever since. Don't know whether it gets performed regularly in Switzerland, but it was only a couple of years ago when Guild issued what (so far as I know) was the first CD of his music that I first got to know of him as a composer. I knew of course of his reputation as a conductor (especially of Bruckner), and before I heard that first CD I assumed his compositional skills took a probable poor second place to his conducting.

Not so at all. The first three of the Guild CDs were of chamber music - and highly accomplished and very rewarding chamber music. Then we had the Symphony....a wonderfully impressive work. Now the recent disc of these concertos - wonderful. With each of these discs and as my knowledge of Andreae grows he steadily ascends in stature - in my view at least.

I wonder why Guild seem to be the only company to touch Andreae? And I wonder what other works they might have up their sleeve?

[eschiss1]

hrm... btw.. any recording of his oboe concertino op.42 yet?...
As to Guild Music being the only label etc., Doron Music recorded his violin sonata (in 2001, with Lazzari's sonata), so that's only sort of true. (And back in 1997 Gallo released a CD that contained his suite op.20...) A few really small labels (and some larger but unknown ones, like the Swiss government one, I think, Communaute du Travail) have released several CDs (and before that, LPs) with his music also, according to Worldcat...
Looks like a partial worklist might be in order, at that.

[petershott@btinternet.com]

Many thanks (as always) Eric. Very sloppy of me to make a statement without checking its accuracy. I simply plead that I hadn't been aware of these few other past recordings - a case of what could be called the egocentric fallacy perhaps. However I suppose it remains true that Guild is the sole label making a major commitment to Andreae - and good for them on account of it.

I must, incidentally, have a look at the Lazzari Vn Sonata - obviously a substantial work. Anyone know whether it is any good?

[eschiss1]

alas no re Lazzari; I'm more familiar with his string quartet (I should be, I scanned in- very very very sloppily- the parts for IMSLP from a booksale-purchased copy of them- my scans have been removed now that Sibley has done a much better job of same. I liked them, though, and they have been recorded as has also his symphony and a few other works- none of which I think I've heard in full yet unfortunately. Tangent, yes, sorry!!!)

(Yay (very emphatically) booksales for the stuff you can find at them sometimes for less than a dollar "just saying".)