Johanna Senfter Symphony No.4

[Alan Howe]

Thanks go to mattbrown for re-uploading Senfter's 4th Symphony. Much appreciated!

[eschiss1]

I apologize for my complaints and it is good that it is available again (I forget, were the movement listings ever available? It's a neat piece.

I wonder if her 6th symphony, D minor, was performed and is out there somewhere.)

[Alan Howe]

Posted elsewhere by jerfilm and re-located here.
Alan Howe

Thanks, Matt

jerry

[Alan Howe]

Posted elsewhere by Gauk and re-located here:

Many thanks for that! Fascinating listening. Does anyone know the date of composition?

[eschiss1]

mid-1920s? (ah, from somewhere I have 1930? I think I may have xeroxed Senfter's Grove Encyclopedia entry at one point years back, found that photocopy in my collection-of-assorted-stuff-that-really-should-be-scanned-and-recycled, and maybe it says 1930 there...)

According to Klassika, his op.46 string quartet in F minor was premiered 1924, and this is op.50... (though op.50 wasn't premiered until 2000 - see Schott.) Ooh, there are the movements.

I Gemäßigt
II Rasch
III Sehr ruhig
III Lebhaft

Guessing that should be a IV Lebhaft. (But- anycase- yay )

[Alan Howe]

Thanks, Eric.

[John H White]

Many thanks, Matt, for enabling us to hear this symphony for free. However, I'm afraid it doesn't do anything for me. I listened to the first 20 minutes of it before I had to go for my evening meal and I found it terribly boring and repetitive, somewhat akin to the present day minimalists. Of course, it was probably just me and it might have got more interesting further on. I suppose I'm too used to conventional symphonies from Haydn to Sibelius. Anyway, unlike much 20th Century music, I didn't find any really nasty sounds in it. I'll probably give it another go sometime, meanwhile my favourite female symphonist still remains Louise Farrenc, who, in my opinion, could give most of her male contemporaries a good run for their money.
  Cheers,
       John.

[minacciosa]

Thanks very much for reposting this work. I found it so interesting that I listened to it again immediately. She's not a Tchaikovsky-type melodist, but she is a real composer with great command of symphonic processes. Senfter is definitely worth further exploration. If anyone can help with scores, all the better. I have a cd of her clarinet sonata. If it's out of print I'll post it.

[redrobin62]

Wonderful symphony. Perfect for listening to on a bright Sunday afternoon. After a few minor fixes (I removed the hiss at the beginning, the audience at the end, and raised the right channel by 7 db's) I'd consider this work a definite keeper. Thanks for the upload.

[Pickler_MZ]

13 minutes in... it sounds to me like 'light Bruckner' if there can be such a thing. 

Not exactly memorable, but I'll play it through, and probably give it another go later.

15min 45 sec - this is an appealing section.

[eschiss1]

In my opinion quite a lot "in that general style" is going to suggest some influences, often distractingly so (and sometimes accurately). I need to hear it again - I did like it - but I recall hearing hints of quite a few different influences here and there.  (This seems less of an issue with some works by her teacher Reger. The word "issue" is not quite appropriate; this is only a bad thing in the absence of enough compensating good things .

Light(er) Bruckner- 2nd theme of the first movement of his own 4th symphony (starting at B, page 10 of the 1912-ish Eulenburg score (Steinitzer)), or the scherzo-ish movement of the same symphony?

(Also, Pickler_MZ asks if lighter Bruckner is conceivable. How about his Lancier-Quadrilles for piano? (Score) (There are at least two recordings of this set, on cpo and on BIS, recordings of the 45 minutes or so of his piano music- BIS adds a piano reduction of the Adagio of the 7th symphony (27 minutes) to fill out the disc.)  (Hrm. First published 1988, so I'm not sure we should have it @ IMSLP...)

[JimL]

I believe the announcer at the end mentioned Reger, and I'm wondering if she was a pupil of his.  As I did my surgery on the work I had a chance to give it repeated hearings, and, although it takes more than one hearing to fully assimilate it, it is definitely a rewarding work.  It actually reminds me somewhat of Marcel Tyberg.  Same Brucknerian sound world with some rather disconcerting, but not at all inappropriate Mahlerian sardonicism.

[eschiss1]

Yes, Senfter was a pupil of Reger's. She became a pupil of his in 1908 in Leipzig.

[Leo K]

I happened upon this upload this morning in my downloads folder and listened. This is such a gorgeous work! I feel lucky to have a chance to hear this. This Brucknerian sound is my cup of tea. Wow! It's got very interesting symphonic processes going on, and the structure is thought out deeply.

[LateRomantic75]

+1 I would certainly like to hear more of Senfter's orchestral works, on the strength of her Fourth! But I shouldn't hold my breath.....