Hubert Ferdinand Kufferath (1818-1896)

[Ilja]

The austrian national hymn of the time (today more famous as the tune to "Deutschland über alles") [...]

The Germans have gone to some effort to replace "Deutschland über alles" with "Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit" (the beginning of the third stanza) since WW2, so while arguably more famous (and catchy), that phrase is not in active use anymore...


Regardless, this is a welcome surprise! Thanks for all your efforts to give this (and other!) music a second chance.

[tpaloj]

Thanks Ilja, I've amended that mention about the Deutschlandlied. In my country people just refer to this song by its first stanza since nobody knows the rest, so that name has stuck. But it's good to be precise about these things.

I hope everyone here a nice Merry Christmas 

[Alan Howe]

Well, I've just listened to the D major Symphony and thoroughly enjoyed it. Its best movements are I and III, but one has to admire the ingenuity with which Kufferath weaves together the two anthems in the finale. And he always manages to come up with some twists and surprises along the way. What's more, it's memorable!

I think we have to accept this work for what is, i.e. primarily a pièce d'occasion, and be grateful that he didn't over-inflate it along the lines of a certain Symphony by Smetana.

This and the Symphony in C would make a really attractive coupling on CD.

Great work, Tuomas, and a great tonic in dreary December!

[Mark Thomas]

Yes, many thanks Tuomas for a perfectly timed gift. I'm really looking forward to hearing it.

[Reverie]

Love it - fresh and vibrant for it's time. Just what i would expect from the innovative HFK. Thanks for the hours of work.

[semloh]

I agree with Alan. This is most enjoyable. Thank you, Tuomas!