Gerd Prengel: my 1st Symphony in C minor

[gprengel]

I'd like to present to you my 1st Symphony in C minor which I wrote about 20 years ago and I re-recorded it now with NotePerformer.

I. Andante /Allegro con brio ed appassionato (C Major / C minor)

The first movement is the longest and most passionate movement I ever wrote: 

Structure:

0:01 Andante, a choral, first in solemn C Major by solo horns, later tragically turning into C minor
2:54 Allegro con brio ed appassionato, C minor, 6/8, Exposition
6:33 Development
9:16 Recapitulation
12:57 Coda
  14:38 resuming the choral theme
  15:07 Presto

http://gerdprengel.de/symphony-1.mp3
http://gerdprengel.de/symphony-1.pdf  (score)

II. Andante cantabile
An Andante with 7 variations on the theme which Beethoven sketched for the second movement of his planned 10th symphony in 1825.

http://gerdprengel.de/symphony-2.mp3
http://gerdprengel.de/Symphony-2.pdf


III. Scherzo

Among Beethoven's sketches for a 10th symphony from 1825 there are the opening 24 measures for a Scherzo (titled 'Presto') and the 7 measure theme for a  Trio as a middle part of the movement. This Scherzo theme is one of the most furious and powerful Scherzo themes I know, somewhat a mixture of the Scherzo themes of his fith symphony  and Schummann's first symphony. I made an atttempt to develop these themes to a whole symphonic movement.

Sketches:
http://gerdprengel.de/mediapool/72/727710/resources/20946520.jpg
http://gerdprengel.de/sketch3.jpg

My realisation:
http://gerdprengel.de/Scherzo-10th.mp3
http://gerdprengel.de/Scherzo_on_10th.pdf


IV.  Allegro con spirito

The Finale is the most vivid and jubilent movement I wrote so far. In the development (starting at 4:30) more dark and exotic colours come in:

http://gerdprengel.de/symphony-4.mp3


Gerd

[Alan Howe]

Thanks for the link. Sounds great. I'll return to it later...

[khorovod]

Goodness, I thoroughly enjoyed that, Gerd. Very impassioned and dramatic but cogently argued too! I would love to hear it played by a full orchestra (though it is incredible how well NotePerformer simulates the sound of real instruments here).

Looking forward to hearing the other movements.

[Mark Thomas]

Very impressive, Gerd, I'm looking forward to the other movements, and then maybe you could bundle them all together and post a permanent link in our Downloads Board?

[Alan Howe]

This is very strong, stirring stuff. Can you tell us about the influences upon your music, please? Obviously, you write in a wholly tonal manner - it as if you are trying to marry a classical sense of movement with harmonic processes that are typical of the late 19th/early 20th century. Very interesting indeed.

[gprengel]

Thank you all for your encouraging comments! Alan, you are asking me about my influences. Well, I think since my youth above all it is Beethoven, especially his late period and also Schubert. 
And in this work in particular I was inspired by sketches he made for the main Allegro theme of his planned 10th symphony. Here you see some of his sketches and how I formed my main theme on the basis of these:  http://gerdprengel.de/sketches1.jpg

Also the other 3 movements are more or less are inspired by Beethoven's sketches, especially the Scherzo, I added it  in the top of this thread. Tell me about your impressions ...

Gerd

[Alan Howe]

Yes, I can hear the rhythmic and tempo characteristics of Beethoven/Schubert - but, of course, the harmonic processes sound much later. That's what I find so interesting. For me, one of the problems of later Romantic music is the loss of the momentum which one finds in symphonic music of the earlier Romantics - but your music seems to combine both elements.

[Mark Thomas]

Gerd, I thought that if anything the Scherzo is an even stronger movement that the first. It's cogently and logically argued, but still powerful and exciting music. That's quite a feat. Good, and perfectly listenable, though the NotePerformer realisation is, it would be a treat to hear this Symphony performed live.

[gprengel]

Dear Alan, you write

I can hear the rhythmic and tempo characteristics of Beethoven/Schubert - but, of course, the harmonic processes sound much later.

I must admit I was not aware of this (besides maybe the passage in the intro where the strings set in). Can you give me an example in the movement?

Thomas, I am glad that you like also the Scherzo. I just build in a new passage of 18 bars at 0:17 after the ending of Beethovens sketch, which I think has improved the first part very much.


And also I included also the second movement, Andante cantabile, see the top of this thread. Please listen to this movement with headphones if possible. This movement means very much to me, especially the second half starting at 5:17!

Gerd

[Alan Howe]

Certainly from 4.00 the music sounds like nothing I can think of from the first part of the nineteenth century. It's the combination of chorale-like writing with an underlying rhythmic pulse that seems to me to look forward to, say, Sibelius' methods. Not Sibelius' sound-world, though. By 8 minutes in we seem to have travelled a long way. So to me this is a much later composer's take on Beethoven/Schubert's idiom, pushed to see how far it can go without bursting out of its original boundaries.

[gprengel]

So, finally I finished also the Finale, a jubilent C-Major movement, see above !!

[gprengel]

I had presented my symphony to you over a year ago and you liked it quite a bit. By now I could further improve the sound quality and clarity of the recording, so you may like to listen to it again :-)

http://gerdprengel.de/symphony-1.mp3
http://gerdprengel.de/symphony-2.mp3
http://gerdprengel.de/Scherzo-on-10th.mp3 (based on sketches by L.v.B.)
http://gerdprengel.de/symph4.mp3

Gerd

[Alan Howe]

Thanks so much, Gerd. A rare treat in these difficult times!

[Reverie]

Thank you for that. I enjoyed the last movement the best. Great skill !

[Alan Howe]

Gerd: do you know the music of Rufinatscha?