Tragic symphonies by unsung composers

[chill319]

After the end of patronage, many well-known composers penned works that have either been labeled 'tragic' (rightly or wrongly) or that may fairly be described as tragic, even if, as in the case of Tchaikovsky 6, they've been labeled a bit differently.

Among my own questions is whether a work need END tragically to be considered tragic so long as sufficient catharsis has been exacted along the way.

My main question, however, is: What unsung composers have contributed significantly to the subset of symphonies that are tragic? A sub-questions might be: Does writing a tragic symphony tend to make a composer less unsung?

I'd love to read thoughts and opinions from other forum members. Hopefully without us dwelling too much on the minutae of labels per se,

[JimL]

Well, Draeseke's 3rd Symphony is labelled 'Tragic', even though the only thing really tragic about it is the funeral march slow movement.

[mbhaub]

The remarkable 5th symphony by Valentin Silvestrov has always had an aura of tragedy to me. I suppose the Gorecki 3rd does too, but I find the work so dull that I may be a bad judge.

[Delicious Manager]

Relatively unsung compared to some of his other works is Shostakovich's Eighth Symphony, written during WWII in 1943. A more tragic piece it would be hard to imagine.

[JimL]

Relatively unsung compared to some of his other works is Shostakovich's Eighth Symphony, written during WWII in 1943. A more tragic piece it would be hard to imagine.

The symphony was a "sequel" of sorts to the 7th, Leningrad Symphony.  It is a much superior work to that piece of patriotic puffery.

[febnyc]

The symphony was a "sequel" of sorts to the 7th, Leningrad Symphony.  It is a much superior work to that piece of patriotic puffery.

Well, even though I don't agree with the opinion of the Seventh, I cannot help but admire the nice bit of alliteration used to debunk its value.   

[Ilja]

Relatively unsung compared to some of his other works is Shostakovich's Eighth Symphony, written during WWII in 1943. A more tragic piece it would be hard to imagine.

Well, the Thirteenth, for starters...

I find it ironic that so many 'tragic' symphonies don't sound that tragic at all: take Mahler's Sixth, Reznicek's First, Hamerik's Second. And to be honest, Draeseke's Third seems even less overtly tragic to me than his Fourth is 'comic'. 

[JimL]

Well, for a sung example, Schubert's 4th isn't particularly "tragic" even though it was called so by its composer.  I suppose it sounded better than the Nervous or Anxious Symphony. 

[eschiss1]

you're right, the nickname Tragic for Schubert 4 apparently does go back to the composer. (Not so with Mahler 6, or at least not with any firm evidence- apparently it depends on how far one trusts Walter??)
But to go back to an earlier post- the question wasn't about symphonies that are labeled tragic, but symphonies that are felt to be tragic, another affair entirely- whether the consensus can describe a symphony as tragic without the work ending tragically. If I understand the question and its terms- and again I'm not sure I do (I'm still not sure what 'tragic' means- a certain kind of minor-mode ending? Distant, observational, 'hieratic' - as I've heard said to be preferred of the 'tragedy' in its old form - or passionate and involved? Or barking up another tree entirely?)
Eric

[Hovite]

Well, Draeseke's 3rd Symphony is labelled 'Tragic', even though the only thing really tragic about it is the funeral march slow movement.

K A Hartmann wrote a Sinfonia tragica, and the 6th symphonies of both Brian and Weingartner are labelled Tragic.

[Hovite]

the question wasn't about symphonies that are labeled tragic, but symphonies that are felt to be tragic

The 17 symphonies (two incomplete) of Allan Pettersson are decidedly grim.

http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/acc/pettersson.php

http://homepages.uc.edu/~cauthep/allan.html

http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/c/cpo77247a.php

[Amphissa]

 
I would have to add Myaskovsky's 6th to this list.  (Kondrashin 1959 or Liss for better audio) Vacillating from thrilling to gloomy, to its serene conclusion.

Although Sibelius is definitely not an unsung, his 'Kullervo' symphony is rarely performed and unfamiliar to most people. It's a tragic story and although it is a youthful work, the music is among his best romantic compositions. This can also be said of Rachmaninoff's 'The Bells' symphony -- not a youthful work, but one that is too rarely heard and among his most beautiful works.

I have not yet figured out why Reznicek titled his 1st symphony "Tragic". I just don't hear anything tragic there.

I suppose Gorecki's 3rd symphony, the 'Symphony of Sorrowful Songs', would fall into this category as well. I'm not sure that it is cathartic, but it is surely one of the most deeply sad compositions I've heard.

[Crescendo]

it may not quite fit entirely into the category "unsung", but given the topic i would like to point out the 'asrael' symphony by joseph suk which he composed after the death of his wife and his father-in-law, dvorak. it is a wonderful dark, deep and rich work which will require several listenings, but to me at least it is very rewarding and became one of my all-time favs.

[eschiss1]

it may not quite fit entirely into the category "unsung", but given the topic i would like to point out the 'asrael' symphony by joseph suk which he composed after the death of his wife and his father-in-law, dvorak. it is a wonderful dark, deep and rich work which will require several listenings, but to me at least it is very rewarding and became one of my all-time favs.

I think it counts as unsung or undersung, in my opinion. While it had some circulation in the earlier parts of the 20th century (to the extent that Viktor Ullmann could quote it in his last opera, written in Nazi detention in Terezin, and expect some of his audience to know what he was quoting!), I think it had no commercial recordings outside of Czechoslovakia until recently (I don't think Kubelik's was commercial? Not sure...? Hrm. There's also Svetlanov's though- ok, not sure at all here) - anyhow, its relative(ly increasing) wider popularity is a recent thing, and a very, very relative thing. (And in my opinion deserved- but very recent, and relative- that is, most classical fans, aside from fanatics, have never heard of it, or even of Suk, I suspect. Well, maybe the Serenade.)
Eric

[Alan Howe]

I must gently disagree with you, Eric, over the Asrael Symphony's status. It has had two public performances in London in 2010 - one with the LPO under Vladimir Jurowski in February and one with the LSO under Daniel Harding in May. There have also been new recordings recently by Ashkenazy, Weller, Flor and Kirill Petrenko. This is an enormous improvement on the situation when I was a student at Cambridge in the 1970s: in those days the only recording available was the historic one by Talich and it took the CUMS (Cambridge University Musical Society) Orchestra to give it a public performance - one of the great musical experiences of my life. So: unsung? No. Undersung? Maybe...