I'm told, but can't yet confirm, that the long-promised recording of Heinrich Hofmann's Frithjof Symphony and his Hungarian Suite has not only been made after all but will shortly be available. Which is seriously good news. I don't know the Suite at all, but it was wildly popular in the 1870s and 80s. The same is true of the Symphony, which I do know from an old Swiss Radio broadcast of the work played by the Basel Radio Orchestra conducted by Hans Vogt. Frithjof may not be the most intellectually demanding listen, but it is a hugely enjoyable programme symphony in a style greatly indebted to Raff, full of grateful melodies and colourfully orchestrated.
Wow! That's seriously exciting news - at least for me. Roll on, release day!
Wow, wow and wow again. Marvellous news.
I'd like to add a couple more "wows": WOW....WOW!
Excellent news!
David
Confirmed here (http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Heinrich-Hofmann-1842-1902-Symphonie-Es-Dur-op-22-Frithjof/hnum/1592961). Time to count your pennies!
My copy's already earmarked elsewhere. Great news anyway...
Quite remarkable that this Sterling release isn't announced yet at sterlingcd.com
Indeed, Peter.
My first port of call has always been Toccata.nu (http://toccata.nu) in Sweden. I generally send an email to the boss, Harald Hoff, when I know a Sterling release is imminent. However, it seems that jpc are pretty quick off the mark now that they are Sterling's distributors.
jpc now has excerpts from this extremely attractive-sounding CD:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Heinrich-Hofmann-1842-1902-Symphonie-Es-Dur-op-22-Frithjof/hnum/1592961 (https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Heinrich-Hofmann-1842-1902-Symphonie-Es-Dur-op-22-Frithjof/hnum/1592961)
I'm expecting a few pleasant surprises this year from Santa Claus, and this disc is definitely one of them. Wunderbare Musik!
The thing is, Peter, does Santa make early visits where you live? Otherwise, it's an awfully long wait until his main delivery date...
Well, Alan, actually I have to be patient anyhow, because 2 of the presents (Santa Claus knows and updates my ever growing want list) will be released on 11 December (Mann & Weingartner 7)... And time flies... ;D
If you are sampling the tracks, the Schauspiel Overture is track 1, the Frithjof Symphony tracks 2-5 and the Hungarian Suite the final three tracks.
My copy arrived today and the recording of the Frithjof Symphony is very good indeed, showing the work off for the attractive and memorable work that it is. I say 'very good' rather than 'excellent' because the orchestra, while well disciplined, is somewhat light in the string department and unsophisticated in some of the woodwind playing. Frithjof is not a forgotten masterpiece, but it is full of melody and lovely orchestral writing - the sort of piece, in short, that Sterling does extremely well by. An essential purchase for fans of music from this era (1874) and an important reminder of the sort of music that took the concert hall by storm for a time and then disappeared virtually without trace. Thanks once again to Bo Hyttner for his advocacy of this repertoire.
That really whets my appetite. I'm looking forward to my copy arriving. I don't know the Overture and Suite - what are they like?
I only listened to the symphony this afternoon. More news anon...
I've been listening to my copy this afternoon. I won't repeat Alan's assessment of Frithjof or the orchestra - he's spot on. What did strike me about the work wasn't just Hofmann's indebtedness to Raff in the expansive, joyous first movement in particular, but also just how Wagnerian the second, slow, movement, sounds. Those sonorities come right out of the opening pages of Rheingold to my ears. This isn't great music by a first division Unsung like Raff, to be sure, but it is a very enjoyable piece of work, worthy of an occasional outing. It's easy to see why it was so popular in its day and also why it didn't outlive Hofmann. The Overture and Hungarian Suite are written in a similar, consciously crowd-pleasing, vein and they're worth having, but Frithjof is the headline act without a doubt. Another winner from Sterling.
With increasing pleasure I've listened several times last week to the Frithjof Symphony (1874). The four movements of this programme symphony form a cohesive unity, so to speak. The Allegro is a very vivid, joyous and melodious opening movement. But how striking, if I didn't know better I could have sworn it was composed by no one less than Raff. The wonderful Adagio, Ingeborg's Klage (Ingeborg's lament), is reminiscent of what I think is the most beautiful piece of music Von Herzogenberg has ever written: the slow movement (Penelope) of his Odysseus Symphony (1872). The Intermezzo is something like a dialogue between two contrasting themes, Lichtelfen (Elves of Light) and Reifriesen (Frost giants). The final movement, Frithjof's Rückkehr (Frithjof returns) is glorious, although the least interesting of the movements.
The other two works, Eine Schauspiels Overtüre and the Ungarische Suite are delightful as well, which makes this a desirable Sterling CD. BTW, excellent booklet notes by Christopher Fifield.
Warmly recommended!
We have another performance archived here in the forum, do we not?
Yes, fortunately a different performance.
There's absolutely no comparison between the old Swiss Radio performance under Hans Vogt which I uploaded in poor sound and the performance on the new Sterling CD. The latter is spirited and convincing, whereas the former is OK enough to get to know the music, but no more.
Agreed. The older recording did its job and can now be pensioned off.
A generally appreciative review has been posted at MusicWeb:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2012/Dec12/Hofmann_symphony_CDS10972.htm (http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2012/Dec12/Hofmann_symphony_CDS10972.htm)
Pity the influence of Raff isn't understood...
Quite, although Rob Barnett is no slouch on the Raff front. He's usually an enthusiastic advocate.
It's just that the influences of Mendelssohn, Schumann and Wagner are acknowledged, but that of Raff is missed completely. Barnett may be sympathetic to Raff, but he still doesn't understand his stature in the 1870s. He needs to read the biography...