In something of a very welcome Röntgen-fest cpo have issued a twofer CD set (https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9253570--rontgen-orchestral-works) with no less than seven symphonies by Julius Röntgen: Nos.7 Edinburgh, 11 Wirbel, 12 In Babylone, 14 Winterthur, 22, 23 and 24. All bar Nos.7 and 24 are one movement works and the conductor is the indefatigable David Porcelijn with, depending on the symphony, the Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Frankfurt or the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra.
Great - but hopefully not download only! No sign yet at jpc.de.
They're also available to stream from today on Spotify but, yes, it's a sudden change for jpc/cpo who usually delay digital release for several months after physical distribution. I wonder if they've decided that the economics of continuing the series on CD aren't worthwhile? Might be a straw in the wind.
It's listed as a CD release on Amazon UK (though temporarily unavailable), and the information from the reverse of the cover is shown, marked CD 1 and CD 2 respectively. I also note that these recordings date from 2006/7, so CPO have been sitting on them for a long time - though that is nothing new.
Let's hope that CDs do materialise eventually. Although I've moved over to digital myself, I do think it's important that the CD market is preserved if at all possible.
This release leaves only the following symphonies to be recorded/released by CPO (for all we know they may have been recorded already):
No. 13 in A minor, Alle eendjes zwemmen in het water, (29 Nov. 1930) [based on a children's song]
No. 16, The Tempest, (21 Apr. 1931) [inspired by Shakespeare's play]
No. 17, Wilhelm Meister, (5 May 1931)
No. 20 in C minor, Mit Schlußchor über Goethe's Prooemion [Im Namen Dessen der sich selbst erschuf] (19 Sep. 1931)
There are, according to a list which used to be on the website of The Roentgen Society before that ceased to exist, two earlier symphonies described as follows:
No. 1 in G major, op. 48 (Jan.-Feb. 1872)
No. 2 in F minor / A major, op. 67 (Dec. 1874-March 1875, reconstructed Oct.-Dec. 1875 "and ever since it's in A major")
But I do not know if these have survived. They do not appear to be in the Roentgen Archive at the Nederlands Muziekinstituut. Incidentally, if anyone is wondering about Symphony No. 4 this is the Symphonietta humoristica which CPO has already released with the Waltz Symphony (No. 10).
Interesting. I just looked again on Amazon only to find that the CD page has disappeared - only the download version remains. I hope this is not bad news...
Ah...
It's also odd that the online cover art omits the Symphony No.7, although the pdf copy of the booklet includes it. I wonder what's going on?
That's not exactly unknown with cpo releases...
The overall impression is that the digital release slipped through earlier than intended and it was too late for cpo to withdraw it.
I strongly suspect you are right, Mark.
On sale at jpc.de https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/julius-roentgen-symphonien-nr-11-12-14-22-24/hnum/10593628 and took 15 years from recording till release!
Glad to say Sym 7 has now (re?) appeared on the front cover art at JPC, but not amazon?!.
Have now downloaded these works from Presto and look forward to a really enjoyable listen, even if some of these works, particularly the shorter ones, might beg the question "When is a symphony not a symphony?". Does it matter - surely enjoyment in listening is all that really matters.
Cheers
Richard
Röntgen's short symphonies really don't worry me, he's a genius at packing so much into these single movement works that I think he could still fairly describe them as symphonies.
Quite so.
US Amazon release date Nov 5. I've preordered. Should be very enjoyable.
Quotetook 15 years from recording till release
I hope we don't have to wait another 15 years before we hear the rest of their Roentgen cycle (if it is complete, that is) - and that goes for Raff's 5th String Quartet too. I may be in my grave by then!
(https://media1.jpc.de/image/w300/front/0/0761203730926.jpg)
This is profoundly musical music, if you know what I mean. It's music deliberately written, as it were, to sign off the classical symphonic tradition, i.e. with a deep sense of what lies in the past and how it might still be built upon, even well into the 20th century. It's also music at the opposite end of the spectrum from Mahler, Bruckner, etc., i.e. the composers whose giganticism appeared to define the closing phase of symphonic writing in 'the tradition' before modernism, neo-classicism, etc. developed a new language for writers of symphonies. Röntgen here proves that the classical romantic language was far from played out.
This is also music that you really have to listen hard to - not that the music's hard in itself, but as soon one notes that the longest work here (No.7) lasts 21:57 and the shortest 9:54, then the issue for the listener, even the most sympathetic one, is concentration. If one isn't listening, the music will simply pass one by.
Anyway, this is fabulous music, utterly unlike anyone else's, yet equally clearly standing on the shoulders of those who went before. Try it and discover a musician's musician, a genius who'll likely never be recognised as such because he doesn't make a big, splashy noise. However, for those with ears to hear, this'll be music to feed you for a lifetime. And there is noise - my goodness, there is!
I agree with every word, Alan. A beautiful CD of sensitive, intelligent, gloriously melodic music by a first rate composer. Incidentally, Dave Hurwitz rates his music highly too.
Thanks, Gareth. What a set this is! It should sell a million copies. It won't, of course, because the music has no high-profile performers as advocates. Instead we have the Philadelphia Orchestra under Nézet-Séguin recording Florence Price...
I'll just content myself with agreeing with everything Alan writes in both the above posts.
Sadly, Rontgen's symphonies aren't performed by Dutch leading symphony orchestras. I love the cpo recordings; buy all of them. There's a very interesting biography of Rontgen written by Jurjen Vis, alas in Dutch only https://www.opusklassiek.nl/cd-recensies/cd-gsch/gschroentgen01.htm. Although Rontgen's name is on the balcony of the Royal Concertgebouw, I can't remember when the RCO played one of his compositions for the last time (and I visit the RCO since 1959...) https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bestand:R%C3%B6ntgen-Concertgebouw.jpg
I agree entirely with your eloquent assessment of this music, Alan. I am frankly surprised that it isn't a staple of the Dutch concert repertoire - I rather naively assumed it would be. Presumably for financial reasons, some of the world's great orchestras actually undermine their own integrity by failing to champion great music.
the autograph ms of the Wirbel has been at IMSLP for some time btw if anyone wants to follow this new recording with it :)
Quote from: semloh on Thursday 14 October 2021, 11:37
I agree entirely with your eloquent assessment of this music, Alan. I am frankly surprised that it isn't a staple of the Dutch concert repertoire - I rather naively assumed it would be. Presumably for financial reasons, some of the world's great orchestras actually undermine their own integrity by failing to champion great music.
As we know, musical quality is only one of many factors (and often, not even the most prevalent one) that determines admission to the repertory. If if were not, we'd have regular performances of the lovely Verhulst symphony, some Van Gilse, and of course far more Röntgen. As it is, the only romantic Dutch works played with any regularity are a few Wagenaar overtures here and there (usually the
Don Juan-esque
Cyrano de Bergerac), or perhaps some Diepenbrock in a Mahler-dominated concert. Our self-loathing really gets the better of us, unfortunately.
I've just been listening to Symphony No.11 from this set. What a pocket-battleship of a piece this is, packing a really powerful emotional punch in its single 15 minute span. A set of variations on a theme stated in the atmospheric introduction, building up to a blazing conclusion, it has an intensity and sheer rightness missing from many symphonies several times its length. And the booklet notes say the 75 year old Röntgen composed it in only two days!
Tangentially, more performances of Brandts Buys (Johannes and family) wouldn't be taken amiss either, or Bree of the Allegro for 4 quartets and other works.
I've added the Röntgen release on my Amazon Music playlist and intend to give it a few listens soon...
Thanks Mark and Gareth! It seems like we are only a couple of CDs away from a complete cycle--and hopefully a complete box. The newest release is listed on Amazon now.