Messages

Could members of the forum who know this symphony give me some idea of what it is like. Thank you.

Dennis,

The symphony is very well balanced and economical in a manner similar to Parry's fifth symphony.  The first movement is dark and foreboding, and the chorale theme is heard in the minor.  The middle two movements are very short, and the third movement is orchestrated particularly colorfully.  The finale is almost half the length of the whole symphony, and starts off with a menacing theme similar to Night on Bare Mountain.  During the course of the movement, the skies gradually clear.  After several episodes with the chorale theme, we are finally brought into D major and, but not before hearing a few Straussian flourishes, are rewarded with a very grand and handsome conclusion.

I hope you can get your hands on this as you will probably enjoy the piece.  It is one of my favorites.

Brian

I think the finale of Franz Schmidt's great 4th Symphony works extremely well. After the Scherzo implodes in on itself, the finale provides the perfect foil to its preceding movement, while also coming 'full circle' with a restatement of the solo trumpet theme at the end. This makes the whole symphony extremely satisfying to me and feels as if an inevitable path has been followed and a long journey satisfactorily completed.

I forgot about this one too! Certainly there is no question that the Schmidt belongs in this category as well.

I'm glad someone mentioned Brahms' Fourth as that reminded me of the even more satisfying passacaglia finale from Zemlinsky's Bb major symphony.

I think Magnard's Fourth has a wonderfully satisfying finale.  I also love the finale from Staehle's only symphony as well as Biarent's only symphony.  Both d'Indy's Second and Elgar's First have very powerful finales that bring everything full circle really well.  Also the Fifth Symphonies of Stanford and Parry have really strong closing movements.  The coda in the Stanford shows him making a rare escape from the shadow of Brahms, while the whole of Parry's Fifth shows Parry with his own voice without any hint of Brahms.  Finally, the prize must go to Atterburg for the finale of his Third symphony, which is one of the most amazing symphonic movements ever written.

By "Stahl" do you mean Staehle?

Sorry, yes, Staehle. I fixed it.

Is anyone ever going to perform and record Lachner's Sixth Symphony (Schumann's favorite)?

As the member with the same name as the subject of this thread, perhaps I should weigh in with a comment.  To me, Biarent's music reminds me most of the music of Franck, Dukas, and most especially, d'Indy.  I would say that his d minor symphony is my favorite French symphony, except that he is Belgian, leaving d'Indy's second in Bb major as my favorite French symphony.  I personally like his cello sonata more than any other that I have heard (including Barber's and the two by Faure).

I don't think there is anything wrong with having a style that shows influence from the styles of other composers.  Few would argue against the opinion that Brahms is a genius.  Yet, Brahms owes his style to others as well, particularly to Schumann (who, incidentally, is indebted to Schubert as his inspiration for much of his Lieder output).

It is too bad to hear that the CD with his symphony is out of print.  I wish his music would be performed and recorded more often as it is certainly a delight to hear.  I obviously love it.

Sung: Beethoven 8, Schumann 2, Mendelssohn 3, Brahms 3, Bruckner 6, Mahler 6, Taneyev 4, Parry 5, Vaughan Williams 2, Elgar 1, Rachmaninoff 3, and Sibelius 7.
           
Unsung: Staehle, Berlioz Harold in Italy, Rufinatscha 6, Franck, Biarent, d'Indy 2, Rangstrom 3, Magnard 4, Madetoja 1, Tchaikovsky Manfred, Lindblad 2, Lange-Muller 1, Atterberg 3, and Gaubert.

Does anyone think Jarvi will record Parry's wonderful Fifth Symphony?  It is my second favorite English symphony second only to the Elgar A-flat.

It is only part of the subject.  I would be floored if Brahms had taken an entire theme from a Schumann work and used note-for-note in its entirety without using the word Schumann in title.  Certainly Brahms must have heard the piece before, and the theme stuck with him and inspired him while he was writing his second symphony.

I have listened to that recording and think it is excellent.  I am disappointed that the symphony did not find its way into the concert repertoire or get recorded again.  I really feel like this piece is more deserving of being in the standard repertoire than both Schumann's Fourth (Op.120) and Mendelssohn's Fourth (Italian). I hope I won't get flamed for that last statement (and I will not go as far to say that it is a better work than Schumann's or Mendelssohn's best symphonic achievements, i.e., the C major and the Scottish, respectively, but I believe it to be in the same class for sure).

The very opening theme in the Schumann sounds a lot like the first subject in the second movement of Staehle's symphony.  Also, I think Brahms borrowed a theme from Schumann's Introduction and Allegro for Piano and Orchestra, Op.134 for the finale of his Second Sympony.

Does anyone know of any performances or new recordings of Staehle's C minor Symphony that are in the works? I think this is one of the greatest symphonies written in the 1840's with the only others approaching its level of excellence during that time being Mendelssohn's Scottish and Schumann's beloved Op.61.

Thank you.

Brian

I really think that this symphony is excellent. Thank you for synthesizing it; I wish that an orchestra would perform and record it.  I think Schumann's enthusiasm for the piece may be that he wished that he had penned it as it sounds more like him than either the 5th or the 8th.  I wonder if he borrowed any themes from it as I am convinced that he borrowed a theme from Hugo Staehle's only symphony in his Introduction and Allegro Appassionato for Piano and Orchestra, Op.92.