Weingartner's Seventh!

[Mark Thomas]

I haven't yet bought Weingartner's 7th and, judging by Alan's assessment (which surprises me not at all, given the trend in Weingartner's symphonic writing) I will happily wait until I can buy the downloadable tracks. 

[Alan Howe]

I'd even think twice about that, Mark...

[Mark Thomas]

Ah, but it's the curse of a completist...

[Alan Howe]

It's certainly a curse - and a costly one.

[eschiss1]

Another suggestion: see if Radio Stephansdom broadcasts it on one of their 7ths-days, and hear it then. (Their night program often follows a sequence of first symphonies with, the next night, a sequence of second symphonies, then... ... ... )

(Or not; I see it's with less regularity now... but still, they are still doing that. Hrm, I spy the Pejacevic symphony aforementioned coming up in that latter program...er- anyways.)

[Peter1953]

Finally my copy arrived and I've just given the disc a first spin. After struggling through the opening movement it's not easy to find enough motivation and energy to listen to the following 55 minutes. The slow introduction of the final movement, an andante tranquillo, is perhaps the best part. No, this isn't the Weingartner I like much. He'd better not written his Seventh. Although I enjoy quite a lot of his symphonic output, except for his Third, for me Weingartner is at his best in his chamber music.

The booklet notes? What can I say? Both English and German are not my native language. But I understand enough, although I'm once again amazed by the lengthy philosophical prose of Eckhardt van den Hoogen.

[Mark Thomas]

the following 55 minutes

Oh, ye Gods!

[eschiss1]

there are brief choral symphonies out there, I guess, but lengthy ones -are- a tradition... (I have my guesses- not mine originally - as to why)

[Miles R.]

What a bother! I thought I had just completed my collection of Weingartner symphonies (and made a box to hold the six discs and their booklets in plastic sleeves, taking up less space than the six original CD cases), and now it turns out that there is another! Yet it also turns out, at least in the judgments of those reporting here, that it is a specimen of Weingartner at his weakest. On balance, I am disposed to rest content with my collection of symphonies nos. 1–6, but the knowledge that it is incomplete will bother me!

[eschiss1]

I still have none of them unfortunately (just a broadcast recording of no.6 as noted), though I did hear no.4 on classical-TV yesterday and have others in the past, liked them well enough. Maybe they'll play no.7 and -.. but - hrm.  Ah well. I would have liked to hear some of the other chamber works (are there really late string trios "op.93" or somesuch, according to Klassika anyway)...

[Miles R.]

You can listen to recordings of Symphonies nos. 1–3 on YouTube, uploaded by GoldieG89. (I hope it's not a no-no to link to such videos on this forum: they are uploads of commercial recordings.)