F. Lachner Symphony No.1

[Alan Howe]

Remember the old Marco Polo CD featuring Lachner 1 and Spohr 2, featuring the Singapore Symphony Orchestra under Choo Hoey? Well, it's actually rather fine - especially the very exciting performance of Lachner's 1st Symphony of 1828.

Does anyone else have the Lachner? If you do, perhaps you haven't given it a spin lately...

[alberto]

I have. I don't listen it since many years and I will follow your suggestion. I remember that in those old days Marco Polo used extensively the Singapore Orchestra, which sounded adequate.

[Alan Howe]

It is instructive to compare Lachner's fine first effort with Rufinatscha's 1st of just six years later. Rufinatscha's symphony is much more adventurous harmonically and much richer orchestrally. I enjoy them both, but it's like comparing a very fine composer with a much more adventurous one. Any thoughts anyone?

[Alan Howe]

...mind you, there's an irresistible élan about the finale of Lachner 1...

[eschiss1]

Incidentally:

there's some small amount of information (not yet much) about the 1828 autograph of the 1st symphony @ RISM online (along with- different place- a digitized early draft, later discarded in favor of the current movement, of the slow movement of his 6th symphony- uploaded this awhile ago to IMSLP without knowing quite what it was, but there's an explanation there now; and other material about his symphonies, some of which is in Fifield's book, which I've now put in an interloan request for- hopefully not everyone has it in reserve stacks. )

Complete recordings under insightful and effective conductors and orchestras of both cycles would, I of course agree, be a good thing.

[eschiss1]

Just was reminded that the Lachner 1st has been republished in full score this year by MPH Munich...