Albert Hurwit – Symphony 1 "Remembrance"

[Wheesht]

I wonder what people here at UC make of this, Symphony 1 "Remembrance" by Albert Hurwit. Available on MSR Classic and all four movements also on Youtube.

There is also a presentation of the full work by conductor Michael Lankester, A Doctor's Symphony, and a documentary about the composer and how this work came about. Or this longer presentation by the composer 'From Medicine to Music'.

[Mark Thomas]

This is a very accessible work but, taking due account of the family history of persecution and emigration which this very long symphony depicts, it remains for me at least a dull and turgid listen. The tempi are seldom slower than andante or livelier than moderato and the thematic material, which admittedly is sometimes attractive, is hardly ever developed in a truly symphonic manner and there's little dynamic contrast in this performance, so the emotions aren't engaged as they should be and attention can't help but wander. The story behind the work has great dramatic possibilities, but there is little dramatic about this work. Hurwit is essentially an amateur composer, and it shows. I'm sorry to be so negative, but this is not the great work which his family's saga merits.   

[Alan Howe]

One of the longest 'yawns' I have ever encountered - sorry. Absolutely not worth the trouble of sitting through it.

[Wheesht]

My reaction is less negative, but I have not tried sitting through it, and I do agree that there is not much in the way of symphonic development and  too little tension and variation. I have, however, listened a few times while doing other things and  found that there are several passages I find attractive and even beautiful, but then my attention does wander after a while.

The author of a short article about another work by Hurwit wrote this about the symphony in 2013:

Aided by notation software and helpful colleagues, Hurwit, now 82, stitched together nearly an hour's worth of surprisingly cohesive symphonic pomp and Barber-esque gravity.

[semloh]

I generally agree with Mark's assessment; it's pleasant enough but I found it difficult to stay engaged, and each movement came as a welcome relief from the preceding one. I'm think quantity has triumphed over quality.

[Alan Howe]

Q: Can there be such a person as an amateur composer? I mean, would you go and see an amateur doctor?

[Wheesht]

How about an amateur writer, though? Isn't that a better comparison? Wouldn't you perhaps read and enjoy a novel by a writer who has had no formal training?

[Alan Howe]

There's a huge difference here. Most people can write at least something of interest (an article, a diary, etc.), but surely it takes professional training to learn how to write music? Even those who are self-taught have to train themselves to do so.

How many amateur symphonists are there in comparison with amateur novelists? I've thought for years that I might have a novel in me (I've written a number of articles, reviews, etc.) - in fact I have one sketched out; but a symphony? No way!

[eschiss1]

Even the primarily self-taught composers have had, besides usually at least a little formal training, a near obsession for understanding how other composers' music works- the mechanics of how idea is converted into expression, to put it a little too vaguely. (This is an issue in the other arts as well, frankly; many authors who disdain craft too entirely, who misunderstand the why of it too completely, sometimes - often - do some really annoying things- I find. In general it is one thing to "have something to say" and another to get the audience to know what that thing is...)

[Gareth Vaughan]

Wouldn't you perhaps read and enjoy a novel by a writer who has had no formal training?

As a freelance copy editor and proofreader I am afraid I get to read a fair few "novels" by untrained amateur writers - usually when I have to do a piece for a vanity publisher - and I can categorically state that, unless they are naturally very talented, the answer to your question is a resounding "NO!". The reams of rubbish I have sometimes had to plough through provide no enjoyment. Occasionally, one comes across a MS which evinces some moments of genuine flair but it is too late to do anything about it: the writer has already submitted it to a vanity publisher and it is not my job to embark on a writing tutorial. What one wants to say is, "Put this MS aside in a drawer; enlist on a creative writing course and learn your craft; then come back to it and, if you still think there are parts of it worth saving, rewrite it using your newly acquired skills; then rewrite it again, making sure you 'kill your babies' - i.e. delete almost everything you are particularly fond of, because those will often be the worst bits. Less is more. Oh, and remember to read lots and lots of books by the best authors - learn from them." Does this sound harsh? It probably is, but life is too short to waste reading bad books - or listening to bad music. Mr Hurwit has some talent - but not enough IMHO, and at 82 it's a bit late for him to start learning how to compose now, alas!

Even the primarily self-taught composers have had, besides usually at least a little formal training, a near obsession for understanding how other composers' music works

Absolutely, Eric.

[Wheesht]

I absolutely agree that there is far too much rubbish churned out by 'amateur' writers, and, unlike Alan, I would state that perhaps most people think they can write something of interest, but all too often they only think they can. However, I certainly wouldn't argue that the best authors can exclusively be found among those people who have successfully completed a creative writing course. What about those great writers of the past whose works are still read and enjoyed today, who didn't attend such courses because they didn't exist at the time?

'Amateur' is not, or should not be, a negative word, but composing it is a rather different matter, and I agree with Eric's statement. I have just come across this quote by Borodin on the German Wikipedia page about him:

,,Für andere ist die Komposition Aufgabe, Arbeit, Pflicht, bedeutet sie das ganze Leben; für mich ist sie Ruhe, Spaß, eine Laune, die mich von meinen offiziellen Pflichten als Professor, Wissenschaftler ablenkt."

(For others, composing is task, work, duty, it signifies all of life; for me, it is rest, fun, a whim that diverts me from my official duties as a professor and a scientist.)

[eschiss1]

I agree with Gareth V, btw, having read a few rather annoying*, probably self-published, things as a participant in Goodreads' Giveaways Program. (on the other hand, I discovered some very good authors who wanted early readers on their latest books through there, too, so.)
Apologies for getting off the Hurwit-track!

*... to be kind.

[Alan Howe]

And with that, let's get back to Hurwit - if there's anything more to be said about the music, which I sincerely doubt...

[Wheesht]

Agreed, on both counts.