Bruch Symphonies 1-3 (cpo)

[Alan Howe]

...plus sundry orchestral pieces, from the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra under the young US conductor, Robert Trevino, on cpo:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/max-bruch-symphonien-nr-1-3/hnum/8977576

Symphony No.1 is here presented for the first time in its original five-movement version.

[M. Yaskovsky]

I already have the Masur and the Conlon.....

[Alan Howe]

Me too. But I'll have these as well!

[MartinH]

I have all the Bruch I thought I'd ever need, or want, but this five movement 1st intrigues me. The first published edition has only four movements. Anyway, CPO doesn't charge and arm and leg for their recordings, so add it to the pile. Give me something new to listen to during the apocalypse upon us.

[Alan Howe]

I'm reminded that this 'apocalypse' would have been the daily experience of most of our population in previous centuries when disease after disease stalked the land. We are a pampered generation...

[eschiss1]

Good point. I shall attempt to restrain my choler...

[Alan Howe]

In the post-WW1 Spanish Flu epidemic, around 250,000 Brits died. So far, our total stands at 233 - although it'll rise into the thousands.

Our American friends, of course, can rely upon Mr Trump, who will no doubt amelioratise the situation tremendously.

[Hector]

The Honeck Third is my favourite recording of that symphony, the Conlon my favourite of the second. I have yet to find a favourite of the first.

[Alan Howe]

My personal favourites are the Conlon performances which I find more committed than Masur. Wildner on EBS is also very fine.

[FBerwald]

I'm surprised by the unknown 5th movement of the 1st symphony. Makes me wonder how much of Bruch's beautiful music is yet to be explored. I do know he wrote a lot of choral music...

[TerraEpon]

He did indeed write quite a lot of choral music (as well as trhee operas and some songs) but pretty much all his instrumental music is on disc. Granted I'm unsure about piano music though he wrote very little.

[M. Yaskovsky]

Bruch's string octet (1919?) was reworked? by him for string orchestra? Anyone who knows of a recording of that composition?

[Gareth Vaughan]

I must say I have been a little underwhelmed by some of Bruch's choral music - not all, by any means, but on the whole I prefer his purely orchestral works.

[Alan Howe]

I agree with Gareth.

[Alan Howe]

My preliminary impression of this new set is that it is very fine indeed. The commitment of the conductor to the music comes through in highly energised performances. The Bamberg Symphony also emerges with flying colours, producing playing of precision, beauty and power in equal measure. With five orchestral excerpts thrown in, this is a very generous set (149:04 in total).