Bobby and Hans
In December 2010, conductor Kenneth Woods and the musicians of the Stratford-upon-Avon based Orchestra of the Swan, founded by artistic director David Curtis, embarked on a multi-year project to record the complete symphonies of Robert Schumann (Bobby) and Hans Gal (Hans) for Avie Records.
Here at “Bobby and Hans,” you can follow the project as it evolves, look behind the scenes into the recording process, see how Ken prepares for these recordings and keep track of the latest news and reviews. We’ll also be adding audio samples from all the recordings, video of our concerts and podcasts about the music. This page will be updated regularly, so check in as often as you can.
To listen to samples of the Bobby and Hans project recordings, please visit the Bobby and Hans Listening Rom.
Click here to order Hans Gal’s book: Robert Schumann Orchestral Music (BBC Music Guides). Hans knew a lot about Bobby…
The Bobby and Hans project depends on the generous sponsorship of music lovers and friends of the Orchestra of the Swan. Without your help, the orchestral music of Gal will remain unheard. We hope you will give what you can to keep the music playing.
Get your copy direct from Avie
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Essays and Features
January 2012- Hans Gal, the lost interview. ”This is why there is no music for me without form, a clear design, and form is not a ready-made mould but a pattern of events that has to be found individually for every individual work, a pattern resulting from the thematic content and its peculiar conditions. So there is every time a new problem to be solved with patience and with the combination of intuitive feeling and critical awareness without which no artistic achievement is possible.” December 2011- Explore the score: Hans Gal Symphony no. 4 “Sinfonia Concertante.” Gal’s last symphony is an intimate and personal summation of his lifelong fascination with extending the chamber music aesthetic to all genres. It is perhaps the great “Classical” symphony of the modern era, deeply connected to the music of Haydn and Mozart. December 2011:Explore the score: Schumann Symphony no. 2. Schumann’s greatest and most personal symphony is rich with quotes, ciphers and codes. Discover the secrets of the musical DNA of one of the greatest symphonies ever written. November 2011: Why Bobby and Hans? Ever wonder how the music of two different composers ends up on the same disc? Is it all just part of a ruthless scheme to maximize profit, or is it all about context? Ken takes readers behind the scenes of the record industry with a hard look at what it takes to make a record in the modern age. July 2011- Audio review on NPR’s All Things Considered: “The Austrian-born composer Hans Gal has been way off the radar screen until just recently. His Symphony No. 3 languished unplayed for 55 years. Like so many European composers, Gal had to flee the Nazis, eventually landing in Scotland. So hats off to conductor Kenneth Woods and his Orchestra of the Swan who have been making a case for Gal’s elegantly built orchestral pieces which look back fondly to the German romantic era of Schumann, Brahms and Richard Strauss. Here’s hoping this is the beginning of a substantial Gal revival.” July 2011- Hans Gal’s time in the British internment camps during World War II. “In all about 27,000 ‘enemy aliens’ (including Gal) were interned, including Jewish refugees, the group who, ironically, had the most reason to be on the side of the allies against Nazi Germany. The policy was, of course, motivated by the desire to control potentially dangerous enemies, but that it affected not just genuine Nazis but also those who were fleeing from them, and indeed incarcerated both together indiscriminately” July 2011- Ken talks with Recordings Editor Phil Sommerich at Classical Music Magazine about recording Gal, Schumann and Mahler. “Few people would list Hans Gal and Robert Schumann as among classical music’s humorists, but conductor Kenneth Woods does…” June 2011-Interview with Ken at The Classical Review by Colin Anderson. “In Gál, nostalgia is part of how we come to terms with loss. Gál’s four symphonies make a nice overview of his creative life, from the tangy post-Romantic harmonies in his First to the slightly more disciplined language of the Third, to the gentler and more austere world of his late style in the Fourth.” June 2011- Composer Kenneth Leighton on Hans Gal. January 2011- Classical Music Magazine profile: “Me and My Gal.” Ken chats with Classical Music Magazine’s recordings editor, Phil Sommerich about the Bobby and Hans project December 2010- Recording Bobby and Hans Part III. “The concert. Next up was Gál. My colleague, David Curtis, had suggested we introduce the symphony by having the orchestra play some excerpts from the piece. I thought this was a great idea since it would be new to everyone there. I talked a little about the history of the piece, and then introduced what I called the “dramatis personae” of the work, with the orchestra playing some of the main themes. As I wound up my talk and got ready to start the performance, the import of the moment really struck me. I suppose with such an immersion in the recording process, I’d almost forgotten that this was the historic moment- the first performance of a Gál symphony in Britain in 35 years, and the first performance of this piece in 55. Gál’s daughter, Eva, was there.” December 2010- Recording Bobby and Hans Part II. “After lunch, we all returned for the last session before the concert. We needed to finish the 1stmovement of the Gál, record the 2nd movement complete, finish the Finale of the Schumann and record the 2nd and 3rd movements complete. It was a formidable challenge- based on the speed we had made in the movements recorded so far (fast by any measure) there was a very real possibility that we would run out of time or have to let things slide. Fortunately, the orchestra, who had already been playing flat out for 12 of the last 20 hours or so, simply upped their game. We finished the recapitulation and coda of the Gál in less than 30 minutes.” December 2010- Recording Bobby and Hans, part I. “After musicianship, time management is about as important a skill as any conductor can have, but especially so when recording. Unlike rock, when you can keep working until in the studio until you get everything just right, with an orchestra, time is 100% finite. If you can’t get everything recorded in the time alloted, the disc doesn’t come out. However, time is not the only thing that is finite in a recording session- energy, focus, and especially what we call “chops” are too. If a wind player gives too much too early in a session (brass players and double-reed players are particularly at risk), it may not matter that you have another hour of recording time left. If a principal wind player conks, there may not be much you can get down on tape to a reasonable standard in a session.” December 2010- Explore the score: Schumann Symphony no. 3. A longer version of the CD liner notes, illustrated with musical examples. December 2010- Explore the score Gal Symphony no. 3. A longer version of the CD liner notes, illustrated with excerpts from Hans Gal’s own world-premiere performance with the Vienna Radio Symphony in 1955. Around the web: A classic personal reminiscence of Gal from Musicweb-International by Margaret Moncreif Kelley. An interview with Hans Gal by Martin Anderson Gal pages at the Orel Foundation Website
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New and Reviews
January 2012- Everything but the music “Best Recording of 2011.”- “…a sparkling pairing of the first recording of Gal’s Symphony no. 3 and Schumann’s Rhenish. There’s no escaping the fact that Woods is the go-to Gal guy, and this recording is a good reason why: it’s a performance that completely convinces you that there’s no good reason we don’t hear it all the time. The commitment to the Gal is no more or less than the commitment to the Schumann, itself one of my very favorite takes on the popular work” December 2011- Bernard D. Sherman “Top Ten Classical CD’s of 2011- “The Gal is a real find, especially the slow movement; and the Schumann is a joy after the many punched-up but four-square performances I’ve suffered through… It’s an awesome CD, folks.” December 2011- WFMT Chicago “Best Classical Recordings of 2011″ November 2011- American Record Guide on Bobby and Hans vol. 1 “The musical flow is untroubled and un- forced—”organic”, in a word…especially in this dulcet performance (by the Stratford-on-Avon-based Orchestra of the Swan) and clear, richly glowing sonics from Avie.” October 2011- MusicWeb International review by Rob Barnett: “Woods draws out a rhythmically taut performance. The shivering excitement is notable and the undulant poetic movement of the Rhine no less so.” September 2011- The Arts Desk review by Graham Rickson: “Gál’s impassioned, well-crafted late romanticism is readily accessible and quietly moving – there’s a lot to enjoy here. He’s good at subtle transitions – the way that the delicious opening melody segues into the first movement’s more agitated fast section, and its brilliant, ghostly close.” August 2011- Gramophone Magazine review by Guy Rickards and interview by Andrew Mellor: “structural genius… contrapuntal mastery…committed performance…splendid sound, warmly recommended.” August 2011- Indianapolis Star review from Jay Harvey. ”Woods shows his luminous interpretive vision in the Schumann, which blasts away the cobwebs of the composer’s reputation as a dull, borderline inept, orchestrator. As Schumann’s final of four works in the symphonic idiom, Op. 97 is full of energy and inspiration. Never has the outline of Schumann’s composition been clearer. Woods shapes exemplary phrasing from Orchestra of the Swan; the clarity does not amount to some kind of antiseptic dissection, but something more at the opposite extreme: a new lease on life for a familiar masterwork.” July 2011- Audio Review from NPR’s All Things Considered: “The Austrian-born composer Hans Gal has been way off the radar screen until just recently. His Symphony No. 3 languished unplayed for 55 years. Like so many European composers, Gal had to flee the Nazis, eventually landing in Scotland. So hats off to conductor Kenneth Woods and his Orchestra of the Swan who have been making a case for Gal’s elegantly built orchestral pieces which look back fondly to the German romantic era of Schumann, Brahms and Richard Strauss. Here’s hoping this is the beginning of a substantial Gal revival.” July 2011- WETA FM Washington D.C. selects Bobby and Hans as CD Pick of the Week. “….a clear, individualistic voice early in the century, and remained unique amidst the explorations of the Second Viennese School and twelve-tone techniques. ” July 2011- Dallas Morning News review by Scott Cantrell“Straussian lyricism, harmonic succulence and occasional playfulness are spelled by contrapuntal patches… Kenneth Woods leads performances both authoritative and generously expressive.” July 2011- Classic FM Magazine review by Andrew Mellor. “Gál’s own Third Symphony of 1952 is a real discovery: confident, rich music in the late Romantic idiom that has bags of souls and the residue of a genuine expressive thirst…Gál is truly worth rediscovering ; Woods’s recording project for Avie has intrigued and delighted me and I’m only left wanting more. ” July 2011-International Record Review/Calum MacDonald on Bobby and Hans. “an excellent disc…a substantial work, deeply felt and deeply thought…obvious empathy and understanding..with admirable clarity of texture and finely honed musicianship… could hardly be bettered,” July 2011- Entartete Musik reviews Bobby and Hans. “This world premiere recording of his Symphony No. 3, composed while in exile in Edinburgh, offers a valuable insight into 20th century Austrian music. Somewhat nostalgic, his music also professes what tonal music could still offer post-Schoenberg. Coupled with Schumann’s third symphony, the Orchestra of the Swan and Kenneth Woods give us a compelling encounter with this shifting symphonic landscape.” July 2011- Classical Music Magazine interview with KW on Bobby and Hans… and Gus “Few people would list Hans Gal and Schumann among music’s humourists, but Kenneth Woods does.” June 2011- Collin Anderson at The Classical Source. “Schumann’s ‘Rhenish’ Symphony is given a superb outing, gloriously joyous in the outer movements, exuberant without being pushed, and also generously lyrical when needed, not least in the triptych of middle movements, beautifully phrased and sounded, breathing and shapely, sensitively addressed and lovingly detailed…As for alternative recordings of the ‘Rhenish’, Woods holds his own against such wonders as Sawallisch (Dresden rather than Philadelphia), Celibidache (Munich), Giulini (Chicago) and immediately becomes a favourite for this delectable work.” June 2011- Martin Anderson on Bobby and Hans vol 1 at The Classical Review. “A first recording shouldn’t be a swan-song, but Orchestra of the Swan really does sing for Woods, in long, arching melodic lines, Gál’s writing favouring the woodwinds especially.” May 2011- Gavin Dixon at Classical CD Reviews on Bobby and Hans vol 1: “Here we find some really sensitive ensemble playing and a wonderful elegance of tone from every section. I was particularly impressed by the trombones at the start of the fourth movement. The astronomical register of the alto part here daunts most players, who are happy to be able to get the notes out at all. So to hear it played with this apparent ease and, most importantly, serene elegance is a real pleasure…. “And Hans: Woods knows that his woodwind soloists can give him all the emotion the music needs, without him having to pull the tempos around, and they more than repay his trust…..I’m thinking of the oboe, flute, clarinet and horn soloists in particular, seem to be playing exposed lines almost throughout, and all rise to the challenge magnificently.” May 2011- Everything But the Music makes Woods/Orchestra of the Swan a Library Choice for Schumann’s Third Symphony,
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Essays and FeaturesJune 2010- Schumann Cello Concerto, or “Ken’s Folly.” Thoughts on playing without conductor June 2010- Comparative Listening. Don’t Mess with Bobby Ken compares Shostakovich’s re-orchestration of the Schumann Cello Concerto with Bobby’s original. Guess whose is better…. June 2009- Bobby’s Fourth. Ken reveals the secret of great Schumann performances. Hint- it may have something to do with trusting and embracing Schumann. September 2008- Schumann’s Hidden Masterpiece. Thoughts on Schumann’s final orchestral work, the wonderful and mysterious Violin Concerto June 2008- Schumann and Bach in the 2nd Symphony. Ken helps crack the many musical codes hidden in Schumann’s greatest orchestral work. June 2008- Schumann Orchestration and Mozart tempi. “I’ve never been tempted to change a bar of Schumann’s orchestration- his ear for color is too imaginative and inspired, and it has just never been necessary.”
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Essays and FeaturesJune 2011- Composer Kenneth Leighton on Hans Gal. November 2010- Jake Stockinger talks to Ken at the Well-Tempered Ear about Recording Gal, Part II November 2010- Jake Stockinger talks to Ken at the Well-Tempered Ear about Recording Gal, Part I October 2010- International Record Review Special Feature on Hans Gal. September 2009- Hans Gal and Northern Sinfonia, Pre-recording session thoughts from Ken. August 2009- Who is Hans Gal, and why are you recording his music?
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News and Reviews
June 2010- Mandred Overture with SMP June 2009- Fourth Symphony with SMP |
News and Reviews
Robert C. Reiley, Catholic News Agency on Gal Violin Concerti and Triptych- “Vogel’s playing is superlative, obviously a labor of love, as is the dedicated performance of the Northern Sinfonia, under conductor Kenneth Woods. It is a measure of the damage the Nazis did that this work was not heard after 1933 until 2004. It is, I suppose, easy to imagine how music this lovely and civilized was first suppressed and then overlooked in the ideological age of the 20th century. How wonderful that Avie has revived it. The Concertino is just as delicious as the Concerto, and the Triptych from 1970 shows that Gál never lost his bearings. As you can tell, this is one of my favorite discoveries of the year.” Amazon.com on Gal Triptych and Violin Concerto Classical Music Magazine- RECORDING OF THE FORTNIGHT, Gal Violin Concerti and Triptych ClassicalSource on Hans Gal Violin Concerti and Triptych- “Such transparent and highly-crafted scores are given superbly prepared performances… playing here is first-class, so too the quick-witted response of Northern Sinfonia under Kenneth Woods.” Classical CD Reviews on Hans Gal Violin Concerti and Triptych- “The performances and the recording are of a consistently high standard. The Northern Sinfonia …… are probably better than anything he ever heard in this country. But most importantly, both orchestra and conductor Kenneth Woods are sensitive to the lightness of the textures and always elegantly balance the soloist.” The Strad on Hans Gal Violin Concerti and Triptych- “committed performances… revels in the honesty of this music….perceptively fluid..The symphonic-scale Triptych for orchestra dates from 1970, but is written in a style that seems unchanged from the time of Mahler and Korngold, whose music the pieces resemble at times. The Sage Gateshead recording is warm and supportive.” MusicWeb International on Gal Triptych and Violin Concerti- “It has a serious sense of purpose without dourness. It has harmonic variety without abstruseness. It has rhythmic vitality without being overly complex. It has an immediate impact but is worthy of greater study. The presentation is exemplary with photos and examples of Gál’s neat manuscript work and wonderful performances. If from my descriptions the music seems to have an appeal then search out this CD out because if successful then I suspect more Gál might appear in the next few years.” FANFARE Magazine on Gal Violin Concerto and Triptych- “Woods phrases with distinction, and aims for clarity in Gál’s contrapuntal textures… plus the kind of open-hearted warmth this soaring music requires to make its case.” Musical Pointers on Hans Gal Violin Concerti and Triptych- “A splendid CD which should give pleasure and satisfaction to collectors and which deserves to feature on radio programmes everywhere.”
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