{"id":3065,"date":"2011-07-13T12:45:40","date_gmt":"2011-07-13T11:45:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/?p=3065"},"modified":"2011-07-21T22:46:11","modified_gmt":"2011-07-21T21:46:11","slug":"cd-review-international-record-review-on-galschumann-3rd-symphonies-bobby-and-hans-vol-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/2011\/07\/13\/cd-review-international-record-review-on-galschumann-3rd-symphonies-bobby-and-hans-vol-1\/","title":{"rendered":"CD Review: International Record Review on Gal\/Schumann 3rd Symphonies (Bobby and Hans vol. 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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International Record Review<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0magazine has a great review in their July issue from critic Calum (aka Malcolm) MacDonald<\/a>\u00a0of the new Orchestra of the Swan<\/a> recording of the Third Symphonies of Robert Schumann and Hans Gal on Avie Records<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Calling it an “excellent disc,”<\/strong><\/em> MacDonald describes the \u00a0G\u00e1l 3rd<\/sup> Symphony as \u201ca substantial work, deeply felt and deeply thought.\u201d<\/strong><\/em> To his credit, MacDonald recognized that G\u00e1l\u2019s music can be \u201cdeceptively easy on the ear,\u201d<\/strong><\/em> and allowed himself several listens to get to know the piece. After reflection, he writes: \u201cDeeply imbued in the Viennese symphonic lineage from Hadyn to Mahler, the work affects a stance of serene neo-Classicism, but actually is full of disquiet, doubt, and, probably, of well-disguised grief. These darker undercurrents are all to be sensed in the half-lights, the elegant reticences, the persistent play between major and minor: the latter continually imparting a chill, a sere impediment to the songful, lyrical serenade-like character that the music seems to want to assume.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

MacDonald obviously enjoyed the performances as well as the repertoire, \u00a0the G\u00e1l conducted with \u201cobvious empathy and understanding,\u201d<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0and the Orchestra of the Swan playing throughout \u201cwith admirable clarity of texture and finely honed musicianship.\u201d<\/strong><\/em> He says the recording of the G\u00e1l \u201ccould hardly be bettered,\u201d<\/strong><\/em> and that, amidst tough competition from the likes of Gardiner, Giullini and Muuti, the Schumann is \u201ca fresh-sounding, highly recommendable performance that makes an excellent foil for G\u00e1l\u2019s No. 3, and reminds us how intimately G\u00e1l was bound up with the Austro-German symphonic tradition. With first-rate recording throughout, too, this is a very welcome release.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

UPDATE- Mr MacDonald mentions the size of the orchestra for the Schumann in his review. You can see a full listing of the musicians on the disc here<\/a>. 44 players played on the Schumann, 45 on the Gal. That’s very slightly larger than Schumann’s own orchestra in Dusseldorf, and slightly smaller than the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig at that time, where most of his orchestral music was first performed, often under Mendelssohn’s baton.<\/p>\n

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Click here to buy direct from Avie<\/a>, here to buy from Presto Classical<\/a>, here for Amazon.<\/p>\n

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You can subscribe to International Record Review here.<\/a>\u00a0Complete review follows:<\/p>\n

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