{"id":3385,"date":"2011-09-17T17:18:02","date_gmt":"2011-09-17T16:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/?p=3385"},"modified":"2011-09-17T17:18:02","modified_gmt":"2011-09-17T16:18:02","slug":"the-arts-desk-on-bobby-and-hans-vol-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/2011\/09\/17\/the-arts-desk-on-bobby-and-hans-vol-1\/","title":{"rendered":"The Arts Desk on Bobby and Hans vol. 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new review of Bobby and Hans vol. 1 at theartsdesk.com<\/a>. Critic Graham Rickson chooses Schumann and Gal’s 3rd Symphonies with Orchestra of the Swan as one of the Arts Desk CD’s of the Week. Read the whole thing here.<\/a><\/p>\n

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Get your copy direct from Avie<\/a><\/p>\n

Download from iTunes<\/a><\/p>\n

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short sample follows:<\/p>\n

“His Third Symphony was completed in 1952 and has lain dormant for 55 years.\u00a0Hopelessly anachronistic, it glances wistfully back at the world which G\u00e1l had left behind; the music of an exotic emigr\u00e9 marooned in rainy post-war Edinburgh.<\/p>\n

G\u00e1l\u2019s impassioned, well-crafted late romanticism is readily accessible and quietly moving – there\u2019s a lot to enjoy here. He\u2019s good at subtle transitions \u2013 the way that the delicious opening melody segues into the first movement\u2019s more agitated fast section, and its brilliant, ghostly close. Only the Finale left me baffled, with a stentorian opening quickly yielding to a triumphant ending which feels a little too easily achieved. It\u2019s nicely played by Stratford-upon-Avon\u2019s Orchestra of the Swan under Kenneth Woods, who are up against stiffer, famous-name competition in Schumann\u2019s Rhenish Symphony.<\/p>\n

In this brilliant, exuberant work, Woods takes full advantage of his orchestra\u2019s modest size, choosing swift speeds and enjoying well-articulated string playing. The Scherzo has an appealing village band feel, and Wood\u2019s trombones in the stark contrapuntal fourth movement are faultless. The same material\u2019s major key reprise in the last movement is a great moment, prefiguring the brassy chorales heard at the end of Brahms\u2019s First and Mahler\u2019s Fifth.”<\/p>\n

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.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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