{"id":6334,"date":"2014-08-13T00:40:46","date_gmt":"2014-08-12T23:40:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/?post_type=product&p=6334"},"modified":"2016-01-09T00:41:59","modified_gmt":"2016-01-08T23:41:59","slug":"hans-gal-and-robert-schumann-third-symphonies","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/product\/hans-gal-and-robert-schumann-third-symphonies\/","title":{"rendered":"Hans G\u00e1l and Robert Schumann- Third Symphonies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hans G\u00e1l (1890-1987)<\/strong>
\nSymphony no. 3, opus 62<\/p>\n

Robert Schumann (1810-1856)<\/strong>
\nSymphony no. 3 in E-flat Major, opus 97<\/p>\n

Orchestra of the Swan<\/strong><\/p>\n

Recorded December 6-7, 2010, Civic Hall, Stratford-upon-Avon
\nProduced, engineered and edited by Simon Fox-Gal
\nReleased June 2011
\nAvie Records (AV2230)<\/p>\n

For more details, please go to the Bobby\u00a0and Hans home page.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Avie continues to bring to light the music of Hans G\u00e1l \u2013 “music well worth championing,” according to The Sunday Times (London) \u2013 with the world premiere recording of the Third Symphony conducted by committed advocate, American conductor Kenneth Woods with the enterprising Stratford-based Orchestra of the Swan. Written in the post-war years, after the “continental Briton” had settled in Edinburgh, the work ranges from lyrical tranquillity to a densely contrapuntal and rhythmically complex style. G\u00e1l’s compositional pedigree is strongly linked to the Austro-German tradition going back to the 18th century Viennese classical masters. The pairing of Schumann’s Third Symphony is appropriate, presenting G\u00e1l’s music alongside symphonic repertoire that represents its roots and core values. Woods made headlines with his first recording of G\u00e1l’s music on Avie with orchestral and concertante works conducting Northern Sinfonia (AV2146). Here he conducts Orchestra of the Swan, where he is Principal Guest Conductor, in the first of a projected cycle of all four of Hans G\u00e1l’s symphonies. Personnel: Orchestra of the Swan, Kenneth Woods (conductor) Critical acclaim: “Gloriously tuneful late-Romantic masterworks \u2026 music that compels attention.” \u2013 Gramophone “Highly polished account, with orchestral playing throughout most assured.” \u2013 Gramophone “Music well worth championing…plenty of rich tonal harmony and adventurous harmonic excursion, together with a ripe sense of the lyrical.” \u2013 The Sunday Times<\/p>\n

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\n<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u201cstructural genius\u2026 contrapuntal\u00a0mastery\u2026committed\u00a0performance\u2026splendid sound, warmly\u00a0recommended.\u201d
\n<\/em>Gramophone<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBest Recording of 2011\u2033<\/em>
\nEverything but the Music<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cTop Ten Classical CD\u2019s of 2011-<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThe 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\u2019ve suffered through\u2026 It\u2019s an awesome CD, folks.\u201d<\/em>
\nBernard D. Sherman<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBest Classical Recordings of 2011\u2033<\/em>
\nWFMT-Chicago<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201dWoods shows his luminous interpretive vision in the Schumann,\u00a0which blasts away the cobwebs of \u00a0the\u00a0composer\u2019s reputation as a dull,\u00a0borderline inept, orchestrator. As\u00a0Schumann\u2019s final of four works in the\u00a0symphonic idiom, Op. 97 is \u00a0full of\u00a0energy and inspiration. Never has the\u00a0outline of Schumann\u2019s composition\u00a0been clearer. Woods shapes\u00a0exemplary phrasing from Orchestra of\u00a0the Swan; the clarity does not amount\u00a0to some kind of antiseptic dissection,\u00a0but something more at the opposite\u00a0extreme: a new lease on life for a\u00a0familiar masterwork.\u201d
\n<\/em>Indianapolis Star<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cG\u00e1l is truly worth rediscovering ;\u00a0Woods\u2019s recording project for Avie has\u00a0intrigued and delighted me and I\u2019m only left wanting more.\u201d
\n<\/em>Classic FM Magazine<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201c\u201can excellent disc\u2026a substantial work,\u00a0deeply felt and deeply\u00a0thought\u2026obvious empathy and\u00a0understanding..with admirable clarity of\u00a0texture and finely honed\u00a0musicianship\u2026 could hardly be\u00a0bettered\u201d
\n<\/em>International Record Review<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe \u2018Rhenish\u2019 Symphony is given a\u00a0superb outing, gloriously joyous in the\u00a0outer movements, exuberant without being pushed, and also generously\u00a0lyrical when needed, not least in the triptych of middle movements,\u00a0beautifully phrased and sounded,\u00a0breathing and shapely, sensitively\u00a0addressed and lovingly detailed\u2026 . As for alternative recordings of the\u00a0\u2018Rhenish\u2019, Woods holds his own\u00a0against such wonders as Sawallisch\u00a0(<\/em>Dresden<\/em>\u00a0rather than\u00a0<\/em>Philadelphia<\/em>), Celibidache (<\/em>Munich<\/em>), Giulini\u00a0(Chicago) and immediately becomes a favourite for this delectable work. \u201d
\n<\/em>Classical Source<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cG\u00e1l\u2019s impassioned, well-crafted late\u00a0romanticism is readily accessible and\u00a0quietly moving \u2013 there\u2019s a lot to enjoy here. He\u2019s good at subtle transitions \u2013\u00a0the way that the delicious opening\u00a0melody segues into the first movement\u2019s more agitated fast section, and its brilliant, ghostly close\u2026brilliant,\u00a0exuberant work\u201d
\n<\/em>The Arts Desk<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201dGal\u2019s Third Symphony is written for a relatively small ensemble, but it makes\u00a0the most of the limited orchestral\u00a0resources, giving every player a real\u00a0workout\u2026. \u00a0and all rise to the\u00a0challenge magnificently\u2026 Woods\u00a0knows that his woodwind soloists can give him all the emotion the music\u00a0needs, without him having to pull the\u00a0tempos around, and they more than\u00a0repay his trust\u2026..
\n<\/em>Classical CD Reviews<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cA first recording shouldn\u2019t be a swansong, but Orchestra of the Swan really\u00a0does sing for Woods, in long, arching\u00a0melodic lines, G\u00e1l\u2019s writing favouring\u00a0the woodwinds especially.\u201d
\n<\/em>The Classical Review<\/strong><\/p>\n

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