{"id":8282,"date":"2019-02-25T23:06:18","date_gmt":"2019-02-25T22:06:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/?post_type=product&p=8282"},"modified":"2023-02-06T12:34:26","modified_gmt":"2023-02-06T11:34:26","slug":"the-bobby-and-hans-four-pack","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/product\/the-bobby-and-hans-four-pack\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bobby and Hans Four-Pack"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>All four volumes of the acclaimed Avie Records series comprising the complete symphonies of Hans G\u00e1l and Robert Schumann, available, while supplies last, at a very special price!<\/p>\n

Vol. 1 – Schumann and G\u00e1l Third Symphonies<\/p>\n

Vol. 2 – Schumann Symphony no. 2 and G\u00e1l Symphony no. 4<\/p>\n

Vol. 3 – Schumann Symphony no. 4 and G\u00e1l Symphony no. 2<\/p>\n

Vol. 4 – Schumann and G\u00e1l First Symphonies<\/p>\n

\"Gramophone_EditorsChoice600\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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

Critical Reaction:<\/h2>\n

\u201c\u2026consummate craft in a mostly consonant, mellifluous style seemingly little touched by the great tragedies of the 20th century or his personal troubles\u2026Mr. Woods and the orchestra do a fine job of revealing the qualities of this peculiar master.\u201d<\/em>
\nJames R. Oestreich, The New York Times<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201ca wonderful outpouring, at once deeply personal and vividly outgoing. Energy and eloquence\u00a0combine for a score that simply stays fresh, thrilling and entrancing\u2026 Kenneth Woods and his willing band of Swans give a superb performance, lithe, neat, nimble, poetic (the glorious slow movement really touches the heart) and passionate. A chamber performance it may be, but there\u2019s no lack of power and passion when required and it\u2019s also a reading studded with detail \u2026.\u00a0Woods and Swan are right up there, charting this marvelous work with a very special dedication and insight.\u201d<\/em>
\nColin Anderson,\u00a0Classical Source<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat an exquisitely crafted piece Hans G\u00e1l\u2019s Fourth Symphony is\u2026\u00a0a work that succeeds splendidly on its own terms\u2026Another triumph then for Kenneth Woods and the Orchestra of the Swan.\u201d<\/em>
\nGavin Dixon,\u00a0Classical CD Reviews<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThroughout his career, G\u00e1l felt himself to be in the Brahmsian tradition, though his music seldom sounds particularly Brahmsian. Yet Brahms himself\u2013 usually so niggardly of praise for the efforts of the younger generation\u2014would surely have found warm words of admiration for G\u00e1l\u2019s Symphony no. 4\u2026Schumann\u2019s C major Symphony.. receives a first-rate performance.. with a wonderful sense of expansiveness and profound and delicate feeling in the slow movement\u201d<\/em>
\nInternational Record Review, Calum MacDonald<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWoods proves in this recording to be\u00a0a front rank conductor, capturing the\u00a0feeling of sorrow and compassion of\u00a0the symphony [G\u00e1l}. Woods has
\nseized on the essence of this\u00a0Schumann Symphony. His reading is\u00a0smooth, grand and exciting\u2026 one of the best recordings available. Highly
\nRecommended- five stars\u201d
\n<\/em>Zan Furtwangler,\u00a0Audiophile\u00a0Audition<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cDidn\u2019t you think it was very well-played? Because I don\u2019t think anyone\u00a0could do better than that\u201d
\n<\/em>Chris De Souza: BBC Radio 3 CD\u00a0Review<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cAll those many things going on form a coherent discourse in this performance\u00a0[Schumann] Another ingredient is how\u00a0they build fearlessly not only to one\u00a0climax but to an overall climax for the\u00a0whole work\u2026 truly poetic.. But let me\u00a0harp again on the divine madness \u2013 the insane glee, the visceral delight\u2026 like\u00a0any number of recordings of Bernstein\u00a0or Furtwangler\u2026 In this performance\u00a0the speed is not hectic but ecstatic.\u00a0YES! Divine madness, like this, must\u00a0be experienced. On top of this, you get \u00a0the Hans Gal Fourth, written in\u00a01975, when it would have seemed\u00a0\u201cbackward\u201d in idiom -ha! Give it a\u00a0chance: it will come to move you\u00a0deeply. And it\u2019s hard to imagine a\u00a0better performance. If my blog had a star system, this disc would certainly\u00a0get 5 of them.\u201d
\n<\/em>Musicologist Bernard D Sherman<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201d Woods continues his distinguished\u00a0G\u00e1l cycle recorded at Stratford-on-Avon\u2026a worthy endeavour, which\u00a0should keep the name and music of\u00a0holocaust survivor Hans G\u00e1l (1890-1987) before the public as long as\u00a0CDs continue to be bought\u2026\u201d
\n<\/em>Peter Grahame Woolf, Musical\u00a0Pointers<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cG\u00e1l is worth getting to know and the Swan does \u00a0it proud, giving also a\u00a0spruce and eloquent performance of\u00a0Schumann\u2019s Second. Four stars\u201d
\n<\/em>Geoffrey Norris, The Saturday\u00a0Telegraph<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cSchumann\u2019s C major symphony\u00a0shares the Gal\u2019s combative spirit, as it\u00a0was written in the 1840s when the composer was battling depression. In\u00a0his own words it represents the \u2018power of resistance of spirit\u2019. Woods\u00a0conducts it with profound romanticfeeling, the repeated statements never\u00a0repetitive, the conscious striving neverself-conscious. It may yet prove to be a\u00a0landmark\u2026\u201d
\n<\/em>Rick Jones, Words and Music<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u201cKenneth Woods draws crisply alert playing for the splendid Orchestra of the Swan\u2026 He is particularly good at controlling tempo changes precisely\u2026 highly recommendable.. He is just as sympathetic in the G\u00e1l symphony, making this a highly recommendable offering in this Avie series, beautifully recorded to bring out the benefits of performances on chamber scale\u201d<\/em>
\nEdward Greenfield, Gramophone<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cUnder Woods, the Orchestra of the Swan plays with magnetic conviction and unwavering technical assurance. There\u2019s an ardour and resolve here which leaves the listener in no doubt that these musicians and their conductor believe in the worth of every bar of this music and it would be hard not to remain gripped throughout this traversal. Plangent string textures and solo wind contributions of character and distinction show just how far the Orchestra of the Swan has progressed during the relatively short period of its existence and it plays with more involvement, commitment and individuality than some of its better known rivals. That includes the Northern Sinfonia under Zehetmair, whose more dutiful approach suggests that neither conductor nor players have much faith in the music. Beside the sharp-edged and ever-insightful conducting of Woods, who brings G\u00e1l\u2019s music fully to life with unfailing vividness and lucidity\u2026\u201d<\/em>
\nMichael Jameson, International Record Review<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAbove all, G\u00e1l develops his memorable material with the natural resourcefulness and sureness of purpose that are the hallmarks of a true symphonist. Kenneth Woods and the Orchestra of the Swan (which is based in Shakespeare\u2019s Stratford-upon-Avon) lend this radiant and substantial score the most eloquent and affecting advocacy, and go on to give a comparably accomplished and invigorating account of Schumann\u2019s masterly Fourth Symphony \u2013 a strikingly fresh-faced, spontaneous-sounding display, full of illuminating touches, personable warmth and genuine freshness of new discovery. Do investigate this bold, enormously rewarding coupling.\u201d<\/em>
\n\u2013Andrew Achenbach, Classical Ear<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\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\"\"<\/a><\/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

\u201cThis account is a joy to hear from start to exuberant finish, perfectly paced and superbly played\u2026 Very strongly recommended!\u201d
\n<\/em>Guy Rickards- Gramophone<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHis\u00a0Schumann\u00a0<\/a>is a revelation: transparent, graceful, melancholy, exquisitely romantic. He\u2019s comartistxcite.complemented by the symphonic opus of the Viennese expressionist\u00a0<\/em>Hans G\u00e1l<\/a>\u2026 \u00a0This album marks the finale of a four-album complete recording of\u00a0Schumann<\/a>\u2018s and G\u00e1l\u2019s symphonies. The final result may be the most compelling reawakening of Schumann in the last decades \u2013 and simultaneously a long-overdue vindication of Hans G\u00e1l.\u201d \u00a0<\/em>
\nRainer Aschemaier-\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0artistxcite.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNot one but two Schumann Spring Symphonies hove into earshot. Kenneth Woods and the Orchestra of the Swan versus Yannick Nezet-Seguin and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Woods wins it. One needs express no surprise when the committed outfit with its own conductor beats the prestige youngsters under the rising star jet-setter.\u00a0 The Woods performance is tighter, rhythmically crisper, richer in contrasts, more characterful and always closer to the composer\u2019s wishes. \u201d
\n<\/em>Rick Jones- Words and Music<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI would find it hard to imagine anyone handling it any better than Woods, nor any orchestra playing it with more accuracy and enthusiasm.\u201d<\/em>
\nJohn Puccio, Classical Candor<\/strong><\/p>\n