performed by Catherine Collard (piano), and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France under Marek Janowski (cover image by Paul Morris) In spite of [d’Indy’s] conscious professionalism, one side of him remained a patriarchal countryman, with something of the air of … Continue reading Vincent d’Indy: Symphonie sur un chant montagnard français
performed by the Concertgebouw Orchestra under Bernard Haitink (cover image by Gaetano Cessati) Georges Bizet was born on 25 October, 1838 in Paris as Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, but baptized as Georges. His father was a hairdresser and wig maker … Continue reading Georges Bizet: Symphony in C
performed by the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana under Oleg Caetani, or below by the Orchestra of St. John’s under John Lubbock (cover image by Chris Barbalis) Charles-François Gounod was born on 17 June, 1818 in Paris. His mother was a … Continue reading Charles Gounod: Symphony no. 2 in E-flat
performed by the Orchestre de Bretagne under Stefan Sanderling https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up8MVoFOheU (cover image by Luca Bravo) Jeanne-Louise Dumont was born 31 May 1804 in Paris to a sculptor, Jacques-Edme, and his wife, and made for herself an impressive career, for anyone, … Continue reading Louise Farrenc: Symphony no. 1 in Cm, op. 32
performed by The Orchestra Of The Gulbenkian Foundation under Michel Swierczewski [Méhul] was convinced that musical expressiveness is a lovely flower, delicate and rare, of exquisite fragrance, which does not bloom without culture, and which a breath can wither; that … Continue reading Étienne-Nicolas Méhul: Symphony no. 1 in Gm
performed by the Orchestre Chambre de Versailles under Bernard Wahl (available on Spotify), or below by the Tafelmusik Orchestra under Jeanne Lamon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKlmXZzKzFI (cover image by Rachel Lynette French) About six years after the quartet we discussed Sunday comes the composer’s … Continue reading Chevalier de Saint-Georges Symphony no. 1 in G, op. 11
performed by the Concerto Köln under Werner Ehrhardt, or below, in a mislabeled video that is actually the first movement of this work, and probably the same recording (cover image by Denis Larose) François-Joseph Gossec was born on 17 January … Continue reading François-Joseph Gossec: Symphony in D, op. 13 no. 3 ‘La Chasse’
performed by the Seattle Symphony under Gerard Schwarz, first movement below (also available on Spotify) Dimitri Mitropoulos loved it. Koussevitzky premiered it. The critics compared it to contemporary works by Shostakovich. In its time, the Symphony No. 2 of David Diamond was one of the acknowledged … Continue reading Diamond Symphony no. 2
performed by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Stig Westerberg in a performance that is no longer on YouTube, or anywhere else, it seems (cover image by Caleb Woods) As I said, we’re back to Rosenberg for the next installment of … Continue reading Rosenberg Symphony no. 1, op. 5
performed by the Berlin Philharmonic under Sir Simon Rattle, or as below with the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique under Sir John Eliot Gardiner https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg-gLhGxpV8 (cover image by Terry Tan De Hao) Okay, all you lovers of a good subtitle, here we … Continue reading Beethoven Symphony no. 6 in F, op. 68 ‘Pastoral’
performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Carl Maria Giulini (cover image by Tao Wen) 600 Well, here we are, my 600th music post. For my long-time readers, I’m sure you’re both tired of hearing me explain how not ALL … Continue reading Mahler Symphony no. 9
performed by the Hamburg Philharmonic under Simone Young, or as below with the Vienna Philharmonic under Carl Maria Giulini https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kozfBnLiIUI (cover image by Fábio Ferreira) Bruckner’s seventh symphony, one of his most famous and successful, was written between 1881 and … Continue reading Bruckner Symphony No. 7 in E, WAB 107
performed by The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields under the late Sir Neville Marriner, or in a superb recording with the Vienna Philharmonic under István Kertész (cover image by Patrick Baum) It’s also been a while since we’ve … Continue reading Schubert Symphony no. 6 in C, D. 589
preformed by the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra under Mariss Jansons, or below by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Vladimir Ashkenazy It is the creation of a genial mind laboring in a field well known and loved by it, but not … Continue reading Revisit: Rachmaninoff Symphony no. 3 in A minor, op. 44
performed by the New Philharmonia Orchestra under Riccardo Muti, or in a superb recording by the Oslo Philharmonic under Mariss Jansons (cover image by Serge Kutuzov) It’s been a while since we’ve seen any Tchaikovsky (a little over a year) and even … Continue reading Tchaikovsky Symphony no. 2 in Cm, op. 17 ‘Little Russian’
performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under Vernon Handley (Very unfortunately no YouTube today, but if you have even the slightest inkling of interest, go buy this album, on which also appears the fourth symphony. It’s superb.) (cover image by Abigail … Continue reading Simpson Symphony no. 2
performed by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra under Sergiu Celibidache (cover image by Eberhard Grossgasteiger) Its themes are exceptionally beautiful, its harmony has moments of both boldness and subtlety, its instrumentation is the most imaginative he [Bruckner] had yet achieved, and it possesses a mastery … Continue reading Revisit: Bruckner Symphony no. 6 in A, WAB 106
performed by the Hamburg Philharmonic under Simone Young, or below with a second favorite, the Saarbrücken Radio Symphony under Stanisław Skrowaczewski (cover image by Cassie Boca) Back to Bruckner. He’s a link between Beethoven and the next composer we’ll be … Continue reading Bruckner Symphony no. 5 in B-flat, WAB 105
performed by the Berlin Philharmonic under the composer’s baton If music were a part of man’s everyday life, as it should be, there would certainly be less aggression and much more equality and love on Earth; for music is a … Continue reading Hans Werner Henze: Symphony no. 1
performed by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra under Leif Segerstam, or below by the USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra under Gennady Rozhdestvensky While composing the symphony for four years, I simultaneously worked on the music to M. Romm‘s film I Believe…. … Continue reading Schnittke Symphony no. 1
performed by the Rheinland-Pfalz State Philharmonic Orchestra under Ari Rasilainen (cover image by Teodor Drobota) Aulis Heikki Sallinen was born on April 9, 1935 in Salmi, in the Republic of Karelia, a federal subject of Russia. His family moved around a number … Continue reading Aulis Sallinen: Symphony no. 1, op. 24
Fugue for Thought 