performed by the Berlin Philharmonic under Seiji Ozawa, or below by the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra under Valery Gergiev Now we are rejoicing in our great victory, but each of us has wounds that cannot be healed. One has lost those … Continue reading Prokofiev Symphony no. 6 in E flat minor, op. 111
performed by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under Mariss Jansons, or below by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under Neeme Järvi (cover image by Michal Dolnik) Thankfully, we have now arrived at uncontested, overwhelming greatness in Shostakovich’s symphonic output. Not … Continue reading Shostakovich Symphony no. 4 in Cm, op. 43
performed by the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra under Gennady Provatorov (cover image by Johannes Plenio) Gavriil Nikolayevich Popov was born on September 12, 1904. He studied with Leonid Nikolayev, Vladimir Shcherbakov, and Maximilian Steinberg (rival of Stravinsky who married the … Continue reading Gavriil Popov: Symphony no. 1, op. 7
performed by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and Chorus under Neeme Järvi, or below by the Orchestra of the USSR Ministry of Culture and the Russian State Academic Choir Cappella under Gennady Rozhdestvensky (cover image by Paul Morris) …whereas in October, the … Continue reading Shostakovich Symphony no. 3 in E flat, op. 20, ‘The First of May’
performed by the Berlin Philharmonic under Seiji Ozawa, or below by the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra under Valery Gergiev (cover image by Ian Baldwin) Next is the third symphonies of both composers, and again, Prokofiev comes out in a much better … Continue reading Prokofiev Symphony no. 3 in Cm, op. 44
performed by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and Chorus under Neeme Järvi, or as below with the WDR Radio Chorus and WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne under Rudolf Barshai (cover image by Taton Moïse) [O]ne is tempted simply to cut it off … Continue reading Shostakovich Symphony no. 2 in B, op. 14, ‘To October’
performed by the Berlin Philharmonic under Seiji Ozawa, or below by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under Neeme Järvi (cover image by Johannes Plenio) I have made the music so complex to such an extent that when I listen to … Continue reading Prokofiev Symphony no. 2 in Dm, op. 40
performed by The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Josef Krips, or below by the Academy of Ancient Music under Christopher Hogwood (cover image by Grant Ritchie) Here we are with our last Mozart symphony for a while. The 30th was written … Continue reading Mozart Symphony no. 30 in D, K. 202
performed by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Josef Krips, or below with the Academy of Ancient Music under Christopher Hogwood (cover image by Dawid Zawila) Did you expect anything else? Mozart’s 29th symphony, in contrast with the previously numbered work, does have … Continue reading Mozart Symphony no. 29 in A, K. 201
performed by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Josef Krips, or below by The Academy of Ancient Music under Christopher Hogwood (cover image by Dawid Zawila) Here we are with the next in that little set of four symphonies we started … Continue reading Mozart Symphony no. 28 in C, K. 200
performed by Josef Krips and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, or below by The Academy of Ancient Music under Christopher Hogwood (cover image by Aneta Pawlik) For today’s symphony, we jump back to 1773, a few years before some of the pieces … Continue reading Mozart Symphony no. 27 in G, K. 199
performed by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields under Sir Neville Marriner, or below by The Academy of Ancient Music under Christopher Hogwood (cover image by Neven Krcmarek) We’re already at symphony no. 26, and have another nine to discuss … Continue reading Mozart Symphony no. 26 in E flat, K. 184
performed by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields under Sir Neville Marriner, or below by the Concentus Musicus Wien under Nikolaus Harnoncourt (cover image by Simon Matzinger) This is the one, already more than halfway through Mozart’s numbered … Continue reading Mozart Symphony no. 25 in Gm, K. 183
performed by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Josef Krips, or The Academy of Ancient Music under Christopher Hogwood (cover image by Brooke Lark) We’re still in 1773, Mozart’s year of climbing toward greatness. The piece was dated October 3, 1773. The … Continue reading Mozart Symphony no. 24 in B flat, K. 182
performed by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Josef Krips, or below with The Academy of Ancient Music under Christopher Hogwood (cover image by Lucija Ros) The 23rd symphony was written only a month or so later than the previous work. … Continue reading Mozart Symphony no. 23 in D, K. 181
performed by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Josef Krips, or below by The Academy of Ancient Music under Christopher Hogwood (cover image by Federico Respini) Well here we are with a Mozart symphony, for the first time in a while, … Continue reading Mozart Symphony no. 22 in C, K. 162
performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under Vernon Handley, available on iTunes or Hyperion (cover image by Robson Hatsukami Morgan) Simpson’s fourth symphony is a wonderful piece, which is an understatement, and probably one of his most famous, most recorded, … Continue reading Simpson Symphony no. 4
Symphonic Dialogue for percussion and orchestra performed by Gert Mortensen and the Malmö Symphony Orchestra under Okko Kamu, available on Spotify (cover image by Gerald Berliner) Full disclosure: I’m not entirely sure what makes this a symphony and not a … Continue reading Sallinen Symphony no. 2, op. 29
performed by the Cape Town Philharmonic under Owain Arwel Hughes, available on Spotify (cover image by Serge Kutuzov) Strong arguments exist both for and against publishing works that composers either themselves decided not to publish or later withdrew (or perhaps … Continue reading Schnittke Symphony no. 0
performed by the Berlin Philharmonic under the composer’s baton, or below by the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin under Marek Janowski …music for a winter’s day, utterly grey and gloomy. Henze, of his second symphony (cover image by Cesare Burei) What would your struggle … Continue reading Henze Symphony no. 2
performed by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra under Thord Svedlund I am a pupil of Shostakovich. Although I never took lessons from him, I count myself as his pupil, his flesh and blood. Weinberg (cover image by Brian McMahon) Mieczysław Weinberg’s first … Continue reading Weinberg Symphony no. 1 in Gm, op. 10
Fugue for Thought 