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Dundonnell
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« Reply #1 on: March 20, 2018, 02:09:12 pm » |
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Now this is interesting I had got the impression that Frommel's reputation was not such as to suggest any recordings of his music...yet here is this new disc.
The world is full of surprises
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Dundonnell
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« Reply #2 on: March 20, 2018, 05:59:59 pm » |
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Frommel wrote two symphonies but No.1 (1939) is the bigger one; No.2 is for small orchestra.
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Gauk
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« Reply #3 on: March 24, 2018, 11:43:29 am » |
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I think No 2 is in our downloads section; I will be interested to hear No 1. I think all his piano sonatas are now available, also.
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Holger
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« Reply #4 on: March 24, 2018, 01:56:08 pm » |
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Now this is interesting I had got the impression that Frommel's reputation was not such as to suggest any recordings of his music...yet here is this new disc.
The world is full of surprises
Colin, it is true that a recording of Frommel's orchestral music is something of a (pleasant) surprise. On the other hand, it should be noted that Frommel has never been totally forgotten. There is a disc from the late 1990s with some chamber music, moreover all of his piano sonatas have been recorded (some of them even multiple times), and just a few years ago his Symphonic Prologue has been played in concert. I also think his large cantata "Herbstfeier" has been performed not so very long time ago. Anyway, his First Symphony is a great work, I am glad it has finally made its way onto CD. I have already preordered my copy from jpc. |
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Dundonnell
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« Reply #5 on: March 24, 2018, 05:09:32 pm » |
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If I recall correctly there was a viciously negative review on Musicweb of an instrumental disc of music by Frommel. The reviewer-as happens not infrequently of course- seemed to have decided that since the composer was able to performed in the Germany of the 1930s he was thereby without merit.
There are many composers with whom I would not care to share dinner, whose personalities, interests or views I might find abhorrent but I am, quite frankly, more interested in their music not their characters.
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Dundonnell
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« Reply #6 on: May 12, 2018, 02:00:28 pm » |
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Having listened to the new Capriccio cd of Gerhard Frommel's Symphony No.1 (admittedly but once) I would not describe it as "a great work" but it is certainly a worthy representative of the German symphonic tradition which (largely but not entirely) died out with Hans Pfitzner. It is in considerable thrall, first to Bruckner and then to Max Reger. I can understand why it would have appealed to Furtwangler-who gave the first performance in Berlin in 1942. It does not deserve total neglect and it is a boldly expansive first symphony (and last symphony for full orchestra) of a young man in his early thirties in the Germany of his time. It is certainly not earth-shattering and gives no real indication that Frommel would ever have graduated to the ranks of the greatest German composers but it is a solid and worthy representative of the tradition to which it very much adheres.
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Toby Esterhase
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« Reply #7 on: May 12, 2018, 02:38:50 pm » |
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Having listened to the new Capriccio cd of Gerhard Frommel's Symphony No.1 (admittedly but once) I would not describe it as "a great work" but it is certainly a worthy representative of the German symphonic tradition which (largely but not entirely) died out with Hans Pfitzner. It is in considerable thrall, first to Bruckner and then to Max Reger. I can understand why it would have appealed to Furtwangler-who gave the first performance in Berlin in 1942. It does not deserve total neglect and it is a boldly expansive first symphony (and last symphony for full orchestra) of a young man in his early thirties in the Germany of his time. It is certainly not earth-shattering and gives no real indication that Frommel would ever have graduated to the ranks of the greatest German composers but it is a solid and worthy representative of the tradition to which it very much adheres.
Dear Dundonnel I agree .It isn't a masterwork but perfomance is quite good (Jena Symphony plays well)also if orchestration is too massive .I would prefer of coheval Karl Holler,or Theodor Berger, Homerische Sinfonie Best |
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Dundonnell
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« Reply #8 on: May 12, 2018, 03:23:21 pm » |
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I agree about the performance. I cannot imagine a more committed reading - further evidence of just how good the provincial German orchestras are!!
Actually, on second hearing, the work is making more appeal to me. It could do with pruning down in length and is too heavily orchestrated but it has a confidence and conviction which is attractive.
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