Dohnanyi: Symphony No1

Editorial Reviews
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Was it really necessary to dredge up this dreary specimen of pseudo- Brahmsian late Romanticism? Dohnányi had already written more worthwhile (if equally Brahmsian) music than this--like his Piano Quintet No. 1, op. 1--by the time he composed this symphony at age 23. Perhaps he was intimidated by the task of taking on an orchestra for the first time. At any rate, his themes are so unmemorable here that we wonder why the orchestra is going on about them so in the developments. It's like having a vigorous conversation about the weather. The performance sounds decent enough, if it matters. --Leslie Gerber

Dohnanyi: Symphony No1, Music, Ernst von Dohnanyi, Leon Botstein, 20th/21st Century Symphony, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Orchestral & Symphonic, Symphonic

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Dohnányi's First-Rate Late Romantic First Symphony

An Ultimately compelling work passionately performed.

Dohnanyi: Symphony No1

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dohnányi, Ernö von | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000009D6I
Release Date: 1998-07-28

Tracks:

I. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
II. Molto Adagio
III. Scherzo (Presto)
IV. Intermezzo (Andante Con Moto)
V. Finale (Introduzione, Tema Con Variazione E Fuga)

Amazon.com

Was it really necessary to dredge up this dreary specimen of pseudo- Brahmsian late Romanticism? Dohnányi had already written more worthwhile (if equally Brahmsian) music than this--like his Piano Quintet No. 1, op. 1--by the time he composed this symphony at age 23. Perhaps he was intimidated by the task of taking on an orchestra for the first time. At any rate, his themes are so unmemorable here that we wonder why the orchestra is going on about them so in the developments. It's like having a vigorous conversation about the weather. The performance sounds decent enough, if it matters. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Dohnányi's First-Rate Late Romantic First Symphony.......2005-01-05

Ernst von Dohnányi (1877-1960, originally called Dohnányi Ernö in his native Hungary) wrote only two symphonies and they were separated by more than fifty years in a long and extraordinarily busy and peripatetic life. This first symphony, his Opus 9 written in 1900 when he was only 23, shows mature mastery of compositional skills. Indeed, his Op. 1 Piano Quintet, written five years earlier at eighteen, caught the attention of Brahms who arranged for its première in Vienna. Even though called Opus 1, the Piano Quintet was actually the sixty-eighth completed composition by the young composer, who had shown promise at a very early age. Added to that were his virtuosic abilities as a pianist; in his early years it was his piano playing that brought him the most attention. In the Symphony one hears traces of Strauss, Bruckner, Brahms, Mahler, even Tchaikovsky who were, after all, near-contemporaries and certainly their music was the new music of the era. The opening horn call in movement I could have come from a Bruckner symphony. Still, Dohnányi had developed what was to be his own style by this early age and once one is exposed to very much of it one comes to recognize his musical fingerprints. A mastery of late Romantic counterpoint, incorporation of Hungarian Gypsy rhythms and harmonies, a tendency to write improvisatory-sounding passages that turn out eventually to be used classically, a fondness for pedal points, a penchant for middle-register melodies on the viola, cello, or English horn, and an idiosyncratic formal sense are all features of his style. Yet this cursory description does not really encompass all there is in his style. One has to hear it enough for it to become 'natural' as one does with, say, Mahler or Sibelius, and then it becomes recognizable within a few bars.

Dohnányi was the first major Hungarian symphonist after Liszt (and one has to wonder why Liszt called his two efforts symphonies, but that's for another day). He was a classmate of Bartók. He was involved in the regularization of music education in his country, became head of the conservatoire in Budapest, but eventually emigrated to the United States where he served long and productively in the school of music at Florida State University. And he was the grandfather of the conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra, Christoph von Dohnanyi.

The form of the First Symphony is unusual and may be unique for its time. It is in five movements and contains two slow movements bracketing a presto Scherzo of feral intensity. It's as if Dohnányi knew that the central movement was so intense it needed 'cooler' music both before and after it. Further, the two slow movements (Molto adagio, and Andante con moto) share thematic elements. One could even say that the three inner movements comprise a large, loosely organized mega-movement positioned between the large and dramatic first movement and finale, which is glorious theme and variations that concludes with a big fugue. Understood this way we have I at 14 minutes, II, III & IV totalling 20 minutes, and the Finale at 17 minutes. Managing music of this time-frame is quite an accomplishment for such a young composer, particularly since there is little extraneous fat that one could trim from it.

Movement I is the most Brucknerian of the symphony (and for me, if there is a weakest movement, this is it, not because it doesn't have magnificent moments, but because it is the most nearly derivative of the five). Still, there are wonderful horn calls, a melting second subject in the violas, and some stirring march elements. Movement II is graced by a gorgeous English horn solo that recurs throughout and is played beautifully here by the LPO's Sue Bohling. There are some interruptions with Hungarian Gypsy band echoes along the way that ultimately lead back to the English horn theme taken up with almost Rachmaninovian swooning by the violins, but these little detours do set us up for the emotionally over the top and sometimes sardonic movement III.

Movement III could be considered the largest 'interruption' within the overall conception of this 'mega-movement' I've described. Only five minutes long, it takes off with Berliozian ferocity but is cooled down by a short lyrical but three-legged waltz in 5/4 that is then quickly blown away by the return, even more fiercely, of the opening material. This leads to a raw peasant chorale in the brass and percussion that gets more and more frantic before the recapitulation of the opening theme in etiolated orchestration, one last appearance of the 5/4 waltz, and then a build-up to a huge crescendo and an ending in a flash of fire and brimstone.

The brief second slow movement (Movement IV, subtitled 'Intermezzo') is essentially a song movement with one of Dohnányi's characteristically wrenchingly beautiful viola melodies (a rhythmically varied recurrence of II's English horn theme) played with elegance and passion by principal violist Norbert Blume accompanied by pizzicato strings.

V, Tema con variazione e Fuga, sets one up to expect Brahmsian procedures and indeed there is some of that particularly in the harmonic warmth and some elements of the orchestration along the way, but beyond that this is a very complex and un-Brahmsian theme with irregular phrase lengths and unexpected harmonies which Dohnányi complicates further by constant modulation. Frankly, if I had to compare it to anyone else it would be with what encounters at times in Elgar, particularly his 'Falstaff'! (Interesting side-note: The première of this symphony occurred in January 1902 in Manchester with the Hungarian conductor Hans Richter leading his Hallé Orchestra. Could Elgar have been there to hear it? Someone else will have to answer that; I simply don't know.) The fugue is a masterful summing up of both the variations wrought on the theme of this movement, and of the entire symphony.

There has been a previous recording of this symphony led by Matthias Bamert (on Chandos). I've not heard that recording. I agree with the present conductor, Leon Botstein, who asserts that this is a 'fantastic and compelling piece of music' and that it 'deserves to be part of the orchestral repertory.' His and the LPO's performance is 'fantastic and compelling.' Telarc has given them their usual fine sound.

Strongly recommended.

Scott Morrison

An Ultimately compelling work passionately performed........1999-04-25

In terms of a First symphony being the establishment of a recognizable voice of a respective country, Ernst Von Dohnanyi (1877-1960) was an Hungarian equivalent to England's Sir Edward Elgar. Dohnanyi, however, was a little-known, overshadowed force of 20th Century Hungarian music, largely due to the popularities of both Bela Bartok & Zoltan Kodaly. His works, especially his two symphonies, therefore suffered from obscurity. But, here comes the rescue, at least in part. Leon Botstein & the London Philharmonic brought the First symphony from the coldness of obscurity with this Telarc recording. It's rival Chandos recording, released in March of 1999, featured Mathias Bamert & the BBC Philharmonic. Bamert's view of this highly convincing score brings its own rewarding virtues (the coda of the finale is hair-raising). But, Botstein packs a more powerful punch and his overall approach is splendid. I hope to see more recordings of this work, though the aforementioned albums will do just fine.

I'm tempting to call this symphony a masterpiece. It is essentially the first Hungarian symphony in the matter of importance in Hungarian music, very much like the first symphonies of Elgar or Charles Ives (of Great Britain and the Unted States respectively). The work, with its Brucknerian beginning, have traceable influences of Brahms and Dvorak in expressionism while the orchestration is rather "Wagnerian." Hungarian/Gypsy folktunes are of prevelence throughout the work however & this is highly an assured, communicative work.

The first movement is heroic, powerful, & noble. The second movement is beautiful, peaceful, & mystical, with the virtuosic flute & harp phrasings which remind one of Kodaly's Peacock Variations (Variation XIV). The Third movement evokes a rather Lisztian rhapsody which is ultimately powerful & energetic while the fourth movement is meditative and serene. The finale is to me the most compelling of the symphony; with the return of the same heroics & drama that predominates the First movement. It begins in a stormy fashion (which reminds one of Variation XVI of Kodaly's Peacock Variations) with the brass & strings heavily sonorous before the timpani enters, march, pompous like in fashion. The last movement is in variations & the music intensifies towards the end, with its closing proud, triumphant, & resounding.

The performance of the London Philharmonic under Leon Botstein was extremely well done. Nothing but utmost commitment, sympathy, excitment, & conviction are all noticeable & prevelent. The performance demonstrated, and clearly so, the admiration of the symphony, and of Dohnanyi. It is indeed a model performance, & can never be under-ranked in comparison to it's current rival recording under Chandos recording label or it's future rivals, whomever they may be.

As always, recordings serve as first steps in broadening the understanding, knowledge, & appreciation of neglected works of neglected composers. This Telarc recording is no exception.

Highly Recommendable!

Brahms: Symphony in Cm No1, Op68; Symphony in D No2, Op73

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Brahms and von Dohnányi

Brahms: Symphony in Cm No1, Op68; Symphony in D No2, Op73

Manufacturer: Teldec
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00004W46W
Release Date: 2000-10-24

Tracks:

Symphony No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 68: Un poco sostenuto - Allegro
Symphony No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 68: Andante sostenuto
Symphony No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 68: Un poco allegretto e grazioso
Symphony No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 68: Adagio - Piu Andante - Allegro non troppo, ma con brio - Piu Allegro
Academic Festival Overture In C Minor, Op. 80

Tracks:

Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 73: Allegro non troppo
Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 73: Adagio non troppo - L'istesso tempo, ma grazioso
Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 73: Allegretto grazioso - Presto ma non assai
Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 73: Allegro con spirito
Tragic Overture, Op. 81

Customer Reviews:

Brahms and von Dohnányi .......2007-02-17

We are fortunate that Christoph von Dohnányi elected to record all four Brahms symphonies while with the Cleveland Orchestra. von Dohnányi is able to further the Cleveland sound and precision into his own straightforward (read uncluttered) approach to the huge demands that these works require. And the results are superb.

von Dohnányi understands how to pace the Symphony No. 1 in C minor to make each of the four movements build to the ultimate climax that not only crowns the work, but also recalls the years of struggle Brahms endured to bring his first symphony to life. The elements of hesitancy are here but they so readily give way to the crowning moments of melody and drama that make this symphony so immensely moving. The Cleveland Orchestra is in peak form with superb first desk playing and wind and brass ensemble work. But it remains von Dohnányi's sensitive overview of the symphony as a whole that gives this performance the power it enjoys.

No less can be said of the coupled performance of the Symphony No. 2 in D major which compositionally followed closely behind the First and finds Brahms in completely comfortable orchestral terrain. And as supplement to these fine performances von Dohnányi graciously adds the well known, often performed (for very good reason) Academic Festival Overture and Tragic Overture. Once again the respect of the note and the spirit of the scores is not only respected but simply recreated. This is a very fine recording that happily remains available. Grady Harp, February 07

Track Listings:

Track Listings

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Track Listings

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