Customer Reviews

Weingartner: Symphony 2 [Hybrid SACD]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What I like about Weingartner's symphonies is his terrific understanding of orchestration. His use of instrumental combinations is especially masterly. What he lacks in originality, he gains in his confident handling of his music and form. I would describe his orchestration like Mahler's (combinations of woodwinds, strings). His thematic development unfolds slowly and dramatically in the way Bruckner does (and without the incessant tromolos!). For all of his other strengths, Weingarter does not succeed in creating memorable or powerful themes. The best ones he achieves are functional and pleasant. In response to the reviewer that criticises his music as merely derivative, a wholesale dismissal on those grounds is unwarranted and harsh. While it is true, Weingarter is not very original, there is much else to satisfy the sophisticated listener. The question should be, why listen only to the first water? The war horses of pops concerts and Beethoven symphonies is just not nourishing enough for listeners who desire freshness in their musical diets.

I wish I could here his works live in concert. That would be a real treat.

This is not just the best of the four Weingartner symphonies so far recorded, it's one of the best symphonies ever written. As one of the great conductors of all time, Weingartner was fully familiar with all the great music of Western civilization. In this symphony he seems to be writing the totality of all the great music that had gone before. I don't mean to say it's derivative, but rather it's the summation of all that's great & beautiful in Wastern music.

Richly romantic work. MUCH more enjoyable than other noted conductor/composers (i.e. Furtwangler, Klemperer). Buy this -- you will be pleasantly surprised.

I originally called this music derivative. I put it away for a month and a half and when I played it again I was delighted to hear that it is really good. Even original. I never judge a piece until I listen to it again and again. Glad I did this time. It is tonic and romantic. I bought this CD to familiarize myself with Weingartner. Now that I have I will buy more of him. I am happy to recommend this thoughtful meaningful composer.
My original review carried 3 stars. I would like to increase this to 4 but Amazon doesn't allow one to change this item in a review. Pity.

I am surprised at the extravagant praise here on Amazon for Weingartner's Second Symphony: one of the best symphonies of all time, should be in the standard repertoire alonside Dvorak and Tchaikovsky, etc. In truth, this is better than the First Symphony, but it's no masterpiece. Repetition substitutes for development, melodies are unmemorable, and I would characterize the piece as a whole as workman-like rather than inspired. The tone poem (Das Gefilde der Seligen) starts well, but an insipid theme is introduced and mercilessly repeated, guaranteeing that I, anyway, will never listen to it again. That said, it's impossible to imagine these modest pieces presented in better performances or recordings (hence the four stars). If you like earlier installments in this series, get this one; otherwise, try other late romantic composers like Franz Schmidt, Alfven, Reger, the early Wellesz....

Felix Weingartner is of course primarily known as one of the greatest conductors of all time, and while his compositional language is - as expected - rather conservative and the music is excellently scored, the music in this invaluable series from CPO reveals him as a composer of some substance (and his output was surely substantial, comprising nine operas and seven symphonies among much other music including a rather famous orchestration of Beethoven's Hammerklavier sonata). In fact, the disc at hand is probably the place to start for those wishing to explore his output, containing his perhaps strongest symphony coupled wth a gorgeous symphonic poem.

The symphonic poem in question, Das Gefilde der Seligen (translated as `The Elysian Fields'), was inspired by a Böcklin painting and written partially as a response to the existential drama and turmoil of Richard Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra. It lasts for a notable 23 minutes, which is long given the generally pastoral, solemn, blissful content. But it doesn't for a moment fail to engage the listener. This is a vast, gorgeous, opulently scored, spacious work depicting heaven in wonderfully solemn, majestic chorales and breath-taking climaxes. The thematic material is wonderful and thoroughly memorable, and the scoring absolutely magnificent. In short, I count this as one of the most impressive and rewarding works I have heard in a long time.

Weingartner's second symphony is an almost equally rewarding work, and as far as I can tell the strongest symphony he wrote. Compared to his first effort in the genre the second symphony is far more epic, almost Brucknerian at times, granitic and formally coherent - the repetitions of the thematic material here seems to bolster the structure rather than making them diffuse. The first movement builds up gradually from a strong, solemn first theme and a wonderful second theme to a quite impressive structure (`cathedral in sound' seems apt). The second movement is a pastoral but lively landler and the Adagio profound and meditative. The finale sums up the work in a majestic, grand (but tasteful) manner. It is a powerful work, and one that deserves to be heard and heard again.

The performances are splendid; fully and convincingly realizing the vast structures of both works, wonderfully paced and building up some riveting climaxes. The sound quality is very good (I have not heard the superaudio version, however); it is rather ambient, but wonderfully warm, present and excellently balanced though sometimes losing a little color. This is definitely the disc with which to acquaint yourself with this impressive (if not most original) composer - the music is indeed very good (even if Weingartner's output as a whole is admittedly somewhat variable).

The great conductor Felix Weingartner composed plenty of music. This recording of his symphonic poem Das Gefilde der Seligen, is wonderful. Think of Schubert, Liszt, Mahler, Bruckner, R. Strauss, Beethoven and keep going! The symphony number 2 has these influences as well, but it goes further into Weingartner's personal style. If you may be growing a bit weary of the old warhorses but want to hear music that warms your soul only the way... say.....Brahms can, I can't recommend this recording enough. Weingartner was a brilliant orchestrator. He had a great sense of line and proportion. One wonderful theme follows the other in a seemless tapestry of color and expression. The CPO recording (hybrid multichannel) is compatible with SACD and regular CD players. Soundwise, it is one of the finest recordings I have ever heard. Conductor Marko Letonja and the Sifoniorchester Basel are stellar in every way. These are lovingly warm and life affirming performances.

Weingartner's second symphony is an undiscovered treasure. At times it reminds me of a Schubert symphony with a little Bruckner thrown in. It's a rewarding if rather obscure work. The other piece on this disc, Das Gefilde der Seligen, is just filler.