Ernst Krenek - Symphony No. 2 (Lothar Zagrosek)

Information

Composer: Ernst Krenek

• Symphony No. 2

Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
Lothar Zagrosek, conductor

Date: 1997
Label: Decca
https://www.deccaclassics.com/us/cat/4524792

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Review

PERFORMANCE: ***** / SOUND: *****

Ernst Krenek can almost certainly be regarded as the archetypal composer of the Weimar Republic, dabbling at one time or another in a bewildering array of styles from expressionism to jazz and neo-classicism. In the powerful Second Symphony, which received a controversial premiere in Kassel in 1923, expressionist elements are very much to the fore in the uncompromisingly atonal musical language and the extreme contrasts of dynamic range and emotions. Conceived on a sprawling, almost Mahlerian scale, the work’s overriding messages are those of rebelliousness and anger – an unequivocal response to the turbulent political climate of the period. Although later on in life Krenek provided a reasonably explicit programme to help guide listeners through this vast musical canvas, the symphony’s complex structure can only be convincingly deciphered when an experienced conductor is at the helm. Fortunately, Lothar Zagrosek has all the necessary credentials to effect this, having already recorded the work once before with the ORF Symphony Orchestra. His new version, moving at a somewhat broader tempo in places, enjoys the benefit of superior engineering and even more incisive orchestral playing. It also outstrips the well-played though under-characterised performance from Takao Ukigaya and the NDR Radio Philharmonic on CPO. In short, another vital addition to Decca’s invaluable Entartete Musik series.

-- Erik Levi, BBC Music Magazine

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Ernst Krenek (August 23, 1900 – December 22, 1991) was an Austrian, later American, composer of Czech origin. Born in Vienna, Krenek studied there and in Berlin with Franz Schreker before working in a number of German opera houses as conductor. In 1938 Krenek moved to the United States, where he taught music at various universities. He died in Palm Springs, California. Krenek's music encompassed a variety of styles and reflects many of the principal musical influences of the 20th century. His early work is in a late-Romantic idiom, turned to atonality around 1920, and became more relaxed in his later years.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Krenek

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Lothar Zagrosek (born 13 November 1942 in Otting, Germany) is a German conductor. From 1962 to 1967, Zagrosek studied conducting with Hans Swarowsky, István Kertész, Bruno Maderna and Herbert von Karajan. Zagrosek was chief conductor of the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (1982-86), Württemberg opera house in Stuttgart (1997-2006) and Konzerthausorchester Berlin (2006-2011). Among Zagrosek's commercial recordings are several issues in Decca's Entartete Musik series and a Wagner's Ring cycle. In addition, Zagrosek has recorded contemporary music, including works of Michael Torke.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lothar_Zagrosek

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