Carl Reinecke - Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3 (Howard Shelley)

Information

Composer: Carl Reinecke

• (01) Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 134 'Hakon Jarl'
• (05) Symphony No. 3 in G minor, Op. 227

Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra

Howard Shelley, conductor

Date: 2001

Label: Chandos

https://www.chandos.net/products/catalogue/CHAN%209893

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Review

Two fine works‚ persuasively performed

Born almost 10 years before Brahms‚ Carl Reinecke survived that friend and colleague by 13 years‚ continuing to compose into his eighties‚ dying in 1910. It is sad that his music has been almost totally forgotten‚ but fortunately an outstanding disc like this clearly demonstrates what riches he can offer. Reinecke in his writing is conservative but never bland or boring. Though he is never merely derivative‚ his style is best described as a cross between Mendelssohn and Brahms. Like Brahms he writes with particular warmth for the horn as well as the oboe‚ and the Interlude third movement of the Second Symphony acts as substitute for the usual Scherzo in a very Brahmsian way‚ though the style is quite different. Consistently Reinecke comes up with memorable themes strongly developed and skilfully orchestrated. In a preface to the score of the Second Symphony‚ Reinecke explained that the work‚ dating from 1875‚ was inspired by a Norwegian subject‚ the myth of Hakon Jarl‚ as dramatised by the Danish playwright‚ Oehlenschlager. The first two movements are conceived as portraits of the hero and heroine‚ with the third and fourth set scenes rather than incidents. With structure far more important than story­telling‚ this in no way feels like a programme symphony‚ satisfyingly rounded off by an exhilarating‚ heroic Allegro‚ echoing Schumann as well as Mendelssohn. The Third Symphony‚ dating from the 1890s‚ is even tauter in its arguments as the telling opening motif makes immediately clear‚ with a touch of Liszt added to the mixture. The slow movement opens strikingly with the clarinet unaccompanied‚ and horn and clarinet intertwine in lusciously Romantic writing. The jaunty Scherzo‚ crisply structured with two Trio sections‚ leads to a powerful finale‚ rounded off by an exciting Presto coda‚ with horns braying prominently. Howard Shelley as conductor proves the most compelling advocate‚ drawing warm‚ committed performances from his players. I cannot remember ever hearing the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra before‚ but on this showing I can endorse the remark in the liner note that it is ‘one of the world’s great small orchestras’. Not that there is anything small­scale about the performances‚ which‚ with fine full sound recorded by Australian engineers‚ has plenty of body.

-- Gramophone

More reviews:
https://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-8154/

https://www.amazon.com/Reinecke-Symphonies-Nos-2-3/dp/B001197RVE

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Carl Reinecke (23 June 1824 – 10 March 1910) was a German composer, conductor, and pianist. He studied with his father, Rudolf Reinecke, as well as with Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann and Franz Liszt. Reinecke is remembered as one of the most influential and versatile musicians of his time. He served as a teacher for 35 years, until his retirement in 1902. After retirement from the conservatory, Reinecke devoted his time to composition, resulting in almost three hundred published works. Overall he wrote four piano concertos (and many cadenzas for others' works), as well as concertos for violin, cello, harp and flute.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Reinecke

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Howard Shelley (born 9 March 1950) is a British pianist and conductor. He was educated at Highgate School and the Royal College of Music. As pianist he has performed, broadcast and recorded around the world with leading orchestras and conductors. He made many recordings for Chandos, Hyperion and EMI, including Rachmaninov's complete piano music and concertos. As a conductor, he has held positions of Associate and Principal Guest Conductor with the London Mozart Players in a close relationship of over twenty years. He has appeared regularly on television and on the soundtrack of several films.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Shelley

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