Hans Huber - Symphonische Einleitung zur Oper "Der Simplicius", Eine Lustspiel-Ouvertüre, Symphony No. 2, "Böcklin Symphony"

ID: CDS1022-2 (EAN: 7393338102229)  | 1 CD
Publi: 1997

LABEL:

Sterling Records

Collection:

World Premiere Recording

Subcollection:

Orchestre

Compositeurs:

HUBER, Hans

Orchestre

Stuttgarter Philharmoniker

Chef d'orchestre:

WEIGLE, Jörg-Peter

Pour plus amples dtails:

An absolute revelation. A truly great discovery of a very individual romantic composer, well established during his lifetime and then, quite shamefully, forgotten. Huber was the leading romantic composer in Switzerland at the end of the last century. Partly individual, partly in Brahmsian style, his works show all great mastery of orchestral writing.

"So airy is some of the orchestration that we are almost into Berlioz at his most impressionistic as in Symphonie Fantastique. Set off against this a Brahmsian gravitas. The performance is excellent - infused with flammable temperament and an impressive unanimity of attack. A welcome change from Dvorák 5 and 6. Do try it!" - MusicWeb

Der Simplicius (1898): There are five Huber operas (six if you count the unfinished Der Gläserne Berg) of which Der Simplicius is the third. The overture is Mephistophelian - buzzing with whippy impetuosity. It will appeal to those who like Elgar's Froissart Overture and Smetana's symphonic poems Haakon Jarl and Richard III.

Eine Lustspiel-Ouverture (1879) is very attractive: calming but also with the slaloming vigour of Dvorak Symphonies 5 and 6 and Schumann's Rhenish Symphony.

The first and second movements of the Böcklin Symphony blaze with activity inflamed by the same drive as those two Dvorák symphonies. When the fires burn on a lower pressure a honeyed Brahmsian tone tempers the Dvorakian element. The third movement adagio has a willowy fluency with pointillistic effects from harp and solo violin ending in the autumnal sunshine familiar from Brahms' Third Symphony. The finale is a free fantasy inspired by a gallery of paintings by Arnold Böcklin (yes, the same Böcklin whose Isle of the Dead inspired Rachmaninov and Max Reger's Four Böcklin Tone Poems.). The movement is, by turns, jaunty, passionate and butterfly textured. So airy is some of the orchestration that we are almost into Berlioz at his most impressionistic as in Symphonie Fantastique. Set off against this a Brahmsian gravitas. The performance is excellent - infused with flammable temperament and an impressive unanimity of attack. A welcome change from Dvorák 5 and 6. Do try it!

Reviewer -Rob Barnett