George Hanson - Rubinstein: Orchestral Works, Vol. 2

Title: Rubinstein: Orchestral Works, Vol. 2 Artist: George Hanson Release Date: 2004 Duration: 70:35 Album Type(s): composer biography, performer(s) biography, Special essay (music history, styles, etc.), composition (work) description UPC: 760623124025 Genre: Classical Total Copies: 0 Members Wishing: 0 Number of Discs/SwapaCD Credits: 1

1. Triumphal Overture, for orchestra, Op. 43
2. Ballade: Léonore de Bürger, for piano in B flat minor (Miscellaneous Pieces Book 1), Op. 93/1
3. Waltz-Caprice, for piano in E flat major
4. Work(s)
   - Trot de Cavalerie
5. Symphony No. 2 in C major ("Ocean"), Op. 42
   - Moderato assai
6. Symphony No. 2 in C major ("Ocean"), Op. 42
   - Andante
7. Symphony No. 2 in C major ("Ocean"), Op. 42
   - Allegro
8. Symphony No. 2 in C major ("Ocean"), Op. 42
   - Andante, Part 1
9. Symphony No. 2 in C major ("Ocean"), Op. 42
   - Andante, Part 2

A full-blown revival of Anton Rubinstein's music has been long in coming, but this release may keep hope alive for those who still wait. Second in MDG's series of Rubinstein's orchestral works, this disc's most significant offering is the Symphony No. 2 in C major, "Ocean," a work of striking originality and compelling tone painting, cast in a sweeping but coherent symphonic framework. This is the original four-movement version of 1851, which is favored today over the more programmatic, seven-movement edition of 1880. Extremely popular in the nineteenth century, this work was performed almost as frequently as the symphonies of Beethoven, Brahms, and Schumann, so a reassessment of this neglected symphony is certainly warranted. However, the rest of the program is filled with several minor works of considerably less appeal, and they are decidedly inferior to the symphony for their shallowness and vulgarity. The bombastic Triumphal Overture and the silly Trot de cavalerie may be dismissed as tub-thumping crowd pleasers. Originally composed for piano, the Sérénade russe No. 1 and the Valse Caprice appear in glitzy orchestral arrangements by Karl Müller-Berghaus, so their faults are not wholly attributable to Rubinstein. The Symphony Orchestra Wuppertal, directed by George Hanson, is vivid and fully resonant in MDG's superb audiophile recording. ~ Blair Sanderson, All Music Guide

Name Credits Adolph Menzel Cover Painting Claudia Brinker Text Dr. Irmlind Capelle Editing Gemälde von Repin Artwork George Hanson Conductor Reimund Grimm Producer Susan Marie Praeder Liner Note Translation Sylvie Gomez Liner Note Translation Werner Dabringhaus Producer, Recording Supervision Wuppertal Symphony Orchestra Orchestra