Lachner Symphony No.6

[JimL]

You really have me with that one.  I know the Concert Allegro and Brahms' S2 just as well, and I'm stumped.  The 2nd subjects don't seem to have a lot in common, and that's the only place I can think of where there might be some commonality.  Wait a sec...OK.  I think I see where you're talking about.  Enh, maybe that one phrase is identical, but not the rest.

[Biarent]

It is only part of the subject.  I would be floored if Brahms had taken an entire theme from a Schumann work and used note-for-note in its entirety without using the word Schumann in title.  Certainly Brahms must have heard the piece before, and the theme stuck with him and inspired him while he was writing his second symphony.

[eschiss1]

It may be my iPod, but the middle movement mp3s sound like they're at mostly much too low a basic volume. And I think there's a couple of patches of questionable intonation (so to speak) in the first movement especially- I think. A certain passage sounds at one point quite dissonant - but maybe it should be. But I think the first movement is very strong in my honest opinion, some parts really stick with me anyway (yes, that 2nd group especially is what used to be called a happy inspiration!...); really though-- if it weren't for the ... quality of MIDI orchestral sounds, it sounds, taken in all, like a work I could and should present to other Schubert fans ( musiclovers, I mean, not just conductors of whom I know few. But if a conductor were interested in this and could be sent a copy of the parts and the MIDIs that could be a good thing too.)

[gprengel]

Dear John , I read that you spent so much time creating a sibelius file of this work. Would you export this as a XML file and send it to me? (at least the 4th mov.)I can improve the Sound quality ...     gerd.prengel @  gmail.com

[gprengel]

Last weekend John has sent me his files from the 6th symphony. Having listened so far onlyto  the midi rendition from YouTube I had only a rather low expectation of this symphony, but now I reworked on the Scherzo and Finale files from John with my NotePerformer tool and I can say that these movements are just fantastic and I can understand why Schumann loved this work!! Soon you will listen to them here .... :-)

Gerd

[Alan Howe]

That's great. Thanks in anticipation...

[gprengel]

So here is the Scherzo - for me one of the greatest Scherzos I know... doesn't the mysterious beginning soemhow foreshadows Brucker? And the beautiful Trio uses a phrase which Dvorak would pick up in the 2nd Trio of the scherzo of the 9th....

www.gerdprengel.de/Lachner_6_symph-3.mp3

In this first version I left out the repeats and still the Scherzo lasts 8 minutes. I may add the repeat bars in the Trio.
I am not quite finished with the Finale ...

Thank you, John, for all your labour providing us with the notes of this work!!

Gerd

[Mark Thomas]

Gerd, you really are doing great work - these Lachner realisations are quite revelatory. Thanks so much. This Scherzo in particular is a fine piece and, as you say, the Bruckner pre-echoes are quite tantalising.

[tpaloj]

Listening earlier to the midi rendition, even in that version this scherzo sounded captivating. Just fantastic. Lachner had a great sense of melody, and he could even write great music off them, often enough.

Thanks again for your hard work Gerd, and John!

[gprengel]

Thank you! Here now also the Finale - and what firework this is!!

www.gerdprengel.de/Lachner_6_symph-4.mp3
www.gerdprengel.de/Lachner_6_symph-4.pdf

[Alan Howe]

It's certainly a firecracker.

Can't wait to hear the whole symphony...

[semloh]

Me, too. These are terrific. Thanks, Gerd!

[gprengel]

After 2 weeks of much labour - many errors especially in the horns in the original version  had to be dealt with - I finally could create a new MP3 rendition of the first movement. And what a movement this - for me unexpected -  this movement at least reaches the quality of the last movement and is one of the most fascinating symphony movements of classical music!
A most melodic main theme is the basis of manifold wonderful elaborations with much counterpoint, crowned at the end with the longest and most elaborated fugato of any symphony I know! Very beautiful is also the second theme - a pure melody of 50 seconds only performed by clarinetts, basson and pizzicato strings - very unusual - and only in the exposition which is also very unusual....

www.gerdprengel.de/Lachner_6_symph-1.mp3

[eschiss1]

Thanks! BTW based on the material at IMSLP,
1) Allegro non troppo, quarter=144
2) Andante, eighth=92
3) Scherzo, Allegro assai (dotted minim=54)
4) Finale. Allegro con brio (dotted minim=76)

[gprengel]

I am now also about to finish the Andante - a movement with an haunting beauty!! So in 1 or 2 days the whole symphony will be finished :-)

I am a bit concerned about John (being 88 years old). I wrote to him several times in the last 3 weeks without getting any answer... Does anyone of you know how he is doing? Without him this project would never have been possible ...

Gerd