von Glenck

[Alan Howe]

Another 'big beast' for all lovers of late-Romantic excess is Carità eterna, a Symphony with soprano solo (1904-6) by the Swiss, Hermann von Glenck (1883-1952)...

http://www.musiques-suisses.ch/shop/mgb/6197.php?lang=d

More audio samples here...

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Hermann-von-Glenck-Sinfonie-Carita-eterna/hnum/7306675

[chill319]

Extremely tantalizing! To think that von Glenck had such mastery of the Straussian orchestral palette at the age of 22 or 23. What an era for musical art that was! In terms of burgeoning talent and dedicated industry evinced, these excerpts remind me of the Schoenberg heard in Pelleas or Gurrelieder, even if von Glenck's harmonies have less bite.

Not that I think the range of von Glenck's harmonic language can be inferred from the samples. Whoever made the selections apparently wanted to showcase the composer's soaring way with spacious post-Wagnerian 6/4 chords -- there are enough of them for several movements. For me the devil will be in the detail of how a young man of 22 gets from one of these peaks to another. I'm greatly looking forward to hearing that detail.

I don't know how MGB does it -- or Sterling, CPO, and similar smaller labels -- but I know it's an enormous effort to bring out a recording like this. I'd want to support the effort anyway, so it's especially nice that the music sounds so promising.

[Alan Howe]

The work is basically a kind of late-Romantic commentary on Tristan und Isolde - very indulgent. And the brief-ish, but gorgeous soprano solo is a sort of Liebestod too.

[Mark Thomas]

Although it's taken me ten years to get around to listening to von Glenck's symphony, it proved to be a very rewarding experience. Superficially it's a lush wallow in a gorgeously Straussian soundscape, and none the worse for that of course, but what impressed me most of all is the way that von Glenck manages to convey the evident sincerity with which it's written - a beautiful soprano song is perfect as the emotional core of the work, conveying his theme of Carità eterna. Lovely.

[eschiss1]

Worldcat lists a violin concerto by him in the ever popular key of B major/H dur.

[adriano]

There is also an interesting GUILD CD with von Glenck's chamber music and songs:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6foU0mIZcgokRz4nYx7oNW

[semloh]

The symphonic CD set can be heard on YT, and there's also a piece from the chamber music CD. Beautiful music, indeed!