Rietz, Julius (1812-1877) Symphony No 3

[Reverie]

I first stumbled upon the music of Julius Rietz about five or six years ago when by chance I hit upon a youtube upload of his Hero & Leander Ouverture in D-minor, Op.11 (1841). To say it "knocked me for six" would be a major understatement. (If you haven't heard it I recommend you give it a go).

The scores of his three symphonies take a bit of hunting down. I've yet to find the 2nd. None of them have been recorded.

He's a composer very much from the Mendelssohn camp. You won't hear any Listz or Wagner here. What you will hear is the music of a master in the classical tradition. This symphony, apparently very popular in it's day lasts for about 30 mins in total. Today it has fallen into obscurity. I hope this rendition will prompt a revival.




Op.31 - Symphony No.3 in E♭ major (1854-55, pub.1856) (Dedicated to Moritz Hauptmann)

1. Allegro moderato ma con fuoco

2. Con moto moderato

3. Andante sostenuto

4. Allegro di molto.



LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtagckR7_30

[Mark Thomas]

Be still my beating heart! I've longed to hear this once-famous work for 50-odd years. As I have said so many times: Martin, we are very much in your debt. Thank you.

[Alan Howe]

I've only had the time to dip into this, but once again you have done a neglected composer proud, Martin. Very well done - and thank you!

[eschiss1]

Thank you!

[eschiss1]

BTW while not many library catalogs seem to have Rietz's music, ÖNB seems to have a fair amount of it.

[kolaboy]

Bless you, your efforts are truly appreciated.

[Alan Howe]

This is a thoroughly enjoyable, melodious symphony, although in my view the overall impression it gives is workmanlike rather than inspiring. The slow movement is rather fetching, though, and there's plenty of energy and felicitous orchestral writing.

Nevertheless, this was an important work in its day and we must once again be thoroughly grateful to Martin for his efforts in bringing it to life for us. Far better this than yet another wretched set of Mendelssohn or Schumann symphonies given by puny-sounding orchestras. Come on, cpo!!

[Mark Thomas]

Like the rest of Rietz's output that I've heard, it makes his debt to Mendelssohn absolutely clear and it's certainly a more earnest work than the fizzing Concert and Lustspiel Overtures or the dramatic Hero and Leander, but it's at least the equal of most of Gade's symphonies for example, to make an obvious comparison, and I for one am delighted to hear it after all these years. There's a YouTube video of the first movement of his First Symphony which certainly also whets the appetite for the other two symphonies - I'd have thought they were a no-brainer for the likes of cpo.

[eschiss1]

Btw I can't seem to find the 2nd symphony either- if a recording is thought of hopefully they will have a better idea where to look.

[John Boyer]

What a delightful, charming work!  It's curious that Rietz, a name familiar to anyone who has read about the circle of Schumann and Mendelssohn, remains even more obscure than usual for an unsung composer.  He's not even mentioned in the appendix of Upton's Standard Symphonies, never mind rating a detailed discussion, even though the appendix lists many who are utterly unknown.

[Alan Howe]

Chris Fifield analyses Rietz's 3rd in his landmark study 'The German Symphony between Beethoven and Brahms', pp.171-3, noting that the finale is 'an anticlimax' and that overall it's 'an uneven work'.

Whatever its strengths and weakness, this attractive work surely merits a recording...