Adolf Reichel - Symphonies 1 and 2

[Justin]

Sounds great, Fred! Will definitely be purchasing this.

[terry martyn]

Absolutely!

[Justin]

This will be released in June.

[Justin]

https://www.schweizerfonogramm.com/en/cd/the-reichel-adventure-goes-symphonic/#

Available now for download. June 1st for physical release.

[Mark Thomas]

These are excellent recordings of two enjoyable symphonies. They're very conservative in idiom for their time (1869 and 1870), being strongly Beethovenian, especially in their expansive first movements. Elsewhere, Reichel seems to allow himself to be more individualistic and the nervy energy of the final three movements of both symphonies, so well conveyed by Mueller and his Bernese orchestra, reminded me of Berwald. Highly recommended.

[Justin]

Mark, I'm seeing 1860-1863 for the first symphony according to the booklet. Regardless, that is still conservative for the early 1860s.

My favorite movement is the second from the second symphony. It is quite fast compared to the old Niklaus Aeschbacher radio recording, but very well played.

[Mark Thomas]

Mark, I'm seeing 1860-1863 for the first symphony

You're quite right, I stand corrected but, as you say, it's still a very conservative work.

[Ilja]

These symphonies have been a bit of a head-scratcher for me. They don't sound bad at all, are structurally well-crafted, the performance and sonics are more than fine, but they left me entirely cold. I think the problem is the lack of an artistic fingerprint. They're entirely generic, the epitome of a conservative mid-19th-century symphony.

Now, to avoid misunderstanding, I think derivative works can be fine: take Bortkiewicz's symphonies, for instance, which are conceptually arch-conservative - but what does make them stand out (and even exciting) is that the personality of the composer, their personal expression within a tested framework, is so clearly audible (for better or worse). Ignaz Brüll is another example, and closer to Reichel's time.

As much as I have to appreciate Reichel's craft, nowhere could I sense anything similar in these symphonies. Part of that is down to aesthetic sensibilities no doubt (I think mine lie more towards the late romantic era than the average on this forum), and others may have more sympathy, but for me there's just nothing there.