Quote from: kolaboy on Saturday 25 May 2024, 18:34The only piece by Langgaard that I haven't been particularly impressed by is the 1st symphony - and that may have been down to the performance (again, Stupel).I posted a much better recording by Sakari Oramo and the Berlin Phil in the downloads board sometime last year. Both because of its style and instrumentation, I'm convinced the symphony was largely a collab between teenage Rued and his father, Siegfried. Rued used material by his father in later works as well, most notably the Piano Concerto From Arild.
The Stupel recordings were - to my knowledge - the first complete cycle of Langgaard symphonies, but they've been entirely outclassed by Dausgaard's cycle, which also incorporates the wordless choir in the 3rd Symphony. That alone turns it into quite a different work, and takes some emphasis away from the piano. It is truly a lovely piece (from a composer who doesn't always incite the term "lovely").
By the way, am I the only one hearing an allusion to Brahms' Third Symphony in the opening of the work?