an unknown symphony by Franz Lachner (1834)

[gprengel]

I am working on an interesting project right now. Franz Lachner was a friend of Beethoven and Schubert. In 1834 he wrote his 2nd symphony which has not been performed at least in the last 150 years.

I began editing and recording the Scherzo which is really furious with great counterpoint and passion, whereas the Trio is moves me with its simplicity and melodious singing of clarinet and basson accampanied with most tender strings.

I hope you enjoy this piece as I do! What do you think?

www.gerdprengel.de/Lachner_symph_2_Scherzo.mp3
www.gerdprengel.de/Lachner_symph_2_Scherzo.pdf

Gerd

[Peter]

Very enjoyable - strange this symphony hasn't been recorded yet several others by Lachner have including no.1.

[Sorrano]

Thank you for sharing that! It does conjure up in my mind the scherzo from Schubert's "Great" symphony and the much later scherzo's from the Bruckner symphonies. No trombones?

[gprengel]

I must admit I skipped the trombones, it was already enought work to edit all this. The have only filling character...

[Sorrano]

Do you know if Schumann ever featured Lachner in any of his music journals? Maybe a review of his music?

[gprengel]

Do you know if Schumann ever featured Lachner in any of his music journals? Maybe a review of his music?

1839 Schumann called him the "most talented and knowledgeable composer from Southern Germany", but this does not mean much as all better composer lived in northern or East Germany at that time ...

His favourite symphony by Lachner was the 6th (also not in print today - I have to check this one ...)

[gprengel]

And here now the Adagio which I think is really remarkable!It is such a rich movement with a most tender and melodious main part in B flat major carried dominantly by the oboe and a great and passionate middle part in B-flat-minor, even with a wonderful fugato.

www.gerdprengel.de/Lachner_symph_2_Adagio.mp3
www.gerdprengel.de/Lachner_symph_2_Adagio.pdf


Gerd

[gprengel]

After 2 weeks of much editing the many many notes I made it to finish also the first movement. I cannot express how much I adore this movment - a wonderful slow introduction and a great Allegro (with many beautiful passages, especially the dramatic development and ending).

For me this symphony is one of the finest symphonies of the early Romantic era!

www.gerdprengel.de/Lachner_symph_2_Allegro.mp3
www.gerdprengel.de/Lachner_symph_2_Allegro.pdf

Gerd

[gprengel]

Now I am working on the 6th symphony from 1837 - which R. Schumann loved very much! Fantastic the finale with a jubilent power reminding me of Schubert's 9th finale - eventhough this was not even discovered yet:

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

[Peter]

Now I am working on the 6th symphony from 1837 - which R. Schumann loved very much! Fantastic the finale with a jubilent power reminding me of Schubert's 9th finale - eventhough this was not even discovered yet:

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

Enjoyed this very much. There is a tenuous link with Schubert in that they both studied with Simon Sechter but Schubert only had one lesson at the end of his life in 1828! Sechter was also the teacher of Bruckner.

[gprengel]

Finally I 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

[Peter]

Finally I 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

Very enjoyable Gerd. Am I write in thinking there are no recordings of this work available? Where did you obtain the score for this symphony?

[gprengel]

yes, only recordings of symphony 1,3,5,and 8 exisit. Of these symphony 8 is the most wonderful because of the movements 2 - 4 (mov. 1 not so good):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yOqafiZVe0&t=1327s (mov. 2 starting at 16:43)

But symphonies 2 and 6 are not performed and these are the best of Lachner!

the notes I got from an 88 year old English gentleman from an intenet forum who who spent 200 hours to edit the notes from an antique score from the 19th century but with many errors which I now had to correct ... :-)

[Peter]

yes, only recordings of symphony 1,3,5,and 8 exisit. Of these symphony 8 is the most wonderful because of the movements 2 - 4 (mov. 1 not so good):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yOqafiZVe0&t=1327s (mov. 2 starting at 16:43)

But symphonies 2 and 6 are not performed and these are the best of Lachner!

the notes I got from an 88 year old English gentleman from an intenet forum who who spent 200 hours to edit the notes from an antique score from the 19th century but with many errors which I now had to correct ... :-)

Remarkable - have you approached any conductors with a view to performance? These 2 symphonies certainly deserve performance and recording.

[gprengel]

Remarkable - have you approached any conductors with a view to performance? These 2 symphonies certainly deserve performance and recording.

not yet, but I will, as soon I have finished the Andante of the the 6th which also is hauntingly beautiful :-)