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Reviewed in Germany on October 24, 2017
Endlich eine Frau! Romantischer als Barber in der Tonsprache ein richtiger Wurf an Sinfonie von Amy Beach! Wunderbar lebendig und weitaus mehr als "interessant", herrlich der Einsatz der Solovioline ab Satz 3.Järvi natürlich tadellos und packend.
Mr. M. O' Sullivan
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 30, 2017
Excellent
B.B.
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2016
This was listening for a research paper I did on female composers of the Romantic era. If you like Romantic music, and want to explore works which have been repressed for over a century, start with these! This is an excellent complete symphony that ranks among the best such as Dvorak and Schumann.
cd listener
Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2014
enjoyable
Ricardo Mio
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2014
Samuel Barber was a musical traditionalist who ignored the dissonant music of contemporaries like Schoenberg, Webern, and Boulez, and pursued his own lyricism with integrity, unconcerned with whether his music was in or out of favor with the current musical trends. It's this very lyricism that makes Barber one of the most popular of American composers. In 1971, he stated, "I write what I feel. I'm not a self-conscious composer. . . . It is said that I have no style at all, but that doesn't matter. I just go on doing, as they say, my thing." When it came to composing his first symphony, Barber's thing was to combine the four traditional movements into one. Symphony No. 1 is based on three themes of the initial Allegro non troppo, which retain throughout the work their fundamental character. The Allegro opens with the usual exposition of the main theme, a more lyrical second them, and a closing theme, which are the building materials for what is a rather short symphony, running about 22 minutes in length.Like Barber, Amy Beach was a child prodigy, and one of the "Boston Six" composers who had their 15-minutes of fame around the turn of the century. She wrote but one symphony, represented here. Called the "Gaelic" symphony, Beach drew much of the material from a collection of old Irish melodies. "Their simple, rugged, and unpretentious beauty led me to . . . try to develop their ideas in symphonic form," she wrote. Her symphony is, in fact, a response to Dvorak's recommendation that American composers draw their inspiration from spiritual and minstrels songs. While not exactly "American," it is a lyrical work that in recent years has been making a comeback among concert goers.The third work here is Barber's overture to "The School for Scandal," a lively piece that is among Barber's best known works.This is Volume 1 in Chandos' American Series, featuring Neeme Jarvi and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. When this CD was first released in 1991, Jarvi jokingly referred to the two composers as "the two Bs." The entire series has garnered rave reviews from critics here in America and in Europe and is highly recommended. Five stars.
Moldyoldie
Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2008
I've heard the Barber works performed more convincingly elsewhere, but the Gaelic Symphony of Amy Marcy Cheney Beach (d. 1944) is a real charmer with an exquisitely beautiful and affecting Lento third movement; the symphony could've ended there and I'd have been content. The orchestra sounds somewhat underpowered, but the playing is elegant and the recording is vivid and spacious in the Chandos tradition.
Kevin Ryan
Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2007
I could not disagree more with the Amazon review stating that Amy Beach's "Gaelic" Symphony is "not a great symphony". On the contrary, this incredibly well-crafted and detailed symphony is an example of one of the best of the American symphonies. Amy Beach was quite possibly the most incredible musical prodigy born in the United States and her talent for fantastic melodic writing is prevalent in this symphony. The sheer length and expansiveness of the "Gaelic", forty minutes in length, is a testament of her Schubertian ability to greatly expound on gorgeous melodies and create tremendously moving themes.The Detroit Symphony Orchestra performs Beach's symphony absolutely beautifully with all of the power and grace that it deserves. There is never a dull moment here as Detroit masterfully plays under conductor Neeme Jarvi. It is too bad that Detroit does not record more - they have an incredibly rich and smooth sound that is both unique and greatly enriching to listen to.While the works by Barber are also excellent, it is the "Gaelic" Symphony that makes this recording an absolutely must have for those who love it or those who want to listen for the first time. I would not hesitate to say that Detroit's performance is the best available.
Daniel G. Berk
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2001
The reason for this CD is the symphony by Amy Marcy Cheney Beach. The Barber symphony and overture are certainly worth hearing, but it is the Beach composition that really commends this recording, and it is certainly a worthy work. For many years Amy Beach was listed in the Schwann catalog as Mrs. H. H. H. Beach, with only one or two piano compositions being listed at all. Well, times have changed. She has her own name and has come into her own as a composer, and the symphony indicates that this recognition was long overdue.
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