Nielsen 1

I heard this work two years ago in the complete cycle which the Halle and CBSO performed in Manchester. I listened to an interview at the time with the conductor Mark Elder who quoted an orchestra member who said the symphony was "not bad for a number one." And it's not. It may be the least of Nielsen's symphonies but it starts with amazing confidence and remains impressive throughout. Apparently Nielsen played in the first performance as one of the second violins. That must be unique in musical history.

 

Vaughan Williams Pastoral Symphony

I admit to laziness. I simply listened to the rest of RVW CD. I think Handley more effectively caught the beauty of this symphony than the violence of the 4th. The Pastoral symphony is an elegy for the lost of the First World War with a sad bugle call and a heart-breaking finale with a wordless singer. It deserves to be much better known.

Vaughan Williams 4

Again something of an almost random choice reaching for a RVW symphony and taking the first CD that came to hand. I listened to Vernon Handley's recording of this remarkable work. Much as I admire him as a conductor I have to say I don't think he quite caught the violence and strangeness of the 4th. It must have been a major shock for its listeners at the first performance as RVW moved into his remarkable old age. 
I need to listen to another recording of this. 

Sibelius 7

I wasn't planning to listen to this symphony but Radio 3 chose it for me as I was driving to Sheffield. I can't say it is a work I have got my head round it fully, but what a wonderful piece of music it is. Sibelius and Mahler famously disagreed about the nature of symphonies and this symphony shows how profound Sibelius could be while still being concise.
Is my listening a reflection of how more I enjoy Sibelius than Mahler as my tastes mature or grow older?
 

Anderson Symphony

From a Finnish symphony to one inspired by a Finnish painting. Along with several contemporary composers, I like Julian Anderson a great deal. It is also interesting to see how many living composers are rediscovering the symphony. Anderson's work was inspired by the wonderful painting Lake Keitele by Akseli Gallen Kallela. It's a very evocative piece of music with the cold landscape evoked in its slow, beautiful opening. I have two CDs by Julian Anderson.  I am looking forward to hearing more of his music.

Melartin 1

I am a little obsessed with Finnish music, but I hadn't heard of Erkki Melartin before I saw a set of his symphonies at a bargain price on Amazon. I had to buy them them and find out more. Melartin was a few years younger than Sibelius and rather lived in the shadow of that great composer. 

The first symphony seems a pleasant, competent, romantic work, written in 1902 but sounding as if it could have come from a few years earlier. It does sound a little Sibelian and it's fairly concise unlike some of the symphonic monsters around at the time. Melartin wasn't a great composer, but he deserves to be more widely known. And it's further evidence that, for its population size, Finland may be the greatest composing country since the 1890s.

Mahler (ed Cooke) 10

Having sped through some short classical and 20th century symphonies, I decided it was about time for one of the works of the romantic repertoire. I had listened to most of Bruckner before starting this blog, so the obvious choice was Mahler.
I used to totally adore Mahler and would have said he was one of my favourite composers, but in the last few years I seem to have cooled. Last year was the 150th anniversary of his death and I didn't do much by way of listening. I bought a couple of bargain CDs. I didn't get my act together to go to any concerts.
At first today I thought of listening to the 3rd, but then I decided I wanted to hear the 10th again. I haven't heard it for a time. Randomly I picked out an old CD with Rattle conducting the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, not the Berlin Phil. Not the greatest performance, but somewhat ground breaking in its time when complete versions of the 10th were rarely recorded.
Did I enjoy this symphony as much as I used to? No. Did I think there was some absolutely beautiful music still? Yes. I need to listen to it again. Maybe I can rekindle my enthusiasm for Mahler.