This set pairs two of Henze’s later symphonies from a time which he had embarked on a more conservative path. Though the performances are excellent (as far as I know), I find these symphonies to be less interesting than his earlier work.
Henze’s first symphony in twenty years, the seventh, is a markedly more traditional piece – and admittedly so, apparently, as Henze claimed he was trying to write in the tradition of Beethoven. The work is is very pleasing and, as these things go, is something I enjoy listening to, but I cannot shake the conservativeness of it. Certainly it is more daring than most Neo-Classical/Neo-Romantic works, and it breaks more with tradition, but it is, at bottom, a far more conservative piece than what he used to write. And so I struggle with it. But, I cannot deny how compelling it is from a listening perspective.
The eighth symphony is, if anything, even more traditional than the seventh. It’s programmatic, inspired by A Midsummmer Night’s Dream, and I guess a greater familiarity with that play – which I have read, but not for years – might help me here. Though there are touches of the old Henze, for the most part I find myself yearning for his younger radicalism, even though this is certainly fine work, as Neo-Romanticism goes.
It’s a fine collection if Neo-Romanticism is your thing, but it’s not really my thing. Still better than a lot of the other revivalist stuff, though.
7/10
- Symphony No. 7: Tanz 11:19
- Symphony No. 7: Ruhig bewegt 11:08
- Symphony No. 7: Unablässig in Bewegung 5:20
- Symphony No. 7: Ruhig, verhalten 7:01
- Sinfonia No. 8: Allegro 7:40
- Sinfonia No. 8: Allegramente con comodo tenerezza e ballabilità 9:46
- Sinfonia No. 8: Adagio 8:07
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, conducted by Marek Janowski
Recorded November 2006 (7) and February 2007 (8) at Jesus Christ Church, Dahlem, Berlin, Germany