Randall Thompson: Symphony No. 2 (Study Score in 4k)
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- čas přidán 7. 09. 2024
- Randall Thompson (1899-1984) was quite a popular American composer in the 1940s and 1950s. Best known for his choral music, he also wrote three symphonies, the second of which is probably the best remembered. For a time it fell into general neglect, but it occasionally turns up on a concert program; the several recordings of the work that appeared in the 1990s were perhaps signs of a revival in its fortunes.
The Second Symphony, cast in four movements, is quite direct and simple in its expressive language. The first movement (Allegro) is muscular and heroic, but also has a playful manner about it. Overall, the music here abounds in excitement and rhythmic appeal; it is full of the bright colors and naïve charm that any high-school chorister who has sung Thompson's music will know. The ensuing Largo is lovely and sentimental, with the character, in places, of a score for a lavish 1930s big-screen love story. Some passages sound like a mixture of Hanson and Korngold, although the latter was probably unknown to Thompson at the time.
The heroic vigor of the Vivace third movement charms, and the Finale, which opens with an attractive Andante moderato, then moves on to an upbeat and rhythmically driven Allegro con spirito and provides a colorful and exciting close. In the end, one is prompted to wonder why this charming work is not more popular.
#classicalmusic #americanmusic #orchestra #studyscore - Hudba
![Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony No. 9 [With score] (Reupload)](/img/n.gif)
Somewhere between Gershwin and Barber we lost Thompson. What a masterpiece. Too many overlooked American Symphonies.
Agree; it's a wonderful symphony.
I'm so pleased that I've "discovered" this work after watching the Bernstein interview in which he talks about this work. It's terrific!!
Saw a doc about this work being Bernstein's first conducting assignment at Tanglewood back in the day. Fun piece.
I'm literally editing a couple of videos on this topic right now. Stay tuned over the next couple of days!
Seriously, thanks for posting this...this piece has a lot of the brillant orchestration and great rhythmic vigor that many other pieces by the American Neo-Classicists of the time had as well...and now having the score to follow, thanks again
First Symphony coming soon...
I love the 4th movement. Something very cinematic about it.
Thanks for including the score! I recall the last part of this symphony used for production music on those great old pro-USA radio programs with a narration. The 2nd movement is a nice ballad.
Masterwork! Love it
My favourite of all of Thompson's symphonies. My old colleague, Bernard Herrmann, who seldom had anything nice to say about anything, commented favourably on this work. Now, that's a compliment!
That is very cool. I would love to hear the fuller story! (Surprising too...I can't imagine what it was about this symphony that Herrmann would have found remarkable, given his own stylistic output.)
@@daviddas If you don't like this work that's your problem. Don't drag BH into it. Now, buzz off.
@@jslasher1 I think you misunderstood my comment. I love this work. My comment pertained to noting BH's generally more experimental and nonstandard composing style of his own - then being surprised that he would enjoy a more "conservative" work like RT's 2nd Symphony - on the assumption that BH's tastes would have been more eclectic. I am an admirer of both composers, and think this 2nd Symphony is a masterpiece. What I would give to hear BH's more verbose thoughts on it!
@@daviddas I was a mate and colleague of Herrmann for the final 3-years of his short life. I produced 3 recordings featuring his music. You should already know this, so all I can say to you is your comments mean nothing to me.
He certainly has no love for Previn. But Hermann'smusic was something wonderful. Would love to understand the falling out with Hitchcock.
What an amazing first movement, among the best
When did THIS make a resurgence? I fell in love with this piece 10 years ago. What brought it into favor enough for a score on the CZcamss(TM)?
I figured out why I love it: No Timpani in the III and IV movements, lol. Seriously, it was nice to hear big beautiful color without being buried by timp. Not sure why timp felt compelled to add notes at the very end...
Largo 7:19
God Bless CZcams for preserving some great music that would otherwise be supplanted by dumb de dumb down symps of Beethoven and Mozart. Symp Orks are afraid to offend the sophisticated tastes of Music Mafia 101 classes.
whose conductor's notes are these ?
Bernstein’s.