# Richard Wetz Symphony No.2, Hell Yes!



## Klassic (Dec 19, 2015)

I've been listening to this fella. He has some excellent music. His symphonies seem to have a dramatic flair. At times his music reminds me of Sibelius. At first his music did not quite take, but I listened to it several times, I persisted, and then one morning, bang! I could hear its beauty:






_His 1st and 3rd Symphonies are also worth listening to_:











Though he may not rise to the status of "Classical Master," Wetz does have a quality voice.


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

I agree they are great.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I've heard the name tossed about on these forums for a few years but never actually heard any of the music until now. Thanks for the links.


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

Wow. Great composer. Thanks for the wonderful suggestion. I keep wondering why some members have a hang up of just listening to great music. There are so many B level composers from the 18th & 19th century that composed some great music. I would rather see threads like this instead of listening to a outspoken member complaining about whether or not _433_ is music.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

There is so much really interesting music just from the 20th century that begs to be performed but either the composer isn't sufficiently famous and/or modern for many to pay attention. Instead of yet another performance of Stravinsky, Sibelius, Vaughan Williams, Britten etc., etc (all of whom I really like), how about giving us Bantock, Lilburn, Martinu, Tubin and more ... many more.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

I have several works on the CPO label
Amongst them his requiem and Christmas oratorio :tiphat:


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

Becca said:


> There is so much really interesting music just from the 20th century that begs to be performed but either the composer isn't sufficiently famous and/or modern for many to pay attention. Instead of yet another performance of Stravinsky, Sibelius, Vaughan Williams, Britten etc., etc (all of whom I really like), how about giving us Bantock, Lilburn, *Martinu*, Tubin and more ... many more.


I would say Martinu belongs to the more popular composers. 
Of course I have no idea how things are in California.


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Martinu is kind of on the fence like Nielsen. People know he was great if they know of him.

Martinu's 4th was performed in my city last year, and I regret I missed it, but I did hear Frescos of Pierra Della Francesca and Nielsen 4, for example. Good signs, and they were good performances.


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

clavichorder said:


> Martinu is kind of on the fence like Nielsen. People know he was great if they know of him.
> 
> Martinu's 4th was performed in my city last year, and I regret I missed it, but I did hear Frescos of Pierra Della Francesca and Nielsen 4, for example. Good signs, and they were good performances.


I heard of Carl Nielsen long before I heard of Britten or Waughan-Williams.
Or maybe you mean Ludolf Nielsen?


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Sloe said:


> I heard of Carl Nielsen long before I heard of Britten or Waughan-Williams.
> Or maybe you mean Ludolf Nielsen?


No, I meant Carl. Honestly its great to hear you say that. For me it was the opposite. Maybe we are from different listening generations? It's interesting to me sometimes how arbitrary my almost subconscious notions of what the classical listening community thinks, end up being. I used to think Emmanuel Chabrier was widely known, when it turns out that España isn't even a quite a popular classic depending on who you ask.


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

clavichorder said:


> No, I meant Carl. Honestly its great to hear you say that. For me it was the opposite. Maybe we are from different listening generations? It's interesting to me sometimes how arbitrary my almost subconscious notions of what the classical listening community thinks, end up being. I used to think Emmanuel Chabrier was widely known, when it turns out that España isn't even a quite a popular classic depending on who you ask.


We are just from different countries.
Carl Nielsen is a composer most people know about in Scandinavia. Not as people who usually don´t usually listen to classical music recognise his music but they know he was a composer and he was Danish.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

I clicked the third link and I am enjoying what I hear so far. I sense Wagner's influence too.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

ArtMusic said:


> I clicked the third link and I am enjoying what I hear so far. I sense Wagner's influence too.


http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/CPO/9996952

You can hear snips on link above :tiphat:


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## chill782002 (Jan 12, 2017)

I discovered Wetz's work a few months back and find his 2nd symphony very enjoyable. The first movement reminds me very strongly of the first movement of Bruckner's 9th (a favourite of mine). Wetz certainly deserves wider exposure, really like the CPO label's work to achieve public awareness of more obscure composers.


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## Nevum (Nov 28, 2013)

Wetz's music is very Brucknerian. Some of his symphonies are like hearing another Bruckner symphony. Unfortunately, he was a member of the Nazi party in Nazi Germany in the 30s and was also composing propaganda music. That may be one of the reasons he is not as well known.



Klassic said:


> I've been listening to this fella. He has some excellent music. His symphonies seem to have a dramatic flair. At times his music reminds me of Sibelius. At first his music did not quite take, but I listened to it several times, I persisted, and then one morning, bang! I could hear its beauty:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## chill782002 (Jan 12, 2017)

Agreed, while Bruckner's music was misused by the Nazis for propaganda purposes, particularly the infamous broadcasts of the Adagio from Symphony 7 before the announcement of the defeat at Stalingrad in 1943 and the announcement of Hitler's suicide in 1945, Bruckner cannot be held responsible for that as he died almost 40 years before the Nazis came to power. Wetz, however, appears to have been sympathetic to Nazi ideology (at least in the early days, he died only two years after they came to power and maybe (hopefully?) would have reassessed his position later on) which has probably played a major part in his music being largely forgotten. I still think it stands up well when assessed from a purely musical point of view although he cannot be said to have been as innovative as Bruckner was.


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## Nevum (Nov 28, 2013)

Thats a very good analysis. I agree.



chill782002 said:


> Agreed, while Bruckner's music was misused by the Nazis for propaganda purposes, particularly the infamous broadcasts of the Adagio from Symphony 7 before the announcement of the defeat at Stalingrad in 1943 and the announcement of Hitler's suicide in 1945, Bruckner cannot be held responsible for that as he died almost 40 years before the Nazis came to power. Wetz, however, appears to have been sympathetic to Nazi ideology (at least in the early days, he died only two years after they came to power and maybe (hopefully?) would have reassessed his position later on) which has probably played a major part in his music being largely forgotten. I still think it stands up well when assessed from a purely musical point of view although he cannot be said to have been as innovative as Bruckner was.


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## jhkramer (Jan 14, 2017)

I am crazy about his violin concerto. See my review on Amazon.


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## Nevum (Nov 28, 2013)

jhkramer said:


> I am crazy about his violin concerto. See my review on Amazon.


Yep, I read your review and this prompted me to listen again to his violin concerto, I have his CD. It is really something....


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

jhkramer said:


> I am crazy about his violin concerto. See my review on Amazon.


Will do that, welcome to Talk Classical by the way.


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