# a never before recorded awesome symphony - Franz Lachner Symphony D-Major Nr.6 (1837)



## gprengel (Dec 21, 2015)

I'd like to share with you a real treasure - for me the best symphony between Schubert and Schumann/Mendelssohn - and it has never been recorded before - Symphony D-Major Nr. 6 (1837) by Franz Lachner who was among the closest friends of Franz Schubert! For me it is THE discovery of the year. 
It was greatly praised by none less than Robert Schumann: "_...a masterly order and clarity, a lightness and euphony. In a word, it is so mature and well-wrought that we may safely accord the composer a place near his favorite model, Franz Schubert, compared to whom he falls short in variety of invention but at least equals in talent for instrumentation._"

This symphony is full of wonderful ideas! Beginning with the melodious main theme of the 1st mov. which is so wonderfully elaborated, especially in the gorgeus 3 1/2 minute fugue in the end ... then the wonderful middle part of the Andante, a Scherzo foreshadowing Bruckner and an awesome Finale which I can compare only with Schubert's 9th ... I recorded it with NotePerformer. What do you think?

mp3:

www.gerdprengel.de/Lachner_6_symph-1.mp3
www.gerdprengel.de/Lachner_6_symph-2.mp3
www.gerdprengel.de/Lachner_6_symph-3.mp3
www.gerdprengel.de/Lachner_6_symph-4.mp3

Score:

www.gerdprengel.de/Lachner_6_symph-1.pdf
www.gerdprengel.de/Lachner_6_symph-2.pdf
www.gerdprengel.de/Lachner_6_symph-3.pdf
www.gerdprengel.de/Lachner_6_symph-4.pdf


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

First, I want to commend you for the arduous, complex task of entering a long score like this into a music notation program. Must have taken a l-o-n-g time.

I enjoy Lachner's work and collected the symphonies that have been commercially recorded. Here's another composer who's music was totally swept under the rug. But it must be admitted that Lachner was not a "great" composer. A very talented one, no doubt. But like Raff, Rubinstein, Draeseke, Spohr and others, his music has been neglected for good reason. That's not to say it can't be enjoyed for what it is. I play in several semi-pro and amateur orchestras, and they all make the mistake of trying to perform really difficult classics. Amateurs just can't do justice to things like Brahms 4, Tchaikovsky 6, Mendelssohn 4 and so on. They should be playing music like the Lachner 6th!!!! It's somewhat easier - although not easy - audiences would enjoy it and it would freshen up the repertoire. But it's not likely to happen. You should contact Warren Cohen at Musica Nova in Arizona - he loves to program obscure, unperformed music.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

I like the Lachner I've heard. I didn't realise there was some of his music that hadn't been commercially recorded. Kudos to you for trying to gain the work you obviously love an audiience.


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

Lachner was 24 when Beethoven died and passed away just 6 years before Bruckner. He was one of the very few composers -another was Carl Reinecke- who lived through most of the 19th century.


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## Fabulin (Jun 10, 2019)

gprengel said:


> I'd like to share with you a real treasure - for me the best symphony between Schubert and Schumann/Mendelssohn - and it has never been recorded before - Symphony D-Major Nr. 6 (1837) by Franz Lachner who was among the closest friends of Franz Schubert! For me it is THE discovery of the year.
> It was greatly praised by none less than Robert Schumann: "_...a masterly order and clarity, a lightness and euphony. In a word, it is so mature and well-wrought that we may safely accord the composer a place near his favorite model, Franz Schubert, compared to whom he falls short in variety of invention but at least equals in talent for instrumentation._"
> 
> This symphony is full of wonderful ideas! Beginning with the melodious main theme of the 1st mov. which is so wonderfully elaborated, especially in the gorgeus 3 1/2 minute fugue in the end ... then the wonderful middle part of the Andante, a Scherzo foreshadowing Bruckner and an awesome Finale which I can compare only with Schubert's 9th ... I recorded it with NotePerformer. What do you think?


1. I think it's wonderful. 
2. I am happy for your success. 
3. I really like Lachner. 
4. Shout-out to the UC community.

8:03 of the first movement onwards reminds me of something Schumann would write 3 years later, in 1840.


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## gprengel (Dec 21, 2015)

Fabulin said:


> 8:03 of the first movement onwards reminds me of something Schumann would write 3 years later, in 1840.


Yes, you are right, Fabulin. I never heard that song before. Amazing how you could remember such a relatively unknown song after listening to that passage! You refer to the beginning of the recapitulation, the second phrase of the main theme, which also comes in the exposition at 0:4 and 0:33 ... Schumann may have picked up that phrase subconsciously because he pretty much adored that sympony ...

I would like to know what you think of the long fugue at 9:19 of that 1st mov. - do you know any symphony whith such a long fugue part and such rich counterpoint?


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## Fabulin (Jun 10, 2019)

gprengel said:


> Yes, you are right, Fabulin. I never heard that song before. Amazing how you could remember such a relatively unknown song after listening to that passage! You refer to the beginning of the recapitulation, the second phrase of the main theme, which also comes in the exposition at 0:4 and 0:33 ... Schumann may have picked up that phrase subconsciously because he pretty much adored that sympony ...
> 
> I would like to know what you think of the long fugue at 9:19 of that 1st mov. - do you know any symphony whith such a long fugue part and such rich counterpoint?


It's an even more awesome coincidence. I have a little pet academic project of studying the composing process that Alexander Alexandrov did to create the anthem for the USSR. This particular lied by Schumann is pointed to by scholars as a major influence. Now I could proudly add a footnote to the article, that Schumann's lied is in turn heavily indebted to Lachner's 6th symphony. Thank you 

I know no other Schumann song. I tried listening to others, but didn't like them, and don't remember even one more. In fact, I cannot say I remember any other work by Schumann. There were symphonies, I suppose, including one unfinished one, right?

So for me Schumann is basically this one song 

As to fugues, my intuitive response would be late Mozart, or Beethoven and Brueckner. Can't point to examples, because I cannot even always tell that something is a fugue. It just have vague memories of reading about them.

Lachner's fugue is beautiful. It has a very good theme as a base. I would not call it second rate by any means. It could definitely be one of the items on a case list for having Lachner re-enter the concert canon (together with the scherzo from Suite No. 7 in D minor). In fact, now that I listened to it a couple more times, I find it as exciting as some good moments in Beethoven's symphonies.


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