# SS 30.05.20 - Herrmann #1



## Mika (Jul 24, 2009)

A continuation of the Saturday Symphonies Tradition:

Welcome to another weekend of symphonic listening!

For your listening pleasure this weekend:

Bernard Herrmann (1911 - 1975)

Symphony #1

I. Maestoso: Allegro pesante
II. Scherzo
III. Andante sostenuto
IV. Rondo: Epilogue à la processional
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Post what recording you are going to listen to giving details of Orchestra / Conductor / Chorus / Soloists etc - Enjoy!


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## Mika (Jul 24, 2009)

As requested recently let's enjoy Herrmann symphony now. I will listen one found from spotify:









This is also in youtube:


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

I have that Unicorn CD in my collection, so that will be the one.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Phoenix Symphony Orchestra conducted by/ Orquesta Sinfónica de Phoenix dirigida por James Sedares.
I will watch this one later.


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## Alfacharger (Dec 6, 2013)

Both recordings for me. Herrmann's original first version recording.










Sedares recording of the slightly revised version.


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## cougarjuno (Jul 1, 2012)

I'll listen to the Sedares/Phoenix version a recent purchase for me.


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## JAS (Mar 6, 2013)

Unicorn CDs were highly prone to bronzing, which is what I think happened to mine.


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## DaddyGeorge (Mar 16, 2020)

cougarjuno said:


> I'll listen to the Sedares/Phoenix version a recent purchase for me.


For me also this CD.


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## D Smith (Sep 13, 2014)

Thanks for stepping in again Mika. I listened to the Sedares recording. I found the work well crafted (no suprise as Herrmann was a gifted composer) but it didn't leave much of an impression on me, other than being enjoyable. But I'll listen to it again at a later date.


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## Haydn man (Jan 25, 2014)

cougarjuno said:


> I'll listen to the Sedares/Phoenix version a recent purchase for me.


This version for me via Spotify


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

The composer's version on YouTube for me.


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

A most vibrant symphony. Sadly Herrmann only composed this, I wish he had written more. I like how the timpani are used here.


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## Joachim Raff (Jan 31, 2020)

I am looking forward in listening to this work probably later today. Herrmann is a favourite with me not particularly as a composer but as a conductor. He championed a lot of unknown/unsung composers with performances that others would not touch. Most famously he recorded Raff's 5th it remains the benchmark for other interpretations.


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## Alfacharger (Dec 6, 2013)

Joachim Raff said:


> I am looking forward in listening to this work probably later today. Herrmann is a favourite with me not particularly as a composer but as a conductor. He championed a lot of unknown/unsung composers with performances that others would not touch. Most famously he recorded Raff's 5th it remains the benchmark for other interpretations.


Here is a recording of Herrmann conducting Raff's Third with the CBS Symphony from 1949. (It has cuts!)


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

After all these 30+ years I still remember the sense of excitement in the Phoenix musical scene when Sedares programmed the Herrmann symphony and then recorded it. There was hope that this new recording would pique interest in the work and it would start making the round - but it didn't happen.

If you like Herrmann's symphony you really should check out the opera, Wuthering Heights. It's a beautiful work that also needs more exposure. Herrmann was apparently a very, very disagreeable man and very hard to work with, which helps explain why no one was interested in his music and more than one movie director was glad to see him leave.


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## Simplicissimus (Feb 3, 2020)

Nice choice! Herrmann is my favorite film music composer. His score to _Vertigo_ is my favorite, but I also really like _The Ghost and Mrs. Muir_, _Farenheit 451_, and _Psycho_. I've heard this symphony a few times on the radio but I don't own a CD recording of it. My streaming service (Amazon Music HD) has only one recording, which seems to be a 1974 performance with Herrmann conducting the National Philharmonic Orchestra, released (for some reason) in 2012. (The lack of discographic details in these streaming services really disappoints me because I'm a fastidious collector, so I always resort to discogs, ArkivMusic, or Presto to try to get the data.) The album cover art is pretty wild; I guess there must be an actual LP or CD with this cover, but I've never seen it and can't find anyplace to buy it.

I listened through the whole symphony a couple of times with some distractions, which was interesting and informative in that I found this a very forgiving piece of music. I was able to enjoy it very much without giving it my undivided attention, which I cannot say for all lushly and intricately orchestrated music (e.g. Sibelius, who requires my total attention in order to enjoy). The harmonic sensibility struck me as pure Herrmann, not different from most of his film scores. In the course of the week I will listen to it with fewer distractions and maybe back-to-back with some of his film music. I consider this symphony very worthwhile and interesting. It holds its own, IMO, against many of the works of major 20th Century composers, though it doesn't beat out the best of RVW, Barber, or Walton, to name some comparably tonal contemporaries.


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## Haydn man (Jan 25, 2014)

Another enjoyable SS example.
Nice to be able to explore some ‘off the beaten track’ music and like others I found this fairly easy to get along with for a first listen. I am sure there are merits to repeat listening, but I am not surprised it has largely fallen from favour as it does seem to lack that little something to make it standout 
Hope this is not too harsh because it was a good listen and I would urge others to give it a go


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## Gray Bean (May 13, 2020)

Another “way off the beaten track” work is Herrmann’s cantata “Moby Dick”. Anyone heard it? Love the symphony...I have the Sedares recording. A great listen. Enjoyed it!


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## Joachim Raff (Jan 31, 2020)

Many thanks for your selection. Always a pleasure to revisit Herrmann. In my opinion the symphonic format did not suit his style. Hermann likes to tells a story with his music. His symphony strikes me as plenty of ideas but the ability to string them all together seems lacking. He is hero in my eyes regardless of this work.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

My first hearing of this symphony, so I listened a couple of times. Overall it sounded pretty good with plenty happening, but for whatever reason it just didn’t register much with me. It’s mostly a bit grim, brightening up only in the final movement. Very Herrmann-sounding, not a lot different from his film music.

Regardless of my somewhat negative comments, this might be an effective piece in a live concert.


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