# SS 14.01.23 - Krenek - Symphony # 2



## cougarjuno (Jul 1, 2012)

A continuation of the Saturday Symphonies Tradition:

Welcome to another weekend of symphonic listening!

For your listening pleasure this weekend:

*Ernst Krenek (1900 - 1991)*

*Symphony no. 2, op. 12*

I. Andante sostenuto - Allegro agitato - Halbes Tempo
II. Allegro deciso, ma non troppo - Andante sostenuto - Allegro deciso
III. Adagio - Poco agitato (andante) - Allegro - Adagio - Agitato

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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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## cougarjuno (Jul 1, 2012)

This week we have Austrian composer Ernst Krenek's Symphony # 2. The symphony is monumental in scope and Krenek certainly was influenced by Mahler (he was also briefly married to Mahler's daughter Anna to whom the symphony is dedicated). Among the most Mahlerian passages are those brass figures in the third movement around the 9-minute mark. Written in 1922 it is quite an achievement for a 21-year-old composer. Krenek fled Nazi Germany after his compositions were deemed degenerate. He later became an American citizen. Full of dissonance, yet powerful and dramatic, Krenek described the symphony as man's struggle against the forces of nature. He even called it his "Tragic" Symphony. There are a few recordings of the work. The Gewandhausorchester Leipzig under Lothar Zagroek is below.


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