Dohnanyi - Symphony No.2; Symphonic Minutes

Erno DOHNANYI (1877-1960)

Symphonic Minutes; Symphony No.2

BBC Philharmonic

Matthias Bamert

'Symphonic Minutes,' a five-movement suite, starts with as striking and memorable a bit of orchestration as that, say, of Respighi's 'Pines of Rome.' Flitting flutes - often flutter-tonguing, celesta, gossamer strings and breathless double-tonguing horn quartet express the kind of wit and excitement the subtitle 'Capriccio' and tempo, Vivacissimo possibile, imply. The second movement, Rapsodia, features a lovely song on the English horn, one of Dohnányi's favorite melody instruments (and mine). The brief Scherzo is a bumptious tour de force of metrical irregularity. The Theme with Variations is based on what sounds like a folk-song, sung by cor anglais with spice added by glinting celesta, and in its four minutes it goes from sweet and tender to brassy and martial. The Rondo finale is a breathless perpetuum mobile in polka rhythm. I'm told by a Hungarian musical friend that at its first performance in Vienna the audience didn't 'get it.' Hard to imagine. I really do think this 15-minute gem could easily be a concert opener or even a pops concert favorite.

The Second Symphony in E Major, Op. 40, starts with a portentous, irregular, jagged theme suggesting Big Events. Written in the early Nazi years, it would be tempting to guess it was inspired by current events, but we'll never know about that. The second theme, played by the violas, is lyrical, serene and a welcome relief from the agitation of the earlier moments. As the movement progresses it becomes more and more Romantic as if Dohnányi is hoping beauty and romance will conquer all. There are, though, menacing interruptions now and again by peremptory, even brutal, brass and snare drums, reminding us of the earlier disquiet and they ultimately reassert their former strength through to the end of the movement. The second movement is a welcome island of utterly lovely late Romantic beauty, from the beginning cor anglais melody (there's the instrument again!) through some gorgeous Brahmsian string-dominated harmonies. There is a rhapsodic duet for clarinet and (alto?) clarinet over string tremolos in the middle section that is joined eventually by, you guessed it, cor anglais, and then the rest of the solo winds. This has a rapt autumnal, slightly melancholy sound. The movement returns to its earlier atmosphere of calm and serenity. The Scherzo, called here 'Burla,' reminds one of the Scherzo of the 'Symphonic Minutes' in that it is awkwardly energetic, brimming with cynical sass. This one has glissing trombones--shades of Bartók!--, snarling trumpet strawberries, mocking piccolos, oompahing tuba, and a Kabalevskian nonchalance. The Finale comprises a short andante introduction leading to an extraordinarily beautiful harmonization for divisi strings of Bach's 'Komm, süsser Tod'--the BBC Philharmonic's strings are almost too beautiful for words here; tears come to my eyes simply recalling the depth and sheen of that sound--followed by an arch-form of five variations, and ending in classic style with a masterful six-minute fugue based on the opening phrase of Bach's chorale theme. It culminates in a maestoso coda, a slowly treading march based on the symphony's opening theme, that builds to a defiant blaze of E major sonority.

This recording by Matthias Bamert and the BBC Philharmonic is a first recording for the Symphony. It is stunning. But we need more, more, more recordings and performances of this towering piece. 

About

The Symphony No. 2 in E, Op. 40, was completed by Ernő Dohnányi (published under professional name Ernst von Dohnányi) in 1944, at the close of the Second World War. It was revised later in the 1950s. Written with audible roots in the Romantic tradition, the work is largely lyrical, yet nonetheless periodically maintains a controlled militaristic air inspired by the events surrounding its composition. It references a variety of musical backgrounds, including the work of Brahms, Wagner, Kabalevsky, and Bach. Bach's song Komm, süßer Tod serves as the basis for a significant portion of the finale.

Dohnányi produced the symphony, a hallmark of his compositional maturity, in a time of great turmoil; its composition coincided with the 1944 German occupation of Hungary, during which thousands of Hungarian Jews - a number of Dohnányi's colleagues among them - were relocated to concentration camps. Dohnányi completed the symphony in Austria, where he had, controversially, moved to in November 1944 following the Soviet assault on Hungarian territory. Although these events circulated the symphony's creation, the work itself does not ostensibly depict the turbulent circumstances of the war's final days, but only suggests their presence with an uneasy atmosphere. It is approximately fifty minutes in length, and is the composer's last symphony.