<<  -- 3 --  Patric Standford    A MONUMENTAL WORK

Mahler was beginning his first symphony as Hans Rott died, completing it around 1888. Each of the four movements of Rott's E major Symphony increases in length, the last movement, at 21 minutes being twice the length of the first. Clearly he was feeling his way into that monumental world of expansive development and strange contrasts, music haunted by military brass and folk dances, that was to become the language of the new Viennese.

Schumann is a clear influence [listen -- track 1, 0:04-0:59] and the expansiveness of Bruckner seemed to catch the imagination -- and technical ability -- of the young composer [listen -- track 2, 2:20-3:17]. But it is, above all, the strange vision he had of the future that make this an important historical document, and a powerful work for us to enjoy now, thanks to the musicologist Paul Banks, who discovered the score in Vienna about twenty years ago, and conductor Dennis Russell Davies and the Orchestra of Radio Vienna, who made this outstanding recording. There is also an attractive earlier (!) work on the disc, Pastorales Vorspiel, not as impressive as the symphony, but full of astonishing potential.

For help listening to the sound extracts here, please refer to our questions & answers page.