Werner Andreas Albert - Pfitzner: Symphonies, Opp. 44 & 46 (1994)

Two short symphonies (20 and 17 minutes, respectively, both written early in World War 2) open this recording of orchestral music by the German composer Hans Pfitzner. With the possible exception of the dance-like finale to the Op. 46 Sinfonie (the second symphony on the disk), Pfitzner's writing has a notably subdued, understated quality, relying on gentle counterplay between strings and winds to develop and express thematic content. Thus, both symphonies require careful attention and several hearings in order to grasp Pfitzner's frequent and subtle shifts in texture and color. The final work is an 'incidental music' suite to a stage play written by Henrik Ibsen and titled 'Das Fest auf Solhaug.' Composed 50 years prior to Pfitzner's symphonies (1889), this work presents musically in 3 sections the various moods of the play. Like the symphonies, the general tone is often subdued and introspective, although there are some passages of powerful emotion. Recorded in 1990, this CPO disk features the excellent playing of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra. The sound quality is just fine, and the disk as a whole retains consistent interest throughout.