VA - Franz Schmidt: The Book of the Seven Seals; Symphony No. 4 (2024) [Official Digital Download]

SOMM Recordings honours Franz Schmidt, one of the great symphonic composers of the 20th century, on the 150th anniversary of his birth with this double-disc set featuring two of his masterworks. Revered in his day in his native Austria as the nation’s leading composer and an elite teacher, cellist and pianist, his name will not be known to many. This is due, at least in part, to a perceived association with the Third Reich (against which there is ample evidence). This first release on CD of two premiere recordings, meticulously produced and restored by Lani Spahr, showcases Schmidt’s unique harmonic language, exceptional contrapuntal skill and mastery of form, qualities which prompted Hans Pfitzner to call Schmidt’s Symphony No. 4 “nearer perfection than Bruckner, more honest than Richard Strauss and more original than Reger”.

Born in Pressburg (Bratislava) in 1874, Schmidt’s teachers (piano) included his mother (herself a student of Liszt), Rudolf Mader, Ludwig Burger and Theodor Leschetizky; (cello) Karl Udel and Ferdinand Hellmesberger; and (theory) Felicián Moczik and Robert Fuchs. He was, for a time, principal cellist in the Vienna Philharmonic under Mahler. While his symphonic output is clearly in the structural mould of Schubert, Brahms and Bruckner, his harmonic language, while showing influences of Strauss, Mahler and early Schoenberg, is clearly his own.

A near fatal heart attack in the years following the success of his Fourth Symphony prompted the composer to put his efforts into a major religious work. His setting of eight chapters of the last book of the New Testament in Martin Luther’s German became The Book with Seven Seals (From the Revelation of St John the Divine), not through-composed but constructed of clearly defined sections in the great 19th-century oratorio tradition.

The success of this summum opus and his stature in Austria drew the attention of the Nazis, who commissioned Schmidt to write a cantata on partisan texts (which he abandoned, only for it to be completed by a student and nevertheless performed under Schmidt’s name). With the fading of this unfortunate association a growing number of prominent conductors (the Järvis, Welser-Möst, Luisi, Bychkov) have begun to revive performances of his music in our time.

Tracklist:
Disc 1
1. Rudolph Moralt & Vienna Symphony – I. Allegro molto moderato - Passionato (14:57)
2. Rudolph Moralt & Vienna Symphony – II. Adagio - Più lento - Adagio (14:46)
3. Rudolph Moralt & Vienna Symphony – III. Molto vivace (07:29)
4. Rudolph Moralt & Vienna Symphony – IV. Tempo primo un poco sostenuto - Passionato - Tempo primo. Allegro molto moderato (09:52)
5. Julius Patzak, Munich Philharmonic & Anton Lippe – No. 1, Gnade sei mit euch (04:37)
6. Otto Wiener, Anton Lippe & Munich Philharmonic – No. 2, Ich bin das A und das O (02:02)
7. Julius Patzak, Munich Philharmonic & Anton Lippe – No. 3, Und eine Tür ward aufgetan im Himme (03:56)
8. Julius Patzak, Hanny Steffek, Hertha Töpper, Erich Majkut, Frederick Guthrie, Graz Cathedral Choir, Anton Lippe & Munich Philharmonic – No. 4, Heilig, heilig ist Gott der Allmächtige (05:50)
9. Julius Patzak, Hanny Steffek, Hertha Töpper, Erich Majkut, Frederick Guthrie, Anton Lippe & Munich Philharmonic – No. 5, Und ich sah in der rechten Hand (05:39)
10. Julius Patzak, Graz Cathedral Choir, Anton Lippe & Munich Philharmonic – No. 6, Nun sah ich, und siehe, mitten vor dem Throne (06:05)
11. Franz Illengerber – No. 7, Lento (04:09)

Disc 2
1. Julius Patzak, Graz Cathedral Choir, Anton Lippe & Munich Philharmonic – No. 8, Und als das Lamm der Siegel erstes auftat (02:14)
2. Julius Patzak, Graz Cathedral Choir, Anton Lippe & Munich Philharmonic – No. 9, Und als das Lamm der Siegel zweites auftat (06:16)
3. Julius Patzak, Hanny Steffek, Hertha Töpper, Erich Majkut, Frederick Guthrie, Graz Cathedral Choir, Anton Lippe & Munich Philharmonic – No. 10, Und als das Lamm der Siegel drittes auftat (04:11)
4. Julius Patzak, Erich Majkut, Frederick Guthrie, Anton Lippe & Munich Philharmonic – No. 11, Und als das Lamm der Siegel viertes auftat (03:47)
5. Julius Patzak, Graz Cathedral Choir, Anton Lippe & Munich Philharmonic – No. 12, Und als das Lamm der Siegel fünftes auftat (03:45)
6. Julius Patzak, Otto Wiener, Anton Lippe & Munich Philharmonic – No. 13, Und es wurde ihnen einem jeglichen gegeben ein weißes Kleid (02:43)
7. Julius Patzak, Graz Cathedral Choir, Anton Lippe & Munich Philharmonic – No. 14, Und ich sah, dass das Lamm der Siegel sechstes auftat (07:17)
8. Franz Illengerber – No. 15, Vivace ma non troppo (03:12)
9. Julius Patzak, Munich Philharmonic & Anton Lippe – No. 16, Nach dem Auftun des siebenten der Siegel aber (02:55)
10. Julius Patzak, Munich Philharmonic & Anton Lippe – No. 17, Ein Weib, umkleidet mit der Sonne (03:36)
11. Julius Patzak, Munich Philharmonic & Anton Lippe – No. 18, Und sie gebar einen Sohn (02:10)
12. Julius Patzak, Munich Philharmonic & Anton Lippe – No. 19, Im Himmel aber erhob sich ein großer Streit (06:16)
13. Julius Patzak, Graz Cathedral Choir, Anton Lippe & Munich Philharmonic – No. 20, Und als die große Stille im Himmel vorüber war (11:31)
14. Julius Patzak, Munich Philharmonic & Anton Lippe – No. 21, Vor dem Angesichte dessen, der auf weißem Throne saß (04:48)
15. Otto Wiener, Anton Lippe & Munich Philharmonic – No. 22, Ich bin das A und das O (05:08)
16. Graz Cathedral Choir, Anton Lippe & Munich Philharmonic – No. 23, Hallelujah! (04:12)
17. Graz Cathedral Choir, Anton Lippe & Munich Philharmonic – No. 24, Wir danken dir, o Herr (01:56)
18. Julius Patzak, Graz Cathedral Choir, Anton Lippe & Munich Philharmonic – No. 25, Ich bin es, Johannes, der all dies hörte und sah (02:14)


Thanks to the Original customer!