Felix Draeseke - Symphony No. 3; Funeral March (Jörg-Peter Weigle)

Information

Composer: Felix Draeseke

• Symphony No. 3 in C major, Op. 40 'Symphonia tragica'
• Funeral March in E minor, Op. 79

NDR Radio Philharmonic Orchestra

Jörg-Peter Weigle, conductor

Date: 2000

Label: CPO

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Review

Early in the twentieth century, Draeseke's Third Symphony was championed by such exalted names as Nikisch, Pfitzner, Reiner and Böhm. The pianist Edwin Fischer found room for Draeseke's Piano Sonata, Op. 6 in his recital programmes. Having slipped into near total obscurity, here is a convenient opportunity for reassessment of at least some of Draeseke's music.

It is easy to spot influences: there are shades of Weber in the Andante introduction, whilst the Scherzo is a sort of Mendelssohn-plus, for example. Wagner joins the rich vein of Romanticism (Draeseke visited Wagner in Switzerland and attended the premières of Tristan and Meistersinger in Munich), as does the Liszt of the symphonic poems. But playing this game can mislead, and overshadow what in this case is an impressive piece in its own right.

The North German Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hanover under Jörg-Peter Weigle certainly seems to believe in Draeseke's worth. This is a very committed performance with a fine, spacious recording to support it. There has only been one previous recording, and that was cut (on Urania URLP7162, re-released in stereo in 1979 on Varèse-Sarabande VC81092), so this account of the complete score is doubly welcome. The orchestra is fully the equal of the demands placed on it (listen to how the strings negotiate the high lines of the Trio, or how they muster such depth in the Grave).

The later Funeral March is dedicated to the memory of German soldiers who fell in Africa during the Colonial Wars. The quiet close of the symphony ushers it in well, and it contains a lyrical and heartfelt contrasting theme that is most touching.

You may well feel that this disc comes as something of a revelation.

— Colin Clarke

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Felix Draeseke (7 October 1835 – 26 February 1913) was a German composer. Born in Coburg, he studied at the Leipzig Conservatory before moving to Weimar to join the New German School led by Franz Liszt. He later taught in Switzerland and then at conservatories in Dresden, Germany. Draeseke composed extensively across genres, including symphonies, operas, concertos and chamber music. His works were well-regarded during his lifetime and shortly afterward, but they faded into obscurity after World War II. However, a resurgence of interest emerged in the late 20th century, aided by new recordings of his compositions.

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Jörg-Peter Weigle (born in 1953) is a German conductor. He trained with the Thomanerchor in Leipzig and studied at the Hanns Eisler Academy in Berlin, later attending masterclasses with Kurt Masur and Witold Rowicki. His conducting career includes roles with the Neubrandenburg State Orchestra, Leipzig Radio Choir, Dresden Philharmonic, Stuttgart Philharmonic, Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Frankfurt and Philharmonischer Chor Berlin. As an educator, he taught at the Carl Maria von Weber Academy in Dresden and served as Professor of Choral Conducting at the Hanns Eisler Academy until 2017.

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