Carl Reinecke - Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3 (Howard Shelley)

Information

Composer: Carl Reinecke

• Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 134 'Hakon Jarl'
• Symphony No. 3 in G minor, Op. 227

Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra

Howard Shelley, conductor

Date: 2001

Label: Chandos

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Review

Few forgotten 19th-century composers so richly deserve revival as Carl Reinecke, in his time a leading teacher as well as a successful composer. Almost 10 years older than his friend Brahms, he lived on until 1910, prolific into his 80s. His style is conservative but never bland, like a cross between Mendelssohn and Brahms, with memorable themes strongly developed, and with refined orchestration. The Symphony No 2 is the more relaxed, leading to a warmly Mendelssohnian finale, while the third is sharper and more dramatic, vigorously belying the idea that this was by a composer in his mid-70s. It would be hard to find more persuasive advocates than Howard Shelley and the brilliant Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.

— Edward Greenfield

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Carl Reinecke (23 June 1824 – 10 March 1910) was a German composer, pianist, conductor and educator. He began composing at seven and performed publicly at twelve. After studying with prominent musicians, including Mendelssohn, Schumann and Liszt, he became court pianist in Copenhagen in 1846. In 1860, he was appointed conductor of Leipzig's Gewandhaus Orchestra and professor at the Leipzig Conservatory, leading the orchestra until 1895. Best known for his flute sonata Undine, Reinecke composed nearly 300 published works and taught influential musicians, including Edvard Grieg and Leoš Janáček.

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Howard Shelley (born 9 March 1950) is a British pianist and conductor. After winning the Royal College of Music's premier prize in his first year, his career was launched by a successful London recital and a televised BBC Proms appearance with the London Symphony Orchestra. He has since performed widely across the UK, Europe, Scandinavia, North America, Russia, Australia and the Far East. Shelley has made over eighty-five recordings and is particularly acclaimed for his interpretations of Rachmaninov. His extensive discography for Hyperion and Chandos spans a broad repertoire from Classical to 20th-century composers.

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