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CHAN 9795 Front.qxd 21/5/07 3:09 pm Page 1 CHAN 9795 NIELS W. CHANDOS GADE SYMPHONIES Volume Three Danish National Symphony Orchestra/DR • Christopher Hogwood CHAN 9795 BOOK.qxd 21/5/07 3:11 pm Page 2 Niels Wilhelm Gade (1817–1890) Symphonies, Volume 3 1 Echoes of Ossian, Op. 1 13:08 Efterklange af Ossian Concert Overture Lebrecht Music Collection Music Lebrecht Allegro moderato Symphony No. 3, Op. 15 28:24 in A minor • in a-Moll • en la mineur 2 I Presto – Un poco lento – Tempo I 7:40 3 II Andante sostenuto 7:01 4 III Allegretto assai moderato 5:33 5 IV Finale. Allegro molto e con fuoco – Andante sostenuto – Tempo I 8:06 premiere recording 6 Andante – Allegro energico – Andante – Tempo I 9:20 Discarded first movement from Symphony No. 3 Niels W. Gade 3 CHAN 9795 BOOK.qxd 21/5/07 3:11 pm Page 4 Niels Wilhelm Gade: Symphonies Nos 3 & 6/Echoes of Ossian Symphony No. 6, Op. 32 25:54 Niels Wilhelm Gade’s remarkable Opus 1, in a Danish translation by Steen Steensen in G minor • in g-Moll • en sol mineur the Concert Overture Echoes of Ossian Blicher, which transferred its setting from the 7 I Andantino – Allegro molto vivace 6:17 (Efterklange af Ossian), was written in the Scottish highlands and islands to 8 II Andante sostenuto 6:55 autumn of 1840 as the raw young violinist- Scandinavia. The composer’s reading of 9 III Allegro moderato e energico 4:26 composer’s entry for a competition organised Ossian, together with his memories of a visit 10 IV Finale. Andante quasi allegretto – Allegro vivace by the Copenhagen Musical Society. Its first to the mountains of Norway, and his interest e animato 8:05 prize, and the success of its first performance in the revival and publication of TT 77:02 at a Society concert in November 1841, Scandinavian folksongs, inspired what has brought Gade national fame – soon to grow always been identified as a distinctive Danish National Symphony Orchestra /DR to an international reputation when he was ‘Nordic’ vein in his early music. invited by Mendelssohn to the important The overture is in a single tempo Christopher Hogwood German musical centre of Leipzig. throughout, Allegro moderato, but Gade could scarcely have caught the nevertheless falls into the standard form of an All works performed from The Niels W. Gade Edition burgeoning spirit of romanticism more introduction and a sonata-form allegro, albeit faithfully than with his choice of subject followed by a less conventional coda. The matter. Ossian was a supposed Scottish main allegro has two principal subjects, the warrior and bard of legendary times, whose first dramatic and warlike, the second – poems were published in ‘translations’ from begun by the oboe – lyrical and amorous; the Gaelic by James Macpherson in the both correspond to specific passages copied 1760s. In fact, they were mostly written by by Gade from Ossian’s poetry. The Macpherson himself; but by the time their introduction begins with mysterious quiet authorship had been established they had chords in the lower strings, heralding a story been translated into several European from ancient times, and continues with a languages, and had aroused the admiration of melody adapted from an old Danish ballad, a whole generation of romantic writers and first sung in part by the cellos, but later composers. Gade got to know Ossian’s poetry declaimed in full by woodwind, horns and 4 5 CHAN 9795 BOOK.qxd 21/5/07 3:11 pm Page 6 trombones, to a chordal accompaniment on proceeds. The A minor allegro itself is for the which recurs at intervals during the and Symphony No. 6, Op. 32 not only strings and a ‘bardic’ harp. The first line of most part dramatic and stormy, but it has a movement. The first subject proper, initially is in G minor, but also (unlike No. 3) ends this melody also plays an important part in tranquil second subject shared among several subdued but later assertive, is followed by in the key in which it began. Gade the allegro, counterpointing the first subject wind instruments, and its development two contrasting ideas, one a horn-call and commenced work on it in the autumn of and reappearing in the development section; section winds down briefly to an Andante the other a smooth clarinet melody; after the 1856, and completed it a few days before and the melody returns, complete, in the interlude of woodwind recitative. In a preface hushed end to the development section, it is conducting its first performance in March coda, before the strings’ mysterious chords in the Gade edition, Niels Bo Foltmann the horn-call which leads the way into the 1857 at a concert of the Copenhagen end the work in the mood of its opening. suggests that the composer dropped the much altered recapitulation, in which the Musical Society – one of the institutions The key of Gade’s Ossian overture, movement because he felt it was too much in tempo relaxes for the return of the clarinet which he had reinvigorated after his return A minor, is also the key (or at least the initial the ‘Nordic’ style which by 1847 he was melody. from Leipzig to Denmark in 1848. The key) of his Symphony No. 3, Op. 15. He trying to put behind him; Foltmann points The slow movement comes second, a symphony is sometimes said to reflect Gade’s composed the symphony in Leipzig in 1846 out that Gade gave this movement, but not lyrical interlude in A major with some telling sorrow at the death of his first wife in and 1847, conducting the first performance the rest of the work, inscriptions in ancient touches of chromaticism, and with an childbirth in 1855; but on the whole its there in December of the latter year with the Scandinavian runes. But it seems equally agitated middle section underpinned by atmosphere is less tragic than urgent, and it Gewandhaus Orchestra – of which he had probable that Gade decided not to place insistent triplet rhythms and tremolandos. is not without moments of relaxation and recently assumed the direction on the death before the conservative Leipzig public a The F sharp minor third movement is more charm. of his mentor, Mendelssohn. Gade clearly movement which in its vehemence and its of a minuet than a scherzo: its opening and Again, the first movement has a short took great care over the composition of the restless chromaticism comes close to the closing sections are lightly scored, with introduction, initially moving from a chord work, even making two complete drafts of a ‘progressive’ musical language of his near- muted violins; the reprise of a single of E flat major into G minor, which it first attempt at an opening movement before contemporary Wagner. subsidiary idea separates two more sonorous reaches in a cadence in Lombardic discarding it altogether. In any case, there are still what might be trio episodes. The A major Finale is a (short–long) rhythm. The main Allegro molto The later version of this discarded called ‘echoes of Echoes of Ossian’ throughout movement of sustained energy and rhythmic vivace begins with a descending-scale figure movement has been published for the first the final version of the Third Symphony, drive, though at the start of the development in a stark canon, coming to rest on a held time in the new complete edition of Gade’s chiefly in passages of quiet chordal writing section Gade appears to slacken the pace by chord of D major; similar massive chords music. It begins with an Andante for the lower strings, and in minor-key clearing the texture of all its busy figuration, punctuate this otherwise feverish movement, introduction in A major, which anticipates melodies which tend towards the modes of and in the coda he does actually reduce it for notably at the start of the development both the dotted-rhythm descent of the first folk tradition. The replacement opening a chorale-like Andante sostenuto – a moment section. The slow movement, in D major, theme of the main Allegro energico, and a movement, with the unusually fast tempo of repose before the exuberant ending. resembles that of the Third Symphony in dotted upbeat figure which becomes marking of Presto, begins with a chord Of Gade’s eight symphonies, five are in the gentle chromaticism of its principal increasingly prominent as the movement sequence, turning from A major to A minor, minor keys, an unusually high proportion; melody and the greater agitation of its 6 7 CHAN 9795 BOOK.qxd 21/5/07 3:11 pm Page 8 central section, which here includes wild recognisably a cousin of its counterpart in Christopher Hogwood conducts repertoire Boston’s Handel & Haydn Society, and works recitative-like phrases marked con fuoco (with the first movement; and at its climactic ranging from the baroque to contemporary, with major opera houses worldwide. fire). The B flat major scherzo is continuous, point the coda recalls the distinctive chord always with the prevailing philosophy of Christopher Hogwood has published a but includes two clearly defined trio sequence with which the whole symphony revealing the original sound-world of the number of books and many editions of sections: the first, in G minor, makes full use began. composer. Since founding The Academy of keyboard and orchestral music. His academic of the three flutes in Gade’s woodwind Ancient Music in 1973, he has gained positions include Fellowships at Jesus and section to suggest a fairy scene of © 2002 Anthony Burton international recognition for his performances Pembroke Colleges, Cambridge, and a Mendelssohnian delicacy; the second is with period instruments.