Hans Rott: Symphony No. 1 / Mahler: Blumine / Bruckner: Symphonisches Präludium

Album review

In a new collaboration with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra (and no doubt in memory of the particularly important historical partnership of Jochum, Keilberth and Suitner in the 1950s), Deutsche Grammophon is now releasing a recording of Symphony in E major by Hans Rott. This Austrian composer, born in 1858, was a friend of Mahler's and died at the young age of 25 in June 1884. This Symphony, which remains his greatest completed work, reveals a highly original temperament which is undoubtedly influenced by Bruckner. Rott's greatest features are his great structural fluidity, his orchestra's sharp edges and his beautiful melodic motifs, as evidenced in the moving Sehr langsam. This First Symphony (the Second remains unfinished) is full of avant-garde musical ideas that Mahler would continue to pursue after his friend’s death and is interpreted here by the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra under the direction of their conductor Jakub Hrůša. This version is particularly lively, especially as the magnificent sound recording is rather light and airy.

Jakub Hrůša completes Rott’s Symphonie with two equally rare works: Mahler's ‘Blumine’ (which was the original second movement to his ‘Titan’ symphony but was later removed from the score by the composer after a few performances) and Bruckner’s Symphonic prelude in C minor. Hrůša's Mahlerian adventures with the Bamberg Symphony are often sensory and powerful, and the magical instrumentation of this new album (especially in ‘Sehr langsam’ from Rott’s Symphonie) is no exception. It’s proof that there’s a real need for a label like Deutsche Grammophon to release the great (and complete) Mahler Symphonies, using the best possible orchestra, a conductor who’s divinely inspired in the repertoire and beautiful recordings, just like they’ve done here. © Pierre-Yves Lascar/Qobuz