In their two previous recordings for Musikproduktion Dabringhaus und Grimm, Jac van Steen and the Dortmund Philharmonic Orchestra have explored the Romantic symphonic works of Tchaikovsky and Dvorák, so their turning to orchestral works of the Second Viennese School for this 2013 release might surprise anyone following their discography. A modern program is certainly welcome as a change of pace, and these exceptional musicians turn in such fine performances of Alban Berg's Drei Orchesterstücke and Arnold Schoenberg's ...
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In their two previous recordings for Musikproduktion Dabringhaus und Grimm, Jac van Steen and the Dortmund Philharmonic Orchestra have explored the Romantic symphonic works of Tchaikovsky and Dvorák, so their turning to orchestral works of the Second Viennese School for this 2013 release might surprise anyone following their discography. A modern program is certainly welcome as a change of pace, and these exceptional musicians turn in such fine performances of Alban Berg's Drei Orchesterstücke and Arnold Schoenberg's Pelleas und Melisande that the change of repertoire need not be questioned. Berg's dense and granitic work developed between 1913 and 1929, accumulating myriad details along the way and becoming a massive score that explodes with violent energy and concentrated expression in just over 20 minutes. At twice that length, and with a searching chromaticism that reflects its years of composition, 1902-1903, Pelleas und Melisande is an expansive symphonic poem that grows out of Wagner's Tristan...
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