Kurt Graunke - Kurt Graunke Symphonie Nr. 1 "Die Heimat" (1970/2020)

Kurt Graunke (20.09.1915-05.06.2005) is considered an old school symphonist. He always described himself as the last symphonist who writes in the classical form. His nine symphonies follow the Schubert - Schumann - Bruckner line. In addition to his compositional work, he always directed. In 1945 Kurt Graunke founded the Graunke symphony orchestra, named after him, which achieved a high standard of performance under his artistic direction and gained a high reputation not only among the public, but also among experts and the media. For his great services to culture, Kurt Graunke received numerous awards, such as the Federal Cross of Merit, the Bavarian Order of Merit, the Upper Bavarian Culture Award, 'Munich shines - The Friends of Munich' in gold and silver and a., honored.

Graunke is an emotional musician. In the late romantic sense, he puts the feeling above everything. Where he unconditionally surrenders to the sensation can be listened to just as unconditionally as in the slow, song-like movement, where dark Sibelius colors seem to paint pictures of melancholic landscapes. In the corner movements Graunke prescribed an overdose of counterpoint against the dissolution into the sensual. As a learned Grabner student and die-hard Reger enthusiast, he forces himself to adopt strict forms, sends the symphony a long and well-built passacaglia, heaps up fugato on fugato, devises nested arrangements à la JN David (Johann Nepomuk) and sets impeccable rules fair joint at the end. (K.Sch., Süddeutsche Zeitung, May 16, 1969)

Two years ago, Kurt Graunke had a resounding success with the premiere of his symphony in E major 'Die Heimat' by both the public and the press. In the meantime, the work has appeared in a record and has now been added to the program of the final concert of this year's subscription series by the Graunke Symphony Orchestra. The more often you encounter the symphony, the stronger it appears in its thematic and musical substance, its dense structure, its instrumental coloring and its rich expression. Above all, the expressive slow movement with its sweeping cantilenas, the lively, rhythmically and melodically particularly distinctive Scherzo with its 7/4 time reminiscences of Slavic and Spanish folklore and the masterfully set large fugue performed with all the arts of counterpoint of the final sentence. On the other hand, the lengths of the first movement (with a performance duration of around twenty minutes) are always noticeable. The problem remains the use of a distance choir, which sings the chorally simple Pomeranian song in the finale a capella behind the scene, a homophonic insert that seems a bit sentimental. Kurt Graunke and his symphoners prepared the work with an impressive, carefully differentiated rendering. - (nn., opera & concert, May 26, 1971)

With his Symphony in E major 'Die Heimat' Graunke courageously demonstrates that one can still articulate unmistakably within an expanded tonality. Graunke has found its own language here. He can afford to end the huge final movement in a fourfold piano. The playback was excellent. (Karl-Robert Danler, tz, May 29, 1971)