Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Frankfurt, Howard Griffiths - Ferdinand Hiller: Symphonies in E minor & C major (2026) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. Symphony in E minor HWV 2.4.3: Allegro molto vivace
02. Symphony in E minor HWV 2.4.3: Andante scherzando
03. Symphony in E minor HWV 2.4.3: Alla marcia. Allegro non troppo
04. Symphony in E minor HWV 2.4.3: Chant des pirates. Allegro con fuoco
05. Symphony in C major HWV 2.4.6: Molto allegro
06. Symphony in C major HWV 2.4.6: Adagio ma non troppo
07. Symphony in C major HWV 2.4.6: Intermezzo. Vivace
08. Symphony in C major HWV 2.4.6: Allegro vivace con molto di fuoco



The strong visual power of the music is captivating, one commentator reported after he heard the first of two albums devoted to the four surviving symphonies of the Rhineland music pope Ferdinand Hiller (1811-1885). With the conclusion of this cycle – small in scale but remarkable in quality – Howard Griffiths and the Brandenburg State Orchestra Frankfurt (Oder) now present us with the earliest and the latest works in the series. Once again, it is not only the enthusiastic reviewer who will find much to enjoy. The Symphony in E minor is the passionately effervescent creation of an artist who has just turned twenty and wants to show the world all he has. The Final Word, written four and a half decades later, exudes the self-confidence of a man who has long since made it. He can look back nostalgically on the days of Mendelssohn and Schumann and still allow himself to write harmonic oddities without asking permission. Astonishing!