Amy Beach - Orchestral Works (Joseph Bastian)

Information

Composer: Amy Beach

• Symphony in E Minor, Op. 32 "Gaelic"
• Eilende Wolken, segler der Lüfte, Op. 18
• Jephthah's Daughter, Op. 53
• 3 Songs, Op. 21: No. 2, Extase (Version for Voice & Orchestra)
• Bal masque, Op. 22 (Version for Orchestra)

Munich Symphony Orchestra

Joseph Bastian, conductor

Date: 2025

Label: Solo Musica

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Even though the first recording of Amy Beach's "Gaelic Symphony" with the Munich Symphony Orchestra under its new chief conductor Joseph Bastian can now be found time and again in the concert repertoire, Beach's fascinating musical language remains undiscovered territory for many musicians. And that is precisely what makes working with it as a performer so beautiful and exciting: immersing yourself fully in a new world of sound, harmonizing the details with the broader lines, and learning to understand the subtleties and sophistication of her magnificent instrumentation is an enriching experience that opens both the ears and the soul. This music is so rich, so complex, and so colorful that one cannot help but love it. The "Gaelic Symphony" is the first symphony ever written by an American female composer. Its existence is owed, on the one hand, to the creativity and defiant self-confidence of Amy Beach, who persisted in her music even under the thumb of her husband. On the other hand, it is influenced by Antonín Dvořák, who was living in the USA at the time and was the midwife of a genuinely American music.

The three vocal works on this album (all premiere recordings) are imbued with poetry and drama. It was particularly moving for the Munich Symphony Orchestra, Joseph Bastian, and singers Angela Brower and Camille Schnoor to bring these sounds back to life for the first time in over a century, as far as we know.

High Resolution 24-bit / 96 kHz