Symphony No. 2 (Furtwängler)

Wilhelm Furtwängler's Symphony No. 2 in E minor was written between 1945 and 1946. It is in four movements:

# Assai moderato
# Andante semplice 11:35
# Allegro - Moderato - Allegro 15:08
# Langsam - Moderato andante - Allegro molto - Moderato - Langsam - Moderato - Presto

After quitting his conducting posts in Germany and Austria in protest of Nazi cultural policy, Furtwängler retreated to Switzerland, where he wrote this symphony.

The outer movements are in sonata form. The third movement, although not specifically referred to as such by Furtwängler, is a scherzo with trio. Unlike Bruckner, Furtwängler makes smooth transitions into and out of the trio.

Discography

Furtwängler is even today better known as a conductor rather than a composer. Furtwängler himself recorded his Symphony No. 2 in a studio with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1951, and again with the Vienna Philharmonic, live, in 1953. The live recording has been released on the Orfeo label.

Furtwängler had wanted to conduct the Chicago Symphony Orchestra but this did not happen because the people of Chicago perceived Furtwängler as a Nazi collaborator. Half a century later, Daniel Barenboim recorded this piece with the Chicago Symphony. The work lasts about 80 minutes, so Baremboim's interpretation requires two discs, while Furtwängler himself, as well as Alfred Walter conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra only needs one CD.

Reference

* Gottfried Kraus, liner notes for Orfeo d'Or CD C 375 941 B, translated to English by Anne de Waël.