KURT WEILL

KURT WEILL
SYMPHONIES N° 1 & 2,

LADY IN THE DARK - SYMPHONIC NOCTURNE

About nine minutes into the second track of this disc, you seem to hear the composer reminding himself: "Hey, I'm Kurt Weill! This is what my music sounds like!" Most of us know only Weill's theater music, but he began his career writing concert pieces. The First Symphony was written under the tutelage of the great composer and pianist Ferruccio Busoni. Both symphonies belong to the European mainstream of the early 1920s, but Weill's characteristic style infiltrates only the Second (placed first on the CD), his last pure concert work, composed after the famous Threepenny Opera. These symphonies may not compete with Stravinsky and Bartók in their importance, but they are both satisfying pieces and will interest both lovers of 20th-century symphonies and fans of Weill's later music--of which we get a nice chunk as an encore. The Weill Symphonies have been scarce on recordings. Here they are performed with great energy and purpose by an excellent conductor and orchestra, vividly recorded, at a price which encourages exploration.

Symphony No. 2
1.I. Sostenuto - Allegro molto 9:47
2.II. Largo 13:10
3.III. Allegro vivace 6:43
Symphony No. 1
4.Symphony No. 1 26:50
Lady in the Dark - Symphonic Nocturne
5.I. My Ship: Andante misterioso 2:53
6.II. Girl of the Moment 1:58
7.III. Bolero, "This is New" 3:46
8.IV. Allegro alla marcia 1:09
9.V. Dance of the Tumblers 1:47
10.VI. The Saga of Jenny 5:58

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