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Tubin: Symphonies 2 & 6

Jean-Baptiste OUDAR | France | 03/23/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This record certainly represents a major landmark of the 20th century music as a whole with two different works written at two representative periods of this century (i.e. before & after the war). With these two masterpieces, we are in a position to appreciate two different periods of Tubin' output. The second symph. was written before the war while he was still in Estonia, the sixth was written after the war in 1950, six years after his forced move to Sweden in 1944. Listnening to the second, "legendary" is an extraodinary journey in the world of fabulous tales. It will take you to places where you could imagine meeting gnomes running outside a deep, black forest. The musical language uses enormous growing sound waves with dissonant counterpoint. Although it would be tempting to trace a link between this sympnony and some post-Scriabin expressionist mood works like early pieces from Raïtio, Merikanto or Roslavets, this work definitely falls apart showing a very personal yet very mature work for a 32 years old composer.The sixth is a totally different work. The gloomy atmosphere of the second is replaced by a very strong violence showing a feeling of despair. No place for relief in this sympnony, with a last movement showing a post-shostakovich attitude (DSCH late works) but without the quietness or resignation feelings. At the first hearing, one might be disappointed with such a harshness and impressive percussion, but at the second hearing, everything gets clearer. Performance is outstanding throughout. Once you have listned to these symphonies, try to imagine a concert performance..."

Tubin Performed By Committed Champions

Moldyoldie | Motown, USA | 06/18/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"One can be brief here. Though the Second (1937) and Sixth (1954) symphonies of Eduard Tubin are separated by seventeen years, including a world war and the composer's exile from his native Estonia to Sweden near its conclusion, both contain heroic passages, great energy, and plenty of bombast and blather -- symphonic expression writ large!"