Search - Hamerik, Dausgaard :: Symphony 3 in E Major Op 33

Difficult to get these melodies out of your head

I. J. J. Nieuwland | Amsterdam | 10/07/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Asger Hamerik was a pupil of Berlioz - a legacy that sometimes shows, and sometimes not. In these two symphonies, the influence is not so clearly audible. Both are from the mid-1880s and fairly typical of their contemporaries. However, Hamerik's talent for melodies that stick is unmistakable. These are maybe not the best of his symphonies (the last two - nr. 6 and the choral nr. 7 - must take that credit), but they make for very enjoyable listening nonetheless.

The symphonies are subtitled 'lyrique' and 'majestueuese' and in both cases, these are spot-on. Some might not appreciate the bombast of the 'majestueuse', but it is a tightly conceived work, written a la Berlioz in a cyclical way, the themes of the first movement returning in the last.

Number three is slightly less memorable but certainly more delicate. The third movement Andante is a lovely bit of music. However, the piece is slightly let down because the fourth movement doesn't quite reach the level of the first three.

Dausgaards Helsingborg forces do a very adequate job, and if I want to detract anything it must be from the technicians, who could have created a more transparent soundscape. Nonetheless, recommended."