Examine individual changes

''''Symphony No. 2 in E minor''' was written by [[Wilhelm Furtwängler]] between 1945 and 1946. After quitting his conducting posts in Germany and Austria in protest of Nazi cultural policy, Furtwängler moved to Switzerland, where he wrote this symphony. It is in four movements: # Assai moderato # Andante semplice # Allegro - Moderato - Allegro # Langsam - Moderato andante - Allegro molto - Moderato - Langsam - Moderato - Presto 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. Like Furtwängler's other symphonic works, the Symphony No. 2 is very rarely performed. Roughly 80 minutes in length, the work is heavily indebted to the [[Romanticism (music)|late-Romantic]] style of composers like [[Anton Bruckner]] and [[Richard Wagner]]. As one commentator has observed, most of Furtwängler's works "are of Brucknerian length but, devoid of Brucknerian genius, few have the material to sustain such proportions."<ref>Christopher Fifield, "Relationships", ''The Musical Times'', Vol. 131, No. 1770 (Aug., 1990), p. 426</ref> However, the symphony also has its strong partisans: [[Daniel Barenboim]] has recorded it with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and [[Arthur Honegger]] wrote of this work, "The man who can write a score as rich as [this] is not to be argued about. He is of the race of great musicians." <ref> Review by "RO" in Gramophone magazine, pp. 46, April 1995.</ref> Furtwängler himself recorded his Symphony No. 2 in a studio with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1952,<ref> Mermelstein (1998) David. August 2 "Classical Briefs: SCHUMANN: SYMPHONY NO. 4; FURTWANGLER: SYMPHONY NO. 2" ''The New York Times''</ref> and again with the Vienna Philharmonic, live, in 1953. The live recording was 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.<ref>p. 386, Horowitz (1999) Joseph. New York ''Classical Music in America: A History of Its Rise and Fall'' W. W. Norton & Co.</ref> Half a century later, [[Daniel Barenboim]], who "played for the great German maestro in the early 1950s," recorded the piece with the Chicago Symphony.<ref>Cowan (2002) Rob. July 5 "The Compact Collection: Birtwistle: 'The Woman and the Hare' and other works - The Nash Ensemble/ Martyn Brabbins; Furtwängler: Symphony No 2 - Chicago SO/Daniel Barenboim" ''The Independent On Sunday''</ref> ==Notes== {{reflist}} ==References== * Hans-Hubert Schonzeler, ''Furtwangler'' (Amadeus Press, 1990) [[Category:20th-century symphonies|Furtwängler 2]] [[Category:Compositions by Wilhelm Furtwängler]] ==External Links== *[http://unsungsymphonies.blogspot.com/2010/08/fun-with-scales-furtwanglers-second.html Article on Symphony] (Accessed 15 May 2011) {{symphony-stub}} [[ja:交響曲第2番 (フルトヴェングラー)]]'