ALEXANDER MOYZES (1906-1984): Symphonies No. 1 in D, Op. 31 and No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 16.

Description: Along with Jan Cikker and Eugen Suchon, Moyzes represents the "Big Three" of modern Slovak orchestral music. Moyzes wrote 12 symphonies and his first dates from 1929 but was revised in 1937 and now bears a higher opus number. A four-movement work lasting over forty minutes, it is still demonstrably a student symphony, deriving much of its form and content from late Central European Romanticism but aware of the Second Viennese School although never atonal. The Second was also revised (1932/41) and ended up being a two-movement work (although still nearly 40 minutes in length) in which the dramatic and vivid Allegro impetuoso demonstates Moyzes' orchestrational abilities while the final Allegro marcato offers echoes of Prokofiev and of Slovak folk music along its contrapuntal way. Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra; Ladislav Slovák. Original 2000 Marco Polo release.