PHILIP SCHARWENKA (1847-1917): Frühlingswogen, Op. 87, Arkadische Suite in B, Op. 76, Liebesnacht, Op. 40.

Description: Oddly, there are no notes on the music in this release except for the fact that all information regarding the works was lost in a bombing of Berlin in 1942. Only the Arcadian Suite is dated (1887). It is almost a symphony, its four movements (Spring Festival, Damon and Daphne, Shepherd's Love-song and Serenade and Bridal Procession and Wedding Celebration) falling neatly into fast-scherzo-slow-finale form. Both the suite (31 minutes) and the 24-minute tone-poem "Spring Torrents" (apparently inspired by Turgenev) are in a flowing, somewhat light-spirited, early Romantic style whose melodic fluency and general sense of comfortable well-being remind one of Raff. The Liebesnacht, a tone-poem of 19 minutes, is a somewhat more passionate and excitable composition (which is good, given that it represents a night of sexual passion). Gävle Symphony Orchestra; Christopher Fifield.