The Complete Symphonies / Romance in A minor, etc

"If you haven't encountered the work of Max Bruch, then this is a superb place to start. In addition to the three symphonies, this set also includes four pieces for violin and orchestra which are quite special.

First, the symphonies. Although they are supposed to derive from the styles of Mendelssohn and Schumann, I found them more like a stepping-stone between Brahms and Sibelius. The former is of course understandable, as Bruch and Brahms were friends. Bruch's first symphony was in fact dedicated to Brahms, who appears not to have resented this.

The style is easy to listen to, being very much in the mould of the mid- to late-nineteenth century in which they were written. They do bear Bruch's personality, as you begin to discern as you progress through this listening experience - essentially light-hearted, with lush harmonies and delicate motifs picked out here and there, but nothing that comes across as *really* profound. However, they are definitely easy on the ear, and certainly bear listening to.

The pieces for violin and orchestra are a different proposition altogether. Bruch is the master of writing music that can make a violin weep. Here are three of the most romantically mournful pieces in existence - yet there is nothing nihilistic or despairing about anything here. These pieces are purely and simply elegiac, and the light-heartedness that underpins all Bruch's work is akin to the feeling you may get from watching a particularly effective weepie. This analogy is not far off the truth, as the music to "Schindler's List", to take an example straight off the top of my head, appears to borrow heavily from Bruch's work (although I expect someone's going to come along and tell me now that Bruch *did* write the music used in "Schindler's List").

A brief comment on the performances: the playing throughout is crisp and tight; the solo violinist Salvatore Accardo brings a husky edge to his instrument's voice that adds solidity to the pathos of each of the pieces featured. The sound is clean, and the overall effect is satisfying.

One thing that I liked especially about this package is that all the pieces have been placed in chronological order. This gives the listener the chance to observe the development of Bruch's style from the first symphony, from when he was about thirty, to the Konzertstuck, written a good 40 years later. He did not write a great deal of music in his lifetime, but that which he did write is worthy of a much wider audience."
(Amazon.co.uk)