Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, JoAnn Falletta: Marcel T...

377

Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, JoAnn Falletta: Marcel Tyberg: Symphony No. 3, Piano Trio

By

Sign in to view read count
Track review of "Symphony No. 3"

Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, JoAnn Falletta: Marcel Tyberg: Symphony No. 3, Piano Trio
Often, the story behind the music makes it that much more compelling. Marcel Tyberg was an Austrian composer of certain repute, his Symphony No. 2 being premiered by friend Rafael Kubelik in the early 1930s. But not much else was heard from this composer. Tyberg was a Jew, in danger of Gestapo deportment in 1943, who entrusted his music manuscripts to his close friend, Italian physician Milan Mihich. Tyberg is thought to have perished in Auschwitz within sight of the war's end.

Mihich transferred the manuscripts to his son, oncologist Enrico, who, in turn, shared them with maestro JoAnn Falletta, who is currently performing the never-before-heard music with her Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. For every Marcel Tyberg, there were a dozen more unknown Jewish artists who died unheralded. Tyberg's music is compelling for this story alone, but it is much more than that. It represents a lost testament, now found and profound.

His Symphony No. 3 was composed in 1943 and shows a symphonist in full bloom. The four movement, sonata-style composition is amazingly bright, sunny and hopeful to have been composed during the nadir of World War II. Tyberg shares a fondness for low brass with both Wagner and Bruckner, avoiding the often sluggish momentum of those two. His strings writing reflects more Brahms (and through Brahms, Beethoven) than Mahler or Richard Strauss. The "adagio" is stunning in its harmonic conception and tuneful in its approach. The finale sounds almost American in the sense that Aaron Copland captured the American spirit musically.

Where Bruckner composed cathedrals and Mahler, anger-therapy sessions, Tyberg wrote sunshine in its most organic form. Falletta and the Buffalo band perform just as crisply, the brass is shiny and the strings sharp, with sonics captured by the Naxos engineers. Falletta's pacing is spot on, capturing this most important music...that was never heard before, composed by a saddened spirit going home.

Personnel

Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, JoAnn Falletta

Album information

Title: Marcel Tyberg: Symphony No. 3, Piano Trio | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: Naxos

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Fiesta at Caroga
Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective
Fellowship
David Gibson
Immense Blue
Olie Brice / Rachel Musson / Mark Sanders

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.