Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
(Leader. David McCallum )
Conducted by Paul Sacher
Karl Amadeus Hartmann , who was born in Munich in 1905, studied for a time with Anton von Webern. His Symphony No. S is in fact a Symphonie Concertante, scored for full woodwind, trumpets, trombones and tuba, cello and basses. The three movements are contrapuntal throughout, with a lively opening Toccata, a carefully-coloured slow Melodie (into which, just before the end, is inserted a tiny Scherzo of some twenty bars), and a final Rondo, as cheerful and energetic as may be. B.B.