| Kenneth Woods, conductor |
| “From the first note, conductor, orchestra and audience seemed to breathe as one.” |
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by copyright of the site owner
Volume 2 of Ken's highly acclaimed
series of Gal and Schumann
symphonies with the Orchestra of
the Swan is now available!
series of Gal and Schumann
symphonies with the Orchestra of
the Swan is now available!
"Woods proves in this recording to be
a front rank conductor, capturing the
feeling of sorrow and compassion of
the symphony [Gál}. Woods has
seized on the essence of this
Schumann Symphony. His reading is
smooth, grand and exciting... one of
the best recordings available. Highly
Recommended- five stars"
Zan Furtwangler, Audiophile
Audition
"Didn't you think it was very well-
played? Because I don't think anyone
could do better than that"
Chris De Souza: BBC Radio 3 CD
Review
"All those many things going on form a
coherent discourse in this performance
[Schumann] Another ingredient is how
they build fearlessly not only to one
climax but to an overall climax for the
whole work... truly poetic.. But let me
harp again on the divine madness - the
insane glee, the visceral delight... like
any number of recordings of Bernstein
or Furtwangler... In this performance
the speed is not hectic but ecstatic.
YES! Divine madness, like this, must
be experienced. On top of this, you
get the Hans Gal Fourth, written in
1975, when it would have seemed
"backward" in idiom -ha! Give it a
chance: it will come to move you
deeply. And it's hard to imagine a
better performance. If my blog had a
star system, this disc would certainly
get 5 of them."
Musicologist Bernard D Sherman
" Woods continues his distinguished
Gál cycle recorded at Stratford-on-
Avon...a worthy endeavour, which
should keep the name and music of
holocaust survivor Hans Gál (1890-
1987) before the public as long as
CDs continue to be bought…"
Peter Grahame Woof, Musical
Pointers
"Gál is worth getting to know and the
Swan does it proud, giving also a
spruce and eloquent performance of
Schumann's Second. Four stars"
Geoffrey Norris, The Saturday
Telegraph
"Schumann’s C major symphony
shares the Gal’s combative spirit, as it
was written in the 1840s when the
composer was battling depression. In
his own words it represents the ‘power
of resistance of spirit’. Woods
conducts it with profound romantic
feeling, the repeated statements never
repetitive, the conscious striving never
self-conscious. It may yet prove to be a
landmark…”
Rick Jones, Words and Music
a front rank conductor, capturing the
feeling of sorrow and compassion of
the symphony [Gál}. Woods has
seized on the essence of this
Schumann Symphony. His reading is
smooth, grand and exciting... one of
the best recordings available. Highly
Recommended- five stars"
Zan Furtwangler, Audiophile
Audition
"Didn't you think it was very well-
played? Because I don't think anyone
could do better than that"
Chris De Souza: BBC Radio 3 CD
Review
"All those many things going on form a
coherent discourse in this performance
[Schumann] Another ingredient is how
they build fearlessly not only to one
climax but to an overall climax for the
whole work... truly poetic.. But let me
harp again on the divine madness - the
insane glee, the visceral delight... like
any number of recordings of Bernstein
or Furtwangler... In this performance
the speed is not hectic but ecstatic.
YES! Divine madness, like this, must
be experienced. On top of this, you
get the Hans Gal Fourth, written in
1975, when it would have seemed
"backward" in idiom -ha! Give it a
chance: it will come to move you
deeply. And it's hard to imagine a
better performance. If my blog had a
star system, this disc would certainly
get 5 of them."
Musicologist Bernard D Sherman
" Woods continues his distinguished
Gál cycle recorded at Stratford-on-
Avon...a worthy endeavour, which
should keep the name and music of
holocaust survivor Hans Gál (1890-
1987) before the public as long as
CDs continue to be bought…"
Peter Grahame Woof, Musical
Pointers
"Gál is worth getting to know and the
Swan does it proud, giving also a
spruce and eloquent performance of
Schumann's Second. Four stars"
Geoffrey Norris, The Saturday
Telegraph
"Schumann’s C major symphony
shares the Gal’s combative spirit, as it
was written in the 1840s when the
composer was battling depression. In
his own words it represents the ‘power
of resistance of spirit’. Woods
conducts it with profound romantic
feeling, the repeated statements never
repetitive, the conscious striving never
self-conscious. It may yet prove to be a
landmark…”
Rick Jones, Words and Music
Just Released! Three world
premiere recordings from Ken,
David Curtis and Orchestra of the
Swan
premiere recordings from Ken,
David Curtis and Orchestra of the
Swan
Stunning new concertante works
for Japanese instruments and
chamber orchestra, featuring
shakuhachi Grand Master Jamese
Schlefer and koto virtuoso Yumi
Kurosawa.
Available in the USA here, and in
the UK here.
for Japanese instruments and
chamber orchestra, featuring
shakuhachi Grand Master Jamese
Schlefer and koto virtuoso Yumi
Kurosawa.
Available in the USA here, and in
the UK here.
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