John Calvin Errickson <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Today I purchased the Entire Christus Mysterium set.  I was wondering if
>anyone else has ever listened to Draeseke's music and if so what they
>thought of it.

Surely other members will have heard more, but I had a chance to listen to
the relatively famous Symphony No.  3 (the Tragica -- No.  4 is Comica) in
my "youth".  It struck me as quite original in harmonic and melodic terms.
Draeseke was a classicist and stood against lush late Romanticism, but his
reaction expressed itself with much originality, somewhat like Berwald's or
Langgaard's (although he probably was not quite as important as those two).
A few years later, I heard part of the symphony again and found it a bit
less striking, but then I paid more attention to the thematic quality.  It
would be worth hearing if some record company cares to release it on CD.
Hopefully No.  4 would also surprise us.

This reminds me of Reznicek's f-minor symphony.  A very beautiful discovery
for those who haven't heard it yet, more "late Romantic" than Draeseke, but
with a mix of irony and melancholy which makes it most endearing.

Best wishes,

Thanh-Tam Le
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