Recording of the Week, Hans Rott's Symphony in E major from Jakub Hrůša

A theme of rediscoveries runs through this week’s recording, led by the Symphony in E major by Austrian composer, Hans Rott. It was this work, written in 1880 when he was just twenty (yet not receiving its first performance until over a century later in 1989), that prompted no less a figure than Gustav Mahler to remark that Rott was “the founder of the new symphony”.

Sadly Rott was never able to fulfill such promise, as he died from tuberculosis at the age of twenty-five whilst in an asylum. Even before then, Rott was somewhat beset by misfortune: he submitted the first movement to a composition competition in 1878, where it was ridiculed by all on the jury (apart from an appreciative Bruckner). Moreover, on showing the completed piece to Brahms, he was told that he should give up music owing to a total lack of talent.

That might seem like a strange way to begin my recommendation, and yet I like to believe that, with this fine recording from the Bamberger Symphoniker under conductor Jakub Hrůša, the majority opinion will side with Mahler rather than Brahms. To be sure, I wager that had Rott been able to hear his work performed, he would have engaged with some judicious trimming and tinkering with the orchestration (I must admit I find the triangle part to be a tad too incessant throughout), and yet there is much striking material here.

If Rott gets perhaps a little carried away with the enormous Brucknerian climax to the first movement, the Bamberg strings immediately offer a perfect tonic at the start of the second movement, with the beautiful yet understated richness of their timbre bringing an almost-Elgarian nobility to the orchestral sound. For me the highlight is definitely the third movement, full of blazing brass fanfares and busy strings. I’m hardly the first person to make this observation but there are times when I would have sworn I was listening to a lost work by Mahler. I hesitate to point fingers so I shall just say that there are many passages in the latter's first two symphonies that are “heavily influenced” by Rott’s work (which predates Mahler's First by almost a decade).

With both Mahler and Bruckner such prominent figures in Rott's life, it is fitting that they should be represented with a further pair of “lost” works: Mahler originally intended Blumine to be part of his First Symphony, but discarded it as “too sentimental” and an “act of youthful stupidity”. It was rediscovered in 1959 and has been recorded many times since, sometimes re-integrated into the symphony but more often as a stand-alone piece. Speaking of comparisons to Rott, both this movement and Rott's symphony begin in a superficially similar way (albeit different in mood), with gentle strings accompanying a delicate trumpet melody, allowing the Bamberg's principal trumpet to demonstrate his charmingly sweet tone.

Bruckner's Symphonisches Präludium dates from 1876 but was lost until after the Second World War. I say Bruckner, but the jury is still out on whether it was actually written by him or one of his pupils (it has even been suggested that the work might be by Mahler). In any case, it doesn't really matter who wrote it; it is a superbly stormy piece that enables every section of the Bamberg orchestra to shine, from the opening unsettled cello line, to turbulent woodwind passages and dramatic brass.

Both pieces make splendid accompaniments, but the real attraction is the magisterial account of Rott's symphony. In his booklet note, Hrůša mentions that he would worry about annoying people with his constant bursts of enthusiasm regarding the symphony's merits, and it’s easy to hear his absolute dedication and commitment, with the Bamberg players joining him for every step of the journey. It may be an unfamiliar piece to many, but I happily echo both Mahler and Hrůša in strongly praising this magnificent symphony.