Schmidt: Symphony No. 2

Following their recording of Franz Schmidt’s Symphony No. 1 and excerpts from his opera Notre Dame (8570828), the Malmö Symphony Orchestra and Vassily Sinaisky here present Schmidt’s astonishing Second Symphony. The composer transformed his original conception of the work as a piano sonata based on a single theme into a kaleidoscopic essay for a large orchestra, rich with wind, brass and percussion instruments. The Fuga Solemnis for organ, brass and percussion is an enduring testament to Schmidt’s originality, inventiveness and mastery of counterpoint.