HARALD GENZMER (1909-2007): Symphony No. 5 for Large Orchestra, Concerto for Orchestra No. 2, Tänzerische Suite.

Description: Genzmer seems to have written his fifth symphony in 1999 just to see if, at the age of 90, he still had the strength and concentration to do it. Well, he did. Genzmer fans will know his style pretty well by now and there's nothing to surprise here except for the very prominent use of a xylophone and a marimba (the scherzo is almost a mini percussion concerto). Otherwise, the use of horns and winds is as Hindemithian as can be and the concision of the themes and the argument (four movements - 23 mintues) likewise. The orchestral concerto dates from 1962-63, ditto for style but the "Dance Suite" (1939) is one of the earliest Genzmer works extant, a four-movement piece of mostly original melodic and rhythmic invention whose only authentic quote is from a Danish folk song in its third movement. Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saabrücken Kaiserslautern; Werner Andreas Albert.