Austrian composer Hans Rott was a tragic figure. He had been an orphan since the age of 18 and just before his 26th birthday he died of tuberculosis in a psychiatric hospital. In the intervening years he composed a series of works by his teacher Bruckner but also by peers such as and were admired. The best known is his symphony, which was first performed in its entirety in 1989 and has since appeared
… on CD 8 times. This CD, the first in a series, contains lesser known orchestral works. From the first piece, a world premiere, we hear how much Rott anticipates Mahler's orchestration skills. But also in the other, shorter works you can clearly hear how successfully Rott manipulated the late romantic idiom. The influence of and is clear, but so is Rott's own original talent. Bruckner seems to have said at a competition (where the jury practically laughed at Rott) that "you will hear great things from this man." That jury will no longer experience this, but it is nice that with this CD the work of Rott is once again put in the spotlight. (TC)more
