Cornelis Dopper - Symphony No. 2 'Scottish'

Cornelis Dopper (1870-1939)
Symfonie Nr. 2 'Scottish' in B minor (1904)
1. Andante, Molto Moderato - 00:00
2. Allegro Vivace, A La Burla - 14:15
3. Adagio Sostenuto - 22:10
4. Rondo: Allegro Molto, Energico - 33:36
Orchestra: Residentie Orkest
Conductor: Matthias Bamert
Cornelis Dopper was a Dutch composer and conductor. He studied the violin, the piano and composition at the Leipzig Conservatory (1888--1890). His most important teacher was Oscar Paul, who lectured on the history of music and musical aesthetics. Dopper was otherwise self-taught. Back in the Netherlands, he completed his first opera Het blinde meisje van Castel-Cuillé in 1892. In 1897 he became violinist and later also repetiteur and assistant conductor at the Nederlandse Opera in Amsterdam, until this company was dissolved in 1903. In 1906, Mengelberg performed his Rembrandt Symphony with the Concertgebouw Orchestra. Between 1906 and 1908 Dopper worked in the United States as one of the conductors of the Savage Opera Company; among other things, he conducted the American première of Madama Butterfly. At the suggestion of Mengelberg, he was nominated as second conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1908. He mainly worked as a repetiteur but also gave the Dutch premières of pieces such as Debussy's La mer. In 1918 the critic Vermeulen, following the première of Dopper's Zuiderzee Symphony, made known his rejection of Dopper, who was regarded as conservative. This incident led to demotion: until he was dismissed in 1931, Dopper chiefly continued to conduct summer and popular concerts, and the youth concerts which he himself initiated in 1923. His most popular orchestral work, the eclectic Ciaconna gotica (1920), was performed throughout the world by Mengelberg. Dopper was not an innovator as a composer, but possessed a great instinct for orchestral colouring. His interest in antiquity is apparent from works such as the Symphonia epica based on Homer and the orchestral studies Päân I and II. But above all Dopper was a Dutch composer, as shown by the titles of his Rembrandt, Amsterdam and Zuiderzee Symphonies. In this last work he neatly combines melodies from Valerius's songbook Nederlandtsche Gedenck-clanck (1626). Only three of Dopper's works have been published; his complete works are preserved in the Gemeentemuseum, The Hague.

[@hyseo1121]

When i first heard 1st movement's main subject i was so amazed by it. So I was eager to buy his 2nd symphony. But i could get the cd after 10years of searching in local market. Now it is one of my favorite symphonies.

[@seuradu8065]

Symphony No.2 is geweldige symphony met derde deel uitzonderlijk .Cornelis Dopper was een uitzonderlijk componist !Dank u wel voor dit Symphony.

[@seuradu8065]

Ongelooflijk en geweldig componist Cornelis Dopper ! Bedankt !

[@ClaytonPeak]

A wonderful piece. Too bad so many people have heard the beautiful music of Cornelis Dopper!

[@JAMESLEVEE]

The key is B minor. The full tempo of the 1st movement is: Andante, molto moderato - Allegro con brio.

[@kustlerpiano3355]

GREAT!!!

[@user-xt4xb3be6q]

素晴らしい。楽しい曲ですね。

[@thatpersonsmusic]

27:12 28:16 Start B major E major B maj/a b min

[@franciscoparra347]

juguetona. me entretiene mucho esta musica.

[@ikschrijflangenamen]

De eerste drie noten en de laatste drie noten zijn identiek :)

[@natesvideos7339]

2nd movement is very fun

[@jcswindle]

Agreed. I heard this today on Hawaii Public Radio. I'm not sure I'd heard variations on "Yankee Doodle" in a minor key before.

[@jksteven1]

Symphonies 4 and 5 apparently have never been recorded. Somebody, PLEASE!

[@bomcabedal]

+Jk Stevenson The problem is that both only exist in MS, and that No. 5 (the "Sinfonie epica") is a gargantuan affair (of around 150 minutes) that will be very costly to perform.

[@jksteven1]

Really! Thanks for that information. Well, they did Brian's "Gothic." Naxos, where are you?

[@bomcabedal]

+Nate Perkins There is an effort under way to get it performed soon. If that happens, expect a posting here soon after.

[@thatpersonsmusic]

@@bomcabedal that only makes me want to hear it more

[@thatpersonsmusic]

@@bomcabedal any updates on that?

[@felixnn7500]

Who coined the name "Scottish" for this work? I have the CD and found nothing like this on the cover or in the booklet. The symphony is described as depicting the dutch countryside there. Nice music, btw.

[@bomcabedal]

Dopper used the Scottish Reel _Jenny Nettles_ as the _Idée fixe_ for the symphony, which explains the title. But he could be flexible with such nicknames. Symphony No. 3 was composed in 1898, but only re-christened the _Rembrandt_ because of the large-scale Rembrandt festivities of 1908.

[@felixnn7500]

@@bomcabedal Thank you, the theme is indeed hard to miss in the 2nd movement (if you know the tune). Strange enough Leo Samama missed this (and the byname) completely in the booklet of the Bamert recording.

[@fulviopolce9785]

Il suono è disturbato.