Listen & tracks

1 of 4 tracks have a preview · 2 works · 46:33

Symphony in E♭George Marshall-Hall 3 movements36:29
1. 1 Vivace 13:54
2. 2 Largamento 10:05
3. 3 Allegro con spirito 12:30
4 Symphony in C Minor George Marshall-Hall Adagio Sostenuto 10:04

G.W.L. Marshall-Hall (1862–1915) was one of Australia’s first composers of real significance, and was described as a “picturesque and powerful influential personality in Australian intellectual life”. He dedicated the Symphony in E♭ to his “friends and comrades under the Southern Cross”, the painters Streeton and Roberts, with whom he often camped at Heidelberg.

Exuberant and rich in orchestral colour, with strong thematic ideas, this lively and passionate music breathes the spirit of romanticism: Brahmsian instrumental voicing meets Wagnerian wind writing. Warren Bebbington leads the Queensland Theatre Orchestra in the first recording of these scores. The booklet includes a historical essay on Marshall-Hall by Suzanne Robinson.

Reviews

Marshall Hall, a charismatic and eccentric figure who founded (Melbourne’s) first orchestra. The lively symphony, reminiscent of Brahms and Schumann, deserves better than its long obscurity, and Bebbington gives a warm and persuasive account, apparently the first since 1907.

— Barney Zwartz, The Age

An excellent glimpse of the music and personality of one of the first significant composers in Australia.

— David Stybr, USA

The Queensland orchestra displays enthusiasm and provides a guide to the many delights of an eminently enjoyable symphony.

— David Denton, Yorkshire Post, UK

The Symphony in E Flat breathes the spirit of romanticism … the slow movement particularly reflecting the Australian outback.

— The Sunday Mail

clear orchestration and expressive harmonies … attractive … an enjoyable recording

— Arthur Baker, FMRS Bulletin, UK

It’s all very listenable, and Move Records deserves credit for letting us hear it.

— Bill Marsh, The Delian, USA

Artists

George Marshall-Hall

composer

George William Louis Marshall-Hall was Melbourne's most important musical pioneer, and one of Australia's first composers of significance. He has composed over 50 works, including operas, symphonies, overtures, string quartets and songs, and through his teaching and conducting laid the foundations of much of Melbourne's present-day musical life.

Queensland Theatre Orchestra

orchestra

The Queensland Theatre Orchestra has now combined with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra to create The Queensland Orchestra.

Warren Bebbington

conductor

Former Vice Chancellor of the University of Adelaide, Professor Bebbington was Director of the University of Melbourne Conservatorium for 17 years and before that Head of Music, University of Queensland. As a musicologist his New York PhD was ”Wagner as Conductor,” and he was Editor of the Oxford Companion to Australian Music.