Franz Schubert - Hans Gál - Kindred Spirits Northern Sinfonia/Thomas Zehetmair Schubert: Symphony No. 9 in C 'The Great' Gál: Symphony No. 2 in F, op. 53 Avie AV2225 2011 Hard on the heels of Schubert 6th symphony and the world-premiere recording of Hans Gál’s First Symphony (AV2224), internationally-celebrated conductor Thomas Zehetmair follows with two large-scale symphonies in a tremendous-value 2-CD set: Schubert's 9th Symphony "The Great", and the first ever recording of Gál's Second Symphony. Once again under the banner "Kindred Spirits", this release showcases two ends of a great tradition of melodic writing, and presents Hans Gál’s music alongside 19th-century symphonic repertoire that represents its roots and core values. Gál’s Second Symphony is perhaps the most personal of his four, with an emotional depth and haunting beauty that inspired Gál’s biographer, Wilhelm Waldstein, to write of the slow movement: “it is, I dare to assert, the most important Adagio since Bruckner.” Written in 1942-43, during the darkest war years, this symphony distils the process of overcoming pain and loss into the language of pure music. Featuring Northern Sinfonia in their spectacular venue Hall One of The Sage Gateshead, these recordings underscore Zehetmair’s hallmark electrifying intensity, precision and vision.