Symphonies Nos. 1 and 9 (cd)

Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Chelsea Gallo

Senfter: Symphony No. 1 in F Major, Op. 22 (World Premiere Recording)
Senfter: Symphony No. 9 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 117 "Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir" (World Premiere Recording)

German composer Johanna Senfter was a prized student of Max Reger, who fiercely championed her talent in his elite composition class in Leipzig, from which she graduated with distinction in 1909. Independent and financially stable thanks to her family's industrial background, Senfter spent her life writing a massive catalog of music, including numerous chamber gems and nine complete symphonies.

This landmark release from the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz and conductor Chelsea Gallo presents the world premiere recordings of Senfter's first and last symphonies, offering a rare look at her evolutionary arc. The album pairs the youthful, passionate, late-Romantic Sturm und Drang of her First Symphony (1914) with the dark, profoundly moving textures of her Ninth Symphony (1949)—a massive, brooding work built around the chorale "Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir," reflecting on a life lived through the wreckage of two world wars.