Ernst von Dohnányi (grandfather of conductor Christoph von Dohnányi) Hungarian composer, conductor, and pianist, was no stranger to the political turmoil of WW II. Besides having to disband the Budapest Philharmonic, of which he was principal conductor, and flee to Austria, he lost both of his sons (One son died in combat on the Russian front and the other, having been implicated in the plot to assassinate Hitler, was executed.) Amid this chaos Dohnányi wrote his Symphony No. 2, which was not premiered until 1948 in London.

The work has a richness of sound and weight not unlike the compositions of Bruckner and Sibelius. It is melodically angular yet maintains a basic lyricism and sweep. The first of four movements, Allegro con brio, ma energico e appassionato, opens with a defiant theme boldly announced in unison. Straussian moments of counterpoint and heroic statements in the brass follow which dissolve into a contrasting theme in the low strings before emerging into a return of the opening material. The Adagio pastorale, molto con sentimento is lush and opulent, again reminiscent of Richard Strauss. Burla: Allegro is dryly comical, alla Shostakovich without the bitter edge. For the final movement, Introduzione- Tema e variazione, Dohnányi builds a set of five variations on the J. S. Bach chorale Come, sweet death, come, blissful peace. This leads to an impressive fugue, six minutes in length, and a return to the thematic material from the first movement. In 1957, eight years after relocating to Florida, Dohnányi revised the symphony, and it was given its first performance with the Minneapolis Symphony under his countryman, Antal Dorati. Dohnányi's legacy may be greater as a concert pianist and teacher (two of his most famous pupils were Geza Anda and Sir Georg Solti), but his skills as a composer were considerable. His style is the culmination of a by-gone tradition rather than an attempt at innovation.

© Mona DeQuis, All Music Guide