Symphony No. 2 by Jef Van Hoof. Conducted by Silveer Van den Broeck with the Belgian Radio and Television Philharmonic Orchestra.
I. Moderato - 00:00
II. Scherzo - 12:12
III. Grave (Met Bitterheid) - 17:27
IV. Allegretto (Genoeglijk gaande) - 24:58
Jef van Hoof (8 May 1886 - 24 April 1959) was a Belgian composer and conductor.
Born in Antwerp, Van Hoof was a pupil of Paul Gilson and was highly influenced by the works of Peter Benoit. He composed chamber music, symphonic works, art songs, works for solo piano and organ and sacred music. He is particularly known for writing the famous Flemish fight song Groeninghe which uses a text by Guido Gezelle. In 1933 he founded the Vlaams Nationaal Zangfeest (Flemish National Song Festival) where he worked as a conductor for many years. He also conducted concerts associated with the Flemish Movement. He died in Idem in 1959 at the age of 72.
Much was expected from Van Hoof's Second Symphony, which dates from 1941, the hostile reception, in some quarters, to the First Symphony of 1939, bringing him to public attention. It was to be a war symphony, but one more of reveries for the end of the world. The exception is the second movement scherzo, full of aggression and anger. It moves to a slow movement with a strong underlying sense of anger, and only in the finale is there any sense of hope for the future.
