Swiss music

[mikehopf]

Sicmu... thank you so much for the Flury symphonies!

You are a star!

[Sicmu]

You are welcome, I just realized the performers listed in Mike Herman's discography are different from the ones on the jacket, I also read that there is a recording of the fourth but it seems  oop and unavailable.

[Holger]

I also searched for the disc with Flury's Fourth. The result is that it isn't really out of print but rather no CD released by a regular CD company, actually this disc is a release of the Richard Flury Society and can only be ordered through their website:
http://richardflury.ch/inhalt/pages/diskographie.php
If you want to purchase it you need to click on "Bestellungen" (= Orders) on the left, which leads you to an order form.

[Dundonnell]

Back in October of last year a member posted a link to Walther Geiser's Symphony No.1 in D minor, op.44.

The link is now "dead" but it might be worth pointing out that the recording has been reissued on a Decca Eloquence cd(480 0814).

[Arbuckle]

For Bill Hayden, will resubmit today. Arbuckle

[Dundonnell]

Back in October of last year a member posted a link to Walther Geiser's Symphony No.1 in D minor, op.44.

The link is now "dead" but it might be worth pointing out that the recording has been reissued on a Decca Eloquence cd(480 0814).

Since Arbuckle has now re-uploaded the Geiser Symphony No.1 may I repeat my admonition that this recording is available on cd and should not therefore be available on this site

[Arbuckle]

Geiser removed

[jowcol]

Violin Concerto by Peter Mieg (1949)
UPDATE:  There has been some question as to whether or not this recording is commercially available (Thanks Eric!), and I'm removing the link for now.


Details: from violinconcerto.de
(Note- although this seems to be the recording cited there, I cannot determine if the last bars are missing)

soloist (last name, first name): Reitz, Heiner
conductor (last name, first name): Schmid, Erich
orchestra: Radio Orchester Beromünster
duration: 21'17''

This work strikes me as somewhat dark, but not dissonant, with many lyrical stretches-- your mileage may vary.

Biography from Wikipedia

Mieg was born in Lenzburg where he spent almost all his life. He studied art history, archaeology, music history as well as French and German Literature in Zurich, Basel and Paris from 1927 to 1933. In the early 1930s Mieg became a journalist writing articles about art, music and literature for newspapers such as the Basler Nachrichten, the Weltwoche and the Badener Tagblatt.

Between 1933 and 1939 he became friends with the conductor and patron Paul Sacher and the composers Bela Bartok, Igor Stravinsky, Arthur Honegger and Bohuslav Martinu.

Compositions
In the 1940s Mieg completed his musical formation with Frank Martin. His first important works were written in the 1950s in a very personal neoclassicism. From that time on he was commissioned by the Tonhalle Orchester Zürich (Symphony, 1958), the Zurich Chamber Orchestra (Concerto per clavicembalo e orchestra da camera, 1953, Concerto Veneziano, 1955, the Concerto for oboe and orchestra, 1957, the Concerto pour piano à quatre mains et orchestre à cordes, 1980), the Lucerne Festival Strings (Triple concerto dans le goût italien, 1978) and many others.

Mieg wrote some 135 compositions, including several concertos (for piano, for violin, for flute, for 2 flutes, for harp, for cello, for piano and cello), a lot of chamber music and piano music (5 piano sonatas).

Painting
In 1961 Mieg exhibited his gouaches for the first time. They mostly represent still life and landscapes. He had been painting since his childhood.

[violinconcerto]

Details: from violinconcerto.de
(Note- although this seems to be the recording cited there, I cannot determine if the last bars are missing)

My recording ends with a crashing tutti, than a 2-3 seconds pause follows and than another crashing tutti starts that ends abruptly. I don't know the score, but it either can be the beginning of another work or the finalbars of the concerto which are missing. I don't know.

[britishcomposer]

You can compare with the version at youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE0oaiOZLzA

I like Peter Mieg very much but haven't heard this concerto so far.
His later works are mellower, autumnal, and more characteristic than his earlier which are somewhat more gritty (but gripping nevertheless.  )

[violinconcerto]

OK, if that is the proper ending of the piece, than I have just the start of a second work at the end and the note on my website if wrong.

Best,
Tobias

[jowcol]

OK, if that is the proper ending of the piece, than I have just the start of a second work at the end and the note on my website if wrong.

Best,
Tobias

Do we have an agreement?  I can update my post.  I'll leave it to you two gentlemen.

[jowcol]

Lémanic Overture 70 (Op 48) by Julien-Franḉois Zbinden


BRT, Daniel Sternefeld
Radio Broadcast (date unknown)
From the collection of Karl Miller

I've only found a little about Zbinden, but his jazz interests are reflected in this work, but no overwhelmingly so.


Biography

Julien-François Zbinden was born in Rolle in canton Waadt, Switzerland. Following studies in piano and subsequent studies in violin and voice he made his musical debut in 1938 as an orchestral pianist having been passionate about jazz from a very early age. He began composing as a so-called autodidact. From 1947 Zbinden was employed in the musical department of the Radio Suisse Romande and quickly moved into positions with a high level of responsibility. From 1973 until 1979 and from 1987 until 1991 he was president of the Swiss Society for the Rights of Authors of Musical Works (SUISA). A lifetime of composing has led to a catalogue consisting of more than one hundred works including operas, oratorio, symphonies, concertos, choral music, radio works, music for theatre and film, many of which have received international acclaim. Julien-François Zbinden is one of the contemporary Swiss composers whose works entertain a world-wide audience, with a great number of these works having been recorded.

[britishcomposer]

Nice to see that Zbinden is still among us! Born in 1917 he will be 95 in November. (Only two months earlier Robert Ward will celebrate his 95th.)

The overture has the correct title Lémanic 70, op. 48 (1970)
The number relates perhaps to the year of composition. But what does 'Lémanic' mean?

[mjkFendrich]

Due to Zbinden's nationality I would guess the title is related to the "Lac Léman" - the French name of Lake Geneva / Genfersee.