Chadwick, George Whitefield - Symphony No.1 in C major, Op.5 (1881)

[Reverie]

Just the 1st movement (so far) 14 mins

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7siY99sM6w

[Alan Howe]

Loving it! Once again, we're in your debt, Martin. Thanks ever so much.

[Mark Thomas]

Indeed we are. Thanks Martin.

[Hector]

thank you.

[Ilja]

Quite an exciting piece, and apparently never recorded. Thanks, Martin!

[MartinH]

I have never been figured out why this symphony has never been recorded; most of his other music has been, symphonies 2 and 3 several times. The score and parts haven't even been published! I once read somewhere that the NEC orchestra plays it from time to time, but I've never seen evidence of that. Several NEC grads that I know have never heard it, or heard of it. But then they've never played the other two either. Maybe if performance materials were available someone would be interested enough to play it.

Thanks for preparing this, it'll be interesting to hear the rest.

[Mark Thomas]

It really is inexplicable that Chadwick's First hasn't been recorded before. I have always assumed it was because the manuscript was lost.

[eschiss1]

It's actually been on IMSLP since 2014, uploaded from the New England Conservatory Library, and I think I recall seeing and browsing a copy of the manuscript at the New York Public Library years ago too. (IMSLP's data section has composed 1877-1881, premiered 1882, dedicated to Susan Collins Chadwick, and notes and links to a dissertation by Mark Ignatovich, for Music Catholic University of America, that reprints the work, possibly its only publication, in some sense, before distribution on IMSLP in 2014. No engraved/typeset publication yet to my knowledge.)

A search on Worldcat re Chadwick symphony op. 5 turns up Faucett's 1996 book on Chadwick's symphonic works (whose third chapter, which can be partially read at Google, is devoted to the first symphony.)

[Mark Thomas]

Judging by the first movement (thank you again, Martin), it's a strong and attractive work, yet no one has recorded it even though there are multiple recordings of Nos.2 and 3. I wonder why?

[eschiss1]

So do I. Faucett is not glowingly positive about the work but not the opposite, either, and I'd like to hear some of the groups that have given fine performances of the 2nd and 3rd symphonies, or maybe more relevantly of his early works closer in time to the first symphony (though the second symphony is only a few years later), approach the first.

Maybe a really good typeset performing edition and -parts- would help.

(It occurs to me I haven't heard his sinfonietta, or a number of his other works. I heard a - the, I think! - recording of his piano quintet decades ago, though...)

(Blumenthal Family Library, NYPL, NEC and IMSLP all seem to have only the symphony's score, I think? ... surely someone has the parts...) --- hrm, NEC, which also has a downloadable score of the symphonic poem Cleopatra and other works, may have the parts, will check...

[Alan Howe]

This is the book mentioned by Eric:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/George-Whitefield-Chadwick-Bill-Faucett/dp/1555537731/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&asin=1555537731&revisionId=&format=4&depth=1

[Reverie]

COMPLETED

All four movements:

LINK:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLTG9hfa2xo&t=1173s

[Mark Thomas]

That's terrific, Martin. Very many thanks.