Gramophone feature

[albion]

A relevant feature by Jeremy Nicholas is just up on the Gramophone site - http://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/focus/the-lost-romantics

[Mark Thomas]

Excellent. JM deserves lifelong UC membership!

[jerfilm]

Well said, Jeremy.......

Jerry

[Alan Howe]

Let's mint a medal for him - or at least run him up a nice certificate...

[Richard Moss]

I've just received today the forthcoming year's programme of classical concerts for the Sage, Gateshead (mostly Northern Sinfonia, but others too).  A quick first spin through the pages failed to elicit a single victorian 'unsung' anywhere (unless I missed it on a speed read).  20th C doesn't count for me as I skipped over them.

Rather than the forum members just commenting within the forum, if any of the senior/hero members of the forum have any contacts with those who programme our concert halls, it would be interesting to get the latters' take on why so much good music by 'our' unsungs is so persistently ignored.

If the public at large who go to these concerts need some educating/enticing on the appeal of the unsungs, perhaps an impresario (or three) might have some constructive suggestions.  I don't see how a well-crafted orchestral/concertante work by say Spohr, Raff or Reinecke (to pick just a few examples) is going to put people off if the rest of the programme is already solid 'crowd pleaser' 19th C territory.  Is the problem finding the performers who are available, can do the work to a suitable standard and for an acceptable price?!

Some 15 or so years ago, in its early days Classic FM had an afternoon slot for concertos, quite a number of which might well have met the 'unsungs' list.  If Classic FM feel that such a programme won't chase their advertisers away, presumably there is some hope such works do have a (hidden) wider mass appeal!

Here's hopin'!!

Richard

[JimL]

Excellent. JM deserves lifelong UC membership!

You mean JN, don't you?  Second that.  Perhaps an invitation might be made.  Although I wouldn't begin to know how. 

[mbhaub]

I believe that we're entering a time where the vast majority of so-called educated people don't even recognize anything by the likes of Beethoven, Tchaikovsky or Brahms. Forget knowing anything of Elgar, Dvorak, or Mendelssohn. So what chance would Raff, Rubinstein, Reinecke, or Spohr have? I'm quite disgusted with the so-called music festivals all over the US this summer. It seems every concert is another desultory run through of Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky...you know, the forgotten composers. It must be boring as heck for the performers to keep playing the same stuff, however great it may be, over and over. Fortunately, we live in an age when the recording companies have bestowed upon us riches that are miraculous in that there's so much otherwise unknown music available to us -- and the pipeline never runs dry.

Too bad that some of the mega-billionaires who start internet sites like facebook don't take an interest in orchestral music. A simple (and for some of them small) donation could fund orchestras all over the world for a long time, and relieve those groups of the constant pandering to the audience to sell tickets so maybe they could explore some other music.

[jerfilm]

Perhaps orchestra personnel, albeit bored, like the fact that they don't have to learn something new.   As many times as some works are played, the orchestra must almost have then memorized......

J

[albion]

I believe that we're entering a time where the vast majority of so-called educated people don't even recognize anything by the likes of Beethoven, Tchaikovsky or Brahms. Forget knowing anything of Elgar, Dvorak, or Mendelssohn. So what chance would Raff, Rubinstein, Reinecke, or Spohr have?

They probably neither know nor care.

You would think that Ravel on the programme might pull in some punters. Two days ago (Saturday) I was part of the chorus in a rare performance of the full ballet score Daphnis and Chloe (together with Tzigane and Bolero, Berlioz' Roman Carnival Overture and Royal Hunt and Storm from The Trojans)...



... the hall (not an exceptionally large one) was probably barely a third full...



but then it was Eurovision night.



Yesterday, in the same hall, I was accompanist for a youth choir performing selections from The Muppets (various movies) and Disney ...



... packed to the bloody rafters!



Clearly when it comes to bums-on-seats there's no competition:

It's time to play the music, it's time to light the lights

... or probably not, if you fancy putting on a decently enterprising orchestral concert.

[Dundonnell]

Which is exactly why I was so surprised and delighted to be in the audience in the absolutely packed Glasgow Concert Hall last month for the Vaughan Williams 4th and 5th symphonies

Now..admittedly RVW is not exactly 'unsung' but he is not the crowd-puller of Beethoven, Tchaikovsky-ilk.

And again, admittedly, the symphonies were separated by "The Lark Ascending" which is, I understand, enormously popular (but quite short ).

[eschiss1]

I was always under the impression that Beethoven's 5th (symphony, not Bagatelle for piano) was quite popular, at least, its opening- and sometimes other parts too- not only having been remixed(?) in pop songs but appeared in the background in fight scenes in movies- and innumerable other things. Quite possible that's not to be taken for granted either, though- or that its popularity doesn't translate to name recognition for its composer, anyway (sigh. Anyway. I try to be optimistic, really I do, actually.)