Unsungs who would have become famous

[Marcus]

This is my second attempt to post this, the first "lost in the ether"?
Re Heikki Suolahti.
Apparently he died from peritonitis.
A concert, which included his Sinfonia piccolo was held in West Salem, Wisconsin, USA, on 11/11/2006.
A blog by a lady reviewed the concert, and made this brief comment about Suolahti:
"Speaking of boy geniuses (sic), yesterday on radio, I heard the Sinfonia piccolo by the Finnish prodigy, Heikki Suolahti who died aged 16. (by peritonitis according to some sources).
It started off a bit grand, influenced by Sibelius maybe, but the later movements had some really nice moments."
An excellent book which I have found on the i/net, but very expensive ,is The Historical dictionary of Music & Musicians of Finland, byRuth-Esther Hillila (1997), reportedly the most comprehensive book in English, of Finnish music & composers. Some pages are freely accessible for preview on the I/net, but the some pages are unavailable, including most of the article on Suolahti.

Marcus.

[Marcus]

A few more names of composers, who died before reaching their full potential :
Axel Ingelius  (1822-1868), (Finland), reported to be the first Finnish symphonist  - died of hypothermia, wrote a Symphony, Operas, and was a writer of many novels, and a well-known music critic 0
Taki Rentaro  (1879-1903), (Japan), lived in a time in Japan, when western classical music was virtually unknown.Died from TB.
Julian Scriabin (1908-1919) (Russia), son of Alexander, who drowned in a boating accident. Wrote preludes & other piano music reminiscent of the style of his father,which showed great promise. Alexander's daughter, Marina was also a composer. Alexander's own early death was a huge loss.
I mention also, G.B.Pergolesi (1710-1736) (Italy), who is famous &certainly doesn't qualify as an unsung, but died very young .(TB)

[Peter1953]

A recent acquisition is the Sterling CD which couples Ernst Mielck's Symphony in F minor, op. 4 (1897) with his Concert Piece for Piano and Orchestra in E minor, op. 9 (1898).

The Finnish Ernst Mielck (1877-99) was a fragile boy who has had a very poor health throughout his short life. When he was a baby the doctor told his mother on one occasion: 'Don't cry; it's best if the child dies, otherwise he'll become an idiot.' (quote from the booklet notes by Bo Hyttner). What a tactful bloke. Two days before his 22th birthday he died because of malignant tuberculosis.
Nevertheless, thanks to his mother he grew up, became a favourite student of Max Bruch, and left us some beautiful music.

The 4 movement Symphony doesn't sound as a beginner's work, on the contrary. The opening is a subtle andante maestoso, followed by an allegro energico. It is indeed a movement full of energy, with some beautiful passages. If you like tranquil, slow movements, than you will certainly love the andante cantabile. Mielck surely knew how to create such a serene atmosphere. The last movement, an allegro, sounds rather powerful, but is perhaps the least interesting.

The Concert Piece is a somewhat strange kind of piano concerto. It has 3 movements, all very different in character. The largo is a lovely, lyrical movement, with as a climax a subtle dialogue between the orchestra and... a violin. The theme of the 3rd movement sounds almost like Spanish folk-music, and doesn't match with the 1st and 2nd movement, but it's pleasant listening all the way and makes the whole piece quite interesting.

In summary, Mielck was a very promising talent and could have been a competitor of Sibelius. Let's be happy that some of his music is available on CD. The Sterling CD is recommended!

[monafam]

It looks like I have a lot of people to Google! 

[Marcus]

Hi Peter1953,
Mielcks Concert Piece for Violin & Orchestra op8 is on Ondine #ODE 1019-2. It is a single movement work of 14'43"
According to the notes, Mielck's work is modelled on his teacher Max Bruch, although it is closer to his uncle's works.
His uncle was Ernst Fabritius who wrote a beautiful Violin Concerto. Fabritius does not rate a mention in any of my music books.
Mielck was known as the "Finnish Schubert". and wrote ,(in addition to the Symphony),string quartets, a string quintet,Fantasy for Chorus & Orchestra,an Orchestral Suite & songs etc
Cheers !
Marcus.

[Peter1953]

Thank you, Marcus. However, both Sterling and Ondine features the more than 40 minutes lasting Symphony in F minor. In the Sterling booklet notes I read: 'A concert piece for violin and orchestra, with which Mielck himself was not satisfied, received a disappointing reception.'

So, what to do? I think I'll buy Bowen's VC as an alternative... (thanks, David).

[Alan Howe]

The Ondine performance of the Symphony is vastly superior...

[Peter1953]

I've just spend a few pleasant hours listening to William Hurlstone's Piano Trio and Piano Quartet, and then a disc I've received today: Les Roses et les Épines, piano works by the Polish piano virtuoso Juliusz Zarebski (1854-85).

If I didn't know who composed both chamber works, I would have thought that it could be written by Gernsheim or Von Herzogenberg, especially the Piano Trio. Lovely, very appealing works, probably written in 1904-05. Not very progressive music for those years, but that doesn't matter. Hurlstone also wrote a Piano Sonata in F minor. Has anybody ever heard it?

Zarebski is totally different. He was a pupil of Liszt, in Rome between 1874-77. That might have influenced his music. However, his piano music sounds almost like Debussy. It's quite dreamy and impressionistic. Zarebski was definitely far ahead of his time.

Two very promising composers with a lot of potential, unfortunately died too young due to bad health. Both are unjustly neglected, thus I'm sure many members will love their music.

[chill319]

"Zarebski was definitely far ahead of his time."

Zarebski's Ballade, opus 18, has a longish section near the start notated in two versions, the alternative labeled "Pour les Amateurs." Unlike the usual ossias in nineteenth-century piano music, which were designed for less skillful hands, this alternative is completely different and was clearly designed for less skillful ears.

[Peter1953]

I hope to hear Zarebski's Ballade one day, especially the alternative version. It's not on the cpo CD. What could have been his motive?

Could be interesting topic: 'Music by skilled composers, deliberately written for less skilful ears.'

[Marcus]

Hello Peter1953: I have not heard the Hurlestone Piano Sonata in F minor, but there is a good description of it in the book "The British Piano Sonata" by Lisa Hardy. The contents of this book is on the net. Another interesting blog site is "British Classical Music: Land of Lost Content". The blog archive list on left-hand side - see 24th.October 2009, and on a wish-list of unrecorded British Piano Sonatas is the Hurlestone.
Marcus.

[John H White]

Hurlstone, probably, Stanford's ablest pupil, also wrote a fine 4 movement piano concerto at the age of around 20. This, I gather, has lately been re-issued under the revived Lyrita label. Back in 2006 I nagged the BBC about commemorating the centenary of his death----with the usual negative response. However, I have put both his Cobbett prize winning Fantasy Quartet and his Piano Trio on the Noteworthy Scriptorium.

[thalbergmad]

I recently had the pleasure of listening to the Hurlstone PC and have since listened to it a further 3 times.

Georgous work, highly recommended.

Thal

[nigelkeay]

Hi all

Another couple to add. Frederick Septimus Kelly (1881-1916), an Australian who went to England to complete his education and settled there, except for a musical home-visit or two. He was an Olympic Games Gold medalist in 1908. He joined the Royal Navy Reserve in 1914 when war broke, mainly to serve with some of his British mates, including the poet Rupert Brooke. He ended up as an officer in the Royal Navy Division (which did its fighting on land, from what I can make out) and received the Distinguished Service Cross for valour at Gallipoli in 1915. He was killed while leading an attack during the Somme campaign of 1916. He was a good pianist and respected composer - more promising than Butterworth, according to the liner notes of a disc featuring his Elegy for Strings 'In Memoriam Rupert Brooke'. A really nice piece. At least one song (text by Shakespeare) has made it into recorded form. Anyone know of anything else?

Here's a link on Kelly's Violin Sonata, composed at Gallipoli: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-05-13/lost-gallipoli-sonata-returns-home/2714850

[jerfilm]

Is there a place on the ABC website to listen to the entire sonata?

Jerry