Composers who wrote just one symphony

[eschiss1]

About the Vorob'ev, I tried finding out info but will try again. About Thuille -hrm.. there is a recentish book on Thuille (Bernd Edelmann, Bavarian Composers series, in German); a "snippet-view" search @ Google reveals only mention of the F major (1885/6) symphony, but I am likely missing something or it may be a collection of papers and the D minor symphony may just not be discussed in them...

Vorob'ev: anyone in Estonia and near this Tallinn library or able to interloan from it? --- permanent link to what certainly looks like a library card entry for the Vorobyev symphony. That would probably answer the question... (ah, useful to know that "Gennadi Vorobjov" is another alternate spelling. Computers are -- so human and picky. (Also, Vorobyev, but we have that one. Hrm. FWIW the VIAF link is here, which can be helpful.)

(Looks like I may need to add the Tallinn library to my list of "libraries not on Worldcat's list that are worth checking when I want to find things"... Not huge, but they seem to have about a dozen things by Vorob'ev not all of which are in other libraries, for instance... hrm. )

[eschiss1]

Was Walter Braunfels yet mentioned in this thread?

It's something strange, that this master of orchestral colour and motivic development only wrote one symphony, the Sinfonia Brevis op. 69, late in his career.

Well, two, sort-of... Op.68 is a Sinfonia concertante.  Half-symphony (unless he held to an ideal definition of the sinfonia concertante, so then sort-of two symphonies, the first one lighter.)
Eric

[Ilja]

I have to say I'm rather enamored by the Swiss Hermann Suter's (only) Symphony in D minor of 1920, a big anachronistic Bruckner-meets-Franck feast, but more playful than either of those.

[Wheesht]

I second that, I have always been rather fond of this symphony - and not just because it was written by a fellow countryman. The mention of the swiss label Claves in the thread about Max d'Ollone elsewhere on this forum has led me to their catalogue, especially their Basque composers series - and lo' and behold, there was another one-symphony composer: Valentin De Zubiaurre (1837-1914). Listening to a few clips on JPC made me feel I just had to order the CD. UC is a great enjoyment, but it can do strange things to one's purse...

[Ilja]

While we're on the subject of Basque composers, we can't really ignore Jesús Guridi Bidaola, whose single and epic Sinfonia Piranaica (1946 but firmly late romantic) was among my discoveries of the past year. In subject matter, scale and ambition, it is not entirely unlike the even more extravagant 'Polonia' symphony by Paderewski.

[jerfilm]

And the Zubiaurre symphony is available as an Amazon download here:

http://www.amazon.com/Basque-Music-Collection-XIII-Zubiaurre/dp/B004CLABXE/ref=tmm_other_meta_binding_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1358957869&sr=1-8

Jerry

[Alan Howe]

Zubiaurre's Symphony is very pleasant, but also very provincial-sounding. It sounds like the sort of thing that a composer familiar with, say, the world of opera would write when there is no tradition of symphonic writing. Of historical interest primarily, I'd say, but amid all the conventional and predictable musical material there are some nice tunes (he said, damning the piece with faint praise!), the slow movement in particular being a very enjoyable listen.

[Mark Thomas]

You beat me too it. On the plus side, throughout Zubiaurre's Symphony I was reminded of Schubert (in his amiable, not melancholy, mood) and, rather to my surprise, of Gouvy. Now, he doesn't sound like Gouvy at all, but his orchestration has that sort of sharp clarity which Gouvy's symphonies have. Melodically he can spin a tune, but they all tend to meander. In fact, the whole work meanders and it is way, way too long to maintain concentrated interest. Music to read by IMHO.

[eschiss1]

hrm, another for the list; a symphony by Danish composer Peter Krossing in manuscript at DKB (also at IMSLP) (looks - well, I've been planning to extract the parts and try to typeset them unless someone else on IMSLP who does that more often has "dibs" ... - and to do that before I really make a judgment on how I think it looks; manuscripts are more-than-usually difficult that way, and I've only seen two works of his at all.) Born 1793.

[Wheesht]

About the Vorob'ev, I tried finding out info but will try again. About Thuille -hrm.. there is a recentish book on Thuille (Bernd Edelmann, Bavarian Composers series, in German); a "snippet-view" search @ Google reveals only mention of the F major (1885/6) symphony, but I am likely missing something or it may be a collection of papers and the D minor symphony may just not be discussed in them...

According to a 1923 book about Thuille by one Friedrich Munter (in German) there is only the F major symphony, which was considered a 'masterwork' if not a masterpiece by Rheinberger (Munter sees a subtle diference there, apparently). It only existed in manuscript form when that book was published. 

[eschiss1]

I know of no publication now either, but may be mistaken (though given that it's been recorded and how difficult it often is to read from manuscripts, I'm guessing it doesn't -just- exist in manuscript form- maybe typesets of the parts exist for rental that have been made by computer now, or something. Don't know. Munter's name is familiar...)

[sdtom]

While Franck's Symphony is certainly not an unsung work I've been listening to some different recordings and I feel the best one is Pierre Monteux conducting the Chicago Symphony. Does anyone else have an opinion?

[Alan Howe]

That's probably the greatest recording the piece has ever received. I have a number of recordings, ranging from the fleet of foot to the monumental: Monteux's is a lean, purposeful performance, played by a world-class orchestra.

[adriano]

Did I already mention somewhere else Sylvio Lazzari's great Symphony in B flat of 1906? I struggled for many years to get it recorded...

[Alan Howe]

You did - and I have your recording! Many thanks for it!