Gernsheim Symphonies 1 & 3 from cpo

[Alan Howe]

...featuring the Staatsorchester Mainz under Hermann Bäumer:
http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/Friedrich-Gernsheim-1839-1916-Symphonien-Nr-1-g-moll-op-32-Nr-3-c-moll-op-54/hnum/1588276

Didn't see that one coming! I imagine the other two symphonies will follow: Bäumer conducted No.4 in Mainz last November.

[Mark Thomas]

Oh, excellent. It's always good to have rival readings of major, worthwhile unsung works.

[FBerwald]

CPO rarely disappoints. This is amazing.

[kolaboy]

CPO has become one of my favorite labels. I just wish they put more thought into their covers...

[petershott@btinternet.com]

I've got no problem at all with CPO covers, and am not aware of any respect in which they could be significantly improved.

The problem is with the texts for the booklets. They often come along in the most convoluted and turgid prose, and sometimes even if I'm anxious to read the notes with care in the case of an unknown work I find myself just losing the will to read on. (I suspect my grumble pertains more to the English translations than the original German texts).

But grumble aside - good news about these recordings! Knowing CPO I wouldn't be at all surprised to discover there are other Gernsheim recordings in their vaults awaiting eventual release. There are other significant orchestral works so far unrecorded, and some rather interesting looking works for soli, chorus & orchestra. And of course lots of unrecorded chamber works many of which remain in manuscript. Dream on!

[Peter1953]

As some might expect I'm not waiting for another performance of the Gernsheim symphonies, but that has everything to do with my limited time to listen to everything. But if members don't have these symphonies yet, I can strongly recommend them. Wonderful music.
CPO is definitely one of my favourite labels, no, it is my favourite label. Frequent releases of music by (very) unsung composers, interesting series (like the Julius Röntgen Edition), state-of-the-art recordings, lovely sleeve designs. But yes, the text of the booklet notes can be sometimes rather elaborate, not to the point and blurred. I read the German text, but I understand from other posts that the English translations can be improved.
CPO, please release the so utterly attractive Piano Concerto with Oliver Triendl as the soloist. That must become a bestseller.

[Gauk]

On the other hand (and the notes for the CPO Weingartner series take some beating for turgidity) I would rather have too much in the way of notes than too little, which is a much more common problem.

[eschiss1]

I tend to agree - especially if "too much" includes plenty, plenty of useful information in amongst the other things (and there are a number of cpo CDs I have that have many music examples etc., much appreciated!) - whereas I can indeed name too many CDs of unsung music that have at best a bit of biography of the composer, history of the music- and nothing to speak of about the music. (Again, the Teldec recording of Furtwängler 2. Not even the key the 2nd movement is in. ?!?)

[Alan Howe]

Audio excerpts are now available at jpc:
http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/Friedrich-Gernsheim-1839-1916-Symphonien-Nr-1-g-moll-op-32-Nr-3-c-moll-op-54/hnum/1588276
My first impressions are that these may be rather grander performances than those on Arte Nova, but we'll have to wait and see...

[petershott@btinternet.com]

A 'must buy' with sure certainty.

However, and call me grumpy if you must, but the joy of having a recording of these two symphonies in addition to the existing Arte Nova ones is far far outweighed by the despair brought about by having no decent modern recordings at all of the 5 String Quartets (other than the A minor Op 31 on an Audite CD c/w Brahms), the String Quintet, Piano Quartet 2, and the 2 Cello Sonatas. I shall persist in my grumpiness until such recordings appear!

And in the meantime I once again proclaim that the Toccata recording of a couple of years ago of the two Piano Quintets was one of the most welcome events of the decade.

[eschiss1]

About the string quartets- I'm guessing you're aware of the SBB/Matesic's renditions of four (edit: three... ) of his string quartets, the first string quintet, and In Memoriam over on IMSLP though these aren't recordings as such; still, they sound good to my tin ears.
I'm hoping the cpo series(??) will extend its reach to include e.g. maybe the radio recording of the piano concerto, and maybe some other orchestral music, vocal-or-choral/orchestral music (a major genre for Gernsheim) and chamber works...

[Mark Thomas]

I'll second Eric's recommendation of Steve's renditions of Gernsheim chamber music for strings, available at IMSLP here. They're well worth exploring, Peter.

[eschiss1]

btw, that's "the 3 cello sonatas". Op.12 in D minor, Op.79 in E minor (unpub., in ms. uploaded @ a German library & @ IMSLP), Op.87 (I think) in E minor(?) (I'm fairly sure not the same work- performed a few years ago- maybe the "tracking"/movement headings were given then, which might be evidence one-way-the-other).

(Ah. Sonata "no.2" in E minor, Op.87 - description - Allegro ma non troppo, Andante sostenuto, Molto allegro e con fuoco. From 1914.  Op.79, premiered 1907:

    Allegro non troppo, ma con passione
    Andantino (Andante quasi allegretto)
    Allegro con fuoco

So-- hrm. Not the same movements, anyways.

[Alan Howe]

My copy of the cpo CD arrived today and my initial impressions are confirmed. These are clearly more expansive performances of the symphonies than those on Arte Nova - and very well done they are too. When one hears No.3 done like this, other, later composers come to mind - even occasionally Elgar. There is one downside, however: the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Mainz lacks the heft, particularly in the string department, to do 100% justice to the conductor's conception. They play well, but a better (bigger?) orchestra would raise the profile of this music onto an altogether higher plane. However, with that one caveat, here is more evidence of the worth of Gernsheim's symphonies. They should be in the standard repertoire...

[Mark Thomas]

That's enormously encouraging, Alan.