The Romantic Violin Concerto, Vol. 14 – Glazunov & Schoeck

[petershott@btinternet.com]

Ordered mine a couple of days ago from MDT who, at the moment, have enticing prices for UK customers. I'm very much looking forward to hearing the Schoeck concerto, for I confess I have never heard it before. (Incidentally wouldn't it induce happiness if Hyperion started on a complete series of the Schoeck songs, for they haven't been touched much since Fischer-Dieskau's recordings all those years ago. But that's just a pipe-dream of mine!)

Slightly tangential to the point raised by Giles since it doesn't concern 'big name' soloists and orchestras: in the world of chamber music I'm aware of a number of companies - and high end ones at that - who are now expecting string quartets or chamber ensembles to arrange their own recordings. They then undertake to manufacture and distribute the CDs. All very well for an ensemble attached to, say, a university or academy with its own recording studio, or for one with a generous sponsor. But very very hard for a young ambitous quartet to break in from the outside since it is unlikely ever to regain the initial costs of recording.

[eschiss1]

How about Jecklin's 10+ volume CD set (separately, not a box) of Schoeck's songs some years back? May be no longer available from Jecklin but some stores and libraries should have it...

[Revilod]

I've always liked Schoeck's Concerto though it isn't the most fiery of violin concertos and is, I think,  a bit too lyrical for its own good. I've got Emma Verhey's recording. She takes 14 mins 20 secs over the finale while Hanslip, I see, takes 8 mins 56 secs! In the slow movement, though, Hanslip takes a lot longer than Verhey. Either these are two very different interpretations or there is a disagreement over where the slow movement ends and the finale begins! Both seem unlikely so what's going on? No doubt, it will become clear.

[Alan Howe]

It strikes me that the Schoeck is one of a number of fine VCs in the broad Germano-Austrian tradition written within a relatively brief time-span, e.g.:

Reger (1907)
Wolff E. (1909)
Schillings (1910)
Schoeck (1910-11)
Weismann 1 (1910-11)
Waghalter (1911)
Heger (1911)
Weingartner (1912)

I'm not a fan of lists, but I find it fascinating that these works should have been written so close together.

[eschiss1]

1935 (was it?) was- well, not for everyone, but certainly for me - a similar "annus mirabilis" for violin concertos... (well, Boyle, and also Berg, Bloch (I think), Sessions,  Stravinsky, Brian, Schoenberg (35-36), Prokof. 2, and others ) Anyway, right.
Hyperion hasn't been giving any hints about the next viola, cello or violin entries I shouldn't suppose... (it's Hegar, isn't it? His enjoyable and passionate string quartet in F-sharp minor is up at IMSLP - thanks, SBB.)

[Alan Howe]

Somebody else thinks this is glorious...
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2013/Mar13/Glazunov_Schoeck_VC_CDA67940.htm

[Alan Howe]

Eric: no, the VC I was referring to is by Robert Heger:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Heger
Maybe you were thinking of Friedrich Hegar (1841-1927)? Hegar's VC dates from 1873.

[eschiss1]

yep, I was thinking of Friedrich Hegar, sorry. Ah, hadn't encountered Heger's music (whereas I have encountered several works by Hegar, who died earlier and whose works are mainly out of copyright, on IMSLP, including score and recording of his F-sharp minor string quartet.)