How wrong I was...

[Peter1953]

How unjustified a quick judgement can be... Of course, it's all very personally.

An example. For years the only Volkmann work I had was his cello concerto (on Hyperion). I never liked this concerto, that is to say, I found it rather disappointing. I still think so. In the booklet notes, enclosed with the double CD 'Complete Orchestral Works', it is even stated that this cello concerto measures up to Dvorák's cello concerto of forty years later. Unbelievable. A concerto for me hardly worth  a repeated listening. But then I heard some piano music and bought two CD's. Most lovely. After a while I bought the orchestral music and was pleasantly surprised: Volkmann wrote two delightful symphonies. And then I acquired the 3 discs with the string quartets, which now belong to my favourites in this genre.
In conclusion, how wrong was my first judgement of Volkmann, based upon one work only.

Another example is Draeseke. I was not and still am not enthusiastic about his piano concerto, the first piece of music I heard from this composer. Perhaps I've listened to it 3 times and thought that's enough. But then, after some hesitation, I bought the 3rd symphony. What an amazing, wonderful work that is! As a result I became interested in Draeseke and bought his other symphonies, and some piano and chamber music. To be honest, I think his string quintets are hard nuts to crack, but after repeated listening this music is growing on me. Draeseke turned out to be a fascinating composer.

My lesson learned is that I was wrong with my quick opinion based upon hearing a first work which I happen to dislike.  I suppose I'm not the only one with that experience.

[Alan Howe]

I'm a paid-up member of this club, Peter!

[Gareth Vaughan]

So am I.  Incidentally that "Complete orchestral music" of Volkmann set is not complete - there is an overture missing AND, most important of all, the Konzertstuck for piano & orchestra (recorded many years ago on Vox/Turnabout and in need of a good modern recording).

[eschiss1]

... Hrm. Has the Fest-Ouverture been recorded commercially (or otherwise, at that?) (Hopefully a complete set of parts exists or can be extracted from an available score.) Ah .The parts, 22 of them, are at State Library Western Australia. See Permalink..
I also see that there's a set of incidental music, Richard III op.73, at the Fleisher Collection, from which some more orchestral music might be extracted I suppose I also quite like much of what I know of his music.
As to the topic of the thread, probably quite a few cases. The first work I think I heard (around... 1988?... ) by Christian Sinding was the first movement, and the beginning of the 2nd movement (then, click. ...) of his 2nd symphony, on the radio (which I thought the announcer said was his 3rd symphony, at that time unrecorded though...) - I thought it was bombastic and empty.  Other works heard too much longer (his first symphony, other works) gave me at least a somewhat better impression (well, ok, not hugely so, but - I'm willing to hear the 2nd symphony again, anyway.)

(Somewhat similarly with Mahler - symphonies 1 and 5 were my first experiences and not positively so; my opinion of the composer took a turn for the better when I heard symphony 4 on the radio - ear-catching scherzo and all - and moreso with symphony 6 which I like to joke cost me my History final - or at least my ability to study for it... and no.9 (and a completion of 10) followed in my affections..., 1 and 5 followed rather later... but as with Bruckner (6, 8  and 9 were important, there but it's its own story...) my opinion did undergo a complete backflip, from strongly, other-influenced (in my case, I mean) negative to very high (mostly, of course, almost always mostly) positive.)

[petershott@btinternet.com]

I read with pleasure some honourable fellow scribblers happily confessing their mistakes. But in my own case I confess to doing something dreadfully misguided. Some years ago, and before I discovered this forum, I had vaguely heard of a composer called Draeseke. Didn't know much about him apart from that he composed in the period that I enjoy the most. So far, so good; and we all have to start somewhere.

But then prowling around Manchester after a tedious conference on phenomenology or some such nonsense I came across Christus in a bargain bin in the large HMV shop (rest in peace, woeful institution from which many a bargain was had). One almighty big impressive looking box with 5 CDs in it, the shrink-wrap intact, and all for some very silly price (in retrospect I think it was £5 or thereabouts).

So I bought it, took it back home, devoted a whole day to listening to it....and was immensely puzzled! Stayed well away from this dreadful Draeseke fellow for a couple of years. Then, having been battered by all the regular comments here I finally stumped up the pennies (quite a few of them!) to buy Vol 1 of the Holderlin Quartet recordings of the first 2 string quartets. That was quickly followed by Vol 2 with the 3rd Quartet and the Op 86 Suite for 2 Violins. A real Pauline conversion, so to speak, and I then went on to the symphonies.

What a very eccentric - and stupidly foolish! - route: Christus, then the St Qts, and finally the Symphonies. I guess that is exactly the reverse of any sensible person's way into Draeseke!

[eschiss1]

glad you avoided my midi of the 3rd quartet, that would have really put a person off I fear (one of my earliest and poorest efforts)... (for those who can't find a copy of the Holderlin Quartet / Acantus Quartet/Hartmann recordings respectively, the 3rd quartet and 2nd quintet do also exist in (very fine SBBand) recordings at IMSLP now.)

[semloh]

I wonder if I could broaden this thread out, Peter.

With the examples of Einstein, Elvis, and the internet in mind, who were each predicted not to amount to much (!), does anyone have examples of critics or experts getting it completely wrong in respect of UCs or their music? Perhaps predicted greatness is more likely to fail to eventuate than predicted mediocrity.

[By the way, Peter, I understand completely why you would head into the HMV shop after a phenomenology conference - being-in-the-shop is so much more comfortable than being-in-the-world-of-being-in-the-world.  ]

[Alan Howe]

Draeseke's a particularly hard nut to crack, so I think you could be forgiven, Peter. BTW have you the Hyperion version of the PC? It's so much better than the MDG recording (with its clattery piano) that I had a Pauline conversion regarding the piece as a result!