Jozef Otto af Sillen

[Gareth Vaughan]

Can anyone direct me to the whereabouts of the MSS of this composer?  I did locate them once, but I seem to have deleted the file where I noted what was extant, and where it was.

[FBerwald]

I believe one of his Symphonies and a violin concerto has a commercial release. Is there a catalogue of his compositions?

[eschiss1]

are you positive it was the rather Hungarian Jozef or Joszef? Google searches, fwiw, turn up zilch on those in connection with Otto and Sillen, but at least some things with  Josef Otto af Sillén (1859-1951), born in July 1859 I gather in Stora Frösunda in Sweden, according to Sterling's interesting brief biography here. (Though I think they mean Mendelssohnian flavour. Alfred Mendelsohn was a later composer, anyway - well, actually, that's not true... hrm.)

[Gareth Vaughan]

I have the Sterling disk of his Symphiony No. 3 and VC with soloist Christian Bergqvist and the Gavle Symphony Orchestra conducted by Goran W. Nilson.  That's what originally piqued my interest.  The maddening thing is that I know I found the location of his MSS and downloaded the catalogue entries, but I seem to have lost the file in which this informatiion was stored.

And, yes, Eric - I apologize. His name should, indeed, be spelled with an "s" not a "z".

I seem to recall that one of the MS symphonies still extant was choral. Sounds interesting - though I don't expect we'll ever hear it.

[Alan Howe]

Is the Music and Theatre Library of Sweden the location you had in mind, Gareth? They seem to have a Sillén collection here:
http://biblioteket.statensmusikverk.se/hand/fort/sillen.htm
BTW I found this on page 4 of a simple Google search using the composer's full name.

May I ask a slightly provocative question, though? I have the Sterling CD and I'd say the music hardly made any impression on me at all. All very pleasant, but absolutely nothing more. So is Sillén's music really worth the effort of further investigation?

[eschiss1]

That's the library I should have considered looking at when trying to answer the original question, Statens Musikbibliotek has a good number such collections and I know IMSLP (editors/uploaders) has (have) made use of some of their material time-to-time. Thanks.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Thank you very much, indeed, Alan.  I must be going crackers. I googled but couldn't seem to find that link - very unlike me, but I have been (and still am) ill with a urinary tract infection (I'll spare you the details) for the past five days, so I'm probably not firing on all cylinders.
As to the worth of Otto's music, I guess that's just a question of different tastes - I enjoyed  the 2 pieces on the Sterling disk  very much, and thought they had something worth investigating.

[Alan Howe]

Glad to have hit the mark, Gareth. I have a severe bronchial infection myself, so all good wishes from one current sufferer to another...

[petershott@btinternet.com]

I've also got that Sterling disc, but can't remember playing it for a couple of years. But I do recall quite positively enjoying it - especially the earlier Violin Concerto. An unfair judgment because I can't remember clearly the symphony, but my memory was of a work competently crafted that rather went through the customary motions and then within a day or so had rather faded from my consciousness. But there was certainly more than enough to make me want to hear more of this composer. I hope that wish will some day be realised.

Gareth - do be careful. I succumbed to a UTI a few years ago. (I'd never heard of the wretched things until then). I was out and about, and then, quite out of the blue, fainted 3 times in 45 minutes. (And on one occasion fell headlong down a long concrete staircase - wouldn't want to do it again, but I was told that because I had well and truly fainted, and was thus totally relaxed, I avoided serious injury beyond cuts and bruises). Between the faints I felt perfectly OK and resented the fuss folk were making, but became slightly alarmed when an ambulance crew started talking of possible strokes and goodness knows what. The hospital quickly sorted me out with I imagine a quite powerful antibiotic, but I did feel especially woozy for 3-4 days and was under strict instructions not to drive cars, ascend ladders, make decisions on important matters (that tickled me!), undertake physical work and all the rest of it. The escapade also turned out to be expensive: I had booked a ticket for a concert at Snape, and was stubbornly determined to attend. The cost of a taxi there and back with a 30 minute journey each way turned out to be four times the cost of the ticket. But it was a good concert! Do forgive me for the mini lecture on how to conduct yourself, but apparently UTIs can be quite fraught affairs if one is a little reckless in the few days it takes to completely recover. Thus absolutely no Liszt.

[eschiss1]

I was misdiagnosed with one years ago. It turned out (fortunately) to be pneumonia.

(On the evidence of the above I don't think I'm being sarcastic - not intending to be... I am, however, being strictly factual about the turn of events in 1985- Eric)

[Gareth Vaughan]

Thank you, very much indeed, Peter and Alan, for your sympathy and good wishes. I promise to take care. UTIs are a monstrous bore - worse than Webern!

[Mark Thomas]

Yes, do take care of yourself, Gareth. As for Webern, maybe your recuperation is the very opportunity you need to really get to grips with his oeuvre? Then you could feel doubly recovered at the end of the process.

[britishcomposer]

My father suffered from it recently. Terrible beyond description. Lechyd da, Gareth! 

[JimL]

My father suffered from it recently. Terrible beyond description. Lechyd da, Gareth! 

Suffered from what?  Infection or Webern? 

[britishcomposer]

Well, I think he would prefer a complete Webern edition instead of that nasty infection! 
(He isn't as infatuated with avant-gardism as I am but he is always willing to meet a challenge. I admire him for that.)