Carl Tausig's non-piano work

[Balapoel]

Any knowledge of manuscript locations for Tausig's orchestral works?

1 Piano Concerto 'Phantasie', in ms (possibly non-existent, mentioned by Dannruther? - as noted on another thread)
2 several Symphonic Poems, ms   
3 Das Geisterschiff (orchestral version), lost   1862
4 Polonaise for piano and orchestra   
5 Manfred, Symphonic Poem   

[kolaboy]

That is an excellent question. Perhaps there is a Columbo among us...

[cypressdome]

I can't find the source now but I recall reading somewhere that Tausig's manuscripts were lost with the destruction of Königsberg Castle during World War 2.

Cypressdome

[giles.enders]

I had a search for the piano concerto about ten years ago and could find no trace of it having been performed.  Were any of the works referred to ever published.  I would imagine the only hope for any of them would be if they were.

[Gareth Vaughan]

I too searched for Tausig's PC - at about the same time as Hyperion began its RPC series - and drew a complete blank. Mike Spring also looked for it and failed to find it.

[semloh]

Every book, report, website, etc, etc, declares that only the scores of Tausig's piano music still exist. Is there any reason to doubt that? 

[Balapoel]

Well, we know where books were incorrect (or incomplete)... Schubert's symphonies, etc...

[eschiss1]

Of course. So when one has good reason to suppose the Tausig works in question still exist, there will be proportionate reason to discuss their content, etc.  To assume books are incorrect or incomplete because books have been incorrect or incomplete in the past is obviously a fallacy.

[Balapoel]

I need no one to point out fallacies to me. I clearly assumed nothing, but merely suggested that to give up or not question further may not be appropriate.

[FBerwald]

I know the topic is Tausig's non-piano works , but I just want to ask ... Has anyone heard Tausig's version of Chopin's Piano Concerto NO. 1. If so, what alterations did he make? What improvements could anyone in the world do to Chopin's compositions [a curious quire... not sarcastic !!! ]

[thalbergmad]

It is many years since I listened to that, but now I will have to dig out the recording. If memory serves the answer is not a lot, but he does "man up" the ending.

Chopin is pretty much off limits in my opinion for messing with his works. Those Godowsky concoctions are beyond horrid.

Thal

[FBerwald]

....Those Godowsky concoctions are beyond horrid.

Thank GOD! I thought I was the only one who felt that way. The critics were all going gogogaga over the recordings! ...

[Gareth Vaughan]

A number of people have made quite extensive enquiries and investigations into Tausig's works not written for solo piano and in each case drawn a blank. This does not mean that something may not still turn up, but it does mean that for the time being the avenues of research have been exhausted. There are other subjects of investigation among unsung composers that may yield more fruitful results - e.g. tracking down the orchestral parts (probably in Poland) of Hartknoch's 2nd PC, known to have existed in the Staatsbibliothek, Berlin, and seized by the Russians during World War II.

Oh, and I don't intend to try to turn this thread into one on Carl Hartknoch!

[giles.enders]

Belapoel has a point. The lost symphonies of Brotkiewicz turned up as did the early piano concerto by Moszkowski. That said, if a work has not been published and the original manuscript was known to be in a place which was destroyed it is unlikely that it would have survived, Ashton's works with orchestra for example. 
What is of interest to me and perhaps others in this forum would be contemporary accounts of performance of 'lost' works.

[eschiss1]

Agreed, agreed- the description of Alkan's lost B minor symphony, for instance (though an account not of a performance but of a manuscript that found its way briefly into someone's possession) is enough to give his fans (like me) fits of nostalgia. And given how detailed reviews of performances and publications could be in 19th-century journals (quite a few times several pages with incipits and descriptions, not the 2-paragraph begrudged things one finds sometimes lately- anyway) - it's worth hunting such records up either in scanned-in journals or in copies of journals one's local university libraries might have...