Widor Symphony 1 & VC etc. from Dutton

[Alan Howe]

Can anyone consult the works list (Appendix 2) in this book, please?>>
http://www.urpress.com/store/viewItem.asp?idProduct=13483

[eschiss1]

Could one of the works "in question" be an orchestration of Widor's also little-known violin sonata, perhaps?

[Alan Howe]

I doubt it, Eric. The VS dates from 1907, according to the Thorofon recording of it.

[musiclover]

I have been in touch with Dutton.....they put me in touch with Martin Yates who replied very quickly:
There is only one concerto for violin and orchestra and it was indeed written in 1877. It recieved a fairly disastrous first and only performance. In 1894 Widor worked on revisions to the work. It was not quite finished and the full score has some omissions but with a few exceptions these are included in the piano reduction, which is listed in the BNP as a reduction but it is in fact a short score on three staves mostly. There is a substantial cadenza near the end of the work and this was incomplete in both the full score and the short score, but at the back of the short score there are very scruffily written out notes for how the cadenza is to go. The full score is signed by Widor but the short score is not. They are both in the same hand and are the same work, so there was no guesswork as to identifying the composer as Widor. As to the opus number given to it there is no mention of this on either score but it is catalogued as op.26. That is what Martin wrote me. He added that it has real charm and is in one long movement of several sections. He also mentioned that we should all enjoy Nuit de Walpurgis. I have ordered it already, so let's hope many others do too as it is only our support that will allow Martin and Dutton to carry on with theses discoveries.

[eschiss1]

Hrm. And now I think of it, there are two Widor violin sonatas, both of them a few times recorded, and I think I was perhaps thinking of something else- maybe. Thanks for clearing up the situation about the one-and-revised violin concerto.

[Alan Howe]

Thanks for the clarification, musiclover. Toskey was right!

[violinconcerto]

Thanks a lot for the information, musiclover!

Best,
Tobias

[Aramiarz]

Dear friends, thank you for your research. The 2 violin sonates are in one recording of Centaur. There are excellent pieces. Surely the violin concert and Walpurgis night will be wonderful discoveries!

[jdperdrix]

Musiclover, thanks for this valuable information.

This next record will make all symphonies and all concertos of Widor available!

[eschiss1]

Not a concerto so-named, but is the orchestral form of his Choral & Variations for harp (sometimes recorded with piano or organ accompaniment) available in a commercial recording?

[Aramiarz]

This score for harp and orchestra was dedicated to Hasselmans. I wait soon can be performance and recording. 2016

[eschiss1]

Neat- thank you.

[musiclover]

Has anyone received and listened to their copy yet?

[Alan Howe]

No. It's been on order for a couple of weeks, but so far no show!

[Mark Thomas]

I'll wait till I can download it from iTunes...