Request for assistance

[Ilja]

Hi all,

I was hoping to get some help from members about a possibly attractive opportunity that has come up. Let me explain. A friend, who has been the main programmer for an orchestra in 'Central Europe' for two years now, has been the victim of my persistant rants about the fossilization of the orchestral repertory for some time now. During a talk a week or so ago, he challenged me to come up with five works that he promised he would study and listen to. If he deems one of them of sufficient quality and attractiveness, he'll see whether he can get it programmed within the next seasons.

We agreed on some rules, though:

   
• They must be 'performable' - so no one-and-a-half-hour behemoths that require triple percussion sections and the like. There goes the Natursinfonie.
• The score and parts must be easily available. No reading from manuscripts or extortionate rental fees. This requires some research, but it is doable.
• We're looking for something in the romantic/late romantic/post-romantic corner. Roughly (but not necessarily), composed between 1870 and 1914. It may be experimental, but it needs to remain firmly tonal and memorably melodic. Sorry, Charles Koechlin.
• The composer must be truly 'unsung'. His idea, not mine. But that rules out the likes of Franz Schmidt, for instance.
• We're looking for a major work - a symphony, concerto or a substantial tonal poem.

He's a good friend, and I'm taking his word seriously. But it also puts something of a responsibility on my shoulders (at least, that's how I feel it).  And to be honest, I must confess that I find the task rather daunting. There are more than enough works that I would advice a friend to hear, but this is a lot more specific and it might (just might) lead to a suggestion actually being performed.

Within these parameters, I would appreciate it if any of you could give me some reasoned suggestions. Not just lists of five works, if you wouldn't mind. I have some ideas of my own, of course, but I'm curious what you can come up with.

[Mark Thomas]

Raff's Second Symphony.

1. At around 35 minutes, it is eminently programmable.
2. A modern edition of the score and parts is available for rent from Edition Nordstern at reasonable cost.
3. It's one of Raff's best works: memorably tuneful, expertly scored, concisely structured and downright exciting in the right hands (point your friend to Järvi's recording).
4. There's nothing quirky about it, so no allowances have to be made as its idiom is familiar to musicians and audiences alike, making it a real showcase for the genuine repertory-worthiness of some unsung works.
5. The audience will love it once they hear it, so neither your friend nor you will be embarrassed by its reception!
6. OK, it was written in 1866, but you implied some flexibility...

[Ilja]

Hi Mark,


Yes, that was one of my ideas (along with the 8th). The risk is that from what I know about the person in question, it might not match his taste... Still, I trust him to recognize the piece's quality, and thankfully we have a *very* good recording.

[giles.enders]

Ciiffe violin concerto.  It is melodic, with a beautiful violin part to please the masses.  Can easily be checked out from the Hyperion recording.  Saint Saens second symphony for something French or Dvoraks first symphony which is rarely performed.

[Revilod]

If concertos are acceptable, what about Raff's for piano. I suppose that, together with the "Lenore" Symphony it is the work which first got us hooked. It is immediately attractive at first hearing. I can't imagine anyone not enjoying it.

The piano concerto by Bronsart? Is there a more immediately enjoyable concerto (not) in the repertoire? But who plays it?

But my most practical suggestion is Ludolf Nielsen's Second Symphony....the "Symphony of Joy". Tuneful (Tchaikovsky is an influence), very well written and with an enormously exhilarating finale, it is irresistible. Nielsen is also truly unsung, at least outside Denmark. Perhaps Raff doesn't really count as unsung anymore.

[eschiss1]

Hrm... .
How difficult would Wilhelm Berger's 2nd symphony (premiered 1900) be to put together? Probably a question of the parts... Score @ IMSLP.

[MartinH]

Ernest Bloch's Symphony in C# minor. An incredibly powerful, beautiful work. Very melodic - unlike most of his later music. The 2nd movement is so uplifting and majestic. The orchestration is large, but any real orchestra should be able to handle it without problems. Score and parts from Kalmus. Yes, it's been recorded (three times now), but has anyone ever heard of it being programmed live. In a world which can't seem to get enough of the Mahler symphonies, the Bloch should be far better known.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Litolff: Concerto Symphonique No. 4 for piano & orchestra - everyone knows the scherzo but the whole work (which is beautifully melodic IMHO and virtuosic, full of energy and exuberance) is never performed in concert. Score and parts in Fleisher.
Litolff: Eroica Concerto Symphonique for violin & orchestra. Never performed in modern times (at least to my knowledge) and still to be recorded. A very attractive and melodic work (from my reading of the Piano/Violin Score in British Library). Score and Parts in Fleisher.

[Martin Eastick]

Firstly, I will suggest two works which should hopefully fit the criteria but more specifically for the reason that I possess full scores and complete sets of parts:
(1) Stojowski:- Suite Op9 which has a playing time of around 25 minutes, is certainly unsung, and is memorably tuneful.
(2) Moszkowski:- Orchestral Suite No2 Op47. This suite is in six movements and although, as far as I am aware, there are no recorded performances (certainly no commercial recordings) on which to base an initial impression, this can be achieved by playing through the piano duet reduction (available at IMSLP, as well as the Full Score [without parts]). As with most of Moszkowski's  work, melodic content is all-important and is much in evidence throughout what seems to be a work of around 45 minutes duration!
(3) Moszkowski:- Piano Concerto No1 Op3 (The new published edition by Symétrie labels this as OP3! - and also they now have available the complete performing material). This work probably needs little in the way of further introduction, but the more performances the better, and the mere dimensions of this concerto should hopefully dispel any outdated misconceptions re   Moszkowski's reputation as a mere composer of "salon" music.
(4) Xaver Scharwenka:- Obviously, any of the four piano concertos would be more than welcome, but perhaps his Symphony Op60 should be given serious consideration. Once again, this is a most attractive work, high on melodic content with a wonderfully strong conclusion, surely guaranteed to send any audience home more than satisfied! I'm not quite sure about the ease of obtaining parts (perhaps Chris Fifield can help advise here), but I do have a full score available if required!

[rosflute]

Hi Ilja

Thank you for your efforts and for the opportunity that you are offering. I would be delighted to propose this new edition:

'Kjerulf's Love' - Songs for voice and orchestra - Halfdan Kjerulf [1815 - 1868]
I am currently working on this project with an expected publication date in September, timed to coincide with the composer's bicentenary. This transcription of 9 songs and 2 duets to form a song cycle for Tenor, Soprano and orchestra has the aim of raising the composer's profile. I made a virtual recordings of two of the songs, when I started this project a couple of years ago as a birthday present for the Kjerulf expert, the late Nils Grinde.
https://youtu.be/ct-WtkjzOZY
and
https://youtu.be/V5mkUf8SGCw

alternatively I would propose either of the 2 works that I have researched and published as orchestral sets:

*Sinfonie in E-Dur - Emilie Mayer [the female Beethoven] - composed 1863
http://www.trubcher.com/Emilie_Mayer_Symphony_p/979-0-708082-75-0.htm

*Sinfonia no 2 in mi Bem - Giovanni Sgambati - composed 1883
http://www.trubcher.com/sgambati_sinfonia_2_p/979-0-708082-44-6.htm

[Simon]

How about Waghalter's VC? Many of us enjoyed it very much! I have no idea if it is available for rental though...

[minacciosa]

Why 1914? That seems unnecessarily arbitrary. Many works written after that date would fit the imposed criteria. I'll come up with my list soon. Frankly I don't think Raff qualifies as unsung anymore. IMO the 20th century needs our help far more than the 19th.

[Amphissa]

This is an interesting challenge and I'm going to think a bit more about it before suggesting works.

One thing I would note -- any concerto would require a soloist who knows the work or is willing to invest a lot of time learning the work. It also adds more expense to the programming. So, I will focus my thoughts more about orchestral works.

I also think the 1914 date is an unfortunate limitation. Romantic and late romantic style music was being written even into the 1950s in Soviet Russia, so a cut off date like 1914 eliminates a composer like Myaskovsky. That said, I suppose 1914 was an important historic point with the beginning of WWI, and by then we also were suffering the full frontal attack of modernism.

[JimL]

I consider the recently rediscovered and resurrected violin concerto of Fran Lhotka to be a major find, but I have no idea of what materials the recent performance of it was made from. 

Raff's 4th Symphony would also be a good choice, as would his 2nd violin concerto.

Any concerto by Reinecke, but particularly the cello concerto.  You have a soloist already, Michael Samis, who, I'm sure would be willing to perform it anywhere.

Also by Reinecke, the 2nd or 3rd Symphonies.

I'm rather fond of the piano concerto in A minor by the Danish composer August Winding.  A delightful alternative to the threadbare Grieg concerto.

That's all for now.

[Gareth Vaughan]

I think Ros Trubcher's suggestions are excellent, and gladly second them; as I do Martin Eastick's.