Proposal for a CD dedicated to a forgotten female composer

[eschiss1]

I think it's also fair to say a lot of the music of Augusta Mary Anne Holmès hasn't been recorded (even though quite a bit has, and she isn't quite forgotten- but still.) The recorded music by her, I think, focuses mainly on her symphonic poems- she also left chansons (ok, there is a CD of her mélodies, I do see), operas- quite a few..., odes, a bit of chamber music- much of it, I think, published in France, so I am guessing that the French National Library may have a lot of the manuscripts and rarer published works, some perhaps digitized even.

[regal]

Dorothy HOWELL's "Lamia" has been recorded on a Cameo Classics CD

[thalbergmad]

A CD of Blahetka would suit me. The Polonaise certainly could do with a commercial release although the you tube performance is more than satisfactory.

Her works sort of remind me of Kalkbrenner, or perhaps a supercharged Chopin.

Thal

[Gareth Vaughan]

Dorothy HOWELL's "Lamia" has been recorded on a Cameo Classics CD

You are right - and I suggested it to them (senior moment!!). However, I don't think it's a performance out of the top drawer. I would like to hear it played by a better orchestra.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Has anyone ever found a score for the piano concerto by Ingeborg Starck von Bronsart?

I've looked quite hard over the years, but failed to locate one.
As to Louise Farrenc, she ought to have written a PC, but I don't think she did. I think Cohen was mistaken. I'd love to be proved wrong!

[eschiss1]

Fleisher does have score and parts to a piano concertante work by Sophie Menter, her Ungarische Zigeunerweisen. (Also to Eda Rapoport's piano concerto, but that may be out of our remit.) (Then there's the harpsichord concerto of Julie Candeille! (1767-1834, also in their collection.))
(Fleisher - know.freelibrary.org - has a "Women Composers" tag that, together with the "Musical Scores" subtag, might help one find some stuff in their library catalog relevant to this project...)

[TerraEpon]

Of course Menter's Concerto in the Hungarian Style (orchestrated by Tchaikovsky, by the way) was recorded by Leslie Howard in the complete Liszt series on account of it previously being attributed to him. In fact coincidentally my random playlist just hit a track from it a few minutes ago.

Wouldn't mind hearing more of her music, if any exists....

[Gareth Vaughan]

Menter's piece is pretty small beer IMHO.

[Martin Eastick]

I understand that the Australian-born Marguerite Labori (née Okey) composed a piano concerto in F minor, which was published by Durand in 1914. This work does not appear in their present hire catalogue but they do list "Yato" - a lyrical drama in 2 acts, for soloists, chorus and orchestra! However, on the strength of the qualities of some of her songs, which I have copies of, I would suggest that her piano concerto may be well worth looking at, even if she was once the wife of a certain Vladimir de Pachmann! Furthermore, there also seem to be other works that may form the basis of a recording.......

[vicharris]

I have heard Dora Bright's Piano Concerto with Samantha Ward and while her work is excellent she is unfortunately accompanied by a less than stellar amateur orchestra, nonetheless, though I found no profundities, it was a lovely piece and I have listened to it again and again without getting tired or annoyed with it. Except for the french horns and high register violiins, why is it always the french horns and high register violins...But, also don't get me wrong, the kids did their best and thank God kids are willing to make music in the clearest way they can.
Any hope of Rosalind Ellicott ever showing up, or Helen Hopekirk--once heard a rumor that Hyperion after 70 or so of the Romantic Piano Concerto series might include her, but of course with Beach who has been recorded many times already. I still like the idea of someone stumbling across a stunningly original and magnificent concerto by Bluebell Klean, Angler of great repute!!!

[eschiss1]

Some of Labori's songs can indeed be downloaded from http://imslp.org/wiki/10_M%C3%A9lodies_%28Labori,_Marguerite%29 (a compilation of Léon Grus publications.)

As to her piano concerto, a reduction of it exists. See BNF. Maybe request it?... Not a full score, but still...

[jerfilm]

Was the Bright Concerto a commercial recording or something that could be shared here??

Jerry

[eschiss1]

Well, not that it's conclusive, but Worldcat turns up practically no recordings of her music. (Maybe I'm using the wrong search terms. Should I be searching for Estella Bright rather than Dora? Or using her married (or maiden?) surname?) The ones it does turn up don't suggest a piano concerto on them. Maybe there was one and no Worldcat library picked it up, too...

[Gareth Vaughan]

There has been no commercial recording of Dora Bright's PC. The only work of hers to have been recorded (at least in modern times), to my knowledge, is the second of the 2 pieces for cello and piano, the "Polka a la Strauss", available on a disk called "A Cello Century of British Women": http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cello-Century-British-Various-Artists/dp/B00004U5FS/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1437157482&sr=1-1&keywords=Dora+Bright

[JimL]

There's an Australian woman composer who came to England to study and who composed a couple of piano concertos, but whose name escapes me.  The concertos are in a rich, Romantic Rachmaninovian vein...damn!!!  I'm drawing a blank.  Somebody help me!!!