Goldmark Ländliche Hochzeit & Prometheus Bound Ov.

[Alan Howe]

...forthcoming from cpo:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/karl-goldmark-symphonie-nr-1-laendliche-hochzeit-op-26/hnum/3067244

[Richard Moss]

After the wonderful news in the other thread about the forthcoming Godard 'unknown symphonies' (or at least un-recorded works), it was too much to hope they might do the same for Goldmark. 

Nothing against the Rustic Wedding Symphony and Prometheus overture - I've enjoyed all Goldmark's works I've got - but as CPO have a well-earned reputation for avoiding the musical motorways and doing unusual repertoire, this looks like an EMI or Decca type selection. Even if the performances are good (and no reason to doubt that, coming form CPO), there are plenty of similar recordings of these works to choose from - this site is full of brilliant suggestions for worthwhile repertoire aching to be recorded - why another one of old favourites? 

(I appreciate previous comments from senior members about the costs etc of recording 'new' repertoire but I'd still ask: "Why would CPO spend their money in the first place on just another recording of well-recorded works??"

Cheers

Richard

[Alan Howe]

It'd be nice to think it's volume1!

[Richard Moss]

According to WIKI, his (non-vocal) orchestral oeuvre seems very thin - a couple of symphonies, a couple of violin concertos (No. 2 unpublished, according to WIKI) and a handful of overtures.  Whilst this might stretch to one (or even 2) more volumes, it wouldn't be breaking any new ground, unless UC members are aware of possible 'unknown' gems that might be included?? - we can only hope!

Cheers

Richard

[Alan Howe]

The second VC doesn't exist, as far as anyone knows. Seems to be a case of musicological Chinese whispers...

[MartinH]

Too bad the Rustic Wedding never shows up in concert - it's wonderful music start to finish. And yes, why record this when there are quite a few fine recordings already? Maybe it is Vol. 1 and that could be a great thing - but I want the opera "A Cricket on the Hearth" !!!!

[alberto]

I have seen and heard in the flesh one performance of the Rustic Wedding Symphony around .........40-45 years ago.
Why not a new recording, if the most recent (if I  remember well) are perhaps Previn and Lopez-Cobos (or the later-inferior- Gunzenhauser on Naxos)?

[MartinH]

There were others: Yondani Butt on ASV from 1992, and Michael Bartos on Newport from 1991. More recently Bis has a splendid recording from 2013 and Profil a recording I don't know from 2011.  Still, for my taste, Previn really nailed it perfectly - great playing, great conducting, fine recording. Too bad it's so hard to get.

[eschiss1]

Musikproduktion Hoflich recently published a brief scherzo in A for orchestra, Op.45, by him. (There's another, Op.19... hrm. Anyways, about Op.45- ) Even if that's been recorded before, I don't think it has been often (unlike his symphonies and concert-overtures which have been at least twice each if not more.) So there's excuse for that- unfortunately only 6 minutes. (I'm assuming it's not an opera excerpt. After all, extending to that- "Preludes and excerpts from operas" - sure, one could have many volumes but I'd agree without even needing to hear it, let them stick to works intended for orchestra, not arrangements from chamber ensemble either...)


(Though C. Fischer did publish a ballet suite from his Konigin der Saba, in 1913...)

[Alan Howe]

The performance of Prometheus Bound on the new cpo is by far the best I've ever heard. The scale of the piece really comes through - a combination of classy playing from the Robert-Schumann-Philharmonie of Chemnitz (another of those excellent German regional orchestras) and the spacious acoustic of the Lukaskirche in Dresden. Conductor Frank Beermann is obviously one to watch too...

[eschiss1]

I remember one recent (initials RWLS) composer's response to that moral/guideline, replicated in a recent biography of him. It wasn't reinforcing, let's say.

The Goldmark was performed in the US before 1968, but I doubt many people here would have been around to hear it. It was in Boston in the 1884-85 (Jan. 23 1885) and 1888-89 (May 1889, several times) seasons, according to the Boston Symphony archives, Wilhelm Gericke conducting both times. In New York, Damrosch conducted it on 1/13/1877, and again in December 1892.)