Two more Kalivoda symphonies from cpo

[Mark Thomas]

The next CD in cpo's cycle of Kalivoda symphonies wil be available next month. It features the Second and the Fourth, coupled with the Concert Overture No.17 (!). Details, but no sound samples yet, at jpc.

[eschiss1]

Ah! Now if someone will remaster the LP of the first, all of the symphonies will be available (I am curious about all those violin concertos and the rest of those overtures etc.- the one or two of the latter I've heard were pretty good. I was only able to start a worklist when I worked on the Wikipedia article, but there was a goodly amount... )
Eric

[JimL]

I noted that the Wikipedia article only listed the Violin Concerto #1, implying that there were some others.  Yet only violin concertinos are subsequently listed.  What of the other violin concertos?  Also, the article mentioned he composed several piano concertos, but none are on the listed works at all!  What gives?

[Alan Howe]

This is good news, Mark. Thanks for the heads-up!

[Gareth Vaughan]

That's Wikipedia for you, Jim. The articles are not always written with the sort of academic rigour one has a right to expect. That said, as we all know, Grove can be sloppy too.

[Alan Howe]

Toskey has Kalivoda as having written 6 concertinos and 6 concertos:

Concertinos:
1. in E major, Op.15
2. in A major, Op.30
3. in D major, Op.72
4. in C major, Op.100
5. in A major, Op.133
6. in D major, Op.151

Concertos:
1. in E major, Op.9
2. in A major, Op.20
Others in D major, A flat major;
E minor & E major (with winds only)

There are also 3 Divertissement de Concert for violin and orchestra.

[JimL]

Seems like a pretty cheerful guy.  Any PCs?  Also, what did you mean by "winds only"?  As soloist or accompaniment?  Also, the Op. 20 is listed as a "Concertante? for two violins and orchestra or piano".  Does that count as his 2nd Violin Concerto?

[Alan Howe]

Grove online has this entry:

Orchestral:
7 syms.: no.1, f, op.7 (1825–6); no.2, E, op.17 (1829); no.3, d, op.32 (1830); no.4, C, op.60 (1835); no.5, b, op.106 (1840); no.6, g (1841); no.7, F (1843)
18 ovs., incl. no.1, d, op.38 (1838); no.2, F, op.44 (1834); no.6, E, op.85 (1838); no.8 'Ouverture pastorale', A, op.108 (1843); no.9 'Ouverture solennelle', C, op.126 (n.d.); no.10, F, op.142 (1846); no.11, B, op.143 (1846); no.15, E, op.226, 1858; no.18, ov. to Blanda (1847)
With solo insts: 18 works, incl. Concerto, vn, op.9 (1821); Variations brillantes, 2 vn, op.14 (1829); Concertino no.1, E, vn, pf, op.15 (1830); Grosses Rondo, pf, op.16 (1830); Concertante, 2 vn, op.20 (1832); Introduction et Rondo, F, hn, op.51 (1834); Grand Divertissement, G, fl, op.52 (1834), Concertino, F, ob, op.110 (1844); Concertino no.6, vn, op.151 (1848); Variations et rondo, bn, op.57 (1856)

The short answer is: it's all very confusing!

[Gareth Vaughan]

Since Alan is quoting Toskey, Jim, "winds only" must mean the accompaniment, since Toskey's work deals only with violin or viola concerti.

[JimL]

Duh!  Sorry, didn't pay attention to who he was quoting from!

[eschiss1]

According to http://imslp.org/wiki/List_of_compositions_by_Johann_Wenzel_Kalliwoda, based on a 2005 work by Laszlo Strauss-Nemeth, there's a couple of "concertos" (rather old-style!) for 3 violins unaccompanied too. (This list gives for op. 20 a double concertino in A, not a concerto, and lists only for violin concertos op. 9 in E and WoO II/1 in E minor and WoO II/2 in D major.  A few works for piano and orchestra or strings (rondos, variations, ... - opp. 16, 66, 71, 82) (also op. 77: Chorvariationen über ein Tiroler Lied, Soprano, Men's Chorus and Piano) are the closest things I see listed to piano concertos... (the WoO section doesn't seem to list any piano concertante works.)
Eric

[Josh]

Sorry that I don't have anything useful to add, but I just want to say that this news excites me.  I've thought for years that Kalivoda (or however you spell it) is a drastically under-rated and under-appreciated master of the orchestra.  His symphonies #5 and #6 are among my all-time favourite works of the genre.  I've been dying to hear more for ages!  There are a few composers whose neglect on the recording stage baffle me, and I don't know who would top my personal list of such, but Kalivoda would be a contender for the #1 spot.

[Alan Howe]

I agree that Kalliwoda/Kalivoda is one of the best unsungs. His music is unfailingly interesting and invigorating. The only negative comment I've heard is that there doesn't appear to be a great deal of stylistic development over the course of his compositional life. Nevertheless, his best music should certainly be performed in the concert hall

[John H White]

Kalivoda's 7th symphony, to me, appears somewhat inferior to nos 5 & 6 and I think I read somewhere that it was an earlier work which somehow got wrongly numbered. Anyway, I certainly look forward to the chance of hearing the complete cycle in the not too distant future. I'm certainly not surprised that Kalivoda, being himself a top violinist, wrote quite a few concertos for his own instrument. By the way, An oboe concerto by him is amongst the works featured in a recent Camerata release of Romantic Oboe Concertos.

[eschiss1]

Kalivoda's 7th symphony, to me, appears somewhat inferior to nos 5 & 6 and I think I read somewhere that it was an earlier work which somehow got wrongly numbered. Anyway, I certainly look forward to the chance of hearing the complete cycle in the not too distant future. I'm certainly not surprised that Kalivoda, being himself a top violinist, wrote quite a few concertos for his own instrument. By the way, An oboe concerto by him is amongst the works featured in a recent Camerata release of Romantic Oboe Concertos.

The G minor (posthumously published) symphony is the "6th" in Grove's chronological ordering and the 7th in cpo's numbering, so that would seem to be right, anyway!