Martin Scherber Symphony 2 CD available again!!

[Alan Howe]

Yes, that is a bit odd. Tom?

[eschiss1]

I'm a bit confused too given that to my knowledge Naxos doesn't even distribute the CD (in the US anyway) (do they? I don't see Scherber on NML or elsewhere within Naxos' general extended orbit. Might be wrong. I'd like to hear at least one of his extended works that way, of course...)

[adriano]

As written earlier, this CD is officially not available anymore. I also mentioned that I am trying to have some 120 left over copies sold by Sterling via Wyastone. They are considering the matter... His "extended works" are but Symphonies 2 and 3, the 1st one (due for release in one month or so) goes only for 29 minutes. This CD will also feature 40 of his short piano songs (many on texts from "Des Knaben Wunderhorn").
Scherber did not write other orchestral works.
See his Website:
http://www.martin-scherber.de/
There is also some text in English.

[eschiss1]

Worldcat turned up mention of a trio for 2 violins and piano although now that I look at it the piano score is all of "11 S." (11 pages) so maybe not so extended - maybe more a work for student players, or somesuch... Worldcat also lists piano reductions Scherber made of Bruckner symphonies, and piano works called "Das ABC" (anyone know if this is an interesting work? (Ah, 15 minutes from it are on YouTube, hrm, will go listen later... sorry!- can just go check, and will. There's also a piano-duet performance of about 22 minutes - somewhat less than half - of symphony 2 with the composer and Willi Held-- ... hello.) )

Was Martin Scherber related to Ferdinand Scherber (1874-1944) by the way?

[adriano]

The piano duet is a transcription of his First Symphony.
Instead of consulting Worldcat, you should consult the Scherber Website - as already advised.
Ferdinand Scherber was of Austrian origins. Martin Scherber was a Bavarian; his father a double bass player in the Nuremberg Opera Orchestra

[eschiss1]

there are iirc two different piano duet recording videos-without-images on that same YouTube account. I think one claims to be from his 2nd and one from his 3rd symphony. They could both actually be from the 1st symphony though- I didn't manually check the key, should have...

[adriano]

Wait until the CD of the 1st Symphony is issued, then you can compare. Is it such an urgent matter?

[eschiss1]

Nope! (And it is true that if the tape of the recording is off a bit, then it may be hard to tell F minor from D minor, e.g.- "is that E-flat minor opening a very flat tape of F minor or a slightly sharp D minor - or is this one of those symphonies that doesn't open "in" the key on the cover but only gets there eventually - etc. etc." (like Bruckner 8, opening in F minor and taking its very good time to feel like C minor--- just for example...) etc.  - so yes, trying to judge what an unknown work is (even knowing that it's one of a given list of 3) from a recording of "an excerpt" and listening for the central tonic of the opening themes, is not a thing, agreed

[adriano]

Thje First Symphony opens very naturally - and simply - in D minor - and ends up into the same key. The first two bars are a string's unisono D, and then the first chorale rises in the brass section.
All three of his Symphonies start and end in the main key - this is his technique of having his metarphoses sorting out, developing and cyclically returning back to the daparture.

[sdtom]

I am enjoying his third symphony right now.  I'm sure at some point I'll get his first but for now 2 and 3 are quite nice. Both are truly unsung pieces.
Tom

[adriano]

Dear Members :-)
The STERLING CD with Martin Scherber's First Symphony is now available. Hope you like my interpretation!
Catalog Number CDS-1113-2.

[UnsungMasterpieces]

I can't find any mention of it on the internet.

[Alan Howe]

It's always worth checking Amazon:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B076ML3Z2D/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&psc=1

[adriano]

In any case, the German sponsor has already received his free copies, and mine are on the way too. How Amazon reacts is their own problem. I am almost sure it will be for sale within 1-2 weeks.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Not surprisingly, it does not appear to be on the Sterling website - but I have noticed they are always slow to update.