Anton Simon PC & Chaminade Suite No.1

[Alan Howe]

..now out from Dutton:



Full contents:
Anton Simon (1850-1916)
Piano Concerto in A flat (perf. edition by M.Yates)
La revue de nuit
Danse de Bayadère
Plainte élégiaque
Cécile Chaminade
Suite No. 1 for orchestra

https://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=CDLX7374

[Ilja]

Interesting, but I'll wait until someone has some audio samples at least. Even among the unsungs, Simon is a bit too much of an unknown to take the risk. I can't understand why the DuttonVocalion site would be without samples.

[Mark Thomas]

All of that is true, and yet... it's an intriguing release.

[Alan Howe]

Think I might take a punt on this one...

[TerraEpon]

Never heard of Anton Simon....

But...Chaminade. So I have to get this....

But she didn't write a 'Suite no. 1'. She wrote 'Suite d'Orchestre', Op. 20 (which is what this is) as well as a suite form Callirhoe (Op. 37a).

[4candles]

I'm on the one hand excited about this, as I've been trying to find a pianist and conductor to record the PC for some years.

On the other hand, I'm a little frustrated, as I've been trying to get the PC recorded by a specific label and have been in touch with two well-known artists who have put considerable time into locating and planning for a recording of the work. I'll have to break the news to them!

Nevertheless, great to see these neglected pieces being revived and I look forward to buying a copy.

[Mark Thomas]

As you've obviously invested a lot of time and energy on the Piano Concerto, can you give us an idea its merits, as we're unable thus far even to sample the recording online?

[Alan Howe]

BTW, the composer seems also to have been known as Antoine Simon:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_Simon_(composer)

[eschiss1]

Reduction of the piano concerto (from which Mr. Yates did his reconstruction).

I mean, assuming this is the concerto Op.19 and not another piano concerto in A-flat by I assume the same composer!

[Martin Eastick]

Rather a strange coupling - Chaminade with Anton Simon - but I am certainly not complaining! Copy duly ordered!

[TerraEpon]

I have to imagine this is a case where they had the recording done (perhaps when they did the Callirhoe disc?) and had to find somewhere to 'throw it in'.

It's hardly as weird as the Naxos disc coupling two Loussier Violin Concertos (outside of the 'remit' I know) with the Paderewski Violin Sonata...

[musiclover]

I don't think Martin Yates did a "reconstruction". It doesn't say that on the disc I received this morning.
It looks from the wording that he had to create a modern full score and a set of orchestra parts but it doesn't imply or say that he reconstructed the work in anyway.
Could be wrong of course.
I will listen to the disc over the weekend and report back!

[eschiss1]

Ah. I thought it said so on the CD cover reproduced. The reduction (@imslp) has survived but I don't know at this moment what else had.
Edit: a worldcat search reminds me that his output should have perhaps reached the discs of music by those killed by the Nazis already anyway (ed.: no, died 1916 - I'm thinking of someone w a similarish name??), other interesting looking stuff listed? String quartet, wind quartet, an opera...

[TerraEpon]

People like to call "oh we have the parts but no full score" a reconstruction for some reason (a good example is Rachmaninov Symphony No. 1). Never understood that.

[eschiss1]

afaik that case was more complicated. Also if all you have is mss parts made for a performance and everything else is lost, there is real editing work ahead in reconciling the inevitable differences between them.