Wilhelm Berger - Symphony No.1 Op.71

[eschiss1]

I don't think I was aware of the concertpiece

[Alan Howe]

Oh, wow! How fantastic. From Clic Musique:

[Mark Thomas]

What great news. Quite the tonic!

[Alan Howe]

In case the artists involved are difficult to make out from the copied image of the CD, they are:
Oliver Triendl (who else?!), with the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen, conducted by the young German conductor, Clemens Schuldt.

[Justin]

Very excellent news indeed! The only recording I have heard is a radio broadcast in mono from 1959, so looking forward to hearing this for the first time in glorious stereo.

Mark/Alan: Are you aware of CPO learning about some of these composers through this forum? Sometimes the timing is coincidental in my opinion, especially since this was recorded in 2020-21; the same time Martin digitized the piece.

[Mark Thomas]

I'm not aware that cpo know about UC, but it would certainly make sense for them to monitor us if they do. Perhaps, if someone with links to cpo is out there, they could raise their hand?

[Alan Howe]

When I have a spare moment I'll email cpo.

[Ilja]

If Martin Walsh's version of the symphony is anything to go by, that would mean that the Konzertstück is an untypically (for the genre) substantial, half-hour piece.

[Alan Howe]

Naxos here in the UK have a release date of 5th May:
https://naxosdirect.co.uk/items/wilhelm-berger-konzertstuck-op.-43a-for-piano-and-orchestra-symphony-op.-71-in-b-flat-major-603489

Interestingly, the Konzertstück (which has been given the opus no. 43a) doesn't appear in the list of works included in Gustav Ernst's biography of the composer published in 1931. The clue is in Naxos' blurb:
<<His Konzertstuck Op. 43a remained unprinted - or cannot be acquired in print to this day.>>

I wonder how the score (presumably in manuscript?) came to light.

By the way, the piece is clearly named in Oliver Triendl's repertoire:
https://www.oliver-triendl.com/english/repertoire-oliver-triendl-orchester.php

Perhaps I ought to contact him?

[Gareth Vaughan]

As an aside, the Konzert-Allegro Op. 9 (1893) for piano & orchestra by Anton Beer-Walbrunn (1864-1929), which was, until recently, available only in ms. and does not appear in his Wikipedia work list, is a similarly substantial one movt. work lasting about half an hour. Admittedly, not titled "Konzertstuck" but the title carrying the similar suggestion of a shorter work than Op. 9 actually is.

[Wheesht]

You beat me to it, I too thought of the Beer-Walbrunn work right away.

[Alan Howe]

How do we know what size the Konzertstück might be? Have I missed something?

[Gareth Vaughan]

Well, the clicmusique link at the start of this thread gives the total playing time of the CD as just under 1 hr 17 mins. Reverie's realisation of the Symphony lasts 47 mins, or thereabouts, which, if it is accurate, would mean the Konzertstuck coming in at something under 30 minutes. All this is, of course, conjecture and, if the clicmusique timing is wrong (and such errors have been known, as readers of this forum are aware) we could be looking at a shorter work.

[Alan Howe]

Aha! That's what I had missed. Yes, so the Konzertstück might well come in at roughly half an hour - a substantial work indeed.

I have emailed Oliver Triendl, by the way...

[Gareth Vaughan]

Thank you. If you make contact I wonder if you could ask him if he knows if there are any plans for commercial CD releases of his performances of the PCs of Ewald Straesser and Friedrich Gernsheim (both on You Tube at present), and what is happening about the PC of Conrad Ansorge which, I understand, Cpo were rumoured to have been due to record with him as soloist (please correct me if am wrong here).