Unreleased recordings wanted!

[adriano]

The Covid situation will definitely affect the recording business, particularly as far as orchestral music and opera are concerned. At last producers could concentrate on a speedier publication of their backward productions - if there will be almost nothing new. Naxos and cpo have dozens - or hundreds - such productions wating since years to be issued - so this may be a chance to get them sooner!

[Kevin]

This is the only real positive I can see coming out of this covid nonsense.

[Mark Thomas]

The question of cpo's huge stack of unissued recordings hadn't occurred to me, but it's a very good prospect, Adriano. Thanks for making it.

[Kevin]

How many unissued recordings are we talking here? hundreds... thousands?

[adriano]

cpo's raving producing policy seems to be in connection with the bad health of one of its representatives: "Let's fulfil my dreams and do as many as possible CDs now, then we'll see later" - something in that way.
Cannot confirm this, but so I am told...

Naxos may have a smaller quantity of unissued recordings, but they are continuing their raving policy of buying up as much as smaller labels in difficulties as possible - and to extend their distribution net worldwide. Klaus Heymann (whom I always compared to Citizen Kane) is trying to conquer the musical world. A "music business" Jeff Bezos?

Since it will perhaps still be possible to produce chamber-ensemble music, I hope that there will be not many more of these boring Baroque operas...

[Kevin]

I love Baroque operas...

[Alan Howe]

I hope you don't mind - I've tried to make the title of this thread a little clearer...

[Jonathan]

I've long suspected Naxos had a long pipeline leading to recording releases. For example, I've just been listening to 4 hand piano arrangements of Schumann's 1st and 4th symphonies, recorded in 2017 and 2018 and only just released! Makes me wonder what else they've got hidden away ☺

[Gareth Vaughan]

This is an interesting topic but one which, without concrete information, will, I fear, quickly degenerate into mere speculation and wishful thinking. Perhaps Adriano, who seems to be most knowledgeable in this particular area, could provide examples of works which he knows have been recorded and have remained unreleased for a long time.

[adriano]

In spite of everything I want to be fair and not reveal more details: Strong competition still reigns between the two mentioned labels.
Just a few cpo examples: Lachner's opera "Caterina Cornaro" was recorded by cpo in 2012 and released in 2018; Bruch's "Die Loreley" was recorded in 2014 and realeased in 2018, Reznickek's "Benzin" was recorded in 2010 and released in 2017. cpo's average release interval is about 2 years. I leave it up to you to find more examples.
Suppose the representative have goo ears and, if they don't hear about somting hot being in project by a competitor, thes wait a bit longer in order to bring out more "urgent" things.
The aping (or sandipit aping) releasing policies of Chandos and Naxos, for examples, show ridiculous aspects somtimes... Or than Naxos also tries to take up a series of Romantic Piano Concertos - when everybody knows that the Hyperion series is unsurpassable.
Chandos also started a film music series after the success of Naxos's. But they were cleverer, since they invested more money - by hiring better orchestras and using more sophisticated sound techniques.

[Justin]

I don't intend to burst anyone's bubble, but in my view, the chances are slim that this pandemic will accelerate the release of any recordings. The classical market has been in decline for years anyway, and I don't see how labels would benefit from releasing them from a business standpoint during this time; hopefully I will be proven wrong.

Adriano, if you are able to share, are there any unreleased recordings done under your baton? I am curious.

[adriano]

Zusac, you can consider my career as a recording conductor as terminated - and there is nothing to come. There are no sponsors anymore being interested in future projects of mine (I have at least a dozen). About the scandalous statal Swiss sponsoring's situation I have complained already various times in UC forums. The responsibles have no ears for our musical heritage, they only favourize the avant-garde.
I was never taken really seriosly here in Switzerland anyway, so who am I to pretend?

[Christopher]

This is an interesting topic but one which, without concrete information, will, I fear, quickly degenerate into mere speculation and wishful thinking. Perhaps Adriano, who seems to be most knowledgeable in this particular area, could provide examples of works which he knows have been recorded and have remained unreleased for a long time.

We actually had a thread on this topic a few years ago - see http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,6304.msg66551.html#msg66551 - problem was people started posting up names of works that they wished would be recorded, which is a different question altogether!

[Gareth Vaughan]

Good point, Christopher.

[Ilja]

In the list of "recorded works I'm dying to buy" are certainly Ewald Straesser/Sträßer's two symphonies and his piano concerto. Those are still somewhere in a drawer in Osnabrück, I assume.