Benjamin Godard

[FBerwald]

Has there been any recording of the Piano concertos of Godard. I just heard his Violin concertos and they are outstanding!

[Gareth Vaughan]

I believe they are on Hyperion's long-term list - or so Mike Spring told me about 18 months ago.

[Alan Howe]

I have a reasonable dub of a recording of PC1 made by Gerhard Puchelt with the Bamberg SO under Jan Koetsier. It's an enjoyable work - pretty Lisztian in its pianism, but with a vein of sentiment and lyricism typical of the composer. It's in four movements with a scherzo placed third. A Hyperion CD of Godard's two PCs would be a most welcome addition to the catalogue!

[Steve B]

FBerwald(great nomdeplume!),

Godard's greatest writing is in the solo piano music- there is a lovely cd of Jean Martin(marco Polo) playing a selection of Godard's late Etudes. If you like early Faure and Moszkowski solo piano, you will probably like these. They are beyond verbal description in their cool, languid but melodic beauty; rapt, is the word. Very pianistically written.

Steve

[FBerwald]

Well its nice to know that Hyperion has decided to record the 2 Godard piano concertos . I believe there is one other concertante work for piano and orchestra!?!
On a different note how about the Novacek - Piano Concerto Op 8. I had a look through the score and its dynamic stuff. has it ever been recorded?

[Gareth Vaughan]

Not to my knowledge. It's a very good piece - dynamic is the word for it. Mike Spring is aware of it, but I don't know whether Hyperion have any plans to record it in the near future. Another good piece is the Concerto Symphonique by Jakob Julius Major (Hungarian).
Why not write to Mike Spring at Hyperion recommending the Novacek Concerto Eroica? The more voices he hears apart from mine, the more likely he is to be persuaded to record it.
Incidentally, the other concertante work for piano & orchestra by Godard is the Introduction and Allegro, Op. 49. I expect Hyperion will record that too on the same disk.

[JimL]

Welcome to the new and improved Forum!  Well, maybe it's not improved but it's certainly turning out every bit as good as its predecessor at the Joachim Raff Society.  It looks like we'll be having some fun with Benny in the future.  That Hyperion CD will make a fine companion to the Naxos CD of the 2 Violin Concertos.

J:D

[Alan Howe]

Of course it's improved, Jim: it's now securer than before! Do give us - Mark in particular - some credit for actually improving the situation.

[JimL]

Sorry.   I didn't mean to imply that the new Forum isn't better.  It's just that the security factor isn't something immediately tangible.  I just didn't want to give the impression that I was putting down the old Forum!

[Gareth Vaughan]

At the risk of dampening enthusiasm, I must emphasise that there are no immediate and concrete plans for a recording by Hyperion of Godard's PCs. The works are on their "consideration" list. That's all.

[FBerwald]

Has anyone noticed this - An "unknown" Violin Concerto by Godard albeit in Violin & Piano version - An Op. 29. I believe the one recorded as No. 1 Concerto romantique is Op. 35.

https://imslp.org/wiki/Violin_Concerto%2C_Op.29_(Godard%2C_Benjamin)

[eschiss1]

No idea whether or not he orchestrated Op.29 (an opus number he applied to another work, as BNF notes). The autograph manuscript - which they have only in the violin/piano form - may be a first attempt at a concerto, a "#0" unacknowledged...