Goldmark: Symphonic Poems vol.2

[Alan Howe]

Forthcoming from cpo, with the Bamberg SO under Fabrice Bollon:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/karl-goldmark-symphonische-dichtungen-vol-2/hnum/8977575

Contents:
Concert Overture "Im Frühling" Op. 36
Symphonisches Tonstück (= Symphonic Piece of Music) "Zrinyi" Op. 47
In Italien - Overture Op. 49
Götz von Berlichingen - Prelude
Aus Jugendtagen - Overture
Ein Wintermärchen - Prelude

Mouthwatering!

[Mark Thomas]

Excellent! Zrinyi and the two opera preludes are new to me.

[semloh]

It's good to see less familiar pieces of Goldmark being recorded. I wish it had included the Overture to Merlin.

[eschiss1]

Somewhat to my surprise between Profil and cpo we have complete recordings of Merlin and Winter's Tale already it's seems..

[Mark Thomas]

Ein Wintermärchen has been recorded in full, Eric? This disc has only the Prelude, is there a recording of the whole opera out there somewhere?

[semloh]

..we have complete recordings of Merlin... Yes indeed, but it's hard to get the Overture alone.

[Holger]

The Merlin overture is included here:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Karl-Goldmark-1830-1915-Symphonie-Nr-1-L%E4ndliche-Hochzeit-op-26/hnum/1149823
I don't have this disc, however.

[dhibbard]

also on Naxos..   Rustic Wedding symphony

[BerlinExpat]

Look in the Downloads section for Carl Goldmark's Ein Wintermärchen in a heavily cut version or substantial excerpts, whichever takes your fancy. Nevertheless it's 87 minutes long and is great to have in advance of next years Wexford deferred production from next month. Without comparing the recording with the vocal score it seems the most substantial cuts are the choruses and ballet music, in effect reducing the opera to the essence of the drama.
It's production by the final year opera students of the Liszt Academy in Budapest performed at the Hungarian State Opera House in 2015.
Am mp4 video is also available if requested.

[Mark Thomas]

That's terrific, Colin. Thanks very much indeed.

[Alan Howe]

I have only listened to Zrinyi so far, but I was quite taken aback by its boldness before I realised that it was first performed as late as 1905, i.e. when Goldmark was 75!

Spectacular playing and recording, by the way. A real feast for the ears, if that's even English. If it isn't, consider it coined herewith!

[mikehopf]

Many thanks , Colin, for the wonderful Ein Wintermarchen. I had a tape of a very old recording of extracts in pretty dire sound but even then the quality of the music shone through.

If you could also download the video or give the link, that would also be much appreciated.

[Alan Howe]

Going back to the new Goldmark CD...

It's obvious why these fine pieces have disappeared: in the era of Strauss (Richard) they just don't have the profile and invention of the younger composer. And compared to his contemporaries, none of these pieces has the individuality of say, Má vlast, especially Vltava.

Still, Bollon makes the best possible case for them.

[eschiss1]

expected in the US (see Presto) by October 30 or so.

[adriano]

Excellent and highly recommendable music!
Two (MusicWeb) reviewers have the courage of complaining about Eckhardt van den Hoogen's booklet notes:

"The ten – page essay by Eckhardt van den Hoogen, is tedious beyond words; and its overwrought dullness is at least matched by its pretentiousness. Two pages are spent attacking an unnamed author and book, one which apparently reduces the reader to 'an ulcerous condition' and the further statement: ' He who needs to rely on such sleights of hand loses his credibility rating just as quickly as Wildcat Hendricks when the fifth ace falls out of his ruffled sleeve...' – and things don't look up thereafter."