Unsung Anniversaries in 2011

[Alan Howe]

Are there any significant anniversaries in 2011 involving unsung composers? My nominations:
Hiller (b.1811)
d'Indy (b.1851)
Wilhelm Berger (b.1861)

[Pengelli]

Ah,D'indy! A complete commercial cd recording of 'Fervaal' would be a great way to celebrate this  composer's anniversary.

[Alan Howe]

Yes, Fervaal is certainly a hole worth plugging...

[Peter1953]

I like to nominate Wilhelm Berger (1861-1911).
Others are Taubert (b.1811) and Thuille (b.1861).

[chill319]

It's hard to assess Hiller since so little of his mature work is available. He was initially weak in precisely those areas where Mendelssohn was strongest, but he took Mendelssohn's criticisms to heart, especially after he stopped hoping for success in opera, and subsequently reinvented the concerto form with his second piano concerto, which, unlike Chopin's (or his own) of a decade earlier, eschews the successful but now predictable conventions of Field and Kalkbrenner. Mendelssohn and Liszt were working in the same direction, of course, but it was Hiller's new model that Schumann adopted, and later all of the Schumann imitators, such as Grieg. It's also evident that by the time of Mendelssohn's death, Hiller could write an internally coherent Durchführung with the best of them. In achieving the mastery evident in the few late scores of his that are readily available, Hiller sublimated his passion a bit more than Mendelssohn needed to, and this I believe has contributed to Hiller's unsung status. He did, however, have his own voice. And he pushed both himself and the musical culture of the communities where he worked very hard in the direction of high artistic ideals. It is because of musicians like him that the last third of the 19th century produced so much extraordinary music, perhaps the best overall that Western Culture has seen so far.

Nothing in Hiller can match the sublime slow movement of Berger's Piano Sonata, Berger's stunning fugues, many of Berger's chamber works, or Berger's second symphony (the content of his first being unknown to me). But then few musicians have produced so much music that was both spiritually deep and technically accomplished.

Since joining this forum, my experience with D'Indy has been twofold: I have found new things to like in works I've known most of my adult life (like the first symphony) and many new pieces (such as Rivages) that strike me as being of the first water.

[thalbergmad]

I will raise a glass to Loeffler and Catoire (1861)

Might do to Bate and Reizenstein (1911)

Definately not to Hovhaness.

Thal

[Alan Howe]

We need a recording of Hiller's Symphony in E minor, Op.67 Es muss doch Frühling werden (ca.1849)...

[Pengelli]

I'd raise a glass for the best of Hovhaness,but not every one of them!

[JimL]

It's hard to assess Hiller since so little of his mature work is available. He was initially weak in precisely those areas where Mendelssohn was strongest, but he took Mendelssohn's criticisms to heart, especially after he stopped hoping for success in opera, and subsequently reinvented the concerto form with his second piano concerto, which, unlike Chopin's (or his own) of a decade earlier, eschews the successful but now predictable conventions of Field and Kalkbrenner. Mendelssohn and Liszt were working in the same direction, of course, but it was Hiller's new model that Schumann adopted, and later all of the Schumann imitators, such as Grieg. It's also evident that by the time of Mendelssohn's death, Hiller could write an internally coherent Durchführung with the best of them. In achieving the mastery evident in the few late scores of his that are readily available, Hiller sublimated his passion a bit more than Mendelssohn needed to, and this I believe has contributed to Hiller's unsung status. He did, however, have his own voice. And he pushed both himself and the musical culture of the communities where he worked very hard in the direction of high artistic ideals. It is because of musicians like him that the last third of the 19th century produced so much extraordinary music, perhaps the best overall that Western Culture has seen so far.

Nothing in Hiller can match the sublime slow movement of Berger's Piano Sonata, Berger's stunning fugues, many of Berger's chamber works, or Berger's second symphony (the content of his first being unknown to me). But then few musicians have produced so much music that was both spiritually deep and technically accomplished.

I've adored the 3rd PC from the 2nd time I heard it.

[jerfilm]

How about these.  They're just the hundreds and the fifties.  If you go every ten years, the list gets unmanageable....

Ludwig Abeille (1761-1838)
Jehain Alain (1911-1940)
Anton Arensky (1861-1996)
Stanley Bate (1911-1959)
William Boyce (1711-1779)
Pierre de Breville (1861-1949)
Georgy Catoire (1861-192?)
Jan Cikker (1911-1989)
Raffaeke d'Alessandro (1911-1959)
Arkadi Filipenko (1911-?)
Franz Freystadtler (1761-1841)
Mikhail Grechev (1911-?)
Philip Green (1911-1982)
Wilhelm Jeral (1861-1935)
Jan Keotsier (1911-2006)
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Edward MacDowell (1861-1908)
Gian Menotti (1911-2007)
Jan Mul (1911-?)
Christian Palmer (1811-1875)
Auguste Quelle (1911-?)
Reizernstein, Franz (1911-1969)
Nino Rota (1911-1979)
Bernhard Viguerie (1761-1819)

Disclaimer: Just gecause a composer is on this list does not necessarily imply that his/her music is worth hearing.  Heh heh.

Jerry

[eschiss1]

Three more born in 1861: Marco Enrico Bossi. known I think for organ music, but some intriguing chamber music's been uploaded to IMSLP- some of it recorded a little I believe but I know I haven't heard it; Fritz Volbach (two piano quintets at IMSLP) ; Heinrich Gottlieb Noren (1861-1928) - again, several works at IMSLP...

[Pengelli]

Liszt? Oh no! He's another one who stays in 'the box'!
Bought the Stanley Bate 4th from Dutton when it came. A tougher nut to crack than his 3rd,but I think he's a composer worth investigating.
Rota's the 'Fellini bloke'!
Catoire sounds as if he might be interesting.

[Jonathan]

I for one am really looking forward to the Liszt anniversary, there is so much of his massive output still to be heard, especially with the orchestral works many of which have even to be published.  I did ask Chandos if their excellent symphonic poems series with Noseada was going to include the rest of the orchestral works but this obviously fell on deaf ears!  There is a vast amount of chamber music too, especially with the 2 piano and 4 hand pieces.

If you think you don't like Liszt, try some of the late pieces, especially in the chamber arrangements (especially La Lugubre Gondola for 'cello and piano)...

[eschiss1]

Walker's biography (especially re-reading book 2 on the Weimar Years) got me to re-listen to Liszt's works, his middle as well as late works, with a fresher ear and especially with fewer preconceptions, I think.  Especially, with much more enjoyment.  The beautiful St Elisabeth oratorio (in a cut version on Koch Schwann, as nla as the label itself; hopefully the newer version on cpo is at least as well-done and uncut to boot) found its way into my collection eventually after that, for example...

[petershott@btinternet.com]

Agree thoroughly about the Alan Walker volumes on Liszt.  A labour of love, and after reading it (and yes, steadily working my way through every volume of the Howard piano recordings on Hyperion - due, I think, soon for a medium priced re-release in a mighty big box) I began to appreciate the true extent - and stature - of Liszt's achievements.

I haven't tried the CPO recording of St Elisabeth for surely (I don't know for sure) it must be pretty much truncated being a 2 CDs as opposed to the 3 of the Arpad Joo recording on Hungaroton. That's a wonderful recording if the Hungaroton set can be tracked down.

Another 'plug': the Alan Walker book on Hans von Bulow, published this year by Oxford, is another eye-opener. Very well written and illuminating.

Peter