Stöhr, Richard (1874 - 1967) Symphony No.1, Op.18 (1909)

[Alan Howe]

[Ilja]

It's listed at Presto now, too, with a release date of 7 July.

Interestingly, it appears that Hobson et al. are taking the work at a substantially more relaxed pace than either the old St. Olaf recording or Martin Walsh's synthetic version. In the case of the first movement, 15:31 vs. St. Olaf's 10:51 and Martin's 10:26.

[Alan Howe]

Is it a question of a repeat being observed?

[Ilja]

Wouldn't rule it out, but listening to the samples on the Presto website I also get the impression that it's played quite a bit slower.

[jasthill]

Just found it on Presto - regardless of comments on tempo, phrasings, etc. sounds gorgeous to me.

[Ilja]

Oh yes, and I'm at least as interested in the 1st Suite for String Orchestra, considering how gorgeous its successor turned out to be. 

[Alan Howe]

I'm looking forward to this release, but I'm not convinced about the hype involved in the statement that Stöhr's is 'a voice increasingly recognised as his own'. From what I've heard so far, Stöhr's voice is certainly not as easily recognisable as, say, his contemporary, Franz Schmidt. Rather, I'd place him with composers such as Georg Schumann or Fritz Volbach, i.e. considerable talents well worthy of our attention, but not quite in the front rank.

I'm sorry to say that Toccata has 'form' in this respect. Think, for example of the label's description of Donald Tovey's stubbornly unmemorable Symphony as 'a mighty cousin to Elgar's two symphonies', which it most certainly is not and which has sunk without trace since its release.

Still, I'll be delighted to be proved wrong about Stöhr - and I'm sure I'll enjoy it a lot more than the Tovey. But beware the hype!

[Ilja]

Let's not forget that we're only just beginning to discover Stöhr's music, whereas we have quite a bit of Schmidt's output on disc. I'm really interested in the later symphonies, all of which were written later in his life, when his style became much more individual than it was in those early years.

[Alan Howe]

That's true, of course, but nobody knows what the later music is like, so it's a bit early to be making such big claims, I think. The chamber music hasn't exactly set anyone on fire, so I'm simply saying that we need to be careful of Toccata's 'hype' with regard to allegedly significant symphonic discoveries. I'd like to think that this will be as successful a release as, say, the superb recording of Bargiel's Symphony, but the lesson of Tovey's lumbering behemoth of a piece is that hype isn't always borne out in reality.

Remember also that Toccata Classics is Martin Anderson's personal project and that the choice of repertoire is likely to reflect his own preferences - and prejudices. Nothing wrong with that, but it behoves us to tread carefully in response.

[Ilja]

The Second Suite is from 1947, so that should give us some idea. I think it's gorgeous. 

But as a general rule, I fully agree with you. The issue is often that discovering new music is almost by definition a game of diminishing returns. The better you get to know the scope of Western "art" music, the less likely you are to have overlooked a truly important voice, so the "hype" will inevitably lead to disappointment more often.

Still, I have some confidence in Stöhr's legacy. The issue with the later symphonies is that they only exist in ms and will require some effort to prepare for recording.

[Mark Thomas]

Extreme it may be, but the example of the recent Veit CD is an excellent example of the dangers of believing publishers' hype. For myself, on the evidence of what we've heard so far, I too have some hope that Stohr will prove to be a worthwhile "discovery".

[Alan Howe]

Personally, I'd prefer less promotional hype from the label. There's nothing wrong with 'positioning' the music, so to speak, but beyond that it should be allowed to speak for itself.

[eschiss1]

I am reminded of a novel- was it "The Merchants' War"? - where some of the characters refused hype and used truth in advertising because. That was memorable years after I've last read it.

[Alan Howe]

Trouble is, the hype is on the back of the CD!

[Wheesht]

Perhaps it's best to wait until we have had a chance to listen to the works in full before we try to assess how much hype is involved and how great or otherwise the music is...