Nowowiejski’s Heimkehr Des Verlorenen Sohnes

[eschiss1]

A recording of this sacred oratorio (I assume) will soon be out on the Dux label, see e.g. https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9332801--nowowiejski-die-heimkehr-des-verlorenen-sohnes.

[UnsungMasterpieces]

Yes, I just noticed the new recording on Spotify. Looks like it was released two days ago.

[Alan Howe]

Just received my copy. Good, melodious, rather anonymous late-romantic stuff, although with some luscious orchestral writing. The singers are rather fine, which is just as well as they have some strenuous lines to sing, and the recording is suitably sonorous.

Well worth a punt, but don't expect a masterpiece.

[BerlinExpat]

It's a great pity DUX didn't see fit to include the text in the otherwise informative booklet!

[Martin Eastick]

Having only just listened to this yesterday for the first time, I was most impressed with the work as a whole, and in particular, part 4 with its majestic conclusion, BUT, I am somewhat mystified with the last chord, which seems to want to resolve, but we are left with what to me is an incompleted cadence. To further complicate matters, the review here https://www.crescendo-magazine.be/le-retour-du-fils-perdu-un-oratorio-passionnant-de-feliks-nowowiejski/ - in the last paragraph says "somewhat tarnished at the end of the recording by a sound recording which is not quite mastered in large ensembles" etc.; is this some sort of oblique reference to an editing error, as I do not have any complaint with the overallquality of the recording.

[britishcomposer]

I do not have the CD-release but I have compared the stream at spotify with the version we once had in our downloads section. The ending is identical. But I agree, it sounds as if a tonal conclusion is missing. This then is a decision of the composer not the recording engineer, I think. 

[CelesteCadenza]

I am somewhat mystified with the last chord, which seems to want to resolve, but we are left with what to me is an incompleted cadence.

There is a broadcast performance of this work from Polskie Radio on 11 Sep 2016 with different forces (Michał Klauza, conducting) that ends in a manner identical to the DUX recording; I agree that this does seem to leave the listener hanging. The DUX recording has been available from NML since 10 Dec 2021.

The Klauza performance was discussed here earlier: https://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,6246.0.html  The shared file appears to have been deleted on Mediafire, however.

[Martin Eastick]

Just to expand a little on my previous post - when I listened for the first time, I was actually out of the room at the end of the finale, but could quite clearly hear what was going on and it caused me immediately to replay the track concerned as I thought there may be some fault with the CD! When this clearly was not the case, I still could not believe that, within the context of the date/period of composition, as well as the expected affirmative conclusion, this rather majestic work would be left as it appears on both recorded sources. At least, I feel that the lack of resolution here would have warranted some sort of comment in the programme notes! Therefore, in conclusion, I am still not convinced with the ending! 

[eschiss1]

The score of the overture only is under the  Polish title at imslp. Powrot syna marnotrawnego. More may be added if more is found; I may have found a 1925-ish score at Worldcat, not sure...

[Jonathan]

I just wondered if anyone checked the score for an indication of how it's supposed to end?

[Jonathan]

Brilliant, both eschiss1 and I had the same idea!

[Alan Howe]

Has anyone managed to investigate the ending of this highly enjoyable work?

[eschiss1]

The score of the overture (just the overture only) as typeset by Michał Grocholski who works for Filharmonia Opolska Opole Philharmonic ends in a sequence of chords in G major and a very quiet G major chord scored for organ, interestingly-spaced strings, harp, celesta, and flute cadenza ending on a D above middle C.
If the recording is of more than just the overture, that's not much help, I realize, since that's all that's at IMSLP at this time.
In the event, worth comparing the overture to the 34 pages of typeset score, I agree...

[Alan Howe]

It's the end of the entire work that's at issue here.

It's as if the final page of the score is missing. Or maybe it's a beginner's miscalculation.