Unsung Composers

Please excuse the breadth of this topic, but I would be grateful for suggestions as to which 20th century unsung symphonists to pursue - only those, please, who have been recorded, otherwise severe frustration will ensue on my part! No need for a lengthy apologia on behalf of a particular composer: name and work(s) will suffice!

Some masters from Great Britain come to my mind:

Robert Simpson, with 11 symphonies. [all recorded]

Edmund Rubbra, with 11 symphonies. [all recorded]

Bernard Stevens, with only 2 symphonies [both recorded], but additional some other orchestral works in truely symphonic style (eg. the Variations op. 36, which seems to be a short and very concentrated 4 movement symphony).

Daniel Jones, with 13 symphonies. [4, 6, 7, 8, 9 recorded]

And of course Havergal Brian, with 32 symphonies.

Some from eastern Germany:

Max Butting, 10 symphonies. [7, 9, 10 recorded on LP; 9 released on CD] (comparable in style to Honegger, but less classicist)

Leo Spies, 2 symphonies. [2 released on CD] (emerges of late romanticism, great melodist)

Ernst Hermann Meyer, 4 (unnumbered) symphonies (for string orchestra, Concertante for piano and orchestra, Symphony in B, "Kontraste - Konflikte") [all recorded on LP but nothing released on CD, Symphony for strings on youtube] (more dissonant in style, very expressive, comparable to late Shostakovich and Weinberg)

Fritz Geißler, 11 symphonies. [some recorded on LP; 3, 5 and 11 released on CD] (dissonant expressive works, not in classical forms, but developing in free organical manner)

Hrm. I recommend at least the following too-
*Matthijs Vermeulen (Dutch, 7 symphonies, recorded on Donemus and some of them on Chandos)
*Niels-Viggo Bentzon (quite a few. Have heard two. Intriguing! Hrm. Not sure how many have been recorded. Seek out, I say.)
*Hilding Rosenberg. (a few on CD though not yet all 8, I -think-. Again though, seek out, worth hearing, good enjoyable worthwhile stuff.)
*Allan Pettersson (Swedish, 15? symphonies - 17 numbered but 2 of them may be incomplete??, so that's nos. 2 to 16 -  but 2 to 16 are all recorded at least once. I have quite a few of them on CD etc. and am glad of it :) )
*Mieczyslaw Weinberg (1919-1996. already mentioned in this thread. also sometimes called Moisei Vainberg, esp. on earlier recordings. Not all his symphonies recorded, but more and more are.)
*Vagn Holmboe (1909-1996. 13 symphonies, 3 chamber symphonies, 4 string symphonies. Almost all recorded (except maybe the 3 chamber symphonies, and I think that gap will probably be filled. Sometimes described as neoclassical, not really.)
*Hendrik Andriessen (father of Louis and Jurriaan, Louis has some greater fame :) ) - 4 symphonies
*Henk Badings (the label cpo is recording his symphonies. I have heard a few on the online archive of the radio station Concertzender. Pretty good.)
*Eduard Tubin (Estonian-Swedish. Somewhat better known, sort of.) 10 symphonies and an unfinished 11th. Very, very good indeed, or so I think; the brief 9th grabbed me as did some of the others when I first heard them 2 decades ago at my college music library; decided to get some of the CDs when I could (and there are now several recordings - indeed, two complete recordings of them, I think. To which I say yay!)
*Nikolay Myaskovsky - often Romantic in mind (though his symphonies 7 and 13 are- well, ok.  Another pause here. "Romantic" and "19th-century-like" has to include music like late Liszt and Wagner for example (not only, emphatically) or else it would be good to define the term rather better. And as Schoenberg pointed out about a pupil's music (Berg's opus 3, I think, though unspecified), it doesn't go beyond the 19th century harmonically... he didn't say what music in the 19th century he was thinking of, but middle and late Liszt and Wagner is part of what I would guess. And others too. End{digression}.) Anyhow, Myaskovsky symphonies recommended by me, especially early but extremely passionate no.2 in C-sharp minor, but also the late war symphony no.22, and the slightly earlier no.20 (what a slow movement, and what becomes of it!), ... and others, too. And even more, though you didn't ask, some of the string quartets :) I'm a fan of his. (Sorry :) )
*Evgeny Golubev (1910-1981). Mostly only on LP at the movement (symphonies 5 and 7 out of, I think, 7); a few works on CD. Myaskovsky pupil; taught Schnittke. (I made MIDIs of some of his works and am convinced that I do need to hear more though. Quartets 8 and 9 are rather good.)
*Vissarion Shebalin (5 symphonies  numbered, at least one unnumbered (haven't heard but has been recorded), all I think once available on Olympia CDs. Have heard the 5 numbered ones and recommend them, as I also do the 5 of Ukrainian Gliere pupil
*Borys Lyatoshynsky.
And seconding Havergal Brian and curious about Butting whose symphonies and 2 of whose quartets I have skimmed...

Richard Arnell (1917-2009) - all his symphonies recorded on Dutton
Hakon Børresen (1876-1954) - symphonies (3) on DaCapo
Rutland Boughton (1878-1960) - Dutton/Hyperion

I think Rubbra's symphonies are badly neglected, and I love the swashbuckling symphonies of George Lloyd (12 in all).
We don't seem to give the Americans much coverage here, so how about Piston (8), Mennin (9) and Cowell (15) .... not my cup of tea, but definitely unsung symphonists, at least outside the US. Not sure how well recorded they are, though. More to my liking are the symphonies of Roy Harris (12), although we rarely hear anything except the 3rd.
Among Scandinavians, Rosenberg (8 syms) is usually overrlooked, and once we turn to Eastern Europe and the old Soviet empire, the list could be almost endless......
This may be an opportunity to place a request to the forum - does anyone have Symphony No.2 - 'I Have Loved the Lands of Ireland' by Seóirse Bodley? My old ex-radio cassette recording is almost unplayable.... and it's a beautiful work.

To the American composers, mentioned by semloh, I would add Christopher Rouse, although he seems to be relatively sung for a living composer. His vigorous 2nd, and until now last, symphony [which is recorded as it is his 1st] makes him my fouvourite American symphonist after Mennin [whose symphonies 3-9 are recorded].

Bodley's Symphony No.2 is available on CD...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Se%C3%B3irse-Bodley-small-drifts-Ireland/dp/B001Q8KQ6S/ref=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1314190922&sr=1-2 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Se%C3%B3irse-Bodley-small-drifts-Ireland/dp/B001Q8KQ6S/ref=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1314190922&sr=1-2)

as to Harris, I'd like to especially recommend symphony no.7; Ormandy's recording of it may still be available, and there're at least one or two newer ones that I haven't heard.
Roger Sessions' 9 symphonies fall well outside the orbit of this forum except for the tonal first two (which are more neo-classical than Romantic, I suppose, though no.2 is hardly neo-Classical... expressionist tonal is closer to the mark? No.3 is a quiet, calmer work, filled with birdsong evocation, closer to neo-classical- and it's serial non-tonal. So much for labels. Hah.) Anyway... I like them- though nos. 6, 7 and 9 deserve much more focused performances than they receive from Davies on Argo. Nos. 4 and 5 receive the best performances and recording put together of all of his symphonies, I think (from Badea on New World) though Mitropoulos in no.2 reissued on CRI is excellent (in not so excellent sound :( ).

Elliott Carter's 1st symphony is a pretty work, too. What a pity, that there was no "Symphony No. 2" written in this style.

Thanks, everyone. Keep 'em coming if you have any more suggestions...

From the excerpts I've heard, Latvian composer Janis Ivanovs would be worth exploring. He composed 21 Symphonies, so take your time!

From the Naxos homepage:

JANIS IVANOVS 
(1906 - 1983)

Janis Ivanovs was born on 9 October1906 in a small Latvian town called Preili. He graduated in 1931 from the Latvian State Conservatory in Riga, where his studied compositions with Jazeps Vitols and conducting with Georg Schnéevoight. He continued post-graduate studies with Vitols until 1933. In 1931 he began a long association with Latvian Radio, eventually becoming the artistic director of the Latvian Radio Committee. In 1944 he joined the faculty of the Latvian State Conservatory, becoming full professor in 1955. He was president of the Latvian Composers' Union and was awarded the titles People's Artist of the Latvian SSR (1956) and People's Artist of the USSR (1965). Janis Ivanovs died in 1983 after completing three movements of his Symphony No. 21.

Ivanovs is considered Latvia's most distinguished symphonist. His grasp of orchestral colour and musical texture was so extraordinary that his colleagues often praised him for his precise, expressive, and nationalistic musical idiom. Had be only written his Fourth (Atlantida), Fifth or Sixth (Latgales) Symphonies, he would have left an indelible mark on music history. However, he composed 21 symphonies, three concertos for various instruments, cello, violin, and piano, five symphonic poems, three string quartets, and numerous vocal, piano and chamber works.

The bulk of Ivanovs' compositions is orchestral. Stylistically his early works show influences of Scriabin and his later works that of Prokofiev and Shostakovich. These, however, are just passing influences. The hand of the mature master is evident all his works, early or late. The language is distinctly Ivanovs', nationalistic, dynamic, powerful, dramatic. "Janis Ivanovs is like thunder and lightening, cleansing the air with his Lucifer sounds. His symphonies are like ancient Greek tragedies, filled with ecstasy and purification." So wrote another Latvian composer and music critic, Margers Zarins. Although every composition of Ivanovs delivers something fresh and unusual, we also hear the familiar. His music provides us with an unusual sense of intimacy. Here is a composer who is speaking to us, perhaps battling something, defending us from obstacles and taking us on a safe and welcome path. His love of melody is evident in all his works. In fact, the melodic content is the essence of each of his compositions. Ivanovs drew upon the native songs of the Latgale district (eastern Latvia) for his inspiration. Latgale's folk-music combines both Slavic sadness and restrained beauty. this is definitely a trademark of Ivanovs' music. Pathos, colour, intensity, tightness of structure and expansiveness of musical ideas are also concern-stones of his style.


Discography here:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/Finnish_and_Baltic/Finnish_and_Baltic_Symphonies.htm#ivanovs (http://www.musicweb-international.com/Finnish_and_Baltic/Finnish_and_Baltic_Symphonies.htm#ivanovs)


Morten

You're probably going to have to look for this one on LP for now (and even then only a few of his works are on LP I think...), but hopefully eventually more available: Ján Zimmer (1926-1993), Slovakian composer of, I think, 11 symphonies and 5 piano concertos.
Thumbs up here on Ivanovs too, terrific symphonies and concertos.

I hear good things about composers Laszlo Lajtha and Alexander Moyzes, and have heard one or two of the former's and a few of the latter's symphonies at that- rather good, rather good :)

Here are some recommended names, and suggested starting points. Unfortunately, there are many other names I feel compelled to add, but since they didn't fulfill your requirement of available recordings, I resisted. By no means a complete list, there's also the consideration of where to draw the line between "unsung" and "sung," and "20th Century" and otherwise.

Alfven, Hugo (#1)
Alwyn, William  (#1) 
Arnell, Richard (#2)
Atterberg, Kurt (#2)
Blomdahl, Karl-Birger (#2)
Braga Santos, Joly (#1)
Brian, Havergal (#1, 9)
Creston, Paul (#2)
Dopper, Cornelis (#7)
Dutilleux, Henri (#1)
Englund, Einar (#2)
Freitas Branco, Luis de (#1)
Gerhard, Roberto (#2)
Harris, Roy (#3, 7)
Holmboe, Vagn (#7, 8)
Ivanovs, Janis (#4, 6)
Kokkonen, Joonas (#4)
Landowski, Marcel (#1)
Lloyd, George (#6)
Madetoja, Leevi (#3)
Melartin, Erkki (#5)
Miaskovsky, Nikolai (#21, 24)
Nystroem, Gosta (Sinfonia del mare)
Panufnik, Andrzej (#3)
Peterson-Berger, Wilhelm (#3)
Pettersson, Allan (#7, 8)
Pijper, Willem (#2)
Piston, Walter (#6)
Rosenberg, Hilding (#2, 4)
Rubbra, Edmund (#2, 7)
Saeverud, Harald (#3)
Sallinen, Aulis (#1, 3)
Sauguet, Henri (#1)
Schuman, William (#3, 5)
Silvestrov, Valentin (#5)
Simpson, Robert (#3)
Thompson, Randall (#2)
Tournemire, Charles (#5, 7)
Vermeulen, Matthijs (#4)
Williams, Grace (#2)
Wordsworth, William (#3)

In a couple of cases (such as Williams and Wordsworth)  there really isn't opportunity to go much farther among commercial recordings of any symphonies, but if you like them enough, you may want to seek out downloads of other symphonies of theirs, probably owned by many of the members of this forum. In the case of Silvestrov, I don't think there's much else in his symphonies worth bothering with, but #5 is a knockout -- very untraditional, perhaps initially baffling, but ultimately tremendously rewarding. There's also a wide range of styles here: some very conservative (such as Alfven & Lloyd), others more challenging (such as Gerhard). All worth investigating, though, IMHO.

QuoteJán Zimmer (1926-1993), Slovakian composer of, I think, 11 symphonies and 5 piano concertos.

12 symphonies, actually (I have a copy of #12).

Latvia- re Zimmer- thanks, I have recordings of the first 11 (starting from the 1st of 1955, once on LP) I think and was making an incorrect assumption, but I think I was told there was a 12th that my friend didn't have, I'd just forgotten...
He wrote three string quartets, now... hrm! and at least 5 piano sonatas, and a violin sonata... and lots of film music (not to be confused with Hans Zimmer).

I have a near--oh, to hell with "near"--an obsession with the post-romantic and modern French symphony, and so:
Magnard's last 2 symphonies belong to the 20th century. Among Roussel's four only the third is well known. the first is a work of great lyric beauty, but the second is a large, dark, brooding, and very powerful work, my favorite among the four. Paul Paray is my favorite composing conductor (I am not including Mahler in this category); his first symphony gives some idea of what a Faure symphony would be like and the second might be considered the Magnard 5th just as Jacques Chailley's 1st Symphony might be the Roussel 5th. Another Frenchman with four symphonies is Paul LeFlem; 1 and 4 have been recorded, the former an amalgam of Bax and Ropartz (the Celtic/Breton connection), the latter harsh, dissonant, rather grating. In the Franck/Chausson/Dukas single symphony tradition are Louis Vierne, Sylvio Lazzari, Phillipe Gaubert. All the forgoing have been recorded.

Alan - thanks for the Bodley advice. I've checked for a CD so many times over the years, and there it is! Another overspend on my pocket money, coming up.

Fascinating thread - but not necessarily good for my bank balance  :o

Here are some recommendations from me:

Allan Petterson Symphony 6-8
Rootham Symphony 1 (Lyrita)
Stanley Bate (Symphony 3 and 4, Dutton) No 3 is wonderful, powerful, tonal, moving, defiant at the end - and Bate had a difficult life.
Klaus Egge: Symphony No 1 (might appeal to fans of Walton Symphony No 1)
Joubert Symphony 1 with Mathias Symphony 1 (Lyrita) - both excellent - lyrical, powerful, tonal, moving.
Hoddinott Symphony No 3 - not easy but has a gritty integrity and is ultimately rewarding
Braga Santos symphonies 3 and 4 (great composer - might appeal to Sibelius/Vaughan Williams fans.
Tubin - all symphonies
Holmboe symphonies 4,6,7,8,10
Miaskovsky (my favourite) symphonies 3,6,15-17,21,24,25,27
Weinberg nos 1,3,5 and 6
Arnell nos 3,4,5,6
Alwyn (all symphonies)
George Lloyd nos 4,7,8
Bantock, Hebriddean, Celtic, No 3
Arnold No 1,3,5,6,7,9
Lilburn symphonies 1 and 2
Wiren nos 3 and 4 (great!)
Ivanovs Nos 2,3,4,8,20 (last two on Naxos)
Popov Nos 1and 2
Eshpai Nos 4 and 5
David Diamond No 3 (v moving)
William Schuman (no 6)

QuoteI have a near--oh, to hell with "near"--an obsession with the post-romantic and modern French symphony

X. Trapnel -- I couldn't agree more with your recommendations (and share your passion)! Roussel's #2 is my favorite of his as well; I adore the last two Magnard symphonies (and enjoy the first two); Chailley's #1 is stunning!

I also think Sauguet's #1 is magnificent, and deeply moving.

I'm perplexed by the omission of two of my favorite 20th century symphonists: Franz Schmidt and Humphrey Searle.

Schmidt wrote four magnificent works steeped in romantic tradition. The symphonies are tonal, masterfully orchestrated, and completely listener friendly. And the last two are profoundly moving. The 4th is, in my own opinion, one of the greatest symphonies of the century.

Searle is definitely not for everyone. If you don't like serialism, you'll hate Searle. Personally, I love it. It gets under your skin and you're hooked. The man is saying something: dark, creepy, and possible evil. I find them completely fascinating, entertaining and at the same time perplexing. It's not music for a relaxing evening, but if the mood is just right, they are incredibly effective. The CPO set is marvelous. For me, they're much more rewarding than the works of Robert Simpson or Rubbra. If you want to know what to expect, see the movie "The Haunting" -- the original 1960's creep out version, not the ridiculously stupid remake. Searle wrote the soundtrack.

Latvian--Glad to know I'm not alone in this. I recently tracked down a cd of the Chailley conducted by Manuel Rosenthal but prefer the version conducted (I think) by Jean Fournet, an Accord lp that never made it to cd (I keep hoping). I have to confess I was somewhat disappointed with the Sauguet symphonies; my expectations were raised up very high by his Melodie Concertante for cello and orch. written for Rostropovich, a sublime work. I'm also very fond of his Tableaux de Paris, unfortunately only available as part of a prohibitively expensive EMI set of Michel Plasson doing French music, most disks of which I, and I expect many here, already have. I'll give the Sauguet 1st another listen.

Fanfare reviewer Jerry Dubins (who I paraphrase neutrally) reviewed the cpo 2-CD set of Searle symphonies pointing out that he did not much care for serial/non-tonal (not the same thing in either direction, I know) music but enjoyed a lot about Searle's (and gave some background about his encounters with Searle- not the person, but Searle's writing- textbook, e.g.- and Searle's humor, contribution to the Hoffnung extravaganzas, etc. ...) - anyway, as an ex-math student I have some difficulties with the flat-out statement If you don't like serialism, you'll hate Searle." ;) just saying! Couldn't resist...

Likewise with his contemporary Benjamin Frankel, also a film composer and composer for the concert hall (wrote a bit more chamber music - 5 string quartets, 2 sonatas for solo violin, e.g. - than Searle does, though I'd like to hear Searle's piano sonata which I've seen a bit of in score) ... who was also not alone in using serial techniques and producing tonal or almost-tonal results (or combining them very musically with tonal music- his 3rd and 5th symphonies and viola concerto being cases in point; the 5th symphony and viola concerto of Frankel both have a non-serial, more or less key-centered movement, and 2 other, more or less "serial" movements, but they sound like they belong in the same piece because they do; the 3rd symphony converts the major-mode opening material into a much more modern, chromatically-complicated and yes, serial version of itself in a one-movement, less than 20 minute span, but more with a sense of just different ways of looking at it- and that of itself is a very traditional artistic way of proceeding...)

@mbhaub

I'm not sure, if someone, who dislikes serialism would dislike Searle, too. The idiom of his 2nd symphony reminds me very much of Walton. It's hard to believe, that this should be 12-tone-music. Like it is with the works, Bernard Stevens wrote in the 60s: Constructed alongside 12-tone-rows, but the music realy doesn't sound Schoenbergian.

Quote from: Rainolf on Thursday 25 August 2011, 11:12
@mbhaub

I'm not sure, if someone, who dislikes serialism would dislike Searle, too. The idiom of his 2nd symphony reminds me very much of Walton. It's hard to believe, that this should be 12-tone-music. Like it is with the works, Bernard Stevens wrote in the 60s: Constructed alongside 12-tone-rows, but the music realy doesn't sound Schoenbergian.

Writing as a pupil of Searle who recalls Searle and Stevens having occasional animated conversations outside their teaching rooms betwen lessons (they sometimes taught in neighbouring rooms), I cannot see why anyone might expect any music written by either (or indeed anyone else) using dodecaphonic principles should "sound Schönbergian" in any case, even if it could first be established what it is to "sound Schönbergian". Dodecaphony can be and has been used to ends which are by no means atonal and, in any case, "atonality" is a relative term whose meaning will also vary from listener to listener according to experience.

It's interesting that you should mention Walton in the context of Searle's Second Symphony (one of his better known works), especially in the light of the fact that Walton at one time asked for and received some lessons from Searle even though Searle was some 13 years his junior. Contextualising matters here prompts me to suggest that it might also worth be bearing in mind Searle's Liszt scholarship, since this occupied a very large part of his professional life at a time when much of Liszt's music was not well known to the general concert-going public; it has been conjectured that Liszt's documented but as yet still undiscovered (I think!) Prélude Omnitonique may well have been one of the early experiments in organising pitches serially.

I'm not a great admirer of Schoenberg, whose music seems often tough to me, but consider him a very good composer, even if there are not so many works by him I enjoy.

But I find it fascinating, how you can write music using Schoenberg's method, which sounds so completely different of his style. And so I would say, that maybee poeple, who dislike Schoenberg's style could have their pleasure with Searle's music.

It's how you say: A great composer can use 12-tone-rows in his own way and doesn't become a servant of the handicraft (as it is like in tonal music, too).

QuoteI recently tracked down a cd of the Chailley conducted by Manuel Rosenthal but prefer the version conducted (I think) by Jean Fournet, an Accord lp that never made it to cd (I keep hoping).

Is the Rosenthal CD currently available? If so, where?

Are you familiar with Chailley's 2nd Symphony? I recently obtained a copy of a live performance which I can upload if interested, as well as a couple of other shorter works.

Yes, I also keep hoping the Fournet recording of the 1st Symphony makes it to CD someday!

There is also a number of symphonies by Polish composers - most of them only in radio archives recordings: Stojowski, Mycielski, Serocki, Sikorski, Malawski, Maliszewski and few others.

Again, thank you everyone for your expert suggestions. I am making an ever-longer list! Please keep your contributions coming...

Leif Segerstam started in 20th Century, still churning them out, somewhere over 200, I think.
Dag Wiren
Allan Pettersson (sp?)
Ellen Taafe Zwilich
Gloria Coates
Sergei Slonimsky and Alfred Schnittke, not sure if have been mentioned yet

Quote from: Arbuckle on Thursday 25 August 2011, 20:36
Leif Segerstam started in 20th Century, still churning them out, somewhere over 200, I think.
Dag Wiren
Allan Pettersson (sp?)
Ellen Taafe Zwilich
Gloria Coates
Sergei Slonimsky and Alfred Schnittke, not sure if have been mentioned yet

Segerstam, according to the not always reliable but in this case probably not far short of the mark Wiki, has composed
    251 Symphonies (as of August 2011)
    30 String quartets
    13 Violin concertos
    8 Cello concertos
    4 Viola concertos
    4 Piano concertos
and has probably written at least one more symphony since you submitted your post.

Allan Pettersson, of whom you have the spelling correct, wrote 15/16 symphonies, most of which are well worth getting to know and which have been championed by Segerstam, among others; he was a major 20th century symphonist, if a somewhat unusual one. Check out nos. 7-10, 13 and 15 in particular...

I sahould have added that the irrepressible Segerstam is one of today's most extraordinary conductors...

Wolfgang Korngold: sinfonietta (maybe in f sharp major..)
Hans Werner Henze: (10)
Karl Amadeus Hartmann: (8 symphonies)
Luciano Berio: Sinfonia for 8 voices and orchestra
Marcel Mihalovici: Five symphonies (the las in memoriam of Hans Rosbaud)
except for Korngold, I don't know about recordings of them, sorry.
Andrea

With Pettersson and Wiren btw most of the symphonies (btw, Pettersson sym. 1 also, soon, on BIS, in a reconstruction) have been recorded, on CD even (though they may no longer be available.) cpo has recorded Wiren's 2nd to 5th symphonies (I think the 1st is lost?) and  all? of Pettersson's; BIS has recorded many (not yet all, I think, except maybe counting LPs?) of Pettersson's (and is trying to do cpo one better, as mentioned, by recording his unfinished 1st too, with Christian Lindberg, whose edition it is, conducting.) There are at least two, maybe three, complete recordings of Hartmann's fine symphonies- a modern EMI set, a "historical" I think Wergo set (which is what I've heard part of- excellent performances), maybe one or two others... I think at least one or two other complete ones and some partial ones too including individual recordings of his first, second fourth and sixth symphonies I believe... definitely a composer worth hearing (fairly intense music. I won't be silly and say not to everyone's taste- what -is-???)

BTW, Korngold's sinfonietta (1912) is in B major. It's his symphony (1952) that's in F-sharp. Both have received at least two CD recordings, quite a few more in the case of the symphony and perhaps both actually.

A symphony that used to be available (maybe still is) that I've always enjoyed is Boris Chaikovsky (not a close relation to Pyotr - I figure we're all related) 's 2nd symphony (1967), conducted by the deservedly esteemed Kirill Kondrashin.  The first movement especially is really striking...

Searle's too 'difficult' for me, I'm afraid.
My current discovery, apart from Klami 1, is Blacher's Symphony. Marvellously virtuosic writing for brass - a bit like a rather more brilliant Hindemith.

Latvian--The Chailley/Rosenthal cd is available on Amazon USD 50; I'd be happy to make a copy for you.

Noone's mentioned Alfano yet? The CPO disc of his first two symphonies is utterly wonderfully colorful music.

Come to that, nobody's mentioned Malipiero and Casella. Or Enescu.

How about Siegfried Wagner's Symphony in C, written in the 1920s towards the end of his career as an operatic composer/conductor? Plenty of late 19th Century romanticism in this work.

I'm also very fond of the 2nd symphony particularly of the (not particularly unsung, not as conductor anyway) Wilhelm Furtwängler. Daniel Barenboim's performance on Teldec raises the roof (or as appropriate, in the right places.)
Wilhelm Stenhammar's one acknowledged symphony, in G minor (in the forever mania for completeness, called his 2nd since he wrote another earlier one- I fail to see the logic but then I often do) - several good recordings; I prefer Neeme Järvi's early recording on BIS but it's not the only very good recording of this very fine piece from early in the 20th century.  Romantic in inclination with even more backward-looking elements (very severe, mixing elements of folksong and the Baroque, I think. It and Sir Arnold Bax's 2nd string quartet remind me of each other probably because of similar opening themes... it and Moeran's G minor symphony have a couple of other similarities. The Moeran is another kettle of fish- and I think someone else has recommended it but let me second them; an incredible as in incredibly good piece...)

Myaskovsky and Pettersson have already been mentioned. They are both very significant composers. Myaskovsky wrote 27 numbered symphonies, plus a small number of related works. The best place to start is the single movement symphony No. 21, of about 20 minutes. Pettersson's symphonies are massive and depressing. Number 7 seems to be regarded as the best. It is one movement, 45 minutes long.

Some more names:

Kurt Atterberg
Michael Daugherty
Jacobo Ficher
Howard Hanson
Alfred Hill
Einojuhani Rautavaara
Ervin Schulhoff
Harold Shapero
Ernst Toch

Quote from: Hovite on Friday 26 August 2011, 14:20
Myaskovsky and Pettersson have already been mentioned. They are both very significant composers. Myaskovsky wrote 27 numbered symphonies, plus a small number of related works. The best place to start is the single movement symphony No. 21, of about 20 minutes. Pettersson's symphonies are massive and depressing. Number 7 seems to be regarded as the best. It is one movement, 45 minutes long.

Some more names:

Kurt Atterberg
Michael Daugherty
Jacobo Ficher
Howard Hanson
Alfred Hill
Einojuhani Rautavaara
Ervin Schulhoff
Harold Shapero
Ernst Toch

Hanson I would hardly consider unsung.  At least the 2nd (Romantic) Symphony gets plenty of attention, the 1st (the single-movement 'Nordic' Symphony in E minor) somewhat less so.  I believe there is also a 3rd which may be more unsung.  Shapero's single effort (Symphony for Classical Orchestra) is a rather astringent, Stravinskian piece, but very rewarding.  More unsung than it deserves to be. 

Hanson never gets played over here in Britain. So he's definitely unsung for us.

Hanson made a very good recording of his 3rd with the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra that may be still available...

Astonishingly, Segerstam is not the 20th Century's most prolific symphonist.  This title belongs to an American composer, Rowan Taylor, who, when he died in 2005, had composed 258. There are also 46 concertos,  over 250 chamber works and 2455 songs. So, if Segerstam has composed 251 symphonies, he only has another 8 to go to break the record! Perhaps he'll stop then!

I have heard some of Segerstam's symphonies and am not impressed. They are usually in one movement and amount to unstructured rambling pieces of sound. He composes rather like turning on a tap - out comes the soundstream and after 20-25 minutes he turns it off. Where has the music gone? It doesn't matter because the next symphony will turn the tap on again and it will be equally transient and meaningless. They are often given pretentious titles like "Afterthoughts Questioning Questionings" (No. 23) or "Doubling the number for Bergen!" (No. 162), or "Names itself when played?" (No. 181).  A waste of good manuscript paper, in my opinion.

251 symphonies? It's hard to take that sort of output seriously. And Raff was supposed to have been a Vielschreiber...

QuoteI have heard some of Segerstam's symphonies and am not impressed. They are usually in one movement and amount to unstructured rambling pieces of sound. He composes rather like turning on a tap - out comes the soundstream and after 20-25 minutes he turns it off. Where has the music gone? It doesn't matter because the next symphony will turn the tap on again and it will be equally transient and meaningless. They are often given pretentious titles like "Afterthoughts Questioning Questionings" (No. 23) or "Doubling the number for Bergen!" (No. 162), or "Names itself when played?" (No. 181).  A waste of good manuscript paper, in my opinion.

I agree wholeheartedly! Not much substance there.

It rather reminds me of a painter who had a gimmick about 20 years ago (maybe he's even still around?) named Morris Katz (I think). He appeared periodically on the TV shows and demonstrated how he could whip off a finished painting in 10 seconds or so. He claimed to be the world's most prolific "artist."

QuoteWilhelm Stenhammar's one acknowledged symphony, in G minor ... several good recordings; I prefer Neeme Järvi's early recording on BIS but it's not the only very good recording of this very fine piece from early in the 20th century.

And a gorgeous piece, at that! One of my favorite symphonies from any era. Both of Jarvi's recordings are excellent, however, my preference is for the Stig Westerberg recording on Swedish Discofil (out of print now, I believe).

Perhaps we should start a thread for "unsung" conductors. If so, Stig Westerberg would be one of my first nominations. A consistently fine interpreter, often overlooked among better-known names, a steady and reliable presence in Nordic music, bringing keen insight and imagination to his interpretations. Swedish Radio recently broadcast a live Westerberg performance of Peterson-Berger's 3rd Symphony (another of my all-time favorite symphonies) that blew away every recorded version by a mile!

Quote from: Latvian on Saturday 27 August 2011, 00:16

QuoteI have heard some of Segerstam's symphonies and am not impressed. They are usually in one movement and amount to unstructured rambling pieces of sound. He composes rather like turning on a tap - out comes the soundstream and after 20-25 minutes he turns it off. Where has the music gone? It doesn't matter because the next symphony will turn the tap on again and it will be equally transient and meaningless. They are often given pretentious titles like "Afterthoughts Questioning Questionings" (No. 23) or "Doubling the number for Bergen!" (No. 162), or "Names itself when played?" (No. 181).  A waste of good manuscript paper, in my opinion.

I agree wholeheartedly! Not much substance there.

It rather reminds me of a painter who had a gimmick about 20 years ago (maybe he's even still around?) named Morris Katz (I think). He appeared periodically on the TV shows and demonstrated how he could whip off a finished painting in 10 seconds or so. He claimed to be the world's most prolific "artist."

Sounds like they're not real symphonies in the traditional sense of the term.  Parody symphonies, mayhap?

Sounds like Rowan Taylor may have Dennis Busch beat? Oh. Actually, several of these do- he was only up to no.80 in 1994. Bad example... (hundreds of serenades though.)

It's always been trouble, trying to get into definitions.  Even before the 20th century they were arguing whether the Dante and Faust- goodness, i suspect whether even Beethoven's 9th, I don't doubt (I suspect there is no doubt they were arguing this) - were symphonies. Opening up a can of worms, that. How about we stay classic: a symphony is a piece in one or three very brief movements for small orchestra, usually just strings and basso continuo, sometimes a few winds, meant to open an opera. We can agree on that, surely...

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Nino Rota. Or perhaps his symphonies are so unsung that even we don't know about them. But indeed, he did write two, and they can be found on disc from Chandos. Delightful works.

Kurt Weill wrote two symphonies. The first is not so inviting to me, but the second is much more enjoyable. It was given a fine recording by Walter with the Concertgebouw, although there are more recent recordings.

In the New World, Luís de Freitas Branco wrote 4 symphonies. The 2nd is quite engaging.

Lars-Erik Larsson's 3 symphonies are deeply indebted to his Nordic predecessors, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Among the real unsungs, I would mention Khachaturian's wife, Nina Makarova. Her Symphony in D minor is well worth seeking out, available on CD coupled with a piano concerto by Zara Levina. Makarova and Khachaturian met at conservatory. I can see why he fell for her!

(http://home.wanadoo.nl/ovar/images/makarova2.jpg)

Rota's symphonies are sung enough to be recorded, which was a prerequisite of the thread... all three of them - no.1 in G ca.1939, no.2 in F (1937/39/41 revised 1975?), no.3 in C of 1956-1957. Have even heard one or two of the three on Classical Choice television, I think. Ah, my mistake actually- there are four, but I'm not sure if the 4th has been recorded yet; I suspect Mr. Noseda may do so soon though too, at a guess. (Actually, I think the first two have been recorded on both BIS and Chandos- on BIS by Ruud, on Chandos by Marzio Conti (sorry, nos. 1 and 2 by Conti, 3 by Noseda- my mistake again..). Good!)

Quote from: eschiss1 on Saturday 27 August 2011, 04:43
Rota's symphonies ... Ah, my mistake actually- there are four

... and perhaps less ambitiously, his Symphony on a Love Song - so maybe we should credit him with five?

I have all three Rota symphonies on a Japanese disc, don't remember what label. Got it from Berkshire Record Outlet.

I assume 'Symphony on a Love Song' is the fourth.

Quote from: Amphissa on Saturday 27 August 2011, 03:30...In the New World, Luís de Freitas Branco wrote 4 symphonies. The 2nd is quite engaging...

Not quite so sure about that New World bit, Dave.  If I'm not mistaken, I think de Freitas Branco was Portuguese.  Lisbon isn't exactly what you would call one of your musical capitols, but it's definitely not what you would call Western Hemisphere either!

My comment about the number of Rota symphonies got wrapped into the quote, due to my unfamiliarity with the procedure, apologies.
Was the Symphony on a Love Song being counted as Rota's fourth, as TerraEpon suggested?

don't know- hrm. several places four symphonies are mentioned but I suspect that you're right and that "anything with symphony in the title" is reasonably being counted, or I should say within reason being counted...

Quote from: JimL on Saturday 27 August 2011, 07:02
Not quite so sure about that New World bit, Dave.  If I'm not mistaken, I think de Freitas Branco was Portuguese.  Lisbon isn't exactly what you would call one of your musical capitols, but it's definitely not what you would call Western Hemisphere either!

hahaha -- well, Lisbon is the western side of Portugal, so very very very close to the new world -- hahaha

Sorry, somehow his folder got mixed in with my new world composers when I rebuilt my collection after the hard drive crash last year.

And now I've got to go find that 3rd (and 4th?) symphony by Rota that I wasn't aware of.

Have we mentioned Derek Bourgeois? According to his website he has composed 64 symphonies plus another for wind instruments, of which only his 6th and 8th have been put on CD. During the 80s, I taped a BBC broadcast of him conducting the Bournemouth Sinfonietta in his 5th, plus Christopher Seamon conducting his Chamber of Horrors - 4 Demonic Dances. Anybody else have any of his work?

I also for some reason keep forgetting which side of the Earth Branco is from, for some reason. Not sure why that is, but I kept thinking he was Argentinian or something.
I like the Naxos discs with the 1st and 3rd, not too big on the 2nd and 4th.

Have to check which one I've heard- B minor with symphonic variations coupled? - or am I thinking of someone else... no.4 I think. Was quite good, striking and powerful in my opinion which takes me as far as - me! :) - erm, no, wasn't thinking of Freitas Branco at all, but of another- I think a relative or teacher or student of his whose works have also been recorded on Marco Polo. Blasted memory.

BTW I have not, I believe, seen Miloslav Kabelác's (Czech, 1908-1979) 8 symphonies mentioned. Not terribly "Romantic" though definitely emotional and expressive - I've only heard nos. 3 and 4, not the relatively more famous nos. 5 and 8 - but I think really good stuff... (Then there's the great Polish composer Karol Szymanowski, cannot remember if he has been mentioned already, whose output contains much that is wonderful- his 4 symphonies are, except for the 3rd (which is terrific), maybe not the best part of it. Well, I like no.2 also, and no.4 has its fans. No.1 was not great but still fun and worth reviving if one likes the composer already- thanks to Marco Polo and also to Prof. Botstein later on for that :).)

(Have only heard one of her 4 symphonies but Grazyna Bacewicz (1909-1969)'s solid third symphony- I have what I think is its first recording of at least two now - is worth hearing. All four come before she started using more avant-garde techniques, let alone the more integrated music I think characterizes her last years, like the fine 7th concerto and 7th quartet.)

Ah right, Braga Santos' 4th symphony is what I think I was thinking of...

Quote from: TerraEpon on Sunday 28 August 2011, 06:48
I also for some reason keep forgetting which side of the Earth Branco is from, for some reason. Not sure why that is, but I kept thinking he was Argentinian or something.
I like the Naxos discs with the 1st and 3rd, not too big on the 2nd and 4th.

He's Portuguese, as is his pupil Braga Santos.

Gino Marinuzzi Sinfonia (Dynamic)
Giuseppe Martucci Sinfonia n.2 (Brilliant, Naxos, Bis, Iron Neeedle)
Niccolò Castiglioni "Sinfonia con rosignolo" (Warner)
Bruno Bettinelli Sinfonia Breve (Warner)
Giovanni Salviucci Sinfonia Italiana (Fabbri LP)
Ottorino Respighi Sinfonia Drammatica (Chandos, Naxos)
Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari Sinfonia Brevis op.28 (CPO)
Oscar Esplà Sinfonia Aitana "A la musica tonàl in memoriam" - fine subtitle (old De Burgos Emi LP)
Joaquin Turina Sinfonia Sevillana (old recording by Argenta, various labels)
Gabriel Saaab (diplomat- composer)  Symphonies 1-2 (Archiphon - label maybe owned - or sponsored- by the composer)
Mozart Camargo Guarnieri (Symphonies 1-6 on Bis)
Claudio Santoro at least 4 and 9 on Bis
Carlos Chavez (1-6 Mata and LSO, vox; three by Chavez, old Everest; one By Bernstein)
Alberto Williams n.7 on Arte Nova
William Mathias (1,2 Nimbus)
Virgil Thomson (3 on Naxos, one common to Mercury)
William Schuman(10 recorded by Naxos; some formerly Delos)
George Antheil: there is at least an integral recording by CPO; great is the Fourth by Goossens (Everest) - better than Stokowsky in bad sound
Viktor Kalabis (5: recorded at least 3, 4, 5)
Alexander Moyzes (10; several recorded by M.Polo)
Laszlo Laytha (9 ; several by M.Polo; some by Hungaroton)
John Fernstroem (n.6 by Mikko Frank, Musica Sveciae)
Ruben Liljefors Symphony op.14 (Sterling)
Oskar Lindberg Symphony op. 16 (Sterling)
Kara Karaev Symphony 3 (Naxos)
Alemdar Karamanov (24! Ahkenazy recorded 22-23 for Decca; maybe Naxos is releasing an early one)
Boris Tischenko at least n.7 from Melodya and Sinfonia Robusta from Supraphon
I quote "en passant" recordings of Symphonies by Boyko (Svetlanov), Svetlanov (himself) and Rakov (Roz.): but a further list of not yet named Soviets could be very long (idem -at least- for U.S., U.K., Scandinavian countries)
There is a plethora of Japanese Symphonies by Naxos
I like a lot Qunihico Hashimoto n.1
I limit myself to list (even if I own the CDs):
Akio Yashiro
Koscak Yamada
Yasushi Akutagawa
Akira Ikufube
Hiroshi Ohguri
Toshiro Mayuzumi
Masao Ohki
Hisato Ohzawa
Saburo Moroi
I would just highlight an underrated (for me) Symphony by a sung composer: Kodàly
--------About reply 32.
Berio Symphony has been recorded at least by Berio, Boulez and Bychkov.
K.A.Hartmann : there was a Wergo series split between Kubelik and Macal; and an  Emi series by Metzmacher.
About Rota Symphony "on a love song" : it is indeed the fourth unnumbered symphony (and relies partially on movies' music)   
Henze: 1-6 by Henze; 7 by Rattle; 9 by Metzmacher.

I believe Rota drew from the Symphony on a Love Song for the Score to The Leopard, not the other way around. It's a beautiful work in any case.

Alberto,
  Can you give me additional information about the Fabbri LP of Salviucci's Sinfonia Italiana that you mentioned in your post? This would be greatly appreciated.

Michael

I see a mention of the Fabbri LP here (http://members.xoom.it/renzocresti/salviucci.htm) I think (in Italian) - erm... I think I do.

Been wanting to hear the Kodaly symphony again. Not sure if I have a recording and just keep forgetting, or I don't have a recording and I notice it on online radio and keep forgetting to turn it on, but I do mean to hear it in full again; good piece certainly...

From my not-widely-shared POV the 20th century had an embarrassment of riches for symphonism- and I don't like everyone (Mannino's random-seeming 5th symphony I haven't heard but I'm not sure I want to; but... erm. put that way... and his cello solo sonata does look more interesting... erm... ok, bad example, bad example.  And I was going to use K. Meyer's equally weirdly random- aleatoric may not be the word, it has a strict definition- symphonies (some of them aren't, some are) - but sound unheard, again, one gives something a chance.  Sinding's 2nd symphony- I think it was; the announcer said symphony 3, which I think hadn't been recorded yet when I first heard this back around 1988 or so - sounded so boring and self-absorbed I couldn't listen to more than a movement and change- and this from someone who got to like Sinding much more later (including his first symphony, and other works too; I don't think I've heard the 2nd again since, but maybe. It's only barely a 20th century work, his 2nd, though - well, further into the century than Martucci's lovely and intriguing 2nd, it's true!

Someone please record that Sinding string quartet, please. :D )

I even like, enjoy, am moved by (#11, All Men are Brothers) some Hovhaness symphonies, though that fact surprises me greatly. A phrasing which belongs in a thread I'm trying hard to avoid now. Not Gloria Coates, though. Not yet, anyways. Your kilometre efficiency will vary. G'night!

Quote from: eschiss1 on Friday 26 August 2011, 16:32
Hanson made a very good recording of his 3rd with the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra that may be still available...

That's a great CD - coupled with the deeply moving Elegy for Koussevitsky and the Lament for Beowulf.

Quote from: eschiss1 on Sunday 28 August 2011, 14:14
Ah right, Braga Santos' 4th symphony is what I think I was thinking of...

A wonderful Symphony - Symphony No 3 is great too.

Another lesser-known symphony I like is Symphony No 2 ('Sinfonia Pacis') by the Czech composer Viktor Kalabis.  There was a Supraphon LP - which sadly never made it to CD.  It is on an old Praga CD 'In Honour of Vaclav Smatacek' - but this is now difficult to find or ridiculously expensive.  The 'Sinfonia Pacis' concludes with a moving, tolling bell-like passage, which I like very much.

According to kalabismusic.org there are some symphonies of his on CD now, and his complete string quartets besides, anyway. been meaning to look into his music. thanks for the reminder here :)

Not sure if mentioned: at least underplayed, the Marco Polo series of Lajtha and Moyzes, and the BIS series of Tubin. Tubin No. 5 is one of my all time favorites.

If someone is interested...i have all the LP of "La Musica Moderna" by Fabbri. They aren't normal LP, the diameter is 24 cm, but they play at 33 rpm.
Andrea

For Mikulh -reply 66- (and Andrea). I misrembered the opus by G.Salviucci in "La Musica Moderna" by Fabbri.
It was "Serenata for nine instruments" (it was vol.43 in a series of about 100 Lp 25 cm. plus books. They were released weekly in 1967-1969). The enterprise was very daring : many records were licensed , mainly by Vox, but a lot of rare works were not licensed by other labels, but produced directly by Fabbri. They were sold exclusively at newspapers shops. Each cost 750 Italian liras (around 1/2 English Pound of the time).
Thanhs to Eric i could read the article in Italian about G.Salviucci and gather than in a later series Fabbri released two other Salviucci works, between them a Symphony for 17 instruments (which I don't deem to be the "Sinfonia Italiana").
Nino Rota: X.Trapnel is right. According to the booklet of CD Nuova Era of 1992 the "Symphony on a love theme" was composed in 1947 (but not performed until 1972). Some material was recycled in the movie "The Mountain Glass" (1949); some other in "The Leopard" (1963).
In Naxos 8.554323 (which I have....somewhere) there is a four minute piano  and orchestra work titled "The legend of the mountain glass" (from...the Mountain Glass).
I am not the only one to make faults.
Calum MacDonald on BBC Music states that Rota Concerto Soireé by Chandos is a premiere recording (Chandos doesn't claim that), but there are at least four others recordings (I have three of them, the first with Nino Rota and Bruno Maderna).
For Eric about the Kodàly Symphony; few recordings, but great conductors: Fricsay, Dorati, Ferencsik.
Thanks to reply 69 I have rediscovered that I own Kalabis "Sinfonia Pacis"  (n.2) by Smetacek (coupled to Lutoslawsky and Britten).   

Some brief feedback on some recent purchases following recent recommendations:
Sauguet 1: grand, impressive music, but rather exhausting to listen to.
Paray 1: a magnificent symphony in the French late 19th/early 20th century style, with echoes of Saint-Saens, Franck, Fauré, even Elgar at times.
Lajtha 3/4: colourful, characterful music - not all hard to grasp if one knows Kodaly, Rozsa, etc.
Moyzes 1-12: a genuinely communicative symphonic voice: very attractive.
Klami 1: a magnificent symphony pitched somewhere between Sibelius and Walton.
Mortensen 1; Serious, tough, nordic. If you like Nielsen, Simpson...
Saeverud 3: hard-ish work, expressionist - like a nordic Krenek?

Alan, if you think Saeverud hard to come by try his 6th and esp. 7th Symphony from the 1940s, both reflecting the war. Very moving and much more personal than the earlier 3rd. Anyway, I admire the 3rd for its grimness. Very unusual for a Norwegian composer during the 1920s, isn't it? Who else in Norway did such stuff at that time? Valen's series of Symphonies started in the late 30s.

Yes, I agree about Saeverud. If I recall correctly, his sombre style is maintained in his Peer Gynt Suites, Op.28. Wiki says that he ....was widely famous for his humour [!!], mainly of a grotesque kind. "I was born on a graveyard," he said, and it is a fact that the ground under the house where he was born was both a former graveyard and a place of execution. He was convinced that his mother's nightmares there had influenced both him as a person and composer: "My music is terribly melancholy - wildly melancholy."

This reminds me to mention another Norwegian symphonist, Olav Kielland, who wrote 4 symphonies (apologies if he's already appeared in this thread). I know the 1st because it was issued on LP by Philips (LPO, cond. by Kielland) but I've never heard any of he others. Does anyone in the forum know them?

Quote from: vandermolen on Wednesday 24 August 2011, 22:19
Fascinating thread - but not necessarily good for my bank balance  :o

Here are some recommendations from me:

Allan Petterson Symphony 6-8
Rootham Symphony 1 (Lyrita)
Stanley Bate (Symphony 3 and 4, Dutton) No 3 is wonderful, powerful, tonal, moving, defiant at the end - and Bate had a difficult life.
Klaus Egge: Symphony No 1 (might appeal to fans of Walton Symphony No 1)
Joubert Symphony 1 with Mathias Symphony 1 (Lyrita) - both excellent - lyrical, powerful, tonal, moving.
Hoddinott Symphony No 3 - not easy but has a gritty integrity and is ultimately rewarding
Braga Santos symphonies 3 and 4 (great composer - might appeal to Sibelius/Vaughan Williams fans.
Tubin - all symphonies
Holmboe symphonies 4,6,7,8,10
Miaskovsky (my favourite) symphonies 3,6,15-17,21,24,25,27
Weinberg nos 1,3,5 and 6
Arnell nos 3,4,5,6
Alwyn (all symphonies)
George Lloyd nos 4,7,8
Bantock, Hebriddean, Celtic, No 3
Arnold No 1,3,5,6,7,9
Lilburn symphonies 1 and 2
Wiren nos 3 and 4 (great!)
Ivanovs Nos 2,3,4,8,20 (last two on Naxos)
Popov Nos 1and 2
Eshpai Nos 4 and 5
David Diamond No 3 (v moving)
William Schuman (no 6)

vandermolen, you have named a few of my favourites as well, esp. Pettersson, Wirén, Tubin and Holmboe.
But I have just listened to David Diamond's 3rd for the first time. Absolutely terrific! I knew Nos. 1, 2 and 4 before but this will probbly become my favourite. His modal harmony appeals to me very much and his feel for rhythm, though unmistakably American, is unique. Highly recommended!

I definitely have to find some early Braga Santos I think. I have an LP of his 5th which my cousin has digitalized for me but this is hard stuff.

about Nino Rota..
next 3rd December will be the centenary of his birth, in Italy there will be some concerts to celebrate the anniversary, especially with symphonic music.
A CD, with the first world recording of the two cello concertos played by Silvia Chiesa, with the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI conducted by Corrado Rovaris, will be on sale  in the next weeks. (Sony label)
andrea

Rota- cello concertos? Good news, but are you sure it's a world premiere? The first 2 cello concertos are on Naxos, I think, already- a 2001 CD. (A fairly well-known label- someone should, I think, advise Sony to drop the "world premiere" claim if they are indeed making one. If, I mean...)

So that's been out for- awhile. Or do you mean the first recording of the cello concertos played by that ensemble or performer? A new recording of good music is good news anycase...

You're right...this is the first world recording "with all italian interpreters"....
there is a CD of 2001, Chandos
bye, Andrea

sorry, was just wondering what you meant :). I think I've heard at least one of the concertos from the Naxos recording (on Music Choice television, an unexpectedly good, as I've said before, classical station here. They've also played some of his symphonies and other works mentioned here etc.) Was good music as I recall.

Please consider, George Lloyd - have just started a new topic on this subject!

I think I assumed the Rota cello concertos recording was on Naxos because of Yablonsky and because I saw it under "Naxos Digital Library" (which doesn't just carry Naxos- it's a digital streaming service for university people and others, anycase). You're right, though, Chandos.

In terms of sheer numbers, at least, during the 20th century, more than any before, Alle Menschen kaum zu Brüdern. Not to dwell on the bleak, but the symphonies that from that period which most move me face the evidence of our implacable inhumanity directly and then, without sentimentality, press forward to manifest finer aspects of the spirit. VW's Symphonies 4 and 6 stand out for me in this regard as capturing and transcending the 20th-century phenomenon of tragedy so pervasive it becomes impersonal, and I would place shoulder to shoulder with those two masterpieces Tubin Symphony 5 and Schuman 6.

Though not in that company, and probably mentioned by someone (... probably me. ... sorry.) already in this thread, anyone who's heard of and curious about mid-century British symphonism may want to hear the first (of 11) symphony by Northampton composer Edmund Rubbra (the fugal coda of its odd but basically sonata finale is paced and builds very, very well in its one commercial recording- Hickox on Chandos- and gives me, anyway, shivers...)

I'd add the Petterson 8th to that company

I might not be sure which one, but I'd add -some- (or at least one) Pettersson symphony to that company certainly. But I admit to being a fan, requiring a good performance of course... (well... going without saying though I have just said it. Walker I suppose is right enough to distinguish between composers who are relatively interpreter-proof and those who aren't, though.)

Eshpai 4 and 5 were mentioned- no.1, conducted by Ivanov in 1961 and available still I think on an Albany CD, is pretty good too. (I've seen his symphony no.2 and am pretty sure it's been recorded, but haven't heard it. His violin sonatas are interesting, especially the one with the Tchaikovsky quotes :) )

Quote from: eschiss1 on Sunday 04 September 2011, 18:24
Eshpai 4 and 5 were mentioned- no.1, conducted by Ivanov in 1961 and available still I think on an Albany CD, is pretty good too. (I've seen his symphony no.2 and am pretty sure it's been recorded, but haven't heard it. His violin sonatas are interesting, especially the one with the Tchaikovsky quotes :) )

I have them (symphs 4 and 5) together on a Russian Disc CD - very enjoyableand powerful scores.  He is still alive I think.

britishcomposer,

I just found your post.  I'm so glad you liked David Diamond's Third Symphony! I think that it deserves to be up there with the great 'American Thirds', alongside those of Roy Harris, Aaron Copland, Charles Ives and William Schuman. David Diamond wrote a charming response to my fan letter a year or two before he died.  My recent discovery has been Daid Matthews's 6th Symphony on Dutton - influenced by Vaughan Williams's epic 6th Symphony, it is written in a tonal but more modern style and I found it to be a searching, visionary, inspired and thematcally memorable work, which I keep playing.  As for Braga Santos, his first four symphonies are all terrific (I love 4 and 3 in particular). The 4th by his teacher Freitas Branco is also very good.  On the basis of this thread I must look out for Saeverud's 7th Symphony and I am delighted to find that I do have a CD of Klami's 1st Symphony, which I have hardly ever plaed - so, I must fish it out.
Best wishes
Jeffrey

Diamond's Fourth is a wonderful work, an amalgam of the Vaughan Williams 5th and (can't believe I'm saying this) neo-classical Stravinsky.

Kurt Graunke, 9 symphonies I think, recorded by his own company?

wonder if someone will be recording Diamond's symphonies 6, 7, 9 and 10 and the rest of 11 (or is there more than one movement of 11? I forget), for instance, sooner than eventually. Though I forget if I've heard 11, the scores of the later symphonies do look interesting (not saying that the earlier works aren't! Though I regret to say I fell asleep briefly during a performance of one of his string quartets, with a concluding slow movement- no.4? no.3?... - at college, with the composer in the audience. He answered some questions interestingly though and coming back to the quartet on CD in the Albany complete quartets series I find it better than I remembered- I was I suspect just tired and sleepy, and prone not to be able to follow contrapuntal (whether or not slow :) ) music of the kind I now really do enjoy more - when I'm alert enough to enjoy it...
Eric

Regarding Diamond's unrecorded symphonies, Naxos seems to have abandoned their once strong commitment to 20th century American symphonism. They appear to have abandoned their Hanson/Nashville Sym. cycle and are now simply reissuing the Gerard Schwarz Delos recordings. I'm not sure where they are with the Harris symphonies and I'm still holding out hope that we'll get the rest of Giannini. The cataract of Carson Cooman music isn't much by way of compensation.

Many of those mentioned Naxos recordings were reissues and reassemblies of Delos and other generally no longer available recordings, I gathered, with some exceptions (some Harris, Piston and others for example).  Albany seemed to be starting a new series at one point also a few years back (which I think may still be in progress, with orchestral music by Leon Kirchner and an opera by Lee Hoiby released this past month, (and offtopic, a piano disc of music by    Papandopulo is out or on the way from them... there's a name familiar to me from BBC broadcasts...) 

Hrm. Schwarz did (does) make good recordings (though comparing his Delos account of Piston symphony 4 to Ormandy's, available or once available on an Albany CD with excellent (I think) symphonies by Harris and Schuman, I unsurprisingly I guess much prefer Ormandy's...)

Graunke: I see symphony no.3 published by Edition Sedina and several works of his recorded by the "Sinfonie-Orchester Graunke" (with which other composers conducted their own scores for other labels, i also notice) on the lp and cd label "Sedina" (e.g. symphony 7 on LP in 1983- but Symphonie E-dur Das Heimat on EMI, also with the Sinfonie-Orchester Graunke, so not exclusively on Sedina...)- was/is that his publishing/recording label?

There's also a new W Schuman disc on Albany with On Freedom`s Ground and Sinfonia da Camera included.

Quote from: Arbuckle on Tuesday 06 September 2011, 01:58
Kurt Graunke, 9 symphonies I think, recorded by his own company?

Judging by the excerpts from his symphonies available here...
http://www.edition-sedina.de/assets/s2dmain.html?http://www.edition-sedina.de/ (http://www.edition-sedina.de/assets/s2dmain.html?http://www.edition-sedina.de/)
...and on YouTube, I think we may be dealing with pretty turgid stuff.

Has anyone out there actually listened to a whole Graunke symphony?

... erm- I expect the composer has, and probably others too... why?

I've never heard a symphony by Diamond. Can you please suggest where best to start?

Quote from: eschiss1 on Wednesday 07 September 2011, 02:19
... erm- I expect the composer has, and probably others too... why?

Re. Graunke: because I can't find any reviews anywhere, apart from those at the Graunke website...and because, in all honesty, they sound like pretty hard going...

And, have we mentioned Persichetti, with 9 symphonies? I only know of his rather freaky organ music, and would be interested to know what members think of his orchestral works.

I have Graunke's Symphony No. 9 in my collection, so maybe I can say a few words on him though I assume some features of his style must have changed over the years (the Ninth is not tonal any more, though it's not particularly modern either). Honestly, I listened to this symphony only once and my impression was not good at all. I remember it as a lengthy (almost 70 minutes) and altogether rather boring piece, and I haven't felt inclined to explore his other symphonies. So if you ask me I don't expect much from these symphonies.

Re:reply 99.
As for Diamond Symphonies I have always kept a strong affection for n.2: a very "big" symphony by a youngster of 28 (in 1943). I have it on Delos (Schwartz and Seattle, later reissued on Naxos coupled to the short n.4)

Quote from: semloh on Wednesday 07 September 2011, 08:51
And, have we mentioned Persichetti, with 9 symphonies? I only know of his rather freaky organ music, and would be interested to know what members think of his orchestral works.

Not to mention his Piano sonatas which I've been thinking about for some time....

Quote from: Holger on Wednesday 07 September 2011, 09:12
I have Graunke's Symphony No. 9 in my collection, so maybe I can say a few words on him though I assume some features of his style must have changed over the years (the Ninth is not tonal any more, though it's not particularly modern either). Honestly, I listened to this symphony only once and my impression was not good at all. I remember it as a lengthy (almost 70 minutes) and altogether rather boring piece, and I haven't felt inclined to explore his other symphonies. So if you ask me I don't expect much from these symphonies.

That's helpful, thanks. I don't think I'll bother with him...

Posted some of Marcel Rubin's symphonies in Austrian feed, don't think there are many current recordings, except Sym No. 4 Dies Irae, American SO, Botstein, however the Sym no. 4 I have posted is a radio broadcast

As for Persichetti , exact contemporary of Diamond ( both born in 1915) I have rather loose memories of a slightly less impressive, and more astringent, symphonist than Diamond (or Piston, Harris,W. Schuman.....not to say Copland,or the overtly romantics Barber, Hanson).
Time allowing I'll try to listen again. I have Symphonies 3,4,5,7 and the Piano Concerto.
The Symphony n.5 (for strings) and the Piano Concerto had the benefit of the advocacy of Muti (Symphony) and Dutoit  (Piano Conc.) and the Philadelphians (New World records 370-2).

have heard one or two of Persichetti's string quartets (from the set of 4 that was released on LP that the university library has) and a few of his symphonies, and some other works, at least one of the symphonies -no.8 I think- a couple of weeks ago. Much more impressed by it than I used to be, I think for what little that is worth- full of brio and interest. (Though then again this happens very often to me - when I heard Piston's 8th symphony on the radio for the first time, about 2 decades ago, it changed my opinion of him for the better drastically - so ...)

I think I'll investigate the CD of Persichetti symphonies on Albany. They sound full of life from the excerpts I've heard...

I played in a number of Persichetti wind ensemble works many years ago, back in the days when I was a clarinetist. His music is a joy to play -- interesting lines in the individual parts, solid modal writing, exciting rhythms, etc. His vocal writing is also excellent.

Speaking also as a listener, I've enjoyed Persichetti's music for many years and have found it very satisfying to listen to. Of course his style evolved over the years, and the later works are denser and more challenging (musically and technically), but still rewarding.

There are certainly some stylistic parallels to be drawn to Diamond (and also Mennin and Schuman, among others), but Persichetti was his own man, musically.

and what's not right with a challenge (if it's to a musical point, and it does seem to be) :)

Well, looks like I should go in search of some Persichetti and give it a try.... a musical challenge worth taking up. Now it's Albany vs. Dutton .... what a pity that money comes into play!

Quoteand what's not right with a challenge (if it's to a musical point, and it does seem to be)

Quite so!

QuoteWell, looks like I should go in search of some Persichetti and give it a try.... a musical challenge worth taking up. Now it's Albany vs. Dutton .... what a pity that money comes into play!

Would you like a couple of live performances in the downloads section, to whet your appetite, before cracking open your wallet?

Latvian - that's a kind offer - yes please!

Quote from: semloh on Wednesday 07 September 2011, 07:50
I've never heard a symphony by Diamond. Can you please suggest where best to start?

The first one that I heard was No. 4, and that made a big impression on me.

More recently I acquired a disc that included "The Enormous Room", which the composer called "a free-form fantasia". It lasts about 15 minutes, so it could be a good starting point.  The seemingly banal title comes from a book of the same name, and refers to a wartime prison: "all the male prisoners lived in one vast hall". The music evokes a passage in the book that describes a snowstorm: "The Enormous Room is filled with a new and beautiful darkness, the darkness of the snow outside".

I must say that Paul Paray's 1st symphony is a very fine work. It's written in a highly romantic idiom for  1934, but it has such obvious sincerity and melodic richness - and all within a half-hour time-span - that I for one couldn't resist its charms. The style occasionally reminds me of Elgar, especially in the gloriously rhapsodic swells that occur frequently in the score, but there is a typically French langour about the piece also. Very attractive and very powerful stuff.

OK (deep breath!), I'd like to narrow this thread somewhat. Therefore, in order to see whether we can come up with some sort of consensus, I'd like to ask forum members to nominate their top five 20th-century symphonies - excluding those by sung symphonists such as Mahler, Sibelius, Nielsen, Shostakovitch, Prokofiev, Elgar, Vaughan-Williams, etc.

Robert Simpson (for his 9th)
Boris Tchaikovsky (for his 2nd)
Wilhelm Furtwängler (for his 2nd)
Siegmund von Hausegger (for his Nature Symphony)

And No. 5? What now to do with Hartmann (Ok, he seems to be rather sung), Mennin, Tournemire, Rubbra, Wilhelm Georg Berger?
Because I had many joy listening to Tornemire's 6th in the last days, my No. 5 is:

Charles Tournemire (for his 6th)

Alfred Schnittke, Kurt Atterberg, Joseph Marx, Bohuslav Martinu, Peter Maxwell Davies. I think that Schnittke, Martinu and Davies are not unsung....in this case....i can replace in order with IKarol Szymanowski, ldebrando Pizzetti (Sinfonia in la and Concerto dell'Estate), Gianfrancesco Malipiero. I have heterogenous taste...
bye, Andrea

Could I re-stress: not top five symphonists, but top five symphonies, please!

Excuse my error, Alan, I have precised my rating.

Thanks, Rainolf. Much appreciated!

-Magnard n.4
-Suk Asrael
-Schmidt n.4
-Martucci n.2
-Antheil n.4
(If Suk is rated sung, Pettersson n.7)

Thanks, Alberto!

Quote from: alberto on Thursday 15 September 2011, 10:37
-Magnard n.4
-Suk Asrael
-Schmidt n.4
-Martucci n.2
-Antheil n.4
(If Suk is rated sung, Pettersson n.7)

Four tremendous symphonies and a fifth with which I regret to being unfamiliar - but however the Suk may be rated (and I rate it very highly), what about Pettersson 1 now?(! - go see BIS's site)...

No doubt as I get to know more of the works discussed in this thread I will change my mind, but here are my current favourite 5 (in no particular order):

1. Blacher Symphony (1938)
2. Klami Symphony 1 (1937-8)
3. Tubin Symphony 5 (1946)
4. Suder Chamber Symphony (1925)
5. Paray Symphony No.1 (1934)

In no order:

Moeran Symphony
Samuel Barber Symphony #1
Wilhelm Peterson-Berger Symphony #2, "To the South"
Humphrey Searle Symphony #2
Walter Piston Symphony #2

There are many more than five, but these are among the ones that I return to most frequently.

Sorry Alan,
In order are:
Janacek: Sinfonietta
Schnittke: Symphony n.1
Schnittke: Symphony n.2
Pizzetti: Sinfonia in la minore
Szymanowsky: Symphony n.3 "Song of the night"

bye, Andrea

Interesting. I'm afraid Schnittke is beyond me (too amorphous and diffuse), as is Searle (just too densely chromatic in a quasi-Bergian way).

Anyone got any views on Sallinen?

Alan - re Sallinen - I find he takes a lot of effort but it's worth it.  I have to be in the right frame of mind to cope with all those long-breathed, shimmering passages - they recall the semi-darkness of arctic day-nights, vast wildernesses, isolation, and so on. ... all highly meaningful in a metaphorical way, of course. I like the 3rd, but if I'm going to listen to Sallinen, I might as well go the whole hog and choose the big 6th Sym. .... quickly followed by some Fats Waller by way of a cheerful re-engagement with everyday life! No doubt, others will see it quite differently...

That's helpful, Colin. Thanks!

It appears to be a strange anomaly that I can make sense of Hugh Wood's very expressionistic, Bergian Symphony of 1982, but find Searle much more tricky. It must be me, of course...

Alan, I like both Wood's and Searle's symphonies.  The first time I heard a recording of the latter, maybe twenty years ago, I was instantly struck by its energy, its sense of going somewhere, and its ues of twelve-tone technique in such as way as to make it sound dissonant but tonal.

I've decided to take a punt on the Lyrita CD containing two of Robert Still's symphonies plus Searle's 2nd. If I can't get on with the Searle (although I'll work at it), there's always the Still...

Go for it - they're all wonderful symphonies!

Thanks for the encouragement!

Whereas I was bored stiff by my audition of the Robert Still symphonies the Lyrita LP of which I bought at a local booksale. I'll give them another go or two or three, but only occasionally.  Taste etc. !!

I find Searle's 3rd, 4th and 5th Symphonies pretty thorny and intractable but I love the 1st and 2nd.

I first got the know the 1st Symphony in the original Decca LP incarnation where it is played by the LPO under Boult(demonstrating yet again that Boult could conduct more 'difficult' music :)) and coupled with Matyas Seiber's Elegy for Viola and Small Orchestra and the marvellous and utterly terrifying Chamber Cantata "Three Fragments from 'A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man'"(with Peter Pears as narrator). Lyrita then coupled the Boult 1st and the Krips 2nd on LP before issuing the cd of the Krips 2nd and the Still 3rd and 4th. Apparently Decca refused to re-licence the Boult 1st to Lyrita for the cd release.

The 2nd Symphony is a great work too, in fact just the kind of music I really like ;D The Lento second movement has a passage where the brass thunder out the most ominous and baleful repeated chords: a passage which never fails to thrill intensely.

Karol Szymanowski: Symphony No. 4
Eduard Tubin: Symphony No. 5
Franz Syberg: Symphony
Franz Schmidt: Symphony No. 4
Boudewijn Buckinx: Symphony No. 3

or
Hans Rott: Symphony in E
Ture Rangstrom: Symphony No. 4 "Invocatio"
Florence Price: Symphony No. 3
Erich Korngold: Symphony F# minor
Libby Larsen: Symphony No. 1 Water Music

or....

Arbuckle - I like the "or"s in your response! I started on this as soon as Alan asked the question and I now have a list with only Rangstrom's 4th on it - every time I listen to another symphony I delete the rest and start again, and I haven't even got past the Scandinavians yet! But it's fun trying.

... *looks at original post in thread* guessing Mr. Howe has already pursued Schmidt's 4 symphonies. And if you have a list of symphonies, erm, hint hint hint *cough cough no* *points*
Not quite so well-known and not much mentioned in this forum (but not yet obscure- I find I have nothing in my collection by way of 20th-century symphonies that gets there, maybe to my surprise) there's Hendrik Andriessen (ok, he gets the occasional mention), Guillaume Landré (recorded at least on Donemus), Revol Bunin (whose 8th symphony is recorded, and whose 5th and 6th symphonies are, I think, on YouTube, so he also meets/met the "recorded" criterion- good stuff), among others...

Harold Shapero: Symphony for Classical Orchestra
Samuel Barber: Symphony #1
Kaljo Raid: Symphony #1
Joseph Ryelandt: Symphony #3
Karol Szymanowski: Symphony #4 (Symphonie Concertante for piano and orchestra)

-J

--
Jim Moskowitz
The Unknown Composers Page: http://kith.org/jimmosk/TOC.html
My latest list of unusual classical CDs for auction: http://tinyurl.com/jimsCDs

Arbuckle, doesn't Rott's symphony predate 1901?  Which would make it NOT a 20th Century symphony.

Rott died in 1884, only for this i didn't add to my list.
Alan, thx for Searle! very interesting!!
Andrea

for the beginning a number of Polish symphonies:
Zbigniew Turski - no. 2 "Olympic" on CD
Bolesław Szabelski - two on CD/LP
Jan Krenz - nos 1-3 , first on CD, rst in radio recordings
Kazimierz Serocki - radio recordings
Tadeusz Baird - at least one recorded on CD
Artur Malawski - radio recording
Witold Maliszewski - radio recording
Grażyna Bacewicz - no. 3 on CD
Aleksander Tansman - on CDs

other names will follow
Marek

Hi Marek. Thanks for your fascinating list. I would be very interested to hear a Maliszewski symphony if you have the time to upload it...

Dear Latvian - just a gentile reminder of your kind offer re a Diamond symphony.

My list of favourite unsung symphonies now contains two items - to Rangstrom's 4th, I've added Larsson's 2nd, and just deciding which Tveitt to include - maybe the 1st. Does anyone have a favourite Tveitt symphony?

Also, where to begin with Tournemire? I'm working my way through them but they aren't making a huge impression - they seem so loose and unstructured - maybe I'm missing something?

This is just a list of personal favorites, not an "objective" list, as my listening has been far narrower than that of many members of this forum. I'm also skipping pre-WWI symphonies (Asrael, for instance, or d'Indy 2) because it was such a different world. So here goes, in no particular order:

Bax 2. What he achieves in the last movement is for me every bit as empyrean as the finale of Mahler 2, but translated to the much more difficult post-WWI world. Not many symphonies take me farther than Beethoven, but this one does.

Enescu 3. When I listen to later Enescu, I get the same sense of magisterial musical discourse that I hear in Bach. Both strike me as complete musicians with little ego and a fine balance between heart and mind.

Tubin 5. A worthy successor to Beethoven 5 in its motivic rigor and overwhelming drama.

Furtwängler 3. Less beautiful than 2, but just as well written, and here F has found a voice entirely his own. (I'll cheat and tack on the exposition to the first movement of Furtwängler 1 -- nowhere did F put his studies with Schenker to better use, and nowhere has Brahms's profound harmonic logic been better extended [albeit with a Brucknerian surface]).

I'd better stop at 4. Too many candidates trying to squeeze in.

Marek includes Tansman in his list. If Tansman's symphonies are as good as his piano sonatas, they're very good indeed.

Hi Marek. Thanks for your fascinating list. I would be very interested to hear a Maliszewski symphony if you have the time to upload it...

Hello Allan,
in the download section - Polish music you have the link to the Maliszewski's symphony no. 3

best,
Marek

Thanks, Marek!

Also: Aubert Lemeland (1932-2010) - at least two really good late symphonies (8 and 9) recorded on Skarbo. Off to work now but must add a bit later... :)

cont. Polish symphonies:

Henryk Wars - no. 1 radio recording
Andrzej Panufnik - Symphony of Peace of 1950-51 - old radio recording
Tadeusz PAciorkiewicz - radio recordings
to be continued

Marek

I know it barely counts as being a 20th-century Polish symphony, but let's not overlook the magnificent Symphony in E minor op.7 "The Revival" of Mieczysław Karlowicz. You can sample a few excerpts from it at http://www.allmusic.com/album/mieczyslaw-karlowicz-rebirth-symphony-op-7-bianca-da-molena-op-6-w266392/tracks (http://www.allmusic.com/album/mieczyslaw-karlowicz-rebirth-symphony-op-7-bianca-da-molena-op-6-w266392/tracks) (though the clip for the first movement is from the slow introduction, which doesn't give you an idea of how mighty it's about to get)

-J

and
Paderewski - symphony Polonia
ad

Emil Mlynarski - symphony Polonia

both on Cds
Marek

Is Mlynarski's symphony in F op.14 (published 1912 privately) the one you mean? Didn't know it had the nickname Polonia...

As a small boy my father was taken to see Emil Mylnarski conduct the Scottish Orchestra(now Royal Scottish National Orchestra) of which Mylnarski was Principal Conductor from 1910 to 1916. That would have been about 1915 or 1916, I suppose.

They're the dedicatees of that symphony, which fills in a blank for me :)

yes, the Symphony by Mlynarski has a nickname Polonia, in fact it is dedicated to the Scottish SO. Mlynarsi served also as a conductor in Curtis Institute in Philadelphia (1929-31). Namely in Philadelphia the manuscript of his first violin cto has been recently discovered (premiered in spring this year here in Warsaw).
by the way Mlynarski was also a father-in-law to Artur Rubinstein.

Cd with the symphony and the 2nd violin cto was released in 1990 by Polskie Nagrania.

nice to hear that Dundonnell's father as a boy was taken to the concert of Mlynarski :-)
Marek

An "embarrassment" of great music was premiered between 1900 and 1914. In my estimation Paderewski, Karlowicz, and Szymanowski stand high on the list of contributors. Where would you place Mlynarski? Is he worth a big effort?

Mlynarski is not a composer of the stature and originality of Szymanowski - but neither were Karlowicz or Paderewski. His music is more akin to the earlier Karlowicz. The Symphony Polonia is a strong late-Romantic piece, but hardly possessing great personality. Very enjoyable nevertheless.

There was indeed a wonderful generation of composers writing in the first two decades of the last century in Poland. Of course, there had been Noskowski, and Zelenski was at the end of his career, and then - apart form the abovementioned - there were others such as Rozycki, Maliszewski, Fitelberg, Morawski, Nowowiejski, Marek, Stojowski, etc.

I thought the expression literally translated wasn't an embarrassment but a sort of bear-hug (embrassment) of riches.
Some of those composers mentioned were part of the (musical part of the?) Young Poland group with Szymanowski, yes? Fitelberg and Rozycki, at least, and a few others I think.

nice to hear good opinions on rather unknown Polish symphonies - I wonder that quite big number of unsung portal fans demonstrates extensive knowlege in that subject!

and don't forget about Lutosławski and Penderecki, also Górecki.

once again I recall - as the rarity = the Symphony of Peace by Panufnik - composer removed it from the list of his compositions!

Marek

We are grateful to you, Marek, for expanding our knowledge!

Having had my symphonic horizons well and truly expanded by this thread - for which many thanks - I have certainly come to one firm conclusion: that Eduard Tubin was one of the genuinely great symphonists of the 20th century. And I find I can't say that of many others...

Quote from: Rainolf on Thursday 25 August 2011, 11:12
@mbhaub

I'm not sure, if someone, who dislikes serialism would dislike Searle, too. The idiom of his 2nd symphony reminds me very much of Walton. It's hard to believe, that this should be 12-tone-music. Like it is with the works, Bernard Stevens wrote in the 60s: Constructed alongside 12-tone-rows, but the music realy doesn't sound Schoenbergian.

(My apologies to those who are already familiar with the work of this composer but this is an extract from a thread I started earlier today on another music forum under the title of "Bernard Stevens(1916-1983): a grievously neglected British composer").

'Malcolm MacDonald(yes, the Havergal Brian guy ;D) rates Stevens as "one of the finest British composers of his time". Stevens was a pupil of Edward Dent, R.O. Morris and Gordon Jacob. He was Professor of Composition at the Royal College of Music in London from 1948 to 1967. A member of the Communist Party until resigning from the party in protest against the suppression of the 1956 Hungarian Uprising, Stevens was a friend of Alan Bush and other creative artists with left-leaning sympathies.

He came to a measure of prominence in 1946 when his First Symphony, entitled "A Symphony of Liberation" was performed under the baton of Sir Malcolm Sargent at the Royal Albert Hall. The Symphony had won first prize in a competition sponsored by the "Daily Express" for a composition to celebrate victory in World War Two.(Can you imagine that happening today :( particularly from that newspaper!) The adjudicators were Bliss, Constant Lambert and Sargent. A Second Symphony followed in 1964 although it was not heard until 1977.

Stevens wrote a Violin Concerto for Max Rostal, also premiered in 1946. Hanns Eisler, Alan Bush, Wilfred Mellers, R.O.Morris and Rubbra all praised the concerto as one of the finest British violin concertos ever composed and equated it to both the Walton and Britten concertos. The work shows some influence from the music of Ernest Bloch.

There is a noble Cello Concerto from 1952 and a superb Piano Concerto from 1955. The Piano Concerto received its premiere from Martin Roscoe on a Marco Polo disc

All of these major orchestral pieces have been recorded-as has a quantity of Stevens' Chamber Music-and the relevant cds, together with a number of extraordinarily enthusiastic quotations from reviews in a wide variety of music magazines in the UK and the USA  can be found at-

http://www.impulse-music.co.uk/stevens.htm#disc

If you have missed out to date on this exceptionally fine British composer I urge you with all possible enthusiasm to investigate :) If you are in any way attuned to composers like Bloch, Shostakovich, Rubbra you are unlikely to be disappointed.'

http://sdtom.wordpress.com/2011/09/22/symphony-in-d-minor-1942ludvig-irgens-jensen-1894-1969/ (http://sdtom.wordpress.com/2011/09/22/symphony-in-d-minor-1942ludvig-irgens-jensen-1894-1969/)

Someone who is new to me is Ludvig Jensen and his d minor symphony. I like it.
Tom

I do agree. Irgens-Jensen's Symphony is a real find. I find more in it every time I listen and the Passacaglia, with which it is coupled on the Naxos CD, is another very impressive and rewarding work.

http://sdtom.wordpress.com/2011/09/26/passacaglia-1928jensen-1894-1969/ (http://sdtom.wordpress.com/2011/09/26/passacaglia-1928jensen-1894-1969/)

This is the passacaglia from the same CD. Overall I'm very impressed. I can understand how Toscanini and Stravinsky championed him

The Passacaglia was the first work I heard by him (several times on the radio back in my college days- very impressive stuff, can only agree, glad it's getting new distribution in a new recording!)

Just an aside - what a shame that the website http://www.edmundrubbra.org/ actually advertises holiday destinations! And it is still hyperlinked to various music sites.

The same with Moeran. Does anyone know what happened to the excellent database: http://www.moeran.com/

(No hyperlinks. I don't want to enervate you. ;))

Quote from: semloh on Sunday 02 October 2011, 19:12
Just an aside - what a shame that the website http://www.edmundrubbra.org/ actually advertises holiday destinations! And it is still hyperlinked to various music sites.

Quote from: britishcomposer on Sunday 02 October 2011, 19:33
The same with Moeran. Does anyone know what happened to the excellent database: http://www.moeran.com/

(No hyperlinks. I don't want to enervate you. ;))

Just so long as UC doesn't fold and I log on one day to find it has become the site for Juicy Couture (remember him/ her/ it?) ..........

http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,810.0.html (http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,810.0.html)

:o

I discovered Janis Ivanovs some time ago and consider him to be the finest Baltic symphonic composer. According to http://www.musicweb-international.com/Finnish_and_Baltic/Finnish_and_Baltic_Symphonies.htm#ivanovs, all of his symphonies except for the 13th have been recorded. This begs two questions: does someone know of a recording of the 13th and is it worth listening to? =)

Some random recommendation for symphonists: Vainberg/Weinberg (check out his 12th!), Peiko (the short 6th is very interesting), Evlakhov (his 1st symphony has been recorded, I have a radio recording of his 3rd, which I consider to be his finest work), Khrennikov's 2nd symphony and Agafonnikov's symphony in memory of Shebalin.

The problem with many of the Ivanovs symphonies is that they were recorded on Melodiya LPs and are not really available at all :(

I am certainly missing Nos. 6, 7, 9 and 14-19.

I remember all of those have been uploaded at one time or another at another forum I regularly visit. I'll see if I can find working links and upload other Ivanovs symphonies I happen to have. I'll add them to the download forum later today!

Quote from: Callipygian on Wednesday 05 October 2011, 14:44
I remember all of those have been uploaded at one time or another at another forum I regularly visit. I'll see if I can find working links and upload other Ivanovs symphonies I happen to have. I'll add them to the download forum later today!

That would be fantastic! :) :)

Apparently Ivanovs sym 14 "Ipsa" has been issued (it's an early 2000s recording, not a reissue of an LP) on a limited distribution CD - see Worldcat (http://www.worldcat.org/title/symphonia-ipsa/oclc/537738202&referer=brief_results).

As you may have surmised, I'm not big on 20th century composers.  But one that I like is Joseph Ryelandt (1870-1960).
Does anyone have his early symphonies, 1 & 2?  I have 3,4 and 5 along with a Piano Quintet in a......were there more symphonies than 5??

Jerry

CeBeDeM (http://www.cebedem.be/en/composers/r/125-ryelandt-joseph) only lists 5 symphonies by Ryelandt (op.16 1897, "Esto vir" in D op. 37 1904, op.47 1908, op.55 1912, op.108 1933.) (I'm almost positive sym. 1 has been recorded... hrm.) Yes- Review (http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2000/may00/ryelandt.htm) of a Jubileum 2-CD set in 2000 that contains a Wilfried Deroo/Stedelijk Conservatorium SO performance (if I interpret correctly) of Ryelandt's 1897 symphony no.1 . also described here http://www.conservatorium-brugge.be/Aktief.html (http://www.conservatorium-brugge.be/Aktief.html) (so guessing the CD set is still available privately from that source) and the work itself http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oeuvre_van_Joseph_Ryelandt (http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oeuvre_van_Joseph_Ryelandt) here.

Can't find a recording of symphony no2 "Esto vir" of 1904 at the moment. There have been other works recorded besides syms. 1, 3, 4 5 and the quintet - a CD of piano works, a disc available through Amazon.com with the piano quintet and a string quartet also, choral music on Marco Polo, his horn sonata in a collection, choral and vocal music on BIS, and according to allmusic.com also (not sure if this is still available) his violin sonata (ca.1919?) also (another In Flanders' Fields disc from Phaedra, with Victor Legley's viola sonata- a work I've heard on LP; I like Legley's stuff :) - and other chamber works by Belgians.)

What happened to the prolific Villa Lobos and his (12) symphonies in this thread?
IMHO, missing his symphonies would be a tragedy, especially if you are disenchanted with abrasive modern music in general. The music is very clever, tonal, melodic and not lacking drama.

Unfortunetly, it IS a tragedy that his Symphnony #5 is missing....

Coincidently, I just listened to the 7th symphony today. I have the whole CPO cycle, it's all really just wonderful, especially #10.