jpc have just begun advertising the new Sterling CD (http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/SESSIONID/8dfbc077578a05336aa7239b147eb510/classic/detail/-/art/Philipp-Scharwenka-Dramatische-Phantasie-op-108/hnum/9195463) of orchestral muisc by Philip Scharwenka. The headline work is the Dramatische Phantasie which is effectively a three movement symphony. Lovely stuff.
Dash! Just spotted this CD myself. I quite agree about the Dramatische Phantasie, so this is a must-buy for me!
Philipp Scharwenka! - Looks like another gem from Sterling. (A second recording of this composer's orchestral music.)
Funny though - the CD, as far as I am able to determine, is not listed on Sterling's own website.
When, oh when, I wonder will they get around to the symphonies and the violin concerto? Rhetorical question. Last, obviously.
Dunno, Jim. But this one's well worth picking up for the Dramatische Phantasie - virtually a symphony anyway, and really powerful stuff.
Apart from the Symphonia Brevis, I did not know Philipp Scharwenka had written any actual symphonies - or, at least, works he called symphonies. Can you enlighten me, please, Jim?
Here is a list of opus numbers: http://imslp.org/wiki/List_of_compositions_by_Philipp_Scharwenka (http://imslp.org/wiki/List_of_compositions_by_Philipp_Scharwenka)
I like to take this opportunity to ask your attention for his brother Xaver's beautiful symphony in c Minor, op. 60, also released by Sterling and performed by an orchestra conducted by our member Christopher Fifield! Anyone know this symphony?
Thanks very much, Peter. I've just done a bit of research myself and find that while the Wikipedia entry for Philipp mentions 3 symphonies, your list gives only two (Op. 96 in D minor and Op. 115 "Symphonia Brevis" in E flat major). Certainly those are the only 2 which seem to have been published (by Breitkopf und Hartel). Only one major library has Full Scores of these: the Library of Congress; and the Fleisher Collection does not possess any performing material for these works. The online catalogue of B. & H. lists no works of P. Scharwenka as available for purchase or hire - but this does not mean they do not have copies in their archive. (I have sent an email enquiry.)
Imcidentally, you can see images of the Full score of Scharwenka's Violin Concerto, Op. 95 here: http://mdz10.bib-bvb.de/~db/0001/bsb00010013/images/ (http://mdz10.bib-bvb.de/~db/0001/bsb00010013/images/)
I have also written to Evelinde Trinkner of the Scharwenka Gesellschaft to see if she knows whether orchestral parts for the symphonies and VC are available.
Thank you for your interesting information, Gareth. I can only hope for the release of Philipp's VC and that it will be astonishing as the 4th PC of his brother...
Quote from: Gareth Vaughan on Sunday 13 September 2009, 14:12
Apart from the Symphonia Brevis, I did not know Philipp Scharwenka had written any actual symphonies - or, at least, works he called symphonies. Can you enlighten me, please, Jim?
Thanks Peter. I had heard mention of two symphonies (I guess including the
Brevis) on a thread on the old Forum. I knew I wasn't hallucinating!
I can confirm that this is a must-have CD. The Dramatische Phantasie is a stunning work - very reminiscent of late Tchaikovsky, but powerful in its own right. A 38-minute 3-movement symphony in all but name...
Rather worryingly, Evelinde Trinkner said with absolute certainty that a set of parts for the Symphonia Brevis was held in the Fleisher Collection, but it is not listed in their online catalogue and Kile Smith, the curator, confirmed to me by email that they do not possess this work. No word from B. & H. yet.
There is still no mention of this release on Sterling's own website. I have reported to Bo before now the fact that news of Sterling releases on other websites frequently precedes the announcement on the label's own site. This is a very poor advertisement for Sterling as it makes the label look inefficient. If the fons et origo of the recording does not advertise its availability until months after it has actually been released one is forced to the conclusion that they are simply playing at having an internet presence. In the 21st century there is no excuse for it. Potential buyers go to a label's website looking for the most up-to-date news about that label's releases. If they don't find it what are they to conclude? I'm a great supporter of Bo Hyttner and everything he does, and I know he does not have the resources to employ a large number of staff, but bunging a picture and a paragraph of text onto a web-page is a matter of seconds. A label's homepage MUST be the first port of call for information about its products - in the internet age businesses ignore this at their peril.
I've been in frequent contact with Bo over the two Raff projects which we have on the go and he's very well aware that the web site is letting Sterling down. It has recently be redesigned to make updating easier but, just as that project came to fruition, he and the person with whom he was working on the project parted company. I believe it's his intention to get back up to speed in the next month or so.
That explanation aside, I can only agree with all you say, Gareth. The CD market is shrinking, although our little corner of it is holding up well, and an out of date website is commercial suicide.
I have pondering the idiom of Philipp Scharwenka's magnificent Dramatische Fantasie Op.108 (essentially a three-movement symphony) - and this after listening this afternoon to Puccini's Madame Butterfly. What strikes me much more than it did when I first heard the piece is the influence of Wagner upon both composers - much more so than Tchaikovsky whom I named on first hearing. In fact, much of the Scharwenka seems positively operatic in style - which is interesting because his late chamber music positively reeks of Brahms. Curious...
This attractive CD has been available since 2009.
You can download it from the archives at Concertzender.
Did someone mention if there were thoughts of following the two discs so far up with the G major violin concerto and/or one or more of his symphonies? :)
No news, I'm afraid, Eric.
Does anybody have any thoughts about the Dramatische Fantasie, though?
Dear friends
We will hope very soon (next year), one new Scharwenka Cd. Ouverture Fest op 43, Traume und wirklichkeit op 92, And the violin concert op 95 that Phillipp dedicated to his wife are in the target!
Anyone found where is the Symphony? Is it in the Congress Library?
Scores of the Op. 96 Symphony and the Op. 115 Symphonia brevis are held by the Library of Congress,
Dear Gareth, thank you!! I will search in the site of Congress library!
You might also try the Berlin Staatsbibliothek, but you may need to write to them because not all their vast holdings are available to see in online catalogues.
You could try the filmed card catalogue, here:
http://staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/die-staatsbibliothek/abteilungen/musik/recherche-und-ressourcen/imagekataloge/
Choose either Katalog der Musikbücher und Noten I or II. I just checked Katalog I and found both op. 96 and op. 115. Even if you have found something, it is always important to remember that a lot of material was lost during WWII. Usually this is marked "Kriegsverlust" or certain library codes will be known to be of lost materials.
many materials in the library of Congress catalog are also not actually -in- the Library. There is a code in the Catalog that basically means "unverified" or "unknown"-- Or to quote (I think I have before) an email a librarian sent me in regards Adolf Busch's symphony (a card entry for which is or was at the LoC) -
"Dear Mr. Schissel:
Regrettably, the online record that appears on the Library of Congress's website for Adolf Busch's "Symphony," op. 39 is in error; the score of this work is not, nor has ever been, held within the Library's collections. (The "unk" prefix -- designating "unknown" -- that appears as part of this item's Library control/accession number indicates that it is an "unverified" bibliographic record, i.e., a record originally created in anticipation of the acquisition of this score by the Library -- but an acquisition that apparently never materialized.) While this error was rectified on the Library's long-used and reliable online catalog (< http://catalog2.loc.gov >; now termed the "Legacy catalog"), where searches for Busch's "Symphony" correctly do not appear, the Library's newly implemented, and unfortunately still problematic catalog search engine failed to incorporate this correction."
Thanks, Eric. I was unaware of this. Both Scharwenka symphonies have the catalog nos. prefixed by "unk", so an enquiry would be necessary before we get our hopes up. However, they do appear on the card catalogue of the BSB, as Wheesht points out. Enquiries to both libraries, I think.
Dear friends
Thank you very much for your tips! I will share with you the result. I hope that not happen the same problem that Eric had with Busch's symphony!!
According to the KVK General Catalog (http://www.ubka.uni-karlsruhe.de/kvk_en.html), HBZ has a score of the symphony Op.96, or at least it's listed in the HBZ-Verbund Datenbank. If I'm reading right, it's referring specifically to the Bonn Musikwissenschaft Library. "keine ILL" alas.
"Scharwenka, Philipp:
Symphonie in D moll für Orchester [Musikdruck] : Op. 96 / componirt von Philipp Scharwenka . - Partitur
Leipzig [u.a.] : Breitkopf & Härtel, [s.a.]. - 192 S.
Besitzer Information Q1133"
Dear Erick,
Thank you for your support! I will have contact with them!! ;)
Dear Erick, I sent one Mail to HBZ for get the Symphonie score op 96, please where Did you the see the Symphonie Brevis score? I don't found nothing in Congress Library, perhaps seeked wrong :'(
Sakuntala has 40 Pages, it will be one orchestral prelude?
Wheesht: I will see the option for op 115, thank you!
Here is the link to the Library of Congress catalog entry for the Symphonia Brevis: http://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchArg1=Scharwenka%2C+Philipp&argType1=all&searchCode1=KPNC&searchType=2&combine2=and&searchArg2=Brevis&argType2=all&searchCode2=KTIL&combine3=and&searchArg3=&argType3=all&searchCode3=GKEY&year=1514-2014&fromYear=&toYear=&location=all&place=all&type=all&language=all&recCount=25 (http://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchArg1=Scharwenka%2C+Philipp&argType1=all&searchCode1=KPNC&searchType=2&combine2=and&searchArg2=Brevis&argType2=all&searchCode2=KTIL&combine3=and&searchArg3=&argType3=all&searchCode3=GKEY&year=1514-2014&fromYear=&toYear=&location=all&place=all&type=all&language=all&recCount=25)
Gareth: thank You!
I received one Mail of HBZ IN Cologne, they haven't the score, but gave me the adress of one Library in Bonn. I'm waiting answer. ;D
here's another link:
http://lccn.loc.gov/unk84084222 (http://lccn.loc.gov/unk84084222)
(the "permalink" from the lefthand side. The link you copied may expire for one reason or another either very soon- sometimes they contain session data unique to your computer and that connection - or etc. Permalinks eventually expire/fail to work too, but usually due to major system reconfigurations which occur less frequently. Also, they're less unwieldy things, usually. :) Unlike this paragiraffe.)
But note the "unk" for "unknown", yep... that unk84084222 is the "accession number" my correspondent at the LoC at the time was referring to.
Germany Library don't answer me, in the Congress Library sent one Mail with relation to Herbsfeier, Symphony op 115& Symphony brevis op 116, I will share with You that happen!
I still think you should contact the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin. Dr Helmut Hell used to be the man to get in touch with regarding printed music (and manuscript music for that matter).
Dear Gareth,
you are very kind! Congress library answer me ;D I'm glad. They have the symphonies. I wait that in 2016 we can to do these works.
2015 will be the violin concert, Fest ouverture and Traume und wirklichkeit
Aramiarz: Will you be working with a particular label?
Dear Alan, thank You for your interest. We have importants projects for rescue as mexican And european music. I'm in contact with three labels for we can release these wonderful forgotten works ;D
I'm glad to have been mistaken - also, since their catalog generally doesn't say, is it clear in what form (score, parts, (complete, incomplete), reduced score, other arrangement) they have his symphonies?... In any case, good news.
(I wonder if there's a Philipp Scharwenka association that might know who has the majority of his autograph manuscript scores? I'm guessing just offhand that SBB(erlin) or a similar library might have some of them, for instance. Obvious reason for wanting to know (not specific to Scharwenka, of course)- While a performable score would have to be edited from such a thing, it's useful to have to check against a sometimes error-containing published version, too- and when only an arrangement now exists/can be found, performance may only be possible- if at all- if ms material exists (and even then only if it's in good enough shape, at worst, for an edition to be prepared from it by someone, etc. I recall mention on this forum that the reason Huber's 2nd and 4th piano concertos, e.g., are unlikely to be recorded (Sterling again) is because the only existing material (no ms. I suppose at the Swiss National Library, which does have a _lot_ of Huber's mss...) is a reduction and in one case the hire material parts from the publisher which, however, are not sufficiently readable for orchestral performance. Something like that... (Eggs-in-1-basket syndrome? Also see re Hans Fährmann and the publisher Otto Junne. & again, Ashton... :( )
(Re Fährmann: "During the bombing of Leipzig (on 4 December 1943) not only did the publisher's entire family perish, but also the printing plates of the Fährmann compositions were completely destroyed." from the Fährmann Wikipedia article. The publisher here being Junne.)