Hyperion just announced The Romantic Violin Concerto, Vol. 13 – Schumann
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... Am very disappointed. Isn't there enough recordings of the Schumann concerto out there already. Now the Violin Concerto by Georg Schumann would have been something. Hope Hyperion has some real winners in the future otherwise the RVC seems to be heading for defunct central!!! :(
Isn't is the wrong word. Should be "ain't". ::)
To quote Hellboy: "Awwwwwwwwwwwww, CRAP!"
Pretty disappointing, I agree. Unless it's an outright winner, I'll be giving this a miss...
To some extents I would agree but I cannot help feeling that as with the piano series this sort of recording is an attempt to have a 'banker' in the series. If it sells in reasonable numbers, maybe that means we can have something more interesting later...
All that said I doubt this will be on my shopping list. The recent Ondine release is, I suspect, good enough for a work I struggle to love.
YAWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Even Schumann looks bored in the pic!
Geezzzz........
Jerry
I'm guessing that Hyperion and Naxos share a justification for this - people interested in -very- unusual repertoire are neither common enough nor spendthrift (?) enough to keep their operations afloat.
(And the Schumann fantasy and violin concerto, while more commonly encountered than the Vieuxtemps 2nd concerto, have a little ways to go before attaining the public recognizability of Beethoven's concerto (or his 5th symphony)- all is obviously relative. I still grant the point- my memory immediately came up with the main theme of the finale of the Schumann violin concerto even as I was thinking about this post, and that happens for me but not all that often - but - well.. .er... perspective and patience...
I was hoping for the Philipp Scharwenka concerto but I guess we'll all have to wait some time for that!!
It is a bore, indeed, but on the other hand, surely a series claiming to be covering "the romantic violin concerto" should include all the major examples, sung and unsung? Its only that we expect more exciting things of Hyperion.
I just think that in not too too long (hopefully) we shall get them (though I know nothing about. I should check to see performer schedules to see if perhaps I can find any reason... hrm.! ) :) Apologies for my language in my last post. (On a vaguely related topic, cellist Alban Gerhardt's website (http://www.albangerhardt.com/english/index.html) (under Schedule) has Reger's 4th cello sonata as background music and notes an upcoming radio(?) recording of the Pfitzner cello concertos this summer... no, not a premiere and no idea if any commercial release is planned, but still...)
Well, lets hope that they don't decide to do all the major examples. Neither here nor in the romantic piano concerto series. The Tchaikovsky piano concerto volume 50 was more than enough for most of us. My gracious, think of the list - no, I'm not gonna list 'em, but geez. We could wait way beyond my lifetime for some more unsungs......
But they're the ones marketing records, not me......
Jerry
There is already one absolute winner of a CD featuring the same programme as the forthcoming Hyperion release, i.e that with Ulf Wallin on BIS. My advice would be not to bother waiting for the Hyperion CD if you particularly want this programme, but simply to go for the BIS...
I do take exception to the carping about Hyperion and the other independents. They are still with us producing NEW recordings. Surly your comments should be directed at the big boys like EMI, Sony, Warner, Decca, who have done so little for classical music in recent years.
I agree with Giles: personally I think we should all buy a copy of the Schumann and give it to those of our loved ones who will never go 'unsung' (like my mother), and Hyperion can use the money to fund a nice recording of something special
Seconded! Wonder if my Mum would like a copy?
Quote from: giles.enders on Friday 18 May 2012, 15:29
Surly your comments should be directed...
A slip of the typing finger or a grumpy request? ;)
Being serious, though, I simply treat this release like any other: there are already recordings of these pieces - in some cases exceptionally fine ones on other independent labels - so that this will have to be really special to warrant my attention, let alone tempt me to purchase it. On the other hand, if it had contained, say, the Gernsheim VCs, it would have been a no-brainer. Of course, they - and other worthy candidates for the series - may already be under consideration...
Actually, there is a serious point to be made about Hyperion's RVC series - namely that it contains a rather small number of previously unrecorded concertos. In 13 volumes, there have only been six - those by Stanford, Somervell, David (Nos.4 & 5), Cliffe and d'Erlanger. To my mind, that's not really adventurous enough, considering that (off the top of my head), the following VCs have yet to be recorded:
Rietz
Litolff
Gernsheim 1 & 2
Thieriot 1 & 2
Hiller
R. Becker 1 & 2
Huber 1 & 2
P. Scharwenka
J.M.Weber
Krug
Jongen
Fitelberg
Sinigaglia
Moór (various)
Bortkiewicz
Marteau
Now, admittedly, I haven't checked the availability of parts and scores, but still....
I pray Schumann does not infest the RPC series.
Now that really would be intolerable.
Thal
Quote from: Alan Howe on Friday 18 May 2012, 20:49
Sinigaglia
<snip>
Now, admittedly, I haven't checked the availability of parts and scores, but still....
Surely they exist - there's a recording of this one around here somewhere, no? Quite a lovely work - I have it prepped for pairing on a disc with the Bazzini. (Talking of which, in this context...)
As to parts, the Free Library of Philadelphia has parts and score to Jongen's B minor concerto op.17; the Neuchatel library seems to have most or all of the orchestral parts to Thieriot's opus 68 violin concerto... (RISM, Worldcat, the new British Library interface etc. are one's friends :) )
I believe there is also a noteworthy concerto in B minor by Stör that was discussed some years back (maybe even on the Raff Forum).
To possibly add to Alan's list (and as augmented by other forum members), I understand from a person I'd previously contacted at the Maud Powell Society that the New York Public Library has the MSSs of VCs by Henry Holden Huss and Shelley Rowe. I have no idea as to the quality of this music - I'm simply just aware of it - but it is unlikely she would play/be the dedicatee or whatever to unworthy pieces. I'm not aware of any recording - past or present - of these works, so perhaps they do qualify as 'unsungs'.
Anyway, perhaps a forum member in USA with the expertise to judge these scores might want to check them out as possible candidates for RVC, CPO or whatever.
Here hopin'!!
Richard
In a very rare for me attempt to slow this thread careening too much offtopic tried to start (yet) a(nother) new one related to violin concertos that haven't quite seen the light of (commercial, or at all) recorded day here (http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,3054.0.html). Or this (http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,1605.msg18747.html#msg18747) existing thread for British 20th-century concertos.
Quote from: eschiss1 on Saturday 19 May 2012, 14:31
In a very rare for me attempt to slow this thread careening too much offtopic
I'm keeping an eye on the digression I've created - but I do think that it arises naturally from the bland nature of the Hyperion CD's content.
Hey, c'mon guys! It's just one issue. Remember the Cello Concerto issue with the Schumann? Had all that other good stuff on it (Volkmann, Gernsheim, Dietrich). They've pretty much cleaned Schumann out. I have no doubt the Piano Concerto series will do a Schumann release with the PC, Konzertstück, Concert Allegro and maybe the youthful concerto movement (I believe) he completed. Then they'll get on to better things.
Funnily enough, a disc with most (if not all) of these pieces is on its way from Hyperion soon, but not in their Romantic Piano Concerto series. Angela Hewitt is the pianist.
Quote from: JeremyMHolmes on Saturday 19 May 2012, 18:58
Funnily enough, a disc with most (if not all) of these pieces is on its way from Hyperion soon, but not in their Romantic Piano Concerto series. Angela Hewitt is the pianist.
Quite. Wonder why they haven't included it in their RPC series?
Quote from: JimL on Saturday 19 May 2012, 17:43
Hey, c'mon guys! It's just one issue.
Point is, it isn't! Including vol.13 there will have been 9 RVC volumes containing concertos that have already been recorded, and in excellent performances on other labels. Only 4 volumes have included unrecorded concertos - to my mind a wasted opportunity.
This may - I say may - have to do with the relatively more performer-driven choice of repertoire in the RVC series, if memory serves.
I seem to recall Gareth mentioning that Mike Spring told him that it was easier to find pianists willing to learn unsung repertoire than violinists.
What about all the Violinists recording for CPO, Naxos, etc? I'm sorry but that reasoning seems very flawed!
It all depends on which label a violinist is committed to, I suppose. Perhaps Hyperion just don't have access to enough adventurous violinists...
I'm not surprised if that's what Mike Spring did say. When Sterling recorded the Raff Violin Concertos CD the most difficult job was finding a violinist with adequate technique who was actually prepared to commit to the CD. Luckily Tobias Ringborg did a wonderful job.
Just to pile on the agony for those who do not want the Schumann violin concerto, this is to be followed the following month by the Schumann piano concerto. I shall buy both even though I am not a fan of Angela Hewitt. Hyperion are not just in the business of supplying the collector of the 'rare and unrecorded' they are also in the business of making enough money to venture in to this and the way to do it is record some mainstream just like the big labels used to do. Some of the 'great and treasured' recordings of the past are frankly diabolical.
Mike Spring is absolutly right when he says it is much harder to get violinists to learn rare repetory than pianists. I speak first hand and it is my impression that 'the string audience' are more conservative then 'the piano audience' No Idea why though.
Quote from: giles.enders on Sunday 20 May 2012, 13:40
Just to pile on the agony for those who do not want the Schumann violin concerto, this is to be followed the following month by the Schumann piano concerto.
The agony's already been piled on, Giles - see Jeremy's post, above.
Not to mention string players, though we're a far cry from the days when an ensemble would reject a piece because of one unresolved/improperly-resolved chord- or, I think, recognize it when they heard it. (Schoenberg's Verklaerte Nacht.)