I don't know if this is the right place to post this, since the recording isn't exactly in the pipeline yet, but...I received a PM here (and an email) that reads as follows:
Hi Jim,
My name is Michael Samis, and I just joined the Unsung Composers forum. I'm a cellist based in Nashville and a member of the Nashville Symphony. I'm going to be releasing my first solo album on the Delos label early in 2014, which is centered around the long-forgotten and beautiful cello concerto of Carl Reinecke.
You should know that a post of yours from 2009 on this forum led me to discover this piece about a year ago. The post was in the "Unsung Romantic Cello Concertos" thread, where you said: "Reinecke is long overdue for a decent recording with a top-notch soloist and orchestra. Does anybody know if Hyperion or cpo have it somewhere in the pipeline?"
Thank you for that! I'm currently in the process of a Kickstarter campaign for the production of this recording. If you play the video at the top of my page, you can hear clips of me performing the piece with the emerging Gateway Chamber Orchestra a few weeks ago on Feb. 13, which could have been the U.S. premiere. (Can't find evidence to the contrary)
My Kickstarter campaign is here: http://kck.st/Xu5Fws (http://kck.st/Xu5Fws)
I'm writing to you because I am very inexperienced at writing in forums and blogs on the internet, and I'm wondering if you might be able to start a thread about my project since you are a very active user. Or do you think I should start one myself? I'd really like to share my project effectively with the people in this forum, whom I'm guessing will be very interested.
My project has been receiving some great reviews and attention.
There is a review by a local paper where I performed it on Feb. 11 performance here: http://ow.ly/ilWrO (http://ow.ly/ilWrO)
And a review of a recital I gave yesterday with other music from my CD here: http://ow.ly/ilWyx (http://ow.ly/ilWyx)
I just thought I would start by talking to you since your post started this whole thing! I'm in love with this piece and I totally believe it should be in the repertoire. If you don't mind, please advise me as to the best way to share this on the forum. Also if you have other connections and friends, please share my link and help me get the word out.
Thank you again for what your post has done for my career!
All best, Michael
email: michael@michaelsamis.com (http://email:%20michael@michaelsamis.com)
website: www.michaelsamis.com (//http://website:%20www.michaelsamis.com)
Let's all extend him a warm welcome and I hope to see him become an active participant in our discussion. I, for one, will do my part to support him in his endeavor! :)
Glad to hear. I know of a recording (and am trying to recall if I have heard it- don't know if it's still available; it was coupled, appropriately for this forum, with Raff) but would be very glad to hear a new one.
A most heart-warming and encouraging post, Jim. Many, many thanks!
An especially warm welcome to Michael Samis from me, and I'm delighted by the news of a revival of interest in the Cello Concerto and an eventual recording. The four Piano Concertos I found most pleasing works (in the CPO recordings), but the Violin Concerto I hold to be a near masterpiece which stands out high in the Reinecke corpus. Let's hope the Cello Concerto is of a similar quality! (I also recall the Harp Concerto is another dazzling work, but haven't heard it for a good while).
There are, incidentally, two complete recordings of the Cello Sonatas (on MDG and CPO). Delightful works!
I think the recording of the Vc Cte that Eric has in mind might be that by Thomas Blees [vc], Tubingen Physician's Orchestra / Norbert Kirchmann. (The same performers recorded some Raff I remember. ...And how I wish my doctor played in an orchestra!) The recording dates back to 1999, is probably long unavailable, and in any case is an 'amateur' one (however worthwhile) and would form no competition to a new, fully professional performance and recording.
There seems to be much Reinecke gathering dust. A great pity in my view since much far less deserving music gets attention these days. The forthcoming CPO release of his Dornroschen Op. 139 might spark off more interest? Maybe the point merely reflects my own prejudice, but I think he's at his best in chamber music (the three Symphonies aren't quite top notch works, but, unusually, the 1st is a far better work than the 2nd and 3rd). I think there are five String Quartets - and none recorded (so far as I know), so I'd encourage Michael Samis to get together with three of his colleagues and give them a go!
Warm best wishes for the success of the Cello Concerto venture. I'm eager to get to know it!
Quote from: petershott@btinternet.com on Wednesday 06 March 2013, 09:25
the 1st is a far better work than the 2nd and 3rd
Really? I find No.1 to be too derivative of Schumann, whereas Nos. 2 & 3 are memorable and individual works poised in that delicious area somewhere between Mendelssohn/Schumann and Brahms. No.3 in particular is a really strong late work with pithy themes superbly worked out. IMHO, of course.
I like the 1st Symphony, but find it rather more Mendelssohnian than Schumannian, if you will. I particularly like the writing for trombones in the 3rd - very individual. I just heard Hakon Jarl again yesterday, and was reminded of what a strong work it is.
I should have made it explicit that when I said Symphony 1 "was a far better work" than 2 or 3, I didn't take myself to be making a statement based on some 'objective' factors such that anyone who disagreed would be wrong......I was simply expressing a preference grounded on nothing but subjective taste. Should have made that clear, and apologies for not doing so. But maybe we could all agree that without the three Reinecke symphonies we'd all be worse off.
How about the Violin Concerto from 1876? I stuck out my neck and suggested it was a near masterpiece. No-one has yet picked up that statement.....do others agree it is a veritable cracker of a concerto?
Absolutely, Peter. It's a gem.
I can't recall the specific details without delving into my previous correspondence but I'm sure Mark indicated to me a year or so ago that there was a private recording of it that was (then) still available (but a bit over my budget at the time - hope I don't regret not getting then).
When Mark gets a chance to pick this up, he might be able to shed some more light on this.
Best wishes
Richard
If you mean the existing recording of Reinecke's Cello Concerto, Richard, then Peter has already given the broad details: full details are here (http://www.raff.org/records/reviews/orch/02.htm). Despite what that review says, it was available commercially, although whether that is still the case I don't know.
bounced around from there to the description of the Raff first concerto at Raff.org and was intrigued to find that Raff chooses B major for the slow movement of his D minor concerto, an unusual choice- but then checked the cello/piano score @ IMSLP and found that he didn't; it's in B-flat...
Thank you, Jim, for posting my message. It's great to be here, especially since this forum is how I initially found the Reinecke Cello Concerto. As both a cellist and champion of Romantic-era music, I cannot believe this piece has been overlooked. I really feel that it deserves wider audiences and a place in the standard cello repertoire. I initially tried to find a copy of the Blees recording, but simply could not. I must say, though, it was really fun interpreting a concerto completely from scratch with no one else's ideas to compare, though also a great challenge at times. The performance on Feb. 11 with the Gateway Chamber Orchestra was a great success, and I hope that our recording will be as well.
I invite you all to explore my Kickstarter page about my project. In the short video, you can hear clips of the first two movements from our performance. It is found here:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/michaelsamis/a-forgotten-cello-concerto (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/michaelsamis/a-forgotten-cello-concerto)
Enjoy, please let me know if you have any thoughts or questions... -Michael
Well, if you want to champion some other neglected Romantic-era gems, your next stop would probably be the 2 Raff concertos!
Let me just say that I never thought of using KickStarter for this purpose, and I think it's fantastic. I donated instantly, and I strongly hope that we see more of this in the future!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for doing this. If I told you how excited I was about what you've done here, you'd never believe that I wasn't exaggerating. That I've become a huge Reinecke fan over the past 2 years doesn't hurt! I'm going to spread the word about this as much as possible. I do truly hope that this won't just die instantly on March 25th if the financial goal isn't quite reached by that deadline.
Good for you, Josh, in supporting this worthwhile project!
Kickstarter isn't all that uncommon in the world of recording unsung composers. If you look at the website of the Kreutzer Quartet you'll read that they have successfully used Kickstarter to enable their recordings of the Reicha string quartets which will be released (in 3 Volumes I believe) on Toccata.
I'm awaiting Volume 1 (due very soon) with great keenness. I can pass on an assurance that the Kreutzers are making every effort to get their performances and the recordings exactly right. For me the release of these CDs will be a real 'event' for the Reicha quartets seem to have been largely bypassed in both concert hall and recording studio.
Incidentally - and I have absolutely no connection with Toccata other than to be an immensely grateful consumer of a good number of their books and recordings - membership of the Toccata 'Discovery Club' (£20 p.a.) allows you to purchase any of their CDs at almost bargain price. No case for hesitation here!
And now, before a moderator proclaims 'back to the thread', we can return to Reinecke and the Cello Concerto. Another eagerly awaited event!
Thank you so much Josh et al for your support! I am very excited about sharing this amazing piece. Interesting story: the second theme of the first movement sounds quite a bit like Dvorak Concerto's second theme. Often people note, "Wow, that sounds a lot like the Dvorak," as I did the first time I read it with my pianist. As a matter of fact, when it returns in the recap, it's even in the same key as Dvorak's exposition. But guess what... Dvorak Concerto was thirty years after the Reinecke Concerto!
This is a truly beautiful and communicative piece. To me, it's like the Mendelssohn cello concerto that never was, but in a voice all its own.
We're getting there... please keep spreading the word! Thank you for your help!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/michaelsamis/a-forgotten-cello-concerto (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/michaelsamis/a-forgotten-cello-concerto)
Welcome to UC, Michael!
I believe that somebody mentioned a couple of cello concertos by Klengel earlier today. If cpo has dropped the project there are another couple of unsungs that might be worth some attention.
No argument -there-. (Did a broadcast of Marteau's cello concerto Op.7 make its way here at one point?...)
I wish we had a good commercially available recording of Bortkiewicz's Cello concerto - the violin concerto too (but I am straying from this thread).
Well friends, here's our opportunity to put our money where are mouths have been. Well, at least, some of our mouths. We've talked several times about helping finance recordings of unsung composers. Here's our chance. You can pledge any amount from a dollar up. I think for US$25 you'll get an early copy of the CD. Not much more than youi'll pay for it when it's released.
And it's only a pledge - if Michael doesn't raise the necessary total by later in this month, all bets are off. To me, the kickstarter looks like a good way to get a project like this off the ground.
Jerry
I agree. I've pledged a few bucks.
Me too.
I think you guys are doing better than the ones at the other forum...so far. ;D
Great news! Michael Samis writes:
What can I say? I'm beyond words about meeting my goal with over 10 days left in the campaign! I am emotionally moved by the response from around the world to A Forgotten Cello Concerto. I am so happy that my backers love the idea of reviving the cello concerto of Carl Reinecke, whose expressive voice has been silent for so many years. For me, it's about the music on this album, and the sense of connection that it brings within ourselves. It is about the stories of humanity that are written in this music – stories that transcend time, style, and rules.
I thank each of you so much for being a part of this. The Kickstarter model is all-or-nothing funding, so I set the conservative goal of $8500 to simply make the project possible. However, the cost of this project is considerably more. Please continue to spread the word about A Forgotten Cello Concerto and help me find new backers to join us!
Together, we've reached the goal. I cannot express in words how excited I am, and how grateful I feel to each of you.
With sincere thanks...
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/michaelsamis/a-forgotten-cello-concerto (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/michaelsamis/a-forgotten-cello-concerto)
Alan,
Because you and Mark, with the help of others, run this site it was thus possible (i) for us to be aware of Michael's endeavour and (ii) hence make our own small contributions to help him in his project.
That he is now on track to be successful is reward beyond measure to help bring what I'm sure will be a true 'gem' back to the world. I haven't heard anything orchestral by Reinecke I didn't like so I'm sure this won't be the exception!
Thanks to UC and all who make it possible for 'being there'
Best wishes
Richard
You are welcome, Richard. It's great actually to be able to do something, isn't it?
Alan,
Yes it is nice to feel, even in a small way, that we've helped get something done. Reminiscent of that thread (late last year?) about options to encourage production of 'unsungs'.
By the way, I mustn't forget - most important - thanks to Gerry as well for the initial action in bringing it to our attention.
Cheers
Richard
Actually, Richard, I think it was Jim who gets the credit. All I added was a little explanation which I didn't think was clear originally.
Jerry
Jerry,
You're quite right - thanks for the gentle correction. Step forward Jim for your bow (sorry I didn't get it right first time - 'anno domini' and all that!)
Richard
;D <= Bow.
Hi all, Just wanted to say thank you again for your help with this. My Kickstarter is funded at 140% which is truly wonderful! I'm so excited to make the best recording of this forgotten gem that I can.
Please enjoy the YouTube clip I just posted with footage from our performance last February. The Grutzmacher cadenza is included in this excerpt from the first movement. -Michael
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FthgpPIJZnk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FthgpPIJZnk)
Excellent playing, thank you!!!
Great news, Michael! We wish you all the best for the recording sessions and look forward to hearing the result in due course.
I thought forum members might like to read this in-depth article about Michael's project:
A Forgotten Concerto Remembered
Mary Ellyn Hutton
Posted: Mar 25, 2013 - 7:20:34 PM in news
When cellist Michael Samis was approached by Delos Records to make his debut recording, he could not have guessed where the path would lead him.
"They wanted something that hadn't been recorded, ideally, at all," said Samis, by phone from his home in Nashville, where he is a member of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. "Ideally, that would be something from the romantic era, because that is the voice most suited to my playing." Samis, who is also principal cellist of the Grammy-nominated Gateway Chamber Orchestra in Clarksville, Tennessee, also wanted something for cello and chamber orchestra. "I had spoken with the conductor (Gregory Wolynec) about a collaboration, so it was perfect timing."
Finding that "ideal" work would not be easy. "Although they're finding more and more things that just got run over because there was so much musical output at the time, it's hard to stumble across something that's both good and obscure."
"So how in the world am I going to do this?" he thought. Samis went online, searching through "forums, blogs and whatnot."
"I ran across this really neat forum called 'Unsung Composers.' Basically, it's a forum dedicated to lost, obscure music from the romantic era. I searched through that and there was a forum about cello concertos ("Unsung Cello Concertos"). Someone had posted that there really needs to be a top notch recording of the (Carl) Reinecke Cello Concerto. I had never heard of it."
Taking his cue from that, Samis went to the online music library, International Music Score Library Project. He found Reinecke's 1864 Concerto there, but only in a piano reduction. There were no parts for orchestra.
Now what?
Samis downloaded the score and looked it over.
"I went to my studio and played a couple of themes, particularly the opening theme, which had a haunting, folksy, singing quality, with a little bit of harmonic minor in the middle (a minor scale with a raised seventh degree). There was something about it that really spoke to me." (Samis performs the opening of the Concerto with the Gateway Chamber Orchestra at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/michaelsamis/a-forgotten-cello-concerto.)
Samis' research found that a non-professional orchestra in Europe had recorded it at one time, but he could not find the actual recording. "I tried and tried to find it, but I just couldn't. I guess it's out of print or something." Samis learned the Concerto by studying the solo part from the piano reduction score.
However, that was the least of his problems. "The orchestra score can be purchased from Germany, but here's the kicker: there were no orchestra parts. We ordered the score from Schott, and they said they would have to re-print them."
Enter Wilson Ochoa, producer of Samis' album for Delos and librarian of the Nashville Symphony. "He actually found a copy of the score with a set of parts in a library in Philadelphia. Well, it turns out those parts were in such decrepit shape that they were unusable. We had to have Schott reprint them, which took so much time that we didn't actually get them until about ten days before the performance."
Samis performed the Reinecke Concerto with the Gateway Chamber Orchestra Feb. 11 at the George and Sharon Mabry Concert Hall in Clarksville. "That concert was, as far as we know, since we can't find any evidence to the contrary, the U.S. premiere," he said.
Waiting for the parts to arrive from Schott was "a nail-biter," said Samis, because Ochoa had to proof them (check them for errors) before the concert. "He had to spend the whole Super Bowl weekend and cancel his party to go through these obscure parts so we would play it at the concert."
And still there were obstacles to overcome. The Thursday before the concert, two members of Gateway's first violin section fell ill and could not perform (there are five first violins in the Gateway CO).
As it happens, Samis' mother is Sylvia Samis, first violinist in the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Sylvia and Michael had discussed the possibility of her playing in the Gateway CO for the Feb. 11 concert, "but I had pretty much decided that I would rather be in the audience as a spectator and be able to enjoy the whole experience from that standpoint," she said. She contacted violinists she knew to help find substitutes for the orchestra. "We gave it another day, then I checked in with Michael and he said, 'We can't find anybody. Could you please play?' So, of course, I said yes."
Sylvia got the music via e-mail and left "very early Sunday morning" (Feb. 10) for Clarksville. She got there "just five minutes before the rehearsal started, but it was fine." The rehearsals were from 12 to 6 on Sunday, with a sound check Monday morning.
"What was amazing to me was how wonderful it felt to be performing on the stage with him as a soloist. That's a once-in-a-lifetime experience, to have that feeling. It was hard for me to hold the tears back."
The Reinecke Concerto "is very romantic and soulful," said Sylvia. "The slow movement is really gorgeous. It's heart-rending. There are beautiful melodies, and the orchestration is really well done. Technically, it's a bear for the cello, which might have something to do with its being dismissed." (Reinecke composed it for 19th-century cello virtuoso Friedrich Grützmacher.)
In her review of the concert, Karen Parr-Moody of Clarksville's Leaf-Chronicle called Samis "a remarkable presence," adding that "he matched his instrument's beauty with the dark looks and intense emotion of a silent movie actor."
Carl Reinecke (1824-1910) was a prolific composer with over 200 numbered works. The Cello Concerto is Op. 82. He was also a noted pianist (he wrote four piano concertos) and conductor of the famed Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig. He taught at the Leipzig Conservatory for many years. Among his students were Edvard Grieg, Leoš Janáček, Isaac Albéniz, Charles Villiers Stanford, Johan Svendsen and Max Bruch.
Compared to well known composers, "I would put him closest to Mendelssohn," said (Michael) Samis. "Mendelssohn and Schumann were his teachers, and to me, his Concerto is almost like the Mendelssohn cello concerto that never happened. Not that it doesn't have its own voice, but it starts very similarly, with timpani and strings for two bars, then the solo cello enters."
Recording sessions for Samis' Delos album will be June 17 and 18 in Mabry Hall in Clarksville, which is highly regarded for its acoustics. The theme of the album is "connections to the past," said Samis. In addition to the Reinecke, it will include the Adagio and Allegro (1849) by Schumann in a never-recorded setting for cello and orchestra by Ernest Ansermet. There will be a pair of elegiac works, "Threnos" (1990) by John Tavener for solo cello and Osvaldo Golijov's "Mariel" (1999) for cello and marimba, both written in remembrance of close friends. Joining Samis in the Golijov will be percussionist Eric Willie. Also on the album will be the Cello Suite No. 1 (1956) for unaccompanied cello by Ernest Bloch, which looks back to the suites by J. S. Bach.
Release is tentatively set for early 2014.
http://www.musicincincinnati.com/site/news/A_Forgotten_Concerto_Remembered.html (http://www.musicincincinnati.com/site/news/A_Forgotten_Concerto_Remembered.html)
Thanks so much for sharing that, Alan!
It's a genuine pleasure, Michael.
I look forward to buying the recording when it is available. Congratulations!
The recording has now been made:
Dear Backers,
Carl Reinecke's forgotten cello concerto will now be remembered. The quality of the past two days of recording sessions has far surpassed my already high expectations in all regards, and we have successfully recorded this disc!
On Monday, I recorded the Reinecke concerto and Ernest Ansermet's setting of Schumann's Adagio and Allegro with the Gateway Chamber Orchestra. I am most grateful for the orchestra and music director Gregory Wolynec's sensitivity to every nuance in the music, as well as incredible concentration though what was a very challenging day for all of us.
Tuesday's sessions began with Golijov's Mariel for cello and marimba. Eric Willie played with utmost care and precision, while helping me elicit the work's haunting and transcendent atmosphere. I recorded Bloch's Suite #1 for solo cello and Tavener's Threnos for the remainder of the afternoon and evening.
Producer Wilson Ochoa ran all of the sessions with great ease, thoughtfulness, and organization, helping all of us bring out the best in the music and ourselves. Sound engineers John Hill and Kevin Edlin were able to accurately capture the true sound, expression, and immense energy of these two days for all time.
This is a collaboration I will never forget. I am now more moved than ever by the emotional and communicative power of the music on this album. I thank each and every one of you for making what we accomplished in the past two days possible.
Most sincerely, Michael
(News received today by e-mail)
And that, dear friends, is the example of what we can do together. Part with a few pesos, about what you'd pay for the CD and when enough of us do, it happens.
Congratulations to Michael. I can hardly waitk to receive a copy of the recording.
Jerry
Received from Michael Samis via email today:
Editing is finished, and mixing is well underway. The bottom line is that the production team is doing an incredible job and this CD is going to be fantastic! It looks like release will happen a bit later than originally thought. I am awaiting Delos to let me know the exact release month of 2014, but so far it is looking as though it could be as late as the summer months. That being said, I will not be able to deliver CD's or digital downloads this month, as originally hoped. I'm sorry you won't have them as holiday gifts this year, but next year for sure!
As soon as I know the precise timeline, I will send another update
I just received an email from Delos Records. The official release date for the Reinecke Cello Concerto is June 24, 2014 for a physical CD. The recording will also be available for download from itunes on June 3, 2014.
Excellent. Greatly looking forward to the CD.
Michael Samis writes:
I am very excited to let you know that Delos has scheduled the release of my debut CD for this coming June! Accordingly, in three short months, the world will hear the gorgeous, long-lost phrases of Carl Reinecke's Romantic-era cello concerto.
Digital release: Scheduled for June 3, 2014
Street date: Scheduled for June 24, 2014
A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to hear the final master, and I cannot express enough how grateful I am to the whole team for making this labor of love come to reality in the best way possible. Though I apologize that, for reasons beyond my control, delivery of this project is several months later than originally anticipated, I assure you that the final product is worth waiting for. The musicianship of all involved, the engineering, the producing, the cover/booklet design, and the program notes all comprise a project of which I am truly honored to be a part. I am told that I should be able to deliver your physical CD's no later than mid-June, and downloads early that month.
The recording is now available for download at ClassicsOnline: www.classicsonline.com/catalogue/product.aspx?pid=2088522 (http://www.classicsonline.com/catalogue/product.aspx?pid=2088522). First impressions are very favourable!
Grrrrrrrrrrreat!
Mark, thanks for posting that! I just realized that I have not shared the new June 10 release date (both digital and physical) with UC. Very exciting! I have a CD launch party this coming Saturday night in Nashville: https://www.facebook.com/events/691509107583316/ (https://www.facebook.com/events/691509107583316/) If you are located anywhere near, we'd love to have you!
More links:
ITunes preorder: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/reinecke-cello-concerto/id871369093?ign-mpt=uo%3D4 (https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/reinecke-cello-concerto/id871369093?ign-mpt=uo%3D4)
Amazon: http://ow.ly/xuxD1 (http://ow.ly/xuxD1)
Arkiv: http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=1276807 (http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=1276807)
Please check it out and leave a review once you hear it! I'd love to hear what you all think.
Again, I am so grateful to James Levee and UC for leading me to the concerto's discovery. This is a wonderful forum. I have thanked James and you all in the liner notes as well!
Thanks, Michael, for posting this. I've lost track of when the CDs are supposed to be arriving for supporters of the project (especially for those of us who live in the UK), but no matter: it'll be great to hear the Reinecke CC in all its glory in due course.
Alan, Kickstarter rewards will be sent out within a week following the Nashville CD release party (June 7), so you can expect to receive them later this month, depending on how long the international mail takes...
Thanks again!
Thanks, Michael. Very kind of you to respond. Greatly looking forward to the CD - and to reading of its success.
Wow! What a piece the Reinecke is! And what a big, passionate performance this is from Michael. I am almost persuaded that the best of this fine composer is to be found in his concertos and the CC is as good as any of them, if not better.
And did Dvorak know Reinecke's concerto? It's hard not to hear a very clear pre-echo of the Czech composer's great CC in the first movement of the Reinecke. Quite extraordinary.
Anyway, this is bound to be one of my highlights of 2014. It's a fantastic re-discovery. I have never really understood the popularity of the Schumann CC - in my view the Reinecke blows it clean out of the water...
By the way, Michael's tone is absolutely gorgeous in this recording. His cello truly sings...
And many thanks to all of us who helped make this possible. The kickstarter idea was a good one, Michael. Others should try the same approach. Who knows what we might get recorded???
Jerry
I must agree with all that Alan says about Michael's performance on this CD. A truly fabulous performance, which couldn't be more recomendable.
The CD will be out in the UK on 30th June:
http://www.mdt.co.uk/reinecke-cello-concerto-works-by-willie-gateway-chamber-orchestra-delos.html (http://www.mdt.co.uk/reinecke-cello-concerto-works-by-willie-gateway-chamber-orchestra-delos.html)
And for the downloaders amongst you, it is available now to download from eclassical.com, (mp3, FLAC and even 24bit!).
http://www.eclassical.com/labels/delos/reinecke-cello-concerto.html (http://www.eclassical.com/labels/delos/reinecke-cello-concerto.html)
...and for Amazon (USA) downloaders, it's available at nearly half the price of eclassical - $8.99. CD's also available there, at around the same price as eclassical's download.
http://www.amazon.com/Reinecke-Cello-Concerto-Michael-Samis/dp/B00K3WWF1M/ref=tmm_other_meta_binding_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1402516524&sr=1-1 (http://www.amazon.com/Reinecke-Cello-Concerto-Michael-Samis/dp/B00K3WWF1M/ref=tmm_other_meta_binding_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1402516524&sr=1-1)
iTunes downloaders, it's available at the iTunes Store (USA anyway) for $9.99. Three cheers for wide and easy availability!
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/reinecke-cello-concerto/id871369093 (https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/reinecke-cello-concerto/id871369093)
Gregory
"Three cheers for wide and easy availability!"
Hear, hear! I'm looking forward to this.... :)
First review came in yesterday, hopefully many more :) Nice mention of UC! Please enjoy and share...
http://www.musicincincinnati.com/site/reviews_2014/Cellist_Samis_Makes_the_Case_for_Reinecke_Concerto.html (http://www.musicincincinnati.com/site/reviews_2014/Cellist_Samis_Makes_the_Case_for_Reinecke_Concerto.html)
My copy has now arrived. It'll be one of my CDs of the Year for sure - the Reinecke is such an extraordinarily memorable piece.
Thanks for the links, Michael. It's great to read such appreciative reviews.
Thank you so much, Alan. I'm very glad that the beautiful work is singing again - I feel very lucky to be Reinecke's conduit. Where do you write? I am hoping that more people who are excited about unsung music will want to write about it as well!
I only write here - which is probably fortunate for those who encounter my amateur scribblings.
I really enjoyed this CD and not just the Reineke but every piece on it is worth a listen in my opinion. The production, sound quality and performance are superb!
Kevin
My thoughts exactly! I have played the entire CD several times since it arrived in my letterbox a few days ago. Once, I think, the word gorgeous is not inappropriate for describing both the music and the playing. It certainly does make one wonder why such a concerto could have been nearly forgotten for so long.
Much gratified at the critical reception so far. Any word on whether or when Musicweb International puts in their two cents worth?
Not sure what to make of the interview claim that the Reinecke has never been commercially recorded before. A CD with the Reinecke, Raff's first cello concerto, and the Bach/Raff chaconne WoO 39 does seem to have been briefly available (and might still be - here's a review (http://www.raff.org/records/reviews/orch/02.htm)). Is it because that CD was only available privately, not through a regular distributor like Naxos USA (as it is in this case)?
I was wondering about that claim as well, especially as I have that CD. Perhaps it is because of its comparatively limited distribution that it somehow eluded people - but it was mentioned here, I believe. It is still available: [/http://www.bayermusicgroup.de/en/numrbm/rbm465108.htm]
Eh, would hardly be the first time a recording claimed "world premiere" when it wasn't. I mean, there's even a recording of Ravel's La Parade that claims to be a world premiere when it was actually recorded by Naxos of all labels, though way back in 1994.
It's like with the word "complete", which is lead into by this example -- no other Ravel piano set has this piece. And don't even get me started on "complete works" sets of composers...
It's marketing speak and often can be 'justified'. In the case of this Reineke, because it was "private"....I've seen cases where a company would transfer an LP under the European 50 year rule and a later release would claim it's the first release because they have the legal permission. Etc.
I seem to recall Michael said that the Reinecke CC had never been PROFESSIONALLY recorded before. Which is true enough - the orchestra in the previous CD consisted of German physicians.
Unfortunately Delos call it a 'premiere' - which it isn't.
I don't think that it matters much. The new recording is so superior in every respect, even including availability, that it might as well be true, even if it is marketing hyperbole born of ignorance.
Quite right!
I see the CD is now on general release - has anyone else received their 'free' download or CD for sponsoring this? If so (for a download) how were you notified please - I've heard nothing.
Best wishes
Richard
My copy of the CD was sent to me by Michael Samis about three weeks ago. I had been contacted by him for my postal address.
My copy came a while back too.
OK gents,
Guess there's been a minor glitch with my download - I'll contact him directly to check what the 'score' is (pardon the pun!)
Tks for your prompt replies
Richard
I finally got my copy of the CD on Saturday, and I daresay, I'm utterly flabbergasted that in an extremely limited repertoire, more cellists haven't included this piece. Repeated hearings of this work have only increased its stature in my opinion. It is remarkably concise (except in the sole cadenza, which is forgivable) and doesn't overstay its welcome for an instant. The melodic material is memorable and ably developed, and the solo cello sings through and above the orchestra loud and clear, revealing scoring wizardry of the highest order. The finale is almost too short and more successful than many a finale penned by Reinecke, not to mention other composers. This is as perfect a cello concerto as it's possible to compose, and the hated word "masterpiece", often the source of much strife and contention, would not be misapplied here, IMHO. One minor quibble - in the liner notes, the birth and death dates of Reinecke are wrong. I believe the dates are those of his first teacher, his father Johann (1795-1883) http://ordoe.com/explore/Johann-Peter-Rudolph-Reinecke (http://ordoe.com/explore/Johann-Peter-Rudolph-Reinecke). Carl Reinecke, of course, lived from 1824 to 1910.
Thanks for that marvellous description, Jim. I will certainly be buying said disc! :)
Jim is 100% right. It is inexplicable that Reinecke's CC is not in the standard repertoire. But then, his VC and PC3 should be there too. Ah well...
There is also a sense of progression in the work. The first movement is largely dark (minor), the Romanze progresses from dark to light (major), and the finale, after some dark shadows, is all light. And, did anyone who is familiar with the later violin concerto note that there is a fragment in the Romanze that strongly foreshadows the second subject from the first movement of that work?
Here's Brian Reinhart's extremely positive review on MusicWeb:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2014/Nov14/Reinecke_cello_DE3446.htm (http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2014/Nov14/Reinecke_cello_DE3446.htm)