Unsung Composers

I tend to be a fan of symphonic poems, does anyone know of any good "unsung" works in this genre they would recommend?

Thanks as always in advance!

Symphonic poems are a favorite of mine too.
There's a fantastic disc on EMI with Plasson that has a pair of symphonic poems by Duprac and one by Lazzari, as well two of the biggest French sung ones, Sorcerer's Apprentence and Danse Macrbre...and a piece by Franck which is recorded now and again.
Mikolajus Ciurlionis wrote a pair on an OP Marco Polo disc.
Mieczysław Karłowicz wrote six. I have them on a pair of Naxos CDs, but they are just as good on Chandos as well, and are on some Polish label (Dux I think) in a crappy recording.
Plenty of others if I had more time...

A few recommendations from some things I've listened to recently.

I would highly recommend Vierne's beautiful vocal symphonic poems Les Djinns, Eros, Psyche and Ballade du Desespere given a wonderful performance by an Australian group on the Melba label (which is rather obscure, but it is available from Amazon both in CD or MP3).

Also highly recommended are the gorgeous Bax tone poems, given wonderful performances on Chandos (although these may not be unsung enough for this forum).

Also don't forget the Scandanavians, give a listen to Atterberg's Alven, Alfven's En skärgardssägen and his 3 Swedish Rhapsodys which are symphonic poem of a sort and Svendsen's Romeo and Juliet and his Norwegian Rhapsodies.

And finally I would give a listen to William Grant Still's wonderful symphonic poem Africa.

Here are some more, quite unsung:

Béla Bartók: "Kossuth" (1903)
Hjalmar Borgstrøm: "Tanken" - The Idea (1916)
Ernest Farrar: "The Forsaken Merman"
Grzegorz Fitelberg: "Song of the Falcon" (1905)
Luís de Freitas Branco: "Paraísos  Artificiais" (1910)/"Vathek" (1913)
Jesús Guridi: "Una aventura de Don Quijote" (1916)
Robert Kajanus: "Aino" for orchestra and male chorus (1895)
Oskar Lindberg: "Vildmark" - Wilderness (1912)/"Florez & Blanzeflor" (1912)/"Från de stora skogarna" - From the great forests (1918)/"Hemifrån" - From my home (1932)/"Gesunda" (1947)
John McEwen: Three Border Ballads - "Grey Galloway", The Demon Lover", "Coronach" (1906-08)
Aarre Merikanto: "Lemminkäinen" (1916)
Víteslav Novák: "Eternal Longing" (1905)
Ture Rangström: "Havet sjunger" - Song of the sea (1913)
Victor de Sabata: "Juventus" (1919)/"La notte di Platon" (1923)/"Gethsemani" (1925)
Wilhelm Stenhammar: "Midvinter" (1907)
William Wallace: "Sir William Wallace" (1905)
Leo Weiner: "Toldi" (1952)

All these works are recorded

Morten

Some of my favorites:

1) Converse: The Mystic Trumpeter (available on Naxos)
2) Glazunov: The Sea (Jarvi does it best on Chandos)
3) Balakirev: Tamar
4) Rimsky-Korsakov: Night on Mt. Triglav (Ok, R-K isn't unsung, but this evocative tone poem sure is. Get the Naxos)

Quote from: mbhaub on Wednesday 07 July 2010, 20:09
4) Rimsky-Korsakov: Night on Mt. Triglav (Ok, R-K isn't unsung, but this evocative tone poem sure is. Get the Naxos)

Yeah, I love the piece. Basically, it's an orchestral version of Act III from Mlada (the second one). His Christmas Eve Suite ia also basically a tone poem, though that has a number of recordings...


Another I can think of off hand: Novak's Pan, which was originally for piano. I forget if the orchestration was by someone else or not, but it's a great piece.

Also, Smetana wrote a bunch of non-Ma Vlast tone poems, such as Richard III and Waldstein's Camp that aren't too well known/recorded.

Also, one might find it surprising that a tone poem by Sibelius could be called unsung, but The Wood Nymph still only has a single recording of the tone poem version (as far as I know), available as a number of options on BIS (I suggest the Complete Sibelius Vol. 1, since it's almost all tone poems).

Martin: Many thanks for the tip about Converse's Mystic Trumpeter from Naxos. I had missed the CD, but all three pieces on it sound very interesting and the cost of making a "mistake" is minimal. The sound bites sound enticing..

I believe Novak's Pan was orchestrated by the composer. I think you mean "Wallenstein's Camp" by Smetana (a very good piece IMHO) and I agree that The Wood Nymph is unsung among Sibelius' tone poems, as, to some extent, is The Oceanides - both lovely works.

Quote from: Gareth Vaughan on Wednesday 07 July 2010, 23:24
I believe Novak's Pan was orchestrated by the composer. I think you mean "Wallenstein's Camp" by Smetana (a very good piece IMHO) and I agree that The Wood Nymph is unsung among Sibelius' tone poems, as, to some extent, is The Oceanides - both lovely works.

Which reminds me, in turn, of d'Indy's Wallenstein.
Janacek's The Fiddler's Child is, I guess, no longer unsung :)
Novak's "Of the Eternal Longing" (O vecne touze) debatably unsung?...

Thanks for all the suggestions!  Feel free to add more!  :)

Some more unsungs by sungs...

Tere's Saint-Saens's other three, Le Rouet d'Omphale, Phaeton, and La Jeunesse d'Hercule.
Holst wrote Indra, and Egdon Heath which I believe could be considered.
Villa-Lobos wrote a bunch, such as Genesis and Dawn in a Tropical Forest.

And let's not forget Bantock. Fifine at the Fair, The Witch of Atlas, and Thalaba the Destroyer all qualify, at least. The box set on Hyperion is one of the best buys an unsung fan can make...

d'Indy's Wallenstein has been mentioned but also very worthwhile are his Istar, Jour d'ete a la montagne, La foret enchantee,  Saugfleure and several others all given lovely recent (and in many cases long overdue) performances on Chandos with Rumon Gamba directing the Iceland SO

American composers seem to get less attention on this forum so, in addition to the Africa symphonic poem I've already pointed out by William Grant Still (and mbhaub menioned Converse's The Mystic Trumpeter), let me recommend a few other wonderful American works all available on the very fine Naxos American Classics series:

Arthur Foote  - Francesca da Rimini
John Alden Carpenter  - Adventures in a Perambulator
Charles Frederick McKay  - From a Moonlit Cerenmony
George Chadwick  - Angel of Death / Aphrodite
Edward McDowell  - Hamlet and Ophelia
George Templeton Strong  - Le Roi Arthur / Die Nacht / Ondine
Henry Hadley - The Ocean

(I've left out Griffe's Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan since that's not very unsung, but a wonderful tone poem nonetheless)

This crosses over into the "Female Unsung" thread but what about Marie Jaell's 'Ossiane'?  It's not been recorded but was very well thought of by Liszt so it should be worth investigating.  Actually, some of his symphonic poems are not very well known so perhaps add those to the list too?

Quote from: Jonathan on Thursday 08 July 2010, 19:35
This crosses over into the "Female Unsung" thread but what about Marie Jaell's 'Ossiane'?  It's not been recorded but was very well thought of by Liszt so it should be worth investigating.  Actually, some of his symphonic poems are not very well known so perhaps add those to the list too?

Which reminds me (only through the connecting thread) of several works by Augusta Holmès (1847-1903), though they might be concert overtures rather than tone poems? (Wikipedia says symphonic poems. Ok :) )- Ireland (Irlande), Pologne, Andromede, La Nuit et l'Amour: Interlude de l'ode symphonique - Ludus pro Patria, Ouverture pour une comedie. Some of these were recorded on Marco Polo some while back...
Maybe Lili Boulanger's d'Un Soir Triste?
Several of Ropartz's symphonic poems were recorded on Timpani a few years ago.
Disclaimer: I don't think I've heard any of these works. (I did hear two wonderful psalm settings by Boulanger at a Prom conducted by Tortelier that I attended with a late friend of mine, but that doesn't count.)
Eric

Mr Henriksen mentioned Víteslav Novák's "Eternal Longing." In my estimation Novák was the right man for this genre, and if you care for late romantic music you're likely to enjoy his other tone poems, including Lady Godiva, Toman & Wood Nymph, and De Profundis, which appear together on an excellent Chandos disc.

Another exceptional composer of tone poems IMHO is the Pole Mieczysław Karłowicz. His works are a steal on the Naxos label.

I would also second TerraEpon's nomination of the Plasson disc of French tone poems. The Lazzari wanders too much for my taste, but everything else pleases, and if you know Franck only by his symphony (which is purposely orchestrated in a heavy Germanic style), you may be surprised by color and variety in Le chasseur maudit (written around the same time as the symphony). Franck knew his Berlioz.

Some more:

Heino Eller 1887-1970 (Estonian composer): A number of small symphonic poems including "Twilight", "Dawn", In the Shade and in the Sunshine", "The Singing Fields". Recorded by Antes.
Hamilton Harty's (1879-1941) symphonic poems "With the Wild Geese" and "The Children of Lir".
Alf Hurum (1882-1972): "Bendik and Aarolilja". Recorded by Simax.
Armas Järnefelt (1869-1958): "Korsholm". Recorded by Sterling.
Joseph Jongen (1873-1953): "Impressions d'Ardennes". Recorded by Cyprès.
Charles Martin Loeffler (1861-1935): "La mort de Tintagiles". Recorded by New World Records.
Ludolf Nielsen (1876-1939): "Hjortholm" and "Summer Evening at Nymindegab". Recorded by Naxos and CPO.
Adolf Wiklund (1879-1950): "Summer Night and Sunrise". Recorded by Caprice.

In addition I would like to mention the symphonic poems by Finnish composers Ernest Pingoud (1887-1942) and Väinö Raitiö (1891-1945) recorded by Ondine. But they are a bit expressionistic at times. Anyway a good challenge for the listener. Raitiö returned to a romantic-impressionistic musical language in his later years, and "Maidens on the Headlands", "Summer pictures from Häme" and "Forest Idylls" are all from this period.


Morten

What of Victor Herbert's soaring _Hero and Leander_ -- twice recorded now, but rather badly paired with Grofe an the latest CD issue by Maazel and the Pittsburgh Symphony (whose "Pittsburgh Orchestra" ancestor Herbert led for 6 seasons)?

My favourite unsung English tone poem is The Forsaken Merman (1914) by Ernest Farrar 1885-1918.

Someone mentioned Augusta Holmes, I have never heard anything of much interest by her, 'second rate' would be to flatter.

To promulgate it again, "Sehnsucht"("longing/yearning/hiraeth") by SIEGFRIED Wagner. a PERFECT symphonic poem;beautiful tunes and lush orchestration.

Steve

Hello everyone - this is my first appearance here.

I'd have to vote for a tone poem by the bloke who - 40 years ago - started my interest in "unsungs". The bloke was dear old Havergal Brian, subject of the 1972 TV documentary "The Unknown Warrior" which I watched at age 16.

The tone poem is In Memoriam - surely the most approachable Brian work; its idiom a far cry from the composer's oddball, but captivating, later output. The main theme is Elgarian - one of those nobilmente ones - and the tone poem would form a great concert-opener for a performance of any of the 3 Elgar symphonies.

Welcome Klaatu! Good heavens, from the online excerpts available I'd never have guessed that Brian was the composer of In Memoriam. Very Elgarian, as you say. Thanks. Downloading now....

I like his 'Festal Dance'. I don't like the Naxos performance of it,though. The old schools orchestra did a far better job.

I have to go back and mention The Island again from Sainton, available on Chandos. Much of it got used in the Peck/Moby Dick film. Definitely worth exploring.

And I also think that the Rimsky-Korsakov Antar which went from a symphony to a suite and is rarely played compared to Scheherazade. I think we might be surprised as to how few people own this mini masterpiece. :)

I prefer it. Less show offy,more subtle. I only wish a few more conductors would come around to that viewpoint. Who knows? Maybe they will.

Although it's officially classified as a "prelude", John Ireland's The Forgotten Rite is in fact a little tone-poem - and a very good one, with a slightly sinister atmosphere.

I haven't yet heard his later, and bigger, tone poem Mai Dun, which some critics have suggested is his orchestral masterpiece.

I believe Ireland himself complained about the infrequent performance of these works - he said that The Forgotten Rite had been forgotten and that Mai Dun may not be done!

I would second Augusta Holmes. I bought the Naxos CD of her music :

Andromede symphonic poem
Irlande symphonic poem
La Nuit et l'Amour: Interlude de l'ode symphonique - Ludus pro Patria symphonic poem
Ouverture pour une Comédie symphonic poem
Pologne symphonic poem

Fantastic stuff...if you like the Wagnerian style. ;D

Re sdtom's comment on Antar: the bardic cast of its main subject and especially the settings of that subject in the low strings must have thrilled the young Sibelius, he who wrote En Saga and the Lemminkäinen symphonic suite of tone poems.

ah  just listened to Aino by Finnish composer Rober Kajanus CD on the BIS label....its a great example of early Finnish music pre Sibelius.

https://www.amazon.com/Finnish-Rhapsody-Kullervos-Funeral-March/dp/B0001ZXML8

I'll throw in some Dutch and Belgian symphonic poems:
Reinbert de Leeuw – Abschied (available on a Philips LP)
Johan Wagenaar – Saul en David op.24; De Cid op.27 (on Decca, KCO, Chailly)
Lodewijk Mortelmans – Ochtendstemming; Mythe der Lente; Lentedag; Helios (Marco Polo Cd's)
Adolphe Biarent – Trenmor (Orchestre P de Liège, Cypres Cd)
Flor Alpaerts – Uilenspiegel (Klara Cd, Vlaams RO, Jan Latham-Koenig)
Lodewijk de Vocht – Naar hoger licht (same)

Please can reasons be given for choices, otherwise all we end up with is lists, lists and more lists...

Bantock: The Witch of Atlas Tone Poem for Orchestra

He is my favourite British composer and i think its a marvellous piece of music.

Can you tell us what makes it "marvellous" for you? I would say that what I personally find marvellous about Bantock's music is his colourful and atmospheric orchestration; and about "The Witch of Atlas" in particular its ability to reflect through impressionistic tone colouring the mysterious and multi-hued imagery of Shelley's poem.

Quite so, Gareth. Coherent reasons, please!

Bantock does not need words to describe his music. Marvellous is suffice.

With respect, just saying 'I think it is marvellous" is not very helpful for those who may want to discover works that are new for them. It may not always be easy to describe in words what one finds attractive about a certain piece of music, but I think it definitely contributes to an informed discussion if reasons are given. The same is true for music that one does not like, reasons help understand what the other persons thinks.

I have some sympathy with Alan's and Gareth's view but it does seem to me that there is a dichotomy here, best summed up by Felix Mendelssohn:

Die Leute beklagen sich gewöhnlich, die Musik sei so vieldeutig; es sei so zweifelhaft, was sie sich dabei zu denken hätten, und die Worte verstände doch ein Jeder. Mir geht es aber gerade umgekehrt. Und nicht blos mit ganzen Reden, auch mit einzelnen Worten, auch die scheinen mir so vieldeutig, so unbestimmt, so mißverständlich im Vergleich zu einer rechten Musik, die einem die Seele erfüllt mit tausend besseren Dingen als Worten. Das, was mir eine Musik ausspricht, die ich liebe, sind mir nicht zu unbestimmte Gedanken, um sie in Worte zu fassen, sondern zu bestimmte. (People often complain that music is too ambiguous, that what they should think when they hear it is so unclear, whereas everyone understands words. With me, it is exactly the opposite, and not only with regard to an entire speech but also with individual words. These, too, seem to me so ambiguous, so vague, so easily misunderstood in comparison to genuine music, which fills the soul with a thousand things better than words. The thoughts which are expressed to me by music that I love are not too indefinite to be put into words, but on the contrary, too definite.)

Letter to Marc-André Souchay, October 15, 1842, cited from Briefe aus den Jahren 1830 bis 1847 (Leipzig: Hermann Mendelssohn, 1878) p. 221; translation from Felix Mendelssohn (ed. Gisella Selden-Goth) Letters (New York: Pantheon, 1945) pp. 313-14.

All right, back to Unsung Tone/Symphonic Poems...

Well said Adrian and of course Felix Mendelssohn  ;D

I believe in exploring music by ear not what others think is desirable or not. I have been on plenty of forums where folk have rubbished a composer or a piece of music, only for myself to have a compete different view. Bantock is marvellous in my opinion, i have other words i can use, but that may diminish my point.

No, sorry, telling us that you think it's marvellous tells us only that you think it marvellous. That's great, and if everyone knew you intimately, your preferences, background, education and experience then we'd have a yardstick to give your judgement some value. As it is, we don't, and so calling a work "marvellous", without the slightest attempt at justifying that superlative, is completely worthless to anyone else.

QuoteMarvellous is suffice

Huh?

QuoteDie Leute beklagen sich gewöhnlich, die Musik sei so vieldeutig; es sei so zweifelhaft, was sie sich dabei zu denken hätten, und die Worte verstände doch ein Jeder. Mir geht es aber gerade umgekehrt. Und nicht blos mit ganzen Reden, auch mit einzelnen Worten, auch die scheinen mir so vieldeutig, so unbestimmt, so mißverständlich im Vergleich zu einer rechten Musik, die einem die Seele erfüllt mit tausend besseren Dingen als Worten. Das, was mir eine Musik ausspricht, die ich liebe, sind mir nicht zu unbestimmte Gedanken, um sie in Worte zu fassen, sondern zu bestimmte.

Of course, what Mendelssohn wrote proves rather more than you want it to prove. What he's actually saying is that the meaning of the music that one loves is beyond words altogether - in which case to say anything at all in words is pointless.

Mendelssohn was a great composer and, of course, in a sense the essence of music is always beyond words - which is why we love it so much. However, just because he was a great composer doesn't make all his writings on music correct, otherwise there would be no such thing as musicology - and this website would simply be surplus to requirements. But this website proves that there is such a thing as reasoned opinion, i.e. views which contributors try, often successfully, to explain in words.

So, words may ultimately be inadequate to the task of expressing our thoughts about music, but let's give it a go, eh?

Quotecalling a work "marvellous", without the slightest attempt at justifying that superlative, is completely worthless to anyone else.

Entirely correct, Mark. If you want to persuade someone else of the merits of any work of art, it is certainly not sufficient to say "I like it" (which is what calling it "marvellous" amounts to).

I was not persuading everyone to listen to the tone poem. It was my opinion. There are some in thread that listed many tone poems. Probably their favourites with no explanation about why it is their preference. That is ok, because i get off my backside and do some investigation myself. I do not need any endorsements about their favourites. I think people should do more listening to music and less talking. Please lets have a little more tolerance with folk and their posts. 

That's an awful lot of talking about not talking about the music you like. Come, come: tell us why you like what you like!

Quoteless talking

Rather defeats the object of online forums, don't you think?

Quote from: Joachim Raff on Tuesday 05 May 2020, 16:32
Bantock is marvellous in my opinion, i have other words i can use, but that may diminish my point.

But the thing is that we don't know what your point is. One word doesn't give us anything to grab onto.

If anything, providing a well thought out reason (doesn't have to be an essay) for your recommendations allows our fellow members to appreciate it more, or begin to appreciate it by revisiting with a different viewpoint and inspired analysis.

I think Mark did use the word "marvelous" once to describe a Raff symphony, but I could be wrong.  ;)

 :-[

And it's probably among my favourite adjectives too, alongside 'wonderful'. But I hope I've usually said why. I'm sure Mark has.

Guys, don't scare someone away by just saying somethings "marvelous" I bet you Mr Raff is having second thoughts now about posting here.

OK. Let's move on shall we?

One of my favorites would be Waldwanderung by Leo Blech. He labeled it a "Stimmungsbild," meaning "atmospheric picture," but I think it would fall under this topic.

It does an excellent job at depicting a series of stages on the journey of a forest hiker, and the transitions are clear enough that you can follow his travels.

Moments of ecstasy and grandeur move to more somber moments deep in the forest (the low register of the trombones). You can hear woodwinds represent the birds, and it all provides that atmosphere which makes this a treat to listen to.

There is a melody halfway through which reappears near the end, but in a more gentle way. It reminds me of how when we return from our travels, time makes our memories of those moments more bittersweet, since they are now just that: Memories.

I don't know this work, but your post makes want to hear it. Thank you.

Quote from: Gareth Vaughan on Wednesday 06 May 2020, 14:34
I don't know this work, but your post makes want to hear it. Thank you.

I posted it in the Downloads folder earlier this year.

Thanks. Somehow I missed that.

Quote from: Zusac on Wednesday 06 May 2020, 13:25
One of my favorites would be Waldwanderung by Leo Blech. He labeled it a "Stimmungsbild," meaning "atmospheric picture," but I think it would fall under this topic.

It does an excellent job at depicting a series of stages on the journey of a forest hiker, and the transitions are clear enough that you can follow his travels.

Moments of ecstasy and grandeur move to more somber moments deep in the forest (the low register of the trombones). You can hear woodwinds represent the birds, and it all provides that atmosphere which makes this a treat to listen to.

There is a melody halfway through which reappears near the end, but in a more gentle way. It reminds me of how when we return from our travels, time makes our memories of those moments more bittersweet, since they are now just that: memories.

What a marvellous description, thank you!  ;D

Absolutely. Thank you. And here's Blech's gorgeous piece, exactly as described:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqojnQsV28s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqojnQsV28s)

I listened to this earlier today, having downloaded it from the Downloads Board, and I agree: it is a truly gorgeous piece. Very evocative of a walk through rustling, shady woodland, sensitively orchestrated and with some delightful melodies, sometimes almost (as it were) peeping out through the umbrageous foliage (wrote he, fancifully). Thank you, Zusac, for drawing it to our attention again.

"Umbrageous" - thanks for the word of the day, Gareth.

You are welcome!

Quote from: Gareth Vaughan on Thursday 07 May 2020, 20:41
Thank you, Zusac, for drawing it to our attention again.

You are most welcome! Blech premiered this work on November 20, 1901 in Prague during the Crefeld festival among thirty other compositions. This one was the highlight and caused the most sensation. Ludwig Hartmann stated in 1900 that "Strauss has found an orchestral equal in Blech." This statement isn't too surprising since Richard Strauss later conducted the second performance of "Waldwanderung" in Berlin!

The year prior (1900), Blech had written a symphonic poem of a similar theme called "Trost in der Natur," translated roughly to "Solace in Nature." Its subtitle is "Barcarole." The orchestration has been described as similar, with expressive strings carrying a distinctive melody, and emphasis on the clarinets, flutes and oboes. It was positively received and lauded for its polyphonic elements in conjunction with a featured melody.

Unlike "Waldwanderung" which communicates happiness, solemness and an overall deep peace from start to finish, "Trost" starts with a hiker who is discontent with life, and proceeds to seek comfort from Mother Nature, into which he slowly (yet without hesitation) eases. A scene in the piece that exemplifies this notion is him taking a boat trip down a serene and slowly flowing river.

To me, these pieces seem connected; I see "Trost" as the first chapter of the hiker's experience, and "Waldwanderung" is when he returns already filled with a renewed passion for nature that allows him to bask in its many pure qualities.

Apparently "Trost in der Natur" was performed several times from 1900-1907. From my research, it has never been recorded live or in a studio venue. Perhaps someone would have better luck than me.

Source is Leo Blech, Eine biographisch-ästhetische Studie by Ernst Rychnovsky. Published 1905.

One can even hear the Cuckoos in this vanilla pastoral piece. Shame the recording is a bit ropy as this would help its merits. Of course written when the world was a little different. So very idealistic, but pleasant enough not to cause offence.     

It's rather better than 'vanilla' or 'pleasant enough', isn't it? It evokes nature rather beautifully. Gentle rather than vanilla, surely.

QuoteOf course written when the world was a little different

You mean, when life expectancy in Europe was roughly half what it is now, when untreatable diseases stalked the continent, and when there had been roughly ten European conflicts since the Franco-Prussian War? In other words, when life for most people was short and rather brutish - i.e. far worse? Or did I misunderstand your meaning?

Quote from: Alan Howe on Thursday 07 May 2020, 20:00
Absolutely. Thank you. And here's Blech's gorgeous piece, exactly as described:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqojnQsV28s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqojnQsV28s)

I found another post of the same performance, but it sounds less cluttered: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klNURNlTP_A (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klNURNlTP_A)

I can't tell if this is from a different source, or if it is the result of some noise reduction. Is the actual orchestra a bit more muffled, or is it just me?

It is also 20 seconds shorter, so someone posted theirs with tape speed issues.

Update:

The Aachen Theater in Germany will be performing both "Waldwanderung" and "Trost in der Natur" along with others works in April/May 2021.

https://theateraachen.de/de_DE/produktionen/6-sinfoniekonzert-wanderlust.1277395 (https://theateraachen.de/de_DE/produktionen/6-sinfoniekonzert-wanderlust.1277395)
https://theateraachen.de/de_DE/produktionen/7-sinfoniekonzert-schillernde-naechte.1277396 (https://theateraachen.de/de_DE/produktionen/7-sinfoniekonzert-schillernde-naechte.1277396)

I just heard "Waldwanderung"  for the first time. Beautiful evocative music indeed - To describe this as vanilla is a mistake i feel. Imagine the hard-work and thought that went into writing the multiple layers that make this beautiful rather impressionist work; quite intrigued by this composer. Wiki entry on Leo Blech fails to mention his non-vocal works. Eg. Did he write symphonies, concertos?

The German Wikipedia entry mentions two other orchestral works "The Nun" and "Consolation in Nature" (plus two military marches):
_Die Nonne. Symphonische Dichtung für großes Orchester, angeregt durch das gleichnamige Gedicht von Otto Julius Bierbaum, op. 6. Entstanden Aachen, 1898
Aufführungen: Gustav Kogel, Frankfurter Museumsgesellschaft (Frankfurt a. M., 29. Januar 1899); Blech, Orchester des Kgl. deutschen Landestheaters (Prag, 4. Januar 1900); Ernst von Schuch, Königliche Kapelle (Dresden, 21. Dezember 1900); Karl Panzner, Blüthner-Orchester (Berlin, 16. November 1908)
_Trost in der Natur. Barcarole für Orchester, op. 7 [Nr. 3]. Vollendet Aachen, 3. Juni 1900
Uraufführung unter Blech, Orchester des Kgl. deutschen Landestheaters (Prag, 24. Januar 1901); weitere Aufführungen: Richard Strauss, Tonkünstler-Orchester (Berlin, 10. Februar 1902), Ernst von Schuch, Königliche Kapelle (Dresden, Frühjahr 1902), Willem Mengelberg, Concertgebouw-Orchester (Amsterdam, 15. Oktober 1905)

There is a 1985 thesis on Blech which contains a work list, but I have not seen this.

There is now the newly rediscovered orchestral version of Tausig's Das Geisterschiff which is described as a symphonic poem. I'm very fond of the solo piano version and would dearly love to hear how it sounds arranged for orchestra. I've mentioned it to a well known record label founder in the hope that it might be recorded.

As many of you remember the Unsung Tone Poems use to be my specialty until I contracted Parkinson's and my daughter leaving me for dead threw my entire collection of CD's  in the dumpster leaving me with nothing but YouTube to listen to. Somehow I recovered and sitting at the computer today I saw Alan Howe's name and it registered with me. I was listening today to the Charles Munch recording of Le Chausseur audit, a seldom played Franck piece. What a bright snappy recording, perhaps dated in the audio department but a piece that reminds me of a Star Wars movie soundtrack. Glad to be back.
Tom

So glad to welcome you back, Tom. How are you?

Other than losing everything in my CD collection I had, I have some of my health back. I wanted to listen to my Liadov CD this morning which included Enchanted Lake another unsung tone poem this morning. Oh well.
Tom

Which Liadov CD was this, Tom?

Naxos 8.555242
Do you have it? Could you make a digital file?
Tom

Continuing on my Unsung/Symphonic Poems I'm listening to Reinecke's King Manfred Overture. Probably one many of you haven't heard before.

There's a new recording of it on a CD we were recently discussing, one of 2 recordings of the overture I'm aware of I think- which one are you listening to?

Alas, the old one on Marco Polo # 8223117. Walter and the Rhemish one of the few that didn't get thrown out. While not necessarily the best quality I had over 100 of them in my collection including Arensky, Spohr, Moyzes, Faneli (our Adriano), and tons of others.
Tom

Does anybody know the Lehár Symphonic Poems? I didn't even know he'd written them (early in his career): Il Guado and Fieber are available on a CPO disc (https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/Franz-Lehar-1870-1948-Orchesterwerke/hnum/7626384) from 1997.

I've not heard them

Something I can highly recommend is CD# 8.555242 Orchestral works of Liadov 10 tracks of pure heaven which I will comment on. As many know and not a part of this section of the forum my collection of 3000 CD's was dumpsterized (is that a word?) by my daughter. This CD showed up on my doorstep and is gladly welcomed?
Tom

I had the opportunity to listen to "The Voyevoda" as a filler piece on a "Manfred Symphony" release. The 20-minute work while certainly not by an unsung composer Tchaikovsky is certainly one of his seldom played works.

Would you rate it as any good?

Not to be confused with his recently reconstructed opera composed 20 years earlier of the same title :) (not a tonepoem but even more unsung! ;))

I would rate it as very listenable as well as Manfred.

QuoteI would rate it as very listenable as well as Manfred.

I've always rated his Shakespeare symphonic poems and Francesca da Rimini highly but I go back and forth on whether The Voyevoda is a good work or not. The Manfred Symphony is without a doubt one of his masterpieces, I think it's only the rambling finale that sets it back a bit.

For the Shakespeare stuff I turn to this often:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7936929--serebrier-conducts-tchaikovsky

That is all well and good Kevin but I have the Leaper on Naxos plus this new recording. Is this one that much better? The Hamlet is not to be missed.

There is a new Hamlet on the Raff recording.

Sorry, Tom, I don't understand that: Hamlet? Raff?

For a moment I thought you were sliding into a mention of Raff's Hamlet Shakespeare overture but while his pupil MacDowell wrote one as did of course many others- Raff's set didn't include any indecisive Danish princes, I don't think.

QuoteFor a moment I thought you were sliding into a mention of Raff's Hamlet Shakespeare overture

No, not I, Eric. I was just puzzled. Raff did make some sketches for a fifth Shakespeare Prelude - for King Lear - but Hamlet figures nowhere in his output. Hence my puzzlement, which continues.

That's fascinating to learn he was contemplating King Lear. I wish he would've gone through with it. I treasure the Preludes(wish he called them symphonic poems)

I can't see that what Raff called them matters much. The term "symphonic poem" was used for a multitude of different forms of (mostly) single-movement descriptive and programmatic compositions, and Raff's Shakespeare preludes wouldn't have raised any eyebrows if he'd used that description instead. I suspect the reason he didn't has it's roots in his complicated relationship with Liszt, who first used the term for works which Raff, then his amanuensis, had helped him compose in the early 1850s.

You see I'm still a little confused by the term "orchestral preludes" in my mind it can come down to three options:

1) The preludes are proper symphonic poems in the Lisztian tradition. I completely understand what you say about his complicated relationship with Liszt , maybe that's why he chose not to call them symphonic poems.
2) They are concert overtures in the Beethoven/Mendelssohn tradition. They display a general mood instead of a specific programme.
3) They are a unique Raffian creation. The chandos booklet describes them as prefiguring film scores by a few decades.

(What the preludes are(or not) has been bothering me for ages)

This may explain the situation:
http://www.raff.org/support/download/mac_eng.htm (http://www.raff.org/support/download/mac_eng.htm)

Unique would seem to imply that Raff was among the first or only to write preludes for orchestra. Smetana's several preludes date from the 1860s.

Yes, but do consult the link I posted.

Yes- very interesting!

My conclusion is that it doesn't matter at all what these compositions are called, but rather what musical processes are employed in them.

Very interesting.  Thanks for the info.

...in other words, the way to categorise these compositions is according to musical/structural criteria rather than their title/genre.

Gulp, I was thinking about the Rott Hamlet tone poem which is new to us.
Tom

Did I ever mention Fritz Brun's early tone poem "Aus dem Buch Hiob" (1906, from the Book of Job, TT 18.00)? A valuable and well-orchestrated late Romantic piece... It's his first orchestral work as an "official composer". His First Symphony of 1901 was a Conservatory graduation thing.
I also recorded Emile Jaques-Dalcroze's "1914: Impression Tragiques" (a bleak and dramatic tone poem with choir), Pierre Maurice's "Francesca da Rimini" and "Heinrich Schultz-Beuthen's "Toteninsel"...
All these pieces have disappeard from concert programs since a too long time!

Anton Dewanger's "Méphisto" remains still unsung and unrecorded. I have digitized the rare 78rpm recording from my collection, conducted by the composer. It's just one of the many pieces (like Lazzari's "Effet De Nuit", which Plasson recorded two years later) Marco Polo refused to record at the time I was "working" for them. Dewanger also wrote an exciting "Symphonie Dramatique" for orchestra requiring an additional group of 8 Saxophones!!