At one time he was extremely popular and today nothing save for a small amount of releases. I just ordered a made on demand Marco Polo release. Since this is my first experience with this process I'll be curious to see how its done as well as the quality. Anyone else tried this? My release will arrive tomorrow so I'll let you know.
Sorry, talking about #3
I will have a listen online sometime soon also. I remember some reviews, I think. (The Recordings section is no longer limited to "New" recordings so this should probably go there, I think?)
I've bought several on demand cds and have had no problems at all. The copied booklets aren't as well done as a "real" printing, but that's no big deal. I have to admit I know nothing of Cowen, but just yesterday I was reading a bio of Elgar and it mentions the help he received early on from Cowen. Guess I should give him a try.
expecting it today from Amazon
The Frederic Cowen CD from Marco Polo arrived yesterday with a broken jewel case, poor artwork, and no liner notes. The music was another story and comes highly recommended if you're interested in a lighter style of music. Nothing too deep here at all!!! This is a nice addition to my unsung collection :)
Still enjoying the music on this CD. Does anyone have The Butterfly's Ball on the British Isle Chandos CD?
Cowen's Symphony 6, performed by the Aarhus SO under Douglas Bostock, has been released in at least two formats and is probably easy to find on, say, Amazon. It's a winning work -- beautifully crafted and just serious enough to escape being a serenade. Hans Richter kept pushing Cowen's music, but in the end he concluded that it was a lost cause, that British audiences were disinclined to take interest in music by Brits.
I don't think anyone would claim Hans Richter didn't try very hard for British music on both sides of the channel, just ask Elgar too. (... actually, the composers whose works he premiered and/or who dedicated works to him is fairly multinational and impressive - Busoni, Dohnányi, Fuchs, Tchaikovsky's violin concerto too (and Liszt's Christus, not to forget)... and I see there's a book about him by Mr. Fifield. ... ... interesting. Erm. Never mind. Right. Back to the Cowen...)