cpo are releasing Dora Pejacevic's Symphony in F#minor c/w the Phantasie Concertante in D minor for piano and orchestra. Release date: 21st March...
http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/Dora-Pejacevic-Symphonie-fis-moll-op-41/hnum/9983873 (http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/Dora-Pejacevic-Symphonie-fis-moll-op-41/hnum/9983873)
Have only heard her very very fine B minor piano quintet op.40 (rebroadcast by BBC Through the Night) - and I think skimmed the score of one or two other works? maybe the piano quartet -- but it's made me curious and interested. Great news!
I don't know the Piano Concerto, but I can thoroughly recommend the Symphony. It's a powerful and compelling work in a muscular late romantic style. I imagine that Dora was a tough cookie judging by her music - the Piano Quintet is an equally strong piece. Oh dear, this is proving to be an expensive day...
ooh, and it's on cpo, too- another favorite label (though Hungaroton isn't chopped liver either (that re Dohnányi). I may be able to catch some of it on eg Radio Stephansdom's webstream - or another station that plays many cpo recordings - before such time as I'm able to buy it.
In fact when I asked about Pejacevic before and mistakenly asserted that her quintet was a studio recording and unreleased commercially, someone mentioned (here?) that it was, along with other works of hers (mostly chamber works?) released yes- but on Jugoton which doesn't get out there quite so much?... (1982 LP?)
(I should see what the Croatian online classical radio scene is, but anyhow, right... :) )
There is a piano concerto in G minor (which has been recorded) (her op.33 of 1913) - apparently her discography, though mostly limited to small labels indeed, is larger than I realize. String quartet in C op58 (1922) on Croatia Records CD from 2003, a 4 CD FrauenMusikForum Schweiz set from 2002 with the piano quintet, piano concerto, cello sonata op.35, songs and some piano works; 2nd violin (viola? don't understand the words "violinu i glasovir" ) sonata op.43 (1917) on another Croatia Records CD; another recording with a violin sonata in D major op.26; probably others...
Excerpts from this juicy-sounding CD are now available...
http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/Dora-Pejacevic-Symphonie-fis-moll-op-41/hnum/9983873 (http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/Dora-Pejacevic-Symphonie-fis-moll-op-41/hnum/9983873)
And it's shipping - mine's on its way!
The symphony is a 47+ mins treat for fans of lusciously orchestrated late, late Romantic symphonies. I'd also say it was a bit more than just a gorgeous wallow - it has real thrust and movement. Plenty to chew on as well, then...
This is a very enjoyable CD with two strong works.
The Symphony is a powerful piece, just as Alan describes. Pejacevic's powers of orchestration and pacing are very impressive and the work leaves a strong impression. I was reminded of Rachmaninov, which is perhaps not an earth shattering insight, although she does lack his gift for long melodic lines. Her material tends to come in much shorter phrases, often just a handful of notes, but they are generally memorable and used with purpose. This work is one which can thoroughly be recommended.
The one movement Phantasie Concertante is equally impressive in its seriousness and workmanship. I didn't find the actual material as immediately compelling, but I've only listened to it once whereas I have heard the Symphony before in another recording. No doubt it'll grow on me.
Seems to me that Pejacevic's early death robbed us of an impressive voice. I have a recording of her Piano Quintet, which is just as powerful as the Symphony, but it would be very good to hear the Piano Concerto.
As an aside, I see from the liner-notes that Dora was a pupil of Percy Sherwood in Dresden, who in turn had been pupil of Draeseke. Is it too much to say one can sense a Draesekean seriousness of purpose and bigness of design in her symphony? (To be sure, it's a lot more luxuriant, but then she was two generations younger than Draeseke.)
Percy Sherwood - hmmmm, now there's a composer who should be pursued. Albion? Anyone?
Quote from: Mark Thomas on Tuesday 29 March 2011, 22:03
Seems to me that Pejacevic's early death robbed us of an impressive voice. I have a recording of her Piano Quintet, which is just as powerful as the Symphony, but it would be very good to hear the Piano Concerto.
Well, my poor German may fool me, but from what I understand of the CPO homepage, it seems that CPO is planning to release more recordings of Pejacevic's muisc. Maybee there is hope for the Piano Concerto, too! :)
Quote from: Syrelius on Wednesday 30 March 2011, 06:36
Well, my poor German may fool me, but from what I understand of the CPO homepage, it seems that CPO is planning to release more recordings of Pejacevic's muisc. Maybee there is hope for the Piano Concerto, too! :)
Your German might not be quite so poor as that of my 'handy' (free) automatic online translation service, which mangles CPO's note as follows (important garbled sentence highlighted):
The musical work of the Croatian composer Dora Pejacevic dümpelte – also in its homeland until some years ago in an atmosphere of almost perfect indifference there. Life of its work hardly more long lasted than life of the composer herself. It died at 38 years of age directly after the birth of its first child in Munich. A formed, greatly middle class parental home promoted that early as recognized musically highly talented. It studied in Dresden and Munich and stepped quickly with own compositions forth. It expanded your music knowledge also by self-study, carried of irresistible curiosity and creative unrest. Numerous trips and contacts with some leading intellectual and of artists that time – with Rilke and Karl curly connected it even intensive friendship – fertilized its creativity what had an effect and a. in the selection of literary models for its vocal poetry inspiring. Works comprised 57 completed your remission,
cpo a comprehensive edition will dedicate to it. We begin with its symphonic chief works: the symphony in fis minor and the imagination concertante for piano and orchestra. In the years 1917-19 emerged, they are not only milestones in the Croatian music story, but rather can exist thoroughly next to works of a Rachmaninow (that it perhaps stylistic at the next comes). Look already forward to the following Dora reconnaissances!
??? ::) ;D
Wow! And I thought Japanese/English translations were weird!
the piano quintet I believe I know from BBC (in one of its Through the Night rebroadcasts of in this case Croatian radio; as it's been recorded at least once, from one of those recordings, not a studio one I suspect) ... anyhow- no argument here- a very good piece of music, and exactly contemporary, apparently, with the symphony?
IMSLP has her piano quartet in D minor, op.25 published in or about 1910 (since she died in 1923, should be PD everywhere under today's copyright law anyways if they haven't changed it since yesterday.) (Should be possible from ONB's scans of Hofmeister back issues to make that in-or-about more precise, can try to do so later... can't recall offhand if this work has been recorded also.)
That looks about like - most Google translations I've run into, for example. One gets a gist. Exception: if the original was something that native speakers of German, French, etc. would never have recognized as grammatical but was, rather, a direct transposition of English syntax and grammar onto their language, and if vocabulary choice was good of course...- then I suspect Google and many other online translators should have no trouble at all. Disclaimer: only took maybe 4 years High School French, a few classes in French and German in college for requirements (not that I didn't enjoy them both or learn from them - but that was back in 1991 at latest) - and haven't kept in practice as one ought. So... here grain of salt. Magnify as needed. Magnify more. :D (and cpo has a reputation for their program notes, I have always gathered from Fanfare magazine reviews. not a good reputation. I assume that was from something like the jpc/cpo notes?)
Eric
Any idea when this exciting disc will have it's UK release? ???
There's usually a couple of months before new cpo releases come out here.
Yes, it is really a strong piece. Very original. Sometimes it reminds me of a composer from my country, Ture Rangström, with the mix of expressionistic romanticism and some folk tune. Apparently there is no end to new discoveries. And thanks for that!
I have heard much less Pejacevic than Rangstrom so far (all 4 symphonies and a few other works in the latter case, though not yet I think any of the songs that I am told are worth keeping an ear out for!) but can only agree strongly, yes indeed.
I don't think that the recent cpo release of Pejacevic's Piano Trio op.29 and Cello Sonata op.35 was reported here - full details and sound bites here (http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/SESSIONID/b592729d901b118b27511f137ca19de4/cpo/detail/-/art/Dora-Pejacevic-1885-1923-Klaviertrio-op-29/hnum/8363939). My word, what rewarding music this is, emphasising (if there was any need to) what a fine, confident composer Pejacevic was. OK, both works are maybe a little retro for the early 20th century but they are brim full of good ideas. The slightly earlier Trio is a happy, sunny piece whilst, as you might expect, the Cello Sonata is rather darker in atmosphere but comes to a sparkling close.
Thoroughly recommended.
Quote from: eschiss1 on Wednesday 02 March 2011, 01:45
There is a piano concerto in G minor (which has been recorded) (her op.33 of 1913) - apparently her discography, though mostly limited to small labels indeed, is larger than I realize. String quartet in C op58 (1922) on Croatia Records CD from 2003, a 4 CD FrauenMusikForum Schweiz set from 2002 with the piano quintet, piano concerto, cello sonata op.35, songs and some piano works; 2nd violin (viola? don't understand the words "violinu i glasovir" ) sonata op.43 (1917) on another Croatia Records CD; another recording with a violin sonata in D major op.26; probably others...
Are there any Croatian (or Serbian...) speakers on here who can identify where on the website of Croatian Records is this 4 CD set with her piano concerto? www.crorec.hr ...
PS - "glasovir" means piano.
This CD should not be uploaded here.
if a station plans to broadcast it i'd like to hear about it (especially now that radiowavetuner.com is indefinitely down and can't be used to search for it in advance :( ) apparently btw an earlier CD, though on a local Croatian label, had the same coupling as the cpo recording of the symphony and the phantasie, and was broadcast in full by Concertzender in 2004 (this was before their days of archiving for rebroadcast which seem to have started in late 2006 or so, so one notes this instead of pointing it out as something that can now be heard at the Concertzender site as would be the case if it had been that much more recent. though some of those archive links aren't always pointing to concerts of what they claim to be anyways, but erm, no one's perfect.)
I wonder if CPO plans to record the PC. I have seen the score and it is a fine work, IMHO.
hrm. The pianist of the symphony recording (Banfield who's recorded quite a lot for cpo) has a big website (http://www.banfield.de/) with many downloads of interviews he's given etc. - perhaps someone who knows German better than I do, which would be about anyone, might go through them and see if he mentions his plans for future recordings with cpo in any of them :)
hrm. otoh, though this has nothing to do with cpo probably, Hans Joerg Fink (http://finkhansjoerg.com/index.php?id=1_fral)'s website mentions the Pejacevic concerto among "enregistrements pour radio"... - still, it's another pianist who knows the concerto they could tap. I haven't heard it yet myself... getting more curious though. :)
Eric, I have just written to Volker Banfield. I'll keep you informed.
Here is Prof. Banfield's quite extensive answer to my email. This is an automatic translation, slightly shortened and edited by me. Blame me for any remaining awkwardness, not Volker Banfield! ;)
'To answer your question: at the beginning of the Pejacevic project there were detailed discussions with the cpo music chief and this combination was selected after some back and forth. I then found that the piano concerto is very conventional and not so interesting as the Fantasy. Dora has indeed started very naively and only gradually found her personal style, a natural evolution, which unfortunately was cut short by her early death. As far as the piano sonatas are concerned there is a similar analogy; I had selected for possible inclusion only the last sonata (which did not fit but on the CD). You will forgive me that I am no 'catalogue pianist', who records everything without a critical view. I also believe that one doesn't do composers always a favor, if one presents less successful works to the public.
CD productions (especially with an orchestra) are very complex and expensive and we will wait and see how this first CD catches on and is sold. The last word in my view is therefore not yet spoken. But keep in mind that the Piano Concerto fills no CD and it would therefore be necessary to discuss more works for inclusion. I will soon meet with the cpo music chief to discuss possible future projects.
Finally, I would like to point you to a CD with older ARD recordings, which was produced one and a half years ago by Venus (unfortunately now bankrupt). http://www.banfield.de/html/disco/frame.html (http://www.banfield.de/html/disco/frame.html).
With best regards,
Volker Banfield'
Just received an email from Andreas Zadeyan, owner of RE NOVA CLASSICS.
The recording, containing the Piano Concertos by Dora Pejacevic and Germaine Tailleferre is available directly from him. (RE NOVA CLASSICS RNC 990909)
Please email him, if you would like to order.
office@renovaclassics.com
He accepts PayPal. The CD costs 29 Euros incl taxes and postage.
Thanks for the tip, BC. But I tried that website and received the message that I was FORBIDDEN from accessing it. It's probably just as well - at 29 Euros = US$ $41.58 I don't even want to be tempted. Our local politicians have recently made it very expensive to buy things outside the USA......
Jerry
Which website do you mean, Jerry? The one by Volker Banfield?
Or did you have problems with the email address by Andreas Zadeyan?
Oh, my mistake I think. It's an email address and not a URL. I tried the www.renovaclassics.com and got the same forbidden message. No matter, I won't pay over $40 for a CD anyway. Thanks.
Jerry