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including Marteau's violin concerto

At least we have an alternative recording of that.

Thanks, John, for alerting us about this. The whole episode is really dreadful.

Agreed, Eric. The thought of such possible wanton destruction should fill us all with horror.

Has anyone else encountered this very fine recording?

Further info here:
https://www.bruzanemediabase.com/en/exploration/works/psyche-barbier-carre-thomas

Dear friends of MDG,

You are among our most loyal customers. Now I would like to tell you something sad, something unbelievable, something that we find incomprehensible - and ask for your solidarity.

You will no doubt have read in the press that GEMA, the society for the exploitation of neighbouring rights, has drastically increased the fees for public performances, for example.

As a label, we always have to pay GEMA fees when we publish works whose composers or arrangers have their rights administered by GEMA and who died less than 70 years ago.

Previously, this licence was only due once a title from our stock had been sold. This worked well, was fair and financially manageable. This contract has been cancelled, which means that a high five-figure sum would suddenly be due for all GEMA-liable stock. In response to the argument that this would ruin us with our classical music production, we were told quite succinctly: 'If you haven't been able to sell the CDs so far, then you'll just have to destroy them.

It's as simple as that for GEMA - we are stunned.

A 6m³ lorry will soon be on our doorstep and we will have to dispose of a large number of wonderful CDs. We will still be able to deliver a small number of CDs, but the size of our warehouse will have to shrink considerably. That really hurts, because in addition to the financial investment we have already made, we have to destroy them: These are cultural assets that we as a label set out to save (or to document in the first place) and for which you value us.

These are really important and significant recordings, such as the complete recording of Hanns Eisler's songs or the collected songs of the French Groupe des Six, which we produced with Holger Falk and Steffen Schleiermacher; or the complete recording of Marcel Dupré's organ works with Ben van Oosten, 12 highly decorated episodes, which we recorded on various historical organs in France, England, Canada and the USA at original 'Dupré locations'.

But there are also marvellous recordings of Stravinsky's Sacre du Printemps or Berlioz' Symphonie Phantastique or the piano music of Cage, Widmann and Weinberg... All of these are subject to considerable GEMA licences, which we have to pay in addition to the actual production costs, without you noticing this in the final price (because there is no GEMA surcharge).

We have compiled some of these treasures for you in the appendix. Perhaps you would like to save one or two titles from the funeral pyre and add them to your collection? You will be doing the artists, the composers and, of course, us a great favour. And I am sure that you yourself could be the biggest winner if you save and discover this repertoire, which is precious in every respect.

Thank you for reading this far. From now on, we will have to pay the full GEMA licence for every new release, and the question arises as to whether we can still record such repertoire without sponsorship.  If you are thinking about sponsoring a new production - fantastic - in that case, please give me a call!

Until then, a little thoughtful, but in any case
warmest regards

Werner Dabringhaus


Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

It's usually within a couple of weeks (of the download). Worth keeping an eye on jpc.de...

Thanks, Eric. Do let us know your final verdict - if and when you have the time.

That's a good point, Eric. I can understand that.

but that, alas, won't happen now

For me, this was a great shame. They turned down Draeseke's VC (even though an orchestration was available), but his music is 'difficult', so...

Anyway, back to Bazzini...

I was just wondering what the point would be. After all, these days we don't need an arrangement in order to get to know the work (the purpose of many arrangements in the past). In other words, was there a purpose in the past which is no longer relevant?

Thanks so much for identifying it. I'd've bet Mozart, but had no idea where to start looking.

No-one would argue with that, Eric; but the issue here is, in the midst of the plethora of Bruckner 7 recordings, an arrangement of that work for chamber ensemble is released. Someone's been sniffing the cocaine...

[E major]

Wow. This is superb. CD1 starts with Piano Trio in C major, Op.81 (the only one in three movements and probably from 1908) in which, according to the liner notes, solemn and noble melodies predominate while the largely meditative slow movement increases the depth of feeling of the music still further. The finale brings this fabulous work to a triumphant close.

Incidentally, before I come to the other two works, there is obviously contradictory information concerning Moór's Op.74. This new set assigns his Piano Trio in D major that opus number, while this catalogue...
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/600352593753c24df2439e8a/t/60039baa1e378c5ba12643a1/1610849196394/Emanuel-Moor-Werkverzeichnis.pdf
....has a Piano Trio in E major as Op.74a.Hmm...

If they weren't churning out 'cocaine hippos' the companies might give more attention to the neglected UCs.

Quite right!