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Way back in 1980 I was working at the Flagstaff Summer Music Festival as a recording engineer. The festival director at that time was very broadminded and knew everyone it seemed in the music world and one memorable week he brought in Michael Ponti. The first rehearsal was the Saint-Saens 2nd concerto. As the rehearsal ended, the mounting storm so common in Flagstaff that time of year opened up a torrential rain. Ponti was staying at a hotel about a half mile from the auditorium. He didn't have a car and the management never considered maybe he needed a ride or something. I wrapped up my work, left the hall, got in my truck and what do you know, there was this world-class pianist walking in the downpour. I drove up to him and asked him if he'd like a ride. Of course he would! We got to his hotel and he asked me to come into the pub for a beer. Why not? He was amazed that me, a redneck with a 22 gauge shotgun in his truck, wearing cowboy boots and a cowboy hat knew his recordings and was a fan of Raff! He thought that was so funny. We talked, and drank, for a couple of hours, about the forgotten composers whom he certainly took an interest in. What a memorable experience that was. He told me that if I really loved classical music I should move to Germany! I didn't.

I would like to know this: do recordings of a neglected work ever result in more live performances? Maybe some of the early Mahler records helped? I don't know. Despite many recordings of the Gliere, it's still extremely rare in concert - and a lot of that has to do with the huge resources needed I'm sure. There are numerous recordings of the Bax symphonies. Has anyone heard one live? I have heard live performances of Raff, Alwyn, Gal, Atterberg, Parry and others, but mostly because of one conductor and his orchestra and their mission statement: to play rare and unusual repertoire. But the major orchestras? Forget it. I've given up any hope of ever hearing a live performance of Bax and Balakirev. But maybe the Rott will get more play time. I hope so. But the many recordings of the Korngold symphony haven't made it more popular - and DG has it in their catalog.

Another Rott...oh joy. I'm all for unusual repertoire, but I think we've had enough Rott. There's so much else, even better, to explore. I'm still waiting for the ultimate Gliere 3rd.

I have never been figured out why this symphony has never been recorded; most of his other music has been, symphonies 2 and 3 several times. The score and parts haven't even been published! I once read somewhere that the NEC orchestra plays it from time to time, but I've never seen evidence of that. Several NEC grads that I know have never heard it, or heard of it. But then they've never played the other two either. Maybe if performance materials were available someone would be interested enough to play it.

Thanks for preparing this, it'll be interesting to hear the rest.

Dealing with RI has been frustrating lately. He's just down the highway an hour's drive, but I find Presto so much easier. I'll place an order with RI and fingers crossed it may or may not be delivered. Now that Arkivmusic seems to have gone to pot, getting some music has been difficult to say the least. I still really miss Harold Moore's!

Please forgive me if this has been addressed already. Today at the Colorado MahlerFest I was talking to an editor from Breitkopf music publishers who was introducing and explaining the work behind their new edition of the Mahler 3rd. It came to light that they are also preparing new scores and parts for Raff symphonies 3 and 5! That's great news to me. Maybe people will take it seriously and we'll see some performances and even new recordings. They're also issuing new edition of some of the chamber music. With a company like Breitkopf behind it wouldn't it be awesome to see Im Walde or Lenore taken up by say the Berlin Philharmonic, the Concertgebouw, the London Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic? I can always dream.

At long last! I've been reading about this symphony for what seems like decades on this site...and here it is. Still surprising that CPO, Naxos, or some other adventurous label hasn't recorded it. It's a pleasant enough work, but honestly it's no earth-shattering forgotten masterpiece. The melodic material isn't memorable, the orchestration very workman-like, no more. Nowhere did I feel any stress and strain, no struggle to break through to the light. Maybe at 37:00 or so there was a short lived attempt at a pedal point to create some tension that Tchaikovsky would prove the master of, but Grimm released it too early. The music moves along nicely, never bogs down. But next to any of the Brahms symphonies it's easy to see why Grimm's is forgotten. Maybe in 1871 it would provide good enough entertainment for an evening, but the competition got very stiff in the next 25 years what with Dvorak, Mahler, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, and some others. Very please to hear this, though. Sure helps clarify the mid-19th symphony situation.

Having followed comments on UC and then seeing the Hurwitz love-fest, I just had to hear the 3rd. I thought that BBC Music magazine had a recording some time ago, and I located it eventually. Never bothered listening to it. I had heard the 1st live in concert a couple of years ago - not impressed at all. Then came the Naxos recording; neither the 1st or 4th seemed worth all the trouble. The 3rd is no masterpiece, either. What does Hurwitz hear that I don't? Of course in the USA today, saying that it's not great music will instantly make you subject to claims of "racist" or misogynist. There is pressure on even small, amateur orchestras to play music other than Dead White European Males. One local orchestra I am involved with has been informed by civic leaders that our future funding will be dependent on us playing music by women, minorities, LGBTQ and other "missing" groups. Price's music would check off a couple of boxes.

Yikes! I'm behind. I didn't know there was a Volume 2.

This coming weekend I'm in for a treat: two works by Reger. I've never heard anything by Reger in concert, but now all of the sudden I get two. First to the Flagstaff Symphony for a performance of Variations on a theme by Mozart. Then in Scottsdale on Sunday the intrepid Musica Nova Orchestra will give Variations on a Theme by Beethoven. 2021 is of no anniversary importance to Reger, neither is the October programming. But I'll take both! Who knows if I'll ever hear Reger - surely an unsung master - again.

The link provided takes me to some goofy comedy. This one works better:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCVlc19VydM&ab_channel=KuhlauDilfeng2

One of the few modern composers who wrote music opera audiences could relate to and enjoy. Not too many years ago I was attending the Arizona Opera production of Susannah. The exec director of the Arizona Opera comes out before the start to let the audience know that the composer was present that evening, then asked him to stand. When the guy sitting right next to me stood up I was in awe! I had also thoroughly enjoyed his Of Mice and Men and let him know it.

The only Korngold I've ever heard in concert is the violin concerto - repeatedly - and the main title to The Sea Hawk. And the introduction to The Snowman, which I put on a program I conducted. That's it. I hope to hear the symphony live someday and that the local Chamber Music Society brings in a group to do any Korngold chamber works. There is one thing that could really help Korngold's cause and that is publishing arrangements of some of the film music, simplified to a degree, that would make it accessible to amateur orchestras. So much of his music is extremely difficult to play. And it's a challenge to acquire performance materials. There are many talented arrangers who could create editions for more practical use.

Interesting that this thread showed up now. I watched Hurwitz's negative review and read his website: gave this new recording a lowly 3 out of 10. Then came Musicweb International which really liked it. I emailed Hurwitz that he should do a followi up and try to explain how two supposedly intelligent critics could be so opposed. His suggestion: Trust me, I'm right.

So I ordered the disk and listened for myself. I think it's a superb CD in every way. The playing is top-notch, the recorded sound very natural and beautiful. The conducting: first rate. The amount of attention paid to the numerous details in the score is amazing. In fact, if you follow the score with Hurwitz's favorite version, Bernstein, it's clear who pays closer attention to the written score, and it's not Lenny. This new 7th is one of the best I've ever heard. Hurwitz seems to have a problem with Petrenko. I don't. His willingness to do lesser-known repertoire is commendable. I just know he'll have Berlin playing a Raff symphony one of these days!

We must have different Prestos! Here, they're only the Marco Polo. I'll wait.