Andreae Symphony etc from Guild

Started by Alan Howe, Wednesday 11 January 2012, 17:45

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Alan Howe

Wednesday 11 January 2012, 17:45

Mark Thomas

#1
Wednesday 11 January 2012, 21:01
Thanks for the heads up on this one, Alan. It certainly sounds like a worthwhile punt.

Mykulh

#2
Thursday 12 January 2012, 02:37
This is the reason I visit Unsung Composers several times a day. What a great source of information. Many thanks. By the way my new Asian Symphonies Discography has just appeared on MusicWeb International. If you're interested, go here:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/Asian_symphonies/Asian_Symphonies.htm
Michael

mbhaub

#3
Saturday 14 January 2012, 15:20
From the sound clips, this certainly seems worth a listen. We may have to dig up an old topic about conductor-composers and revise it. With all the ink spent this week about the Vivendi buyout of EMI, and that there are only three majors left, I wonder if the so-called majors would be in better shape if they had been as adventurous with repertoire as the smaller labels like Guild. For those of us who are rabid collectors, Chandos, Hyperion, Marco Polo, CPO, Dutton and Guild are the majors.

erato

#4
Sunday 15 January 2012, 10:09
Quote from: mbhaub on Saturday 14 January 2012, 15:20
From the sound clips, this certainly seems worth a listen. We may have to dig up an old topic about conductor-composers and revise it. With all the ink spent this week about the Vivendi buyout of EMI, and that there are only three majors left, I wonder if the so-called majors would be in better shape if they had been as adventurous with repertoire as the smaller labels like Guild. For those of us who are rabid collectors, Chandos, Hyperion, Marco Polo, CPO, Dutton and Guild are the majors.
Problem is that you cannot support the usual level of wining, dining and travelling on this kind of repertoire. 

JimL

#5
Sunday 15 January 2012, 14:35
Quote from: erato on Sunday 15 January 2012, 10:09
Quote from: mbhaub on Saturday 14 January 2012, 15:20
From the sound clips, this certainly seems worth a listen. We may have to dig up an old topic about conductor-composers and revise it. With all the ink spent this week about the Vivendi buyout of EMI, and that there are only three majors left, I wonder if the so-called majors would be in better shape if they had been as adventurous with repertoire as the smaller labels like Guild. For those of us who are rabid collectors, Chandos, Hyperion, Marco Polo, CPO, Dutton and Guild are the majors.
Problem is that you cannot support the usual level of wining, dining and travelling on this kind of repertoire.
Yeah, well the other repertoire can't prevent a buyout!

jerfilm

#6
Sunday 15 January 2012, 15:27
Has anyone discovered this as a download anywhere that those of us in the colonies can buy?? 

J

petershott@btinternet.com

#7
Tuesday 17 January 2012, 15:09
I had ordered the Andreae symphony immediately on receiving a monthly newsletter from Guild, and before Alan had given his thumbs up. Of course, had I not known of it I would have taken Alan's recommendation into account. But ordering the symphony was impelled by how good I found the previous three Guild CDs of the chamber music - string quartets and other works. Really fine works - and equally fine recordings.

Of course, that's just a bit of autobiography of interest to none but myself. What could be of real interest to other readers of the forum is my experience of ordering direct from Guild. I had always 'saved up' for a Guild CD since they are especially expensive within the UK (i.e. sources such as MDT or Amazon). However I noted on the Guild website that the CDs are generally £8.50 each. I thus couldn't resist ordering a little clutch, including not only Andreae but the Tovey chamber music discs, and the recent Brun symphonies. And the postage on that lot amounted to £2.91. The whole process caused a little skip of joy!

eschiss1

#8
Wednesday 18 January 2012, 04:13
I don't think I've yet heard his music, but I have seen some chamber works (which have also been recorded recently) in score and thought they looked promising...

petershott@btinternet.com

#9
Friday 20 January 2012, 13:48
I've now listened (but once) to the Andreae symphony on the new Guild disc.

First impression: wow! It is a 4 movement work (played without a break) lasting just short of 30 minutes. It dates from 1919 (thus composed when Andreae was 40 and already an admired and experienced conductor in Zurich).

My initial impression is of a masterly work. It seems superbly orchestrated, and has a firm seamless development. The 2nd movement is a profoundly moving funeral march, and after an energetic Allegro molto 3rd movement, the symphony progresses to a magnificent final movement and a compelling conclusion.

Apologies - sub-inferior musical analysis operating here! But first reaction is to share my experience rather than further dissect the work.

The disc is generously filled with three other orchestral works by Andreae. Not sure about the 'origins' of the recordings. But interestingly we have a Swiss label using the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (as far as I recall label and orchestra are meeting up for the first time). All works conducted by the composer's grandson, Marc Andreae. Recordings took place in the Lighthouse, Poole, Dorset - familiar from many other Bournemouth SO recordings.

Whao, hats off to all concerned! And fingers are tightly crossed that these same forces will soon give us Andreae's Violin Concerto - written in 1936 for Adolf Busch. There's much about the work in the magnificent two volume Tully Potter book on Busch, but there are (to my knowledge) no commercial recordings.

I remind all that I heartily recommend the three Guild discs of Andreae's chamber music. Lovely!

This is the first recording of the Symphony...and thus the pool of unsung works diminishes by one (but still a hell of a way to go yet!)

Apologies for the excited, breathless gabble!

M. Henriksen

#10
Friday 20 January 2012, 14:45
Thanks for the useful review, or breathless gabble as you put it :)
We are on the same wavelength when it comes to musical analysis! I think I'll have to buy this one!


Morten

eschiss1

#11
Friday 20 January 2012, 14:53
Apologies again for brief tangent that may deserve its own thread eventually, but I rather like the internationalism (recently? not so recently? actually, I gather recently) shown in performances and recordings (it has its faults and problems too I know...) - where - for recordings - the recording label, orchestra, conductor, and composer - and sometimes soloist for concertante orchestral works - and perhaps venue, also - will quite a few times all be from different countries (as I remember a reviewer having pointed out once or three or more times.)

Alan Howe

#12
Friday 20 January 2012, 15:19
Well, my copy came today and I'm have a quick listen as I type. First impressions are extremely favourable: this is a symphony about 'big things' without suffering from late-Romantic over-inflation. I'm somewhat reminded of Paray's symphonies, but I'll report back when I've got my bearings more fully...

Dundonnell

#13
Friday 20 January 2012, 16:04
Quote from: Alan Howe on Friday 20 January 2012, 15:19
Well, my copy came today and I'm have a quick listen as I type. First impressions are extremely favourable: this is a symphony about 'big things' without suffering from late-Romantic over-inflation. I'm somewhat reminded of Paray's symphonies, but I'll report back when I've got my bearings more fully...

The Paray symphonies ??? I did not know these were available. Would that be the Grotto cd coupling of the two ???
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