Of all the unrecorded music in all the world...

[albion]

I would heartily endorse the request for first-class recordings of Holbrooke's Dramatic Choral Symphony and 'Apollo and the Seaman'. Personally, I would be torn between two projects, the modesty of which would probably allow both to be realised:

1. a complete recording of Holbrooke's operatic trilogy 'The Cauldron of Annwn': 'The Children of Don', 'Dylan' and Bronwen' (1908-1920). This massive achievement has been much ridiculed and derided as 'second-hand Wagner'. Undoubtedly Holbrooke and Ellis were inspired by the monumental mythology of 'The Ring' but the actual end-product is very individual: 'Bronwen' (in excerpts broadcast by the BBC in 1995) sounds quite unlike anything else in British (or any other) music;

2. a complete recording of Rutland Boughton's Arthurian cycle of music-dramas: 'The Birth of Arthur' (1908/9), 'The Round Table' (1915/16), 'The Lily Maid' (1933/4), 'Galahad' (1943/4) and 'Avalon' (1944/5). Nothing much is known about these (especially the later works) but Michael Hurd's descriptions certainly make me very eager to hear them.

Of course top-flight British soloists, chorus, orchestra and conductor would be de rigueur! I can already see the Chandos advertisements in Gramophone.

[Kriton]

It really bothers me that works of famous composers are held hostage like that....there's a piece for cello and orchestra by Debussy that's like that too.

I completely agree, it's beyond my understanding that someone would withhold compositions (by famous composers!) from the public. But, tell me about the Debussy piece? I've never heard of the work, is it from his early period, like the fantasy for piano & orchestra? I've tried to google it, without success...

[eschiss1]

Sorabji's works with orchestra (with or without chorus, from his first piano concerto through his late Missa alta sinfonica etc.)  Like many others I had quite a few works and composers to choose from, but this tops my list. (If "unrecorded" means, not existing in even so much as a private recording, then this does admittedly disqualify quite a few entries submitted to date in this thread and also one or two of the Sorabji works, since one of his piano concertos has been broadcast; but I take it to mean commercially recorded? I am aware that many of the Sorabji orchestral works are not yet available in performing editions, but can wait.)
Eric

[Jonathan]

Blimey: there's another challenge. Would anyone care to list the Liszt (sorry) four-hand and two-piano stuff that has yet to be recorded?
Cheers
Martin

Martin, check your inbox!

[TerraEpon]

me about the Debussy piece? I've never heard of the work, is it from his early period, like the fantasy for piano & orchestra? I've tried to google it, without success...

Basically, there's a piece for cello and piano called simply Intermezzo. It's been, as far as I know recorded once, by Daniel Muller-Schott (and there's a live version floating around too). There's a piece that is PROBABLY the orchestration of this in a private holding. IIRC it's a pretty early piece, yes (my book lists 1882)

(incidently, there's also a piece called Intermezzo, L 40/(L 27 old catalog) that was thought to be an arrangement of this...but isn't, which is why the cello piece has no number).

[Gareth Vaughan]

To readers of this forum it will come as no surprise that I would strongly endorse the wishes for recordings of Holbrooke's major orchestral/choral works: The Bells, Queen Mab, Apollo and the Seaman, the Dramatic Choral Symphony Op. 48.  Of course The Cauldon of Annwn trilogy would be marvellous - it contains some of his finest and most original music. There are, however, some less than inspired portions and a few embarrassingly bad bits in the librettos (which, on the whole are actually, not at all bad). "Bronwen" is the most consistently good - and could probably stand revival. "The Children of Don" is grim and powerful, but tends tp sprawl somewhat. "Dylan" is more a series of scenes than a dramatic whole; it is also obscure from an audience's point of view. However, it contains some truly glorious music; it also contains moments of bathos as when the hero, Dylan, signals his arrival by singing offstage: "I sing; I have sung; I can sing better." (!!!)
But Holbrooke, definitely. And John Foulds' "Vision of Dante".  And Bantock's "Christ in the Wilderness".

[albion]

My strongest recommendations for new recordings of Bantock would be: the two 'companion' works for chorus and orchestra 'The Time-Spirit' (1904) and 'Sea Wanderers' (1907), both written to colourful texts by Bantock's wife Helen (the latter work features a fog-horn, which unfortunately is not prominent enough on the off-air BBC recording I have); 'The Pilgrim's Progress' (1928) which I have always thought a much more attractively varied work than the somewhat monotonous 'Song of Songs'; and the celtic-inspired opera 'The Seal Woman' (1924). In spite of Hyperion and Chandos' marvellous advocacy, there is a wealth of glorious music by Bantock still unheard.

[chill319]

Assuming that you mean never commercially recorded, for me Wilhelm Berger's Symphony 2 immediately springs to mind.

[TerraEpon]

In spite of Hyperion and Chandos' marvellous advocacy, there is a wealth of glorious music by Bantock still unheard.

Any purely orchestral works left, or did Hyperion take care of them all?

[Alan Howe]

Yes, I know of no unknown 19th century (just!) symphony to match Berger 2. It's a cracker...

[Ilja]

Definitely Julius Otto Grimm: his great Symphony in D minor. I have the score...
[Coupling: one of the three Suites...]

Maybe the Grimm combined with Hugo Ulrich's Symphonie triomphale in C,  op. 9 from 1853? Definitely a thrilling listen!

[Alan Howe]

Toccata will usually only release 1-composer CDs...

[Pengelli]

Havergal Brians opera 'The Tigers'. In my opinion a genuine eccentric masterpiece,and not only one of the greatest English opera's,but one of the very few genuinely funny ones ever written. A 'dream' opera up there with Martinu's similairly underated,but less neglected 'Julietta'. It puts Albert Herring in the shade. (Although I love the old singers that Britten used on his own recording) Mind you,I'm not sure that you could better the old BBC Studio recording,which was absolutely marvellous! If only they would repeat it or someone could find a way of releasing it. I am an optimist though,and I am sure 'The Tigers' will eventually appear on cd,or even on stage!!!!!!
  I agree with the Holbrooke nominations,whole heartedly,and 'Fredegundis',which really does need a recording. More Bantock.yes,as the cd companies seem to have gone quiet on this front. Maybe,Vernon Handley has put them off! Oh,and Gustav Holst's 'The Perfect Fool'. The complete opera,as opposed to just the ballet. A recording,in my opinion, long overdue.
  But you did say one cd,so I would probably go for Holbrooke or Havergal Brians wonderful Symphony No 5 'Wine of Summer',with an appropriate coupling' I wish to goodness someone would release that one. And Patric Standford's Symphony No5, would be very nice too.Particularly, the BBC studio recording. Gaze Cooper sound as if he could be interesting.too!

[Pengelli]

Correction! Gaze Cooper 'sounds' as if he could be interesting. Over to our experts here for that one!!!!

[eschiss1]

As alternatives to the Sorabji works in my first post I feel half-obliged (yeah, right) to mention something more feasible-
(1) the symphonies of Dimitrie Cuclin (though no. 12, which if ever performed may clock in around 6 hours, has that problem all over again. The two of his symphonies that have been recorded, back on LP, were of more normal length. I've heard one of those two, and another on private tape, and am very impressed.)
(2) The symphonies of Jan Zimmer (1926-, Slovak composer.) Hints of Prokofiev and Shostakovich, very original orchestration.  12 symphonies, no.1 was recorded on LP in 1963 by Ladislav Slovak and the Slovak Phil. with sym. 2 by Jaroch, most but not all of the other 11 again only as radio tapes apparently and some of them not even that.  Really good and I think worth having see CD. No Wikipedia entry in any language I can find, by the way, though there is an IMDB one.
(3) Koechlin's 2nd symphony (mostly orchestrations of piano pieces and other works, as described in a recent book on the composer that can be skimmed at Google Books. The overall effect of this symphony - a sort of Bach-ish fugue, a much more modern scherzo, an again solemn slow movement preceding the finale- is unsettling, interesting but- and- I think very well of it...)
Agreed re: Brian 5. And it would be good to have 22-24 back. 22 existed on LP and 23 & 24 on pirate LPs, so maybe they are out of this thread (I'm not sure if 5 was ever in the Aries LP series?)
Eric