Stöhr, Richard (1874 - 1967) Symphony No.1, Op.18 (1909)

[Reverie]

There is a recording of this by the St. Olaf College Orchestra, with an unknown conductor. However, sadly, it really is very, very poor quality and does the great work little justice.

So here is my squeaky clean rendition. It has taken a long time but I have enjoyed every minute of exploring Herr Stöhr's wonderful thematic and harmonic inovation and his orchestral brilliance in scoring for a large orchestra.

Four movements: (40 mins)

Andante maestoso - Allegro

Scherzo  - 10' 27''

Andante Religioso - 23' 00''

Finale - allegro  - 29' 45''

LINK:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJg8FWKNnTs

[Mark Thomas]

Oh, terrific! Thanks once again Martin.

[Alan Howe]

I'm listening as I type and this is certainly stirring stuff - thanks so much, Martin. It doesn't seem to sound like anyone else, does it? (Certainly not Brahms, Bruckner, Strauss or Mahler.)

For further info on Stöhr, try this dedicated website: http://www.richardstoehr.com/

[eschiss1]

Toccata's pipeline lists the first volume in a projected set of the man's orchestral music, so this might yet be?...

[Reverie]

Sounds interesting. Hopefully it won't be too long?

[eschiss1]

To clarify, volume 1 does not contain any symphonies, but two works for string orchestra.

[tpaloj]

A powerful and memorable symphony. Exciting, melodic writing all around. I'd buy a new recording in a heartbeat should Toccata and Mr. Hobson choose to tackle this work eventually.

[Alan Howe]

Seconded - heartily!

[Ilja]

I've been in touch with Stöhr's great-grandson, Connor Ballantyne, a year ago, and was planning on dropping by in Northfield before Covid #umpteen hit. Most of Stöhr's work still resides in the St. Olaf archives, including the ms for all the symphonies apart from the first. In the past, Connor, who lives near the college, has indicated that if people are interested in certain works for purposes of digitization, he'd be willing to visit the archives to try and copy those manuscripts. Unfortunately, my own attempts to get in touch remotely last year were unsuccessful, so an on-site presence may indeed be necessary.

[Alan Howe]

Apparently, Toccata have the Symphony 'in their sights'.

[Ilja]

Martin, after having listened a couple of times to the symphony, I want to profess my profound gratitude for your work. While I didn't think the St. Olaf recording was awful (I would rate it a 'valiant effort', hampered by execrable sound), your version makes the work shine in a way that the old recording couldn't. The dances in the scherzo attain a liveliness that I find truly revelatory. I don't think I enjoyed a synthetic recording so much since the Moszkowski symphony.

[Reverie]

Thank you for your kind words. Without the St Olaf recording I might not have been inspired to start it.

It was a long project which I dipped in and out of over a year or so.

I must say choosing to work on many different scores there  is a often a sense of predictability as you plough along. However, with this symphony it was a joy. You just didn't know what to expect next - everything just seems to work without any unecessary padding.

It's great to see there has been a recent release of some of Stohr's later orchestral music. Now if someone could do this symphony I'd be champing at the bit.

[semloh]

Yes, let's hope so, Martin. It is certainly a most enjoyable symphony.

[eschiss1]

Belatedly, Toccata has announced what will be on volume 2: a suite and this symphony.

[Alan Howe]

From the Toccata website:

Richard STÖHR: Orchestral Music, Volume Two
Suite No. 1 in C major for string orchestra, Op. 8
Symphony No. 1 in A minor, Op. 18
Sinfonia Varsovia
Ian Hobson, conductor
First recordings
TOCC0472
https://toccataclassics.com/pipeline/