Stojowski Violin Concerto

[Alan Howe]

Acte Préalable have announced the forthcoming release of the Stojowski Violin Concerto:

http://www.acteprealable.com/albums/new_ap0221.html

http://www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//AP0221.htm

[Mark Thomas]

More good news. It would be good if we could get the Symphony at some stage, too. He's a fine composer.

[Alan Howe]

And some mouthwatering excerpts can be heard here:

http://www.agamarucha.com/en,3,cds,zygmunt-stojowski--violin-concerto-violin-sonata-romance-(acte-prealable.html

Plus, by chance I came across this excerpt (of a quite different performance) on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cR7xy7rRexo

[JimL]

That Violin Concerto sounds more like it's in G Minor, not G Major.  The beginning is definitely in minor mode.

[Alan Howe]

Nevertheless it's billed as being in G major. Wonder how it ends...

[Alan Howe]

Oh dear. The CD turns out to be an opportunity missed. The concerto itself is typical late-Romantic stuff, although on first hearing not particularly memorable. The young soloist is very able technically and pours heart and soul into the many beautiful cantilena passages. But she is accompanied by a student orchestra of less than fifty players - and, while they are prompt and reasonably in tune, they simple lack any sort of heft, except when the brass are playing full-out. This sort of late-Romantic stuff needs a large, preferably professional orchestra, but here the contribution of the student orchestra is pretty anaemic. 

Acte Préalable have some excellent CDs in their enterprising catalogue. This, unfortunately, is not one of them. Caveat emptor - unless you are an out-and-out VC fan!

[TerraEpon]

A shame, I was looking forward to this, since I enjoy the piano concerti so much (and piano pieces to a lesser extent).

[Mark Thomas]

I'm afraid that a couple of listens to the Violin Concerto confirms Alan's initial impressions. Somehow, despite some lovely playing by the soloist, the work fails to ignite and seems to meander. Quite a let down after the two piano concertos and the Orchestral Suite. The Romance for violin and orchestra is much more effective, although it's really only a short rhapsodic work in the tradition of Massenet's Meditation, Svenden's Romance and so on. I've haven't yet listened to the Violin Sonata.

[jerfilm]

There is also a performance of his Konzertstuck for cello and orchestra on youtube - same performers as the Violin Concerto mentioned earlier.  The same site offers also Six Characteristic Compositions for Orchestra, opus 23 of Moritz Moszkowski.  Browse this channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/polcon2009#g/u

Jerry

[Richard Moss]

With respect to YOUTUBE videos, amd mindful of Alan's recent comment about the longevity of copyright, does anyone know how you can tell whether a YOUTUBE video is, or is not, in breach of copyright (i.e. is lor is not egal to download!).

I was trawling YOUTUBE for all sorts of things on my 'like to hear' list (mostly obscure concertos) and found many of them but once I'd seen Alan's recent warning, I felt that since I had no way of knowing which were OK, the only safe option was, with great reluctance, to bin the lot before I listened to them.

If anyone can advise on how to do better than this and stay legal, I'd welcome the advice.

[Mark Thomas]

I don't know, but I assume that most of the current recordings posted by individuals (as opposed to the artists or as promotions) on YouTube are very clearly breaches of copyright and therefore would be illegal downloads. Personally, I don't go near them.

[Albion]

I also would like to deplore the epidemic of blatant theft which constitutes the vast bulk of YouTube music files (including quite a bit of unsung repertoire). Often the file consists merely of a static picture (sometimes but not always) appropriate to the music itself with the music clearly ripped from a commercially-available disc. I can appreciate that with so many files uploaded daily the site is virtually impossible to police, but at present nothing seems to be being done at all to confront a blatant piracy which does nothing to encourage the sales-figures of enterprising record companies. 

Steer well clear!!!

[TerraEpon]

Yeah, quite often you can simply listen to a whole album on YouTube (game music is a biggie especially because they usually are only released in Japan and thus the companies are less likely to pursue it to get taken off).

On the flip side, remember the quality is usually pretty crappy....so one hopes that most people wouldn't use YouTube when they would be otherwise willing to actually spend the money.

[petershott@btinternet.com]

The issue, of course, is not so much the one of how each of us can 'stay legal' (for reasons of self-preservation a natural enough aim!) but to ensure that performers and record companies receive their proper reward.

[petershott@btinternet.com]

I forgot to add that our various breast beatings about legality and morality have led us well away from Stojowski. But what sad news about the Violin Concerto disc. I'd very much enjoyed Jonathan Plowright's two Hyperion CDS of the Piano Concertos and some of the solo piano music. Likewise with the Dux disc of the Op 9 Suite for Orchestra, along with the Spring Cantata and a Prayer for Poland. On that basis I had the Acte Prealable CD of the Violin Concerto on the formidable 'wants list'. But given the remarks about the orchestra it slips down to the bottom of the list.

What a pity. I doubt if another company will rush in and offer a recording of a stronger performance, and thus the work will not get the advocacy I suspect it deserves. I also suspect that had it received a stunning performance from a top quality orchestra in full whack (the soloist is clearly more than fine) then Alan wouldn't have given a guarded welcome to the work but would now be telling us it blew off his socks - for he's obviously a real sucker for full-blooded late romantic violin concertos!