Unsung orchestras?

[Alan Howe]

No doubt it is special to hear the Berlin Phil or Vienna Phil - or, my own favorite, the Cleveland Orchestra - but unsung music is rarely performed by the world's greatest orchestras. Nevertheless, when inspired, unsung orchestras can also deliver the goods. So, have forum members any examples of unsung repertoire which is enhanced by the inspired playing of an unsung orchestra, whoever the conducter might have been?

My nomination: the Cologne Gürzenich Orchestra under James Conlon in Bruch's symphonies on EMI.

[Ilja]

I remember the Paine Symphonies being played by the New York Phil under Zubin Mehta. A while back, mind...

[petershott@btinternet.com]

I quibble! Fortunately Bruch doesn't quite count as unsung, surely?

Next, by an 'unsung orchestra' I suspect you really mean a 'less than frequently recorded one'. There are various orchestras that lack recording contracts but whose audiences would object to their being classified as 'unsung'.

No matter, for I am open to the same quibbles in the following suggestion! I never really rated Villa-Lobos as a composer deserving of prolonged consideration until I encountered the BIS recordings of the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra (under John Neschling). I wouldn't want too much Villa-Lobos on my desert island (or in solitary cell) but the playing of the orchestra here is quite phenomenal. And the orchestra before these discs came along could be called 'unsung' in Europe at least.

Peter

PS And that gives rise to a real teaser: if you were, alas, confined to a solitary existence for a prolonged period then which single composer would be least likely to drive you to a deranged state? I suppose it has to be Bach?

[Alan Howe]

I quibble! Fortunately Bruch doesn't quite count as unsung, surely?

You are welcome to quibble, of course! But Bruch's symphonies are certainly unsung - as is virtually all his output with the exception of VC1, the Scottish Fantasy and Kol Nidrei.

However, I agree about the Sao Paolo orchestra under Neschling: I have them in two Medtner concertos and they are superb!

[Alan Howe]

I remember the Paine Symphonies being played by the New York Phil under Zubin Mehta. A while back, mind...

The NYPO are hardly an unsung orchestra, though...

[mbhaub]

I have heard many of the worlds "great" orchestras, and I've heard many of the lesser known orchestras. Trust me, the Chicago Symphony can play a concert poorly and without any enthusiasm at all, and the Des Moines Symphony can play a concert that will knock your socks off.

There are plenty of smaller, regional orchestras in the US that are just superb. They may not have the last word in finesse, brilliance, and power, but when the stars are aligned just right, some magical things happen. I've been terribly disappointed at time with expensive concerts by Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Cleveland (!), New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Minnesota, Dallas, Detroit...the list goes on. And I've been thrilled to death at concerts by San Diego, Phoenix, Tucson, Colorado, Des Moines, Grand Rapids, Erie (PA), Kansas City and many others. It's a combination of things: the music, the setting, the conductor, the audience and other intangibles. Many of these smaller orchestras put on shows every bit as good as the big boys.

It's easy to see why there are so many good orchestras: the music schools just keep cranking out highly trained professionals at the rate of about 30,000 per year. These people want to play somewhere, and so even the hinterlands have top notch players available. 60 years ago the Big 5 were something special, but now there are dozens of orchestras that play as well. The only thing holding them back is a serious lack of conducting talent. The days of Ormandy, Szell, Toscanini, Walter, Klemperer, Cluytens, Boult, Barbirolli and countless others are long gone...

[edurban]

The Bis release (recorded 2001) of the Lalo symphony conducted by Kees Bakels features the Mayasian Philharmonic Orchestra.  Absolutely stunning performance of this undersung/unsung piece.  Handily beats the old Beecham recording with the ORTF, IMO.

David

[petershott@btinternet.com]

Oops, Alan. If you're referring to the Medtner concertos performed by Sudbin (superb performances) released by BIS then the 2nd concerto is done by the North Carolina Orchestra.

Now since the North Carolina orchestra certainly seems unsung (at least to me), then because its playing is equally superb to that of the Sao Paulo in Medtner in the first concerto, then given that the Medtner concertos are unjustly unsung, here we have a genuine case of an unsung orchestra enhancing this unsung repertoire by their inspired playing. Q.E.D, eh?

Peter

[Alan Howe]

Oops indeed! My apologies for the misattribution. But, as you say, Peter, both orchestras in the BIS releases are unsung and superb. 

[John H White]

The Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra will be performing Paderewski's Piano Concerto in A minor with Agnieszka Pluta as soloist in their concert at the Medina Theatre, Newport at 7.30 pm next Saturday. Tickets are £13.50 for adults and the box office No is 01983 527020. Sorry about that plug Mark.  Mind you, I won't be going myself because I don't fancy the other items in the programme by Britten, Walton and Stravinsky.

[JimL]

£13.50 plus the boat fare for those of your fellow Britons who want, to go, John. 

[John H White]

Yes Jim, and those Isle of Wight ferries aren't cheap. That's one of the snags of living on the Island, especially for a non-swimmer like me. :'()

[M. Henriksen]

I think that Stavanger Symphony Orchestra made its breakthrough with several excellent recordings on BIS, especially worth mentioning are recordings of the orchestral output of Sæverud and Geirr Tveitt.


Morten

[chill319]

The Bucharest Philharmonic Orchestra plays splendidly for Christian Mandeal in Enescu's Symphony 3. One would hope they would, of course, but they greatly exceeded my expectations.

D'Indy has been similarly well served by the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra under Gamba and the Luxemburg Philharmonic Orchestra under Krivine.

The part-time Fort Smith, Arkansas Symphony may not be in their league, but when they record the little suitelike symphonies of native son Still, they play not only affectionately but with pleasurable panache.

[Ilja]

Alan, I was replying to the question which world-famous orchestras had played any unsungs ... but that was somewhat OT, admittedly.

As for great unsung orchestras playing unsung works, allow me to nominate the Malaysian Philharmonic playing the Martucci symphonies under Kees Bakels.