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Messages - Alan Howe

#1
I have ordered this book in order to try and find out more information:
'Die Komponisten Eduard und Richard Franck - Leben und Werk, Dokumente, Quellen'
('The Composers Eduard and Richard Franck - Life and Work, Documents, Sources')
https://www.booklooker.de/app/detail.php?aktionID=34577198&setMediaType=0
#2
No idea, unfortunately. The three 'lost' symphonies are:
Symphony in A minor (1846)
Symphony in G minor (1852/1856)
Symphony in B flat (1858) - not B major
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduard_Franck#Orchesterwerke_und_Konzerte

IMSLP's listing does give interesting composition dates for the two extant symphonies, however:
Symphony in A, Op.47: 1860?
Symphony in B flat, Op.52: 1856
https://imslp.org/wiki/List_of_works_by_Eduard_Franck

This positions them both in the so-called Dahlhaus Gap, between Schumann 4 and Brahms 1.
#3
This is a treasurable CD of RVW's forgotten early music, valuable first of all for his once-discarded 20-minute long 'Fantasia' which sounds like nothing else of the period, although the booklet notes mention Brahms and Rachmaninov - of which I can hear barely a trace! This is the work of a composer determined to be his own man.

'The Steersman' is Vaughan Williams in 'Sea Symphony' mode, which isn't surprising as it was originally intended as an extra movement for that work, preceding the finale. Evidently it is thought that the idiom, being more advanced than the rest of the Sea Symphony, would not have been a good fit; it would also have made the symphony 10 minutes longer! Whatever is the case, this is a superb work.

'The Future' seems to be the piece that has required the most reconstruction work on the CD. All I can say is that the result is a blazing 33-minute choral/orchestral masterpiece. This is surely a shoo-in for the Last Night of the Proms. Come on BBC - your resident orchestra and chorus already know the work, so put it on for a wider audience to hear! And kudos to conductor/reconstruction expert, Martin Yates!
 
#5
You are correct. The YouTube link is to Franck's A major Symphony; however, the caption is wrong - it should read "Op.47"
#6
Recordings & Broadcasts / Re: Eduard Franck 1817-1893
Tuesday 26 March 2024, 22:28
The fact that Hans Franke plagiarised Eduard Franck's Symphony in A has led me to give it another couple of listens after years of leaving the CD standing on the shelf. And doing so has reinforced my view that the composer had a genuinely exceptional gift for lyrical writing; it is true that the idiom is very much in the Mendelssohn-Schumann mould, but what marks him out, I think, is the sheer beauty of the writing. In the Symphony the writing for horns - and also the bassoon - is quite individual (can anyone name a symphony which opens with such high-lying writing for the French horn?) So, I think on reflection that there is more to Franck than I had hitherto remembered.

And there's another aspect to Eduard Franck's music: the Symphony doesn't ever really 'move' with either the athleticism of Mendelssohn or the vigour of Schumann. And he's definitely light-years away from Raff's typical symphonic dynamism. In fact, he 'moves' more like Brahms (think in particular of the latter's 2nd Symphony). Franck, in other words, has a 'heavier tread'.

If you've never heard Franck's A major Symphony, it can be heard on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAEPv4Bh_rU&t=643s
#7
Trouble is, you end up checking websites every day...
#9
Composers & Music / Re: Glazunov 4 a hit!
Tuesday 26 March 2024, 17:59
I must have had my Haendel LP in the 70s. Think of it! Those were the days when I had just a couple of Bruckner symphonies on vinyl. I remember being on holiday with my parents in Italy and dreaming about Karajan in Bruckner 4 & 7 (EMI, now Warner). The entirety of my Glazunov collection would have been his VC! But this was over 50 years ago. Imagine 50 years before that, i.e. the 1920s. No wonder plagiarists such as Hans Franke could get away with passing stuff off as his own. No-one would have had a clue!
#10
Not to worry, John. The Carus set was a bargain anyway - 10 CDs for the price of approximately 3! And I'll not be binge-listening!

#12
Composers & Music / Re: Glazunov 4 a hit!
Monday 25 March 2024, 18:51
Oh, the 'Glazunov situation' here in the UK is pretty dire, as far as public performances are concerned. And yet his name is certainly known - unlike most of the composers we discuss here. I first got to know him many moons ago through his Violin Concerto which Heifetz championed, although I never had his recording. The LP I owned was with the great Ida Haendel (Supraphon, I believe). Any resurgence of interest in him would certainly be a discovery for all those involved.
#13
This is the link to their shipping page: https://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/shipping.php
#14
As far as I can see Dutton do ship to Europe. Why not send them an email if you are having problems? - info@duttonvocalion.co.uk
#15
Recordings & Broadcasts / Re: Hahn Violin Concerto
Sunday 24 March 2024, 21:39
No idea. Something to do with Hahn's image as a 'lightweight', perhaps - as a composer of mere art songs? Or just plain ignorance (I hold my hands up here).