Hermann Suter (1870-1926)

[albion]

This afternoon I was shown a vocal score of Swiss composer Hermann Suter's oratorio Le Laudi di San Francesco d'Assisi (1923). From a rather cursory glance I was very intrigued and he's definitely now on my 'to investigate' list: there is a recording of this large-scale choral work with the Budapest Philharmonic, and Suter's Symphony in D minor, Op.17 (1914) is available from Sterling.

There is also another performance of Le Laudi available as a download from amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Suter-laudi-San-Francesco-dAssisi/dp/B004QQYL3G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1305481507&sr=1-1).

I think that both Gareth and Alan spoke well of Le Laudi in another thread, but which recording does better justice the the piece? Also, what of the Symphony? 


My interest was sparked through knowledge of Walford Davies' wonderful setting (1912) of the same text as The Song of St Francis.

[Alan Howe]

I can certainly recommend the Budapest performance of Le Laudi on Musiques Suisses. As for the Symphony, I remember it being somewhat hard going - unlike Le Laudi which is a radiantly beautiful score.

PS I'll give the Symphony another listen and report back...

[Alan Howe]

Well, I was wrong! The Symphony is an absolute riot - think Strauss' Alpine Symphony with a bit more of a frown (especially in I). Very noisy, but with an abundance of  orchestral colour throughout. The basic template is Strauss, I suppose, but there's a more serious symphonist at work here. But heck, is it noisy...!

[albion]

Thanks, Alan - this Symphony is definitely on my list now! Regarding Le Laudi di San Francesco d'Assisi I decided to try the 1991 live recording from Bern -

Audrey Michael, soprano; Jutta Winkler, alto; Aldo Baldin, tenor; Jacob Will, bass/ Philippe Laubscher, organ/ Bern Bach Choir/ Children's Choir of the Sekundarschule Bolligen/ Bern Symphony Orchestra/ Theo Loosli, conductor

- and was rewarded with a beautifully sung and played performance of this deeply impressive work: this is definitely one of my most valuable discoveries so far of 2011.

The download is available from classicsonline for only £4.99 - http://www.classicsonline.com/catalogue/product.aspx?pid=1109614

[albion]

I see that there has also been a recording of Suter's Violin Concerto in A minor, Op.23 (1924) -



Musikszene Schweiz MGB CD 6169

- and Daniel Hope gave the US premiere with the American Symphony Orchestra under Botstein in 2008.

Has this work found it's way into anybody's collection? 

[Alan Howe]

Yep - it's another fine work. Not long, but beautiful and predominantly lyrical. I can certainly recommend the CD.

[Gareth Vaughan]

I agree. Unfortunately, I do not find the companion piece nearly so attractive.

[Alan Howe]

Quite, Gareth. A more obvious coupling would have been the VC by Schoeck.

[X. Trapnel]

I was at the Hope/Botstein concert; the concerto is ravishing, stylistically somewhere beteween Raff and Brahms (not a bad place to be); I was reminded of the music of Paul Juon. No download has been released as yet (though this was the same concert the included the Marx Autumn Symphony).

[eschiss1]

The Schoeck concerto has been recorded (though it isn't anywhere near to being a warhorse or in every classical fan's collection etc. Love that "ending"... ... love the piece, indeed.)

Still, who knows, the fact that the Schoeck concerto has been recorded several times may have entered their considerations as similar things have not with some other record producers'... I can only guess!

[Alan Howe]

The Suter VC is more advanced harmonically than either Brahms or Raff - definitely, although enjoyably 20thC. Juon's a better comparison, but mainly because he's a contemporary of Suter.