Ferdinand Thieriot

[Alan Howe]

Thanks for the reminder about Fuchs, although I wouldn't rate him as a symphonist.

Draeseke's 4th is very much a postscript to his symphonic output - and a sui generis commentary on the rising tide of modernism. I wrote about it years back in discussion with Dr Alan Krueck:
https://draeseke.org/essays/sym4howe.htm

At the moment, as far as original symphonists are concerned, I think we're left with Thieriot and, once we've heard the rest of his 1st Symphony, probably Reinhold Becker.
Reminders:
Thieriot No.5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSuKduRk_Ic&t=207s
Reinhold Becker No.1 (whole work): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ievZpsWSPow&t=647s

[Reverie]

Should be able to put up the completed Becker later this week all being well.

[Alan Howe]

Wahay!!!!

[Alan Howe]

Of Thieriot's contemporaries I'd completely forgotten about Ernst Rudorff (1840-1916) whose terrific 3rd Symphony was first performed in 1911.

[Maury]

Thanks for this thread. I purchased a CD of Theriot's chamber works (Octet in B flat and a Quintet). Very satisfying music. I hope more of his chamber works can be issued. As for the symphonies the outlook is increasingly dim IMO because of the economics. I did like the Symphony 5.

[FBerwald]

Weren't Theriot's Piano Concertos going to be recorded for Hyperions RPC. Any update on that?

[Maury]

Listening to the Becker Symphony 1 I think this is the first time I have heard a work that seems to combine elements of the symphonic style of both Brahms and Bruckner. Do others agree or disagree? I like his control over the brass section. My criticism of a number of the unsungs symphonies relates either to a hesitant or rather formulaic use of the brass section. This affects their Finales particularly. The strings and woodwinds are generally handled well by them in contrast. The Becker has good integration of the 3 sections though.

[Alan Howe]

Becker's style derives from mainly from Wagner, I think. This may explain your findings.

[Maury]

I get it that the harmony was more along Wagnerian lines. This is of course an initial impression but there was a kind of solid warmth occasionally to the orchestration that was characteristic of Brahms but more rarely of Bruckner. By solid warmth I mean a rather close integration from bass to treble of the orchestral sections.  Anyway I thought it was a good effort along with the Theriot Sym 5. I wonder why Becker did not write more symphonies.

[Alan Howe]

Becker was primarily a composer of songs and choral music. Please see this thread:
https://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,3817.0.html

As a symphonist he was a very late starter; his biography suggests that he carried the music for his 1st Symphony around in his head for a long time before considering himself ready to begin the composition process.

[Maury]

I saw the old thread but missed the bio reference. So he was another Brahms! It's interesting how intimidated Austro Germanic composers were by past symphonies. I am trying to think of a similar example elsewhere in music history but can't off the top of my head. And yet composers outside of Austria and Germany were writing all kinds of symphonies without any cares.