Brahms "Nullte" Symphony

[Alan Howe]

It'll be a disappointment now if there isn't a commercial recording...

[eschiss1]

I should have guessed out loud (though my guess was on Thieriot rather than Woyrsch) that this was a roundabout and somewhat wrong-headed (but not un-understandable) way of (kind of) "innocent-earing" (except the opposite...)

[Ilja]

It's interesting that some regarded this to be created by generative AI because in a way, it is: just without the "A". Its pastiche-like character was evidently Woyrsch' intention, and it makes the rest of his musical development towards a far more restrained and severe, but still clearly Brahms-influenced style all the more interesting.

By the way, it isn't quite so easy (yet) to generate a full, authentic-sounding symphonic work using AI; I've really tried.

[Mark Thomas]

Felix Woyrsch: Study Symphony in B flat minor (1884?)
Evidence: 
https://soundcloud.com/harmo-nium/felix-woyrsch-symphonie-1884-b-minor-1st-mvt-virtual-performance

Not a fake, but Woyrsch's glorious tribute to his inspiration - Brahms.

Excellent sleuthing and well done, Alan, for identifying it so quickly.

[Alan Howe]

Once I'd moved beyond Brahms' contemporaries, the only choices were Röntgen and Woyrsch. Just a matter of elimination - and a large dose of luck.

[Ilja]

Nice sleuthing indeed. Turns out I'd downloaded this from SoundCloud late last year (which explains why it sounded familiar; duh!); the 2nd Mvt Andante was also available back then, but has apparently since been removed.

Edit: the 2nd Mvt is still on Soundcloud, but for some reason I missed it. Listen to it here.

[Theodore S.]

It's a dark time when one can mistake a real composition by a historical master with AI, because of misrepresentation...

[Alan Howe]

My initial bet was on a more obscure composer; once Brahms' contemporaries were ruled out, it had to be one of his later imitators.

[Mark Thomas]

Woyrsh's Study Symphony may be his first attempt but, for all the deliberate imitation of Brahms, its first two movements are very much to my taste - more, I must admit, than any of his mature works. Like Alan, I do hope that a recording will be forthcoming soon.

[Ilja]

Dear Friends of romantic music!
Sorry for this YouTube fake. But the cup of coffee should have immediately made anyone suspicious!
Okay, an irritation of a ,,special kind". But please guess who else wrote this Zeroth Symphony. (The composer was 23 years old, when he wrote it!)

No Brahms (Although Brahms was one of this composer's role models, he was in correspondence with him), no AI, no Zielke, no Thieriot. Listen to his 2nd Mvt.of 5

https://app.box.com/s/qie4jooma8pk2947yk547e2rlo5kitmx

This symphony is based on the "ideé fixe", as already used by Berlioz in his Symphonie Fantastique. The multiple division of the strings (tenfold divisi in the second movement) is also borrowed from Berlioz. The work was performed several times with great success by the composer himself. Note: The composer learned to conduct from none other than Hans von Bülow. The composer did not get it published due to his young age and withdrew it completely in 1900.

You'll find out for sure!

Dear @Hamburger, perhaps you could enlighten us whether a recording is forthcoming? From the Pfohl-Woyrsch-Gesellschaft I understood that "Symphonies 1 and 6" had been recorded for CPO, but it's been silent since... 

[Alan Howe]

I think we already know that Symphonies 1 & 6 will appear on cpo, but there's been no firm news about the Study Symphony.