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Hi all,

many thanks for the Kaun and Volbach uploads. It's exciting to get to know these rarities, both of which are quite interesting pieces. I do know somebody who has a copy of the Volbach symphony, so if nobody here has this for share I think I might be able to provide us with a recording at some point.

Regards,
Holger

Hi,

however the work A.S uploaded is definitely the Konzertstück, Op. 9! Probably the station who broadcasted it made a misattribution.

Regards,
Holger

Hi,

I think I would be interested in a recording of Kaun's "Falstaff", so I would be grateful for an upload. Recently I thought to have found a recording of some of his orchestral works including his First Symphony but then I realized these were just synthesized performances.

It's fine how much rarities are posted here. I think I do have some items in my collection which might be of interest as well, will post them bit by bit.

Regards,
Holger

Hi,

this is an older topic but nevertheless I want to give a reply now.

I bought both CPO sets and the Toccata disc months ago, and in fact, this is music I appreciate a lot. Yes, the Second Violin Concerto is a masterful piece, dense and expressive. Maybe I should give some comments on the symphonies. The CPO set presents five of them, in details Nos. 2–5 and the late Chorus Symphony "Von der großen Weisheit" on words by Lao Tse. Raphael wrote many more symphonies, there should be ten of them if I remember correctly, though he only numbered half of them.

The Second Symphony is still much rooted in romanticism, it does have its nice sides and it is certainly an ambitious piece, although Raphael is still in search of his own tone here in my view. The Third was composed ten years later (in 1942), this is a mature piece distinguished by its clarity, its neoclassicist or neobaroque allusions and its vigorous approach. The Fourth is similar, the recording presented by CPO is a historical one conducted by Celibidache. I do think this is a great piece!

The Fifth is more austere, Raphael begins to show an interest in dodecaphony though he doesn't abandon tonality (the piece is in B flat). This tendency can also be found in the Chorus Symphony, which is a massive work lasting 72 minutes even in this recording which presents an abbreviated version as the liner notes tell us. I like this symphony very much, unlike we could expect this is no opulent piece but rather an ascetic, thoughtful and deep work. For me, it seems to be typical of the whole work that in the end, Raphael starts a great apotheosis with chorus and full orchestra building up a climax, but refuses to let the symphony end like that: finally, the music calms down again and comes to a quiet and enigmatic ending. That's a great moment!

So I can only recommend this CD set a lot.

Regards,
Holger

Hi,

as for Murov's symphonies, Latvian is totally right in my view. I was thinking about the chronology myself a while ago and came to the same conclusion. Actually there are not eleven numbered symphonies but six numbered ones plus five symphonies without number. All of them except No. 6 are circulating on some Russian sites, from which I downloaded them myself several months ago.

There is only one remark on No. 4: "Stereophony" is an orchestral piece which is based on two movements from the Fourth. Indeed, it was released on a Melodiya LP. However, the entire Symphony No. 4 is longer, wasn't issued on LP and also, it isn't called "Stereophony" from all I know.

Regards,
Holger

Hi,

I fully agree on the statements above. I discovered Tveitt about seven years ago if I remember correctly and was totally fascinated by his music at once. It is this mixture of folklorism (often in quite a rough and authentic manner) and an excellent sense for sound and atmosphere which I like so much, I think.

His Hardanger Tunes Suites really contain little gems, it remains truely amazing how much he can do in just two or three minutes. Likewise I am a huge fan of his Fourth Piano Concerto, the "Aurora Borealis" one. This piece is distinguished by such a magnitude of colours and moods, probably one of Tveitt's most modern pieces and if coming from the Hardanger suites maybe not the one to continue with, but after listening to it a number of times I have come to the conclusion it's a masterpiece.

There must be more Tveitt available in some way. At least, I do have a broadcast recording of his Symphony No. 1, Op. 183 in my collection. It is called "Christmas Eve", but unlike one might assume this is quite a vigorous piece full of energy. It would certainly be worth a modern recording.

Best regards,
Holger