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Release date is May 20th.

Yes it is performed rather poorly with thin strings. Are you familiar with the orchestra?

Forthcoming May 3rd on Sterling:

La Part du Diable (1843)
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9612880--auber-la-part-du-diable

What is your opinion on the Lachen performance versus the Leipzig one?

The recording is excellent. I still prefer the Lachen performance as I feel the baritone puts a bit more passion and feeling into it, but this CD is highly recommended for sound quality and hearing all of the orchestral textures.

I still hold out hope that something worthwhile will emerge from Prout's oeuvre.

Off topic from the concerto, but I want to reply directly to your message, Alan. Do you like his 4th symphony? I find it the most memorable of his works.

Concur. It's one of those works you listen to out of curiosity to see what was lost to history, then realize exactly why it was lost. Doesn't hurt as background music.

Found on YouTube a performance of Prout's Clarinet Concerto performed by the Greenwich Chamber Orchestra with David Cutts conducting and Peter Cigleris on the clarinet. According to the video, it is a world premiere performance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIETCwZdYxY

Similar to Prout's fourth symphony which I posted in higher quality here a couple months ago, the concerto sounds like it was written in a late classical or early romantic style. I recommend that everyone reads the description of the video as it gives an interesting story on how the work was discovered.

This is awesome! I had a feeling after its performances in 2022 at Lachen and Leipzig that this work would soon be commercially released.

I am unsure from the cover if this is the May 2022 Lachen performance (the one I attended and currently posted on this forum) or the June Leipzig one or a studio recording. The Lachen one has a flub by the oboe in the beginning of the third section and a mishap by a violin being unable to play for a couple minutes at some point in the first section. The vocal performances by Wolf and Rheinhold are outstanding.

Exciting! I'll definitely be purchasing this for the Quilter, Delius and Mackenzie tracks.

Presto is showing the release date to be in April. Is it usually available 2 months earlier from EM?

Just received my copy and would recommend that everyone give this a try. The three songs by Heinrich Heine are in particular very beautiful, with my favorite being Wo? from 1906. Der frohe Wandersmann from 1904-1909 is a very cheerful work reminiscent of Leo Blech, and Graziella Contratto's orchestral arrangements are vibrant and sound like Schoeck.

Olena Tokar is a passionate singer who knows when to be subtle and solemn as well, and I am looking forward to her performance on the Samson recording.

Has Radio 3 ever done a "Composer of the Week" on Raff?

Further to Martin's mention of the BBC broadcast of Prout's Fourth Symphony, a kind friend has just sent me a recording of the broadcast.

Just uploaded a much higher quality version of the recording, which includes the radio announcer's biographical description of Prout and the work.

[Nachhall (Reverberation)]

Set for release by Schweizer Fonogramm soon. Includes the following:

Nachhall (Reverberation), Op. 70 (1954)
Three Songs by Heine, Op. 4 (1906)
Eight Songs, Op. 17 (1904-09)



https://www.schweizerfonogramm.com/en/cd/nachhall-song-cycles-with-orchestra-by-swiss-late-romantic-othmar-schoeck-1886-1957/

Listening to the opening of the first movement I'm struck by the extra 'fizz and zip' of the performance under Gaudenz.

I also notice this in the second movement with the crisp pizzicato of the basses and also the hopping woodwinds.

In general, I find that the sound on this is the most superior, as I can more distinctly hear the woodwinds.

I'll be keeping an eye out if Gaudenz will be taking a crack at the other symphonies. It's clear that he brings a much-needed perspective to Raff's later symphonies.