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I am in the way of digitally transferring an LP from the 1970s, with harp pieces (solo, duets and groups) by this Swiss composer, who was an important personality, since he also worked as a tecacher and music publisher. Incidentally, he is the author of he song "Freut Euch des Lebens", which is still very popular in all Europe.
http://www.volksliederarchiv.de/freut-euch-des-lebens/
in 1895, composer Emile Jaques-Dalcroze wrote a set of entertaining orchestral variations on this tune, entitled "13 petites variations sur 'la Suisse est belle'", which I recorded in 2003 on Sterling CDS-1057-2. This piece is one of my most frequently played items on Swiss Radio, and not only on our National Day :-)
To those who are interested, I can send an MP3 or .wav file of the Nägeli LP transfer

Oh, immense thanks, Aragion :-)

The (digital!) broadcast I did yesterday had about 6 drop-outs in the first act, so I am extremely thankful for this!
It is a very good and extremely dramatic piece. Idon't know the Opera Rara recording at all - and I am not a great fan of Nelly Miricioiu - and I am not sure Renée Fleming is ideal for such a part. Perhaps the older recording with Yvonne Kenny and the Ulster Orchestra is better...
If you want, I have already made a .wav format version with tracks (overture - acts - scenes) and final applause fade-outs.

I had this newly released cpo set in my hands this morning in a shop, but hesitated buying it... Perhaps because I consider Spohr's music too often a bit boring, or perhaps because of Griffiths? Try to convice me, fellow members!
Though, I like his Clarinet concertos and some of his operas, particularly "Faust"

Anna Netrebko's new DGG recital album, entitled "verismo" shows her on its cover in a rather decadent (in my opinion anachronistic) Turnadot costume, as one can guess from its headgear. The rest of the costume is black wings suggesting a death bird. The CD contains two arias from this opera, plus arias from Puccini's "Butterfly", and the ususal box-office pieces by Catalani, Giordano, Boito and Ponchielli.
The "limited super deluxe" edition of this album also contains 3 similarly "decadent" cardboard photos of the artist, plus a 100% silk scarf by Chopard. The Chopard logo of this boxed set appears directly under the yellow DGG logo. This is music for the rich (and decadent) ones. Cannot understand why a consciencious artis like Pappano agreed to such a project... As far as Mrs Netrebko is concerned, we must be prepared for more an more such perversities in the future.
This is music business at its lowest level!
Besides all this bad news, is "Turandot" a verismo piece??

That's good news; hope they are going to make a complete recording!
https://www.balletandopera.com/classical_ballet/The_Bronze_Horseman_/info/sid=GLE_1&play_date_from=31-Mar-2016&play_date_to=10-Apr-2016&playbills=51766

Harnoncourt was also promoting and discovering a lot of unsung music!
He just passed away.
He was one of that handful of conductors from whom I have learnt most. I worked with him at the Zurich Opera for over 20 years. Thanks to him, I learnt so much about Mozart and Bach. He was a great personality with an immense culture (and this not only of music). He belonged to the old guard of Great Masters; his recordings are exemplary and epoch-making. He had an increadible hearing: he always carried with him a harpsichord tuning key and could tune immediately during reherasals to whatever "temper" was requested or adjust wrongly tuned instruments.

At long last I could find a copy of Soja Konstantinova's 280-page biography of Miaskovsky; a German translation published in the GDR in 1981. There is a 9-page complete work catalogue including arrangements - and a list of his writings. The book has alo many illustrations.
One of these days I will scan and trasnform this long work list into a WORD document and reproduce it in here, without translating it into English.
Musik-Konzepte published later on a special numer to the same composer, by the same author; it's also very difficult to find, but probaly it may be a condensed version of the above.

Le Désert (the Desert) is a very interesting, somehow pioneering sort of cantata ("symphonic ode") for narrator, solo tenor, male choir and orchestra. David wrote it in 1844 - at the time Orientalism in the arts was en vogue. It deals about a caravan's journey through the desert during various times of a day, ending into a hymn, glorifying Allah. David had travelled to Constantinople, Jaffa and Beirut.
There is a version of "Le Désert" on the Naive/accentus label, which seems to be the complete (taking 2 CDs).
The Capriccio/Deutschlandfunk recording (abridged, on one CD) is very well done too, and also recommendable. If anybody wants a spare (gift) copy of this CD, I have it in double...
Of David's 5 operas, all have exotic inspirations. His "Herculanum" has been excellently recorded by the Palazzetto Brun Zane label and "Lalla Roukh" by Naxos.
Some of David's chamber music is also available on other "special" labels: his "Four Seasons" for String Quintet are very interesting.
His piano works, the cycles "Les Berises d'Orient" and "Les Minarets", have been recorded by Daniel Blumenthal for Naxos and there are also two CDs with songs by David.

arte showing the 2014 Opéra Royal de Walllonie production of this work tonight at 01:15
http://www.arte.tv/guide/de/047597-001/stradella#details-crew
The (live) recording is available on Dynamic. With Isabelle Kabatu and Philippe Rouillon, a good cast!https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/franck-stradella/hnum/4209891

Although written in 1947, Brun's Cello Concerto (which we recorded last month) is a totally post-Romantic work.
Here the video promo I've just completed. It contains the complete 2nd movement. Sorry, if presently this video is only available in a German version.
https://vimeo.com/141051073
The CD will be released in February 2016

cpo have just re-issued the complete Gouvy Symphonies (4CDs) in one of their usual lovely slipcases.

Hi all :-)
My craziest collection of 78's is the one of Mussorgsky's "Song of the Flea", as interpreted by singers of the past. Alone by Chaliapin, I have 5 different versions. In total there are 33 items, some of which in extremely comic versions - and with piano or orchestral accompaniment. Arrangements are by differenet composers, mostly unnamed. Russian, Baltic, Northern European, German, French, English, Spanish and USA singers can be heard.
The whole would make up a curious double CD with a funny cover, having, for example, a caricature of Mussorgsky riding a big flea...
These interpretations would deserve a particular study - and I am still looking for about 5 missing items before reaching a presumably "complete" shellack collection.
Anybody wanting to know my updated list, can send me a message.
You may know that this "Song by Mephistopheles" has also been set to music by Beethoven and by Busoni.
Is this thread accepted by UC?

[Mark]

Franz Wüllner was, incidentally, Fritz Brun's and Jan van Gilse's teacher at the Cologne Conservatory, where both (in 1901) made composer's degrees with their First Symphonies. One year before, this has been the case of Volkmar Andreae. The WDR has also produced a broadcast of Wüllner's magnificent 36-minutes-Te Deum, op.50.

[This post refers to Semi.Serio's post of the Cello Variations in the Downloads board here. Mark].

I adore the music of this compser and am still trying to find an adventurous record producer and some sponsors to conduct/record his complete Symphonies. There is a wonderful CD on the Fleisher Collection label conducted by Paul Freeman with Gruenberg's Second Symphony and his splendid tone poem "The Enchanted Isle", a recording of 2001 which may have been become difficult to find, but it is higly recommendable.
I have just finished to arrange Gruenberg's miniature song cycle "Animals and Insects" (originally for baritone and piano) for a wind ensemble including
Baritone (of course)
2 Flutes (1st with Piccolo)
Clarinet (with Bass Clarinet) in Bb
Horn in F
Bassoon
Trumpet in C
Trombone
Double-Bass Tuba
(Total duration: ca. 7:30 minutes)
and am, of cours looking now for an American or European wind group which may be interested to give a world premiere performance :-)
Regards from Switzerland
Adriano (conductor)

I have some old recordings conducted by Antoine Dewanger (1905-1974), who seems to be an exciting, totally neglected composer. There is a rumour that he was a Collaborateur during the Nazi Régime.
He composed an impressive "Symphonie Dramatique" for orchestra with an extra group of 9 Saxophones, which I always wanted to record, but could not find any interest from producers/sponsors. Publishers, French, Duch and Belgian Composer's Copyright Offices have no information on Dewanger, what happened there?? His tone poem"Méphisto" and "Marche solennelle" are the works conducted by Dewanger which I have on 78s.
Greetings from Switzerland
Adriano
Conductor/Composer

David Wooldridge, alias Michael Humphry (b. 1927) is the author of an exciting Biography of Charles Ives. As a composer, he wrote one of the most beautiful vocal song cycle with orchestra I ever heard in my life. This work, called Five Italian Songs (1978) was performed by Heather Harper and the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Michael Gielen at the Royal Albert Hall in London, on August 10, 1979). I am fortunate enough to have a recording of this great musical event.
A mystery: nobody in England and in the USA (where the composer lives) can tell me what has become of him. Last time I had him over the telephone was some 12 years ago. He sent me the orchestral and vocal score of Five Italian Songs, published by Hinchinbroke Music. Since then, I could not get in contact with David anymore; my letters remained unanswered, nobody could find out the address of the Publisher, not even the official Composer's Copyright Companies!
Anybody heard of David Wooldrige?
Adriano, Zürich/Switzerland
Composer-Conductor