Messages

Hands up for the Reinecke Flute Concerto, which is a really lovely piece.

At my church here in Manhattan, St Mary the Virgin, the choir occasionally sings a Mass by Rheinberger which is absolutely beautiful. Rich full choral writing and lovely harmonies. I would be interested in hearing more of his music.


Steven

Thanks Alan,


I will have to look into that CD. I have always loved the Walton First Symphony. What's not to love there?

It makes me happy to see so many people posting here about Johann Nepomuk Hummel. As I posted much earlier, it was Hummel's B minor Concerto Opus 89 and the music of Alkan that led me into a life-long interest in unsung 19th century music, back in 1968.


Another beautiful piece by Hummel is the great Septet, which I have always enjoyed in the recording by the Melos Ensemble of London. I just checked my CDs of Hummel's music, and I have about 25 or 26 of them. I guess that makes me a devotee!

Marcus,

Ah, George Butterworth! Now there was someone who wrote some gorgeous music. On the Banks of Green Williow, etc. So wonderful.


This whole thread makes me think of Britten's War Requiem, and the poetry of Willfred Owen. So sad.

David,

I was going to second the mention of Lekeu, but you beat me to it. I have loved his Violin Sonata for many years. So much fire to it. I really think he would have become something terrific.

I do second the mention of Lili Boulanger, who was an extraordinary talent.

Speaking of Mozart, Schubert and the other greats who died young, I always find it in a way heartening that they developed so precosciously, as though they knew they didn't have much time. Other composers, Verdi comes to mind, lived a long life and in his case, he seemed to need that time for his long and amazing progression from the earliest operas to such masterpieces as Otello and Falstaff. If he had died at Schubert's age, he would be the merest footnote in musical history. So perhaps in an odd way it all balances out. Who can say?

Earl Wild's passing is sad, but he certainly had  a long and illustrious career. My own favorite of his recordings is the Paderewski Concerto he recorded with Arthur Fiedler. It's chock full of little moments of Wild re-writing and fancifying of Paderewski's original notes, included one of the greatest examples of "blind" octaves leading into the last pages of the Finale. Every time I hear that descending chain of octaves, like a flash of forked lightning, I am thankful that Mr Wild was not a literalist.

May he rest in peace.

I have been listening with immense pleasure to Danny Driver's splendid new Hyperion recording of the Bowen Piano Sonatas. What beautiful, emotionally expansive, pianistically lush works. The only one I had heard previously was #5, recorded by Stephen Hough, and played by him at Alice Tully Hall one memorable time. Driver is a wonderful pianist; lots of color, elan, and a fine ear for texture. I can recommend this set highly. Music well worth hearing. According to his website, Mr Driver is to record some piano music by Balakirev for Hyperion later this year. That should be a good disc.


Steven in NYC

Can I choose the Fauré Ballade Opus 19 for Pf/Orchestra and just call it a Romance? Just this once? It has always been my absolute favorite. So wondrously beautiful.

Steven in NYC

I wonder if you are thinking of Stephen Hough's Hyperion disc of Bowen, rather than Hamelin, who has not recorded any Bowen to my knowledge. Also quite nice is the new Hyperion disc of the Piano Sonatas played by Danny Driver. Indeed quite beautiful music!

Steven

The only thing I really know of Ebenezer Prout are the humorous words he composed for all the fugue subjects of Bach's Well-tempered Clavier. Some of them stick in the mind forever, such as the A minor Fugue, Bk 1:

"On a sandy bank in the river Nile upon a sunny morning, a little hippopotamus was eating bread and jam."

If you know that piece, sing the words to it and see how wonderfully they fit.

Steven in NYC

David,

No, unfortunately I was not at the pre-concert lecture. I was next door at the Met locked away in my studio practicing Humperdinck like mad until just a few minutes before the concert, when I went dashing over to Avery Fisher.

I spent my work day today with Puccini and Mozart, but I am still thinking about how much I enjoyed yesterday's concert.

Steven

I was at this concert today and I thought it wonderful! Extremely generous in length and quite often stirringly played. I enjoyed the von Hausegger symphonic poem 'Wieland der Schmied' immensely. The Goetz concerto is a lovely piece and the Strauss Symphony Opus 12 has some glorious moments.

Leon Botstein is really a treasure for those of us who love the by-ways of 19th century music.

Was anyone else there?

Steven in NYC

There is also Bernard Hermann's splendid music for Citizen Kane. You can youtube Kiri Te Kanawa singing the big fake opera aria, complete with high D at the end. Terrific stuff!

Steven

Reyer's Sigurd has some splendid music in it. Georges Thill, the great French tenor made a magnificent recording of one of the big arias back in the early 1930s, I believe. I would love to see or hear a live performance of this opera.