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Eric, thanks for the sorting correction. I had used the Fesca entry as a template since he shared quite a few categories with Kauffmann and thought I'd removed all the residue, but apparently not.

Of a slightly different character, but definitely post-Brahmsian: Felix Woyrsch (1860-1944) wrote his last three symphonies after the age of 69.

I don't recall anyone here ever reviewing that Gernsheim CD. I listened to the first movement of that E-flat quintet (so far) and was very impressed (though its close connection to late Brahms could be what you're referring to, for all I know...) That said, looking forward to giving the Thieriot work a try.

Being impressed by Gernsheim (the four symphonies under Köhler to be precise) is what got me into the Unsung to begin with, and I've come across anything by him that I considered below-par. What I've heard from Thieriot elicits similar sentiments. It's be so great to have the symphonies in decent recordings.

Gareth, the library catalog seems to contain only Symphony No. 5; can you tell me where you found references to the other ones?

On Thursday 7 (Badajoz) and Friday 8 March (Plasencia), the Orquesta de Extremadura is playing Alexander von Zemlinsky's Symphony in D minor in Badajoz, Spain (along with Beethoven's 2nd Piano Concerto), conducted by Jaume Santonjo. They seem to engage in such relatively adventurous repertoire often; two years ago the orchestra performed Felix Woyrsch' 1st Symphony.

Ehm, there IS still Dvořák's concerto, of course... 

Great observation: if someone includes both "fantastic" and "symphony" in the title, it's inevitable to draw comparisons with Berlioz, leaving poor Franz with little opportunity to shine.

The only Schreck I know is his really rather excellent oratorio Christus, der Auferstandene (Christ, the Resurrected) from 1896*. And I have to say that I like this nonet. It's a pleasantly lightweight piece - in a good way - and exquisitely crafted.

* I am a sucker for large-scale oratorios, so your mileage may vary.

I think it is partly entertaining trash, but trash nonetheless. It just baffles me that someone who is such a master in one musical genre can show such an utter lack of understanding of another. Set that against people like Bretón and Chapí, Zarzuela (similar to Operetta) composers who composed really worthwhile orchestral music.

The scrappy strings are a bigger problem than the repertory as far as Mr. Rudner's reputation is concerned, I think.

I've finally been able to digest Suppé's Fantasia Symphonica and while it may be fantastic, it certainly doesn't appear to be particularly symphonic. "Awkward symphonies by representatives of other genres" is something of a subgenre in itself, it seems - one characterized by the composers' steadfast refusal to conjure up anything approaching a "symphonic argument". There's Bellini's symphony and Verdi's three Sinfonias", all of which wouldn't sound out of place as orchestral sinfonias in the middle of one of their operas (and in Verdi's case, were in at least one case). A particularly interesting parallel case is the Maltese Paolino Vassallo, a composer of predominantly sacral works whose single symphony always sounds as though the choir may come in any moment - but never like a symphony. But even set against all of those, Suppé's work mostly feels like a waste of three overtures.

I've been waiting for this for a long time. And yes, I survived the NotePerformer (not MIDI, not sorry for the nitpick) rendition and actually liked it enough to be really excited for this release. Hobson falls into the "safe hands" category as far as I'm concerned, although sometimes I wish he'd give in a bit more to romantic excess in repertory such as this..

It doesn't have to be a competition, of course. The comparison is interesting, however, because in some ways Beecham and Järvi are quite similar conductors, and Lalo's work suits their temperament. Both recordings are very good. Beecham is perhaps just a tad too quick in the opening movement, and Järvi in both middle movements. But in general approach they're quite similar, despite the 65-year gap between them. Remarkably, the older recording sounds quite a bit better than the (untypically) rather dry sonics in Järvi's Chandos version.

Having said all that, my favorite is still Jean-Pierre Haeck with the Liège Philharmonic on Cypres, a recording which seems a bit "sharper", and effectively bringing out the lightness and fleet-footedness of Lalo's music.

True as that is, the cultural connections and exchanges between Teplitz (and the Sudetenland) and Germany go back much further. Particularly considering the activities of the Sudetendeutsche Partei, nazification of the area had been going on well before that date. Teplitz itself appears to have been a very NSDAP-friendly city throughout the 1930s.

That's very true. The removal of anything Jewish or otherwise "Entartet" and "Un-Völkisch" (and this went way beyond just Jewish influences) left a sizeable gap in the repertory - one that it has never entirely recovered from.

Mr. Boyer, we disagree - and that's fine.

Having said that, to discuss a case of musical plagiarism that (sofar as I can see now) took place entirely during the Nazi years and in which a semi-prominent Nazi cultural official played a role, and dismiss the possible influence of specific and well-known Nazi cultural politics and its proclivities beforehand, seems ... careless.