Recent posts

#1

Composers & Music / Re: Ferdinand Thieriot

Last post by Maury - Today at 16:12

I saw the old thread but missed the bio reference. So he was another Brahms! It's interesting how intimidated Austro Germanic composers were by past symphonies. I am trying to think of a similar example elsewhere in music history but can't off the top of my head. And yet composers outside of Austria and Germany were writing all kinds of symphonies without any cares. 

#2

Composers & Music / Re: Ferdinand Thieriot

Last post by Alan Howe - Today at 12:17

Becker was primarily a composer of songs and choral music. Please see this thread:
https://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,3817.0.html

As a symphonist he was a very late starter; his biography suggests that he carried the music for his 1st Symphony around in his head for a long time before considering himself ready to begin the composition process.

#3

Recordings & Broadcasts / Re: Meyerbeer's L'Africaine

Last post by Alan Howe - Today at 11:48

Spyres has been taking on a lot of heavy repertoire in recent times - I believe he's about to sing Lohengrin, for example. I'd be prepared to give the new set a try if I thought the rest of the cast was up to the considerable demands of L'Africaine, but the excerpts at Presto sound very 'average' to me - in an opera in which world-class vocalism is required.

I won't be abandoning my Blu-ray with Domingo and Verrett (two of the greatest singers of their era) anytime soon, but I appreciate that I'm very picky- and always have been: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCFw51kdApg

#4

Recordings & Broadcasts / Re: Recording of Raff's Samson

Last post by Alan Howe - Today at 11:24

Great. It's a date!

#5

Composers & Music / Re: Ferdinand Thieriot

Last post by Maury - Today at 09:03

I get it that the harmony was more along Wagnerian lines. This is of course an initial impression but there was a kind of solid warmth occasionally to the orchestration that was characteristic of Brahms but more rarely of Bruckner. By solid warmth I mean a rather close integration from bass to treble of the orchestral sections.  Anyway I thought it was a good effort along with the Theriot Sym 5. I wonder why Becker did not write more symphonies.

#6

Recordings & Broadcasts / Re: Recording of Raff's Samson

Last post by adcsound - Today at 09:00

That's very good news, Fred. Could you please let us know when the CDs can be ordered? Thanks!

Dear Alan,

I asked Graziella and it should be around the 20 of May...
Fred.

#7

Recordings & Broadcasts / Re: Meyerbeer's L'Africaine

Last post by Mark Thomas - Today at 08:50

Thanks, Alan, that's helpful. Amazingly the whole thing has been uploaded to YouTube by Naxos here, so one can judge for oneself, I suppose. I asked because I found the cpo Vasco da Gama (interesting that Naxos have reverted to Meyerbeer's original title) a disappointment after so much hype. I must say I thought Spyres sounds pretty good in what I've heard of it so far, but my expectations are notoriously low compared to yours .

#8

Recordings & Broadcasts / Re: Meyerbeer's L'Africaine

Last post by Alan Howe - Today at 08:40

I've avoided it, Mark, both because Spyres doesn't have the 'heft' for the role and because the supporting cast isn't up to scratch. Of course, I'm notoriously fussy when it comes to good singing and may well be missing something special here...

#9

Recordings & Broadcasts / Meyerbeer's L'Africaine

Last post by Mark Thomas - Today at 08:34

Has anyone yet had a chance to compare the new Naxos release of Meyerbeer's L'Africaine with the earlier cpo release? With Michael Spyres in the role of Vasco it's a very tempting buy.

#10

Composers & Music / Re: Ferdinand Thieriot

Last post by Alan Howe - Today at 08:25

Becker's style derives from mainly from Wagner, I think. This may explain your findings.