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Well done, John-Boy! A poet - and don't 'e know it...

The set's now being advertised by jpc at EUR39.99 for the three CDs:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/joachim-raff-samson/hnum/11860991

cpo would be my first choice: they mostly release German radio recordings and there are conductors who would do a good job - such as Golo Berg, who tells us that his performance of Grimm's magnificent Symphony was recorded for release sometime soon. Toccata Classics have put out two superb CDs of Thieriot's chamber music, so they too might be interested.

Well, I've been doing some comparisons (using headphones at Presto) between this new release and the two Hyperion CDs which feature the piano concertos involved - and I have to say that I really don't think the Swedish Chamber Orchestra are up to the job, especially in the slow movements where the strings in particular sound (to me) undernourished by comparison to the BBCSSO. Mind you, Paul Wee is an astonishing pianist and I can certainly see what Revilod means by his treatment of the finale of the Bronsart.

Anyway, for me this would be a pointless repeat purchase. But maybe piano-fanciers will feel differently. And to be honest, I don't think this was ever going to be a release for me as I tend to avoid HIP-influenced recordings if alternatives are available. A sign of my age and prejudices, no doubt...

To return to Thieriot: as far as I can tell no-one of his generation was writing symphonies (nine of them) over a comparable 46-year period (1872-1918). They're crying out for an enterprising label to take them up.

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.

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

Great. It's a date!

The sight of that consignment of CDs is almost too much to bear...

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...

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

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

Exactly:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnpC0vfHMnw

I looked online for a reference to the piece, but without success.

Thanks, Fred. Wir freuen uns darauf!

Nor do I, sadly. However, there is, I am sure, a piece of music very much like VW's Tallis Fantasia written (I think) by an American composer. Trouble is, I can't remember who.