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A bit of philosophising. One of the features of good/beautiful music is (or could be) memorability of the theme(s). But the question is, is it really necessary that we, as a listener, require memorability so that we can criticise the music as successful?
I've just listened to the PCs of August Winding and Emil Hartmann (Danish Piano Concertos II). Not memorable to my ears, but I enjoyed it tremendously.
Any opinions?

This seems to be an interesting release.
Norman's piece sounds the most attractive, but that must have something to do with the opus number...

This afternoon I've been listening twice to Rubi's 2nd. It has been too long ago. I didn't realize that I could be so strongly begeistert by the very subtle, emotional Adagio non troppo. How deeply heartfelt.

I'm wondering what members think of Rubinstein's Second?

I don't know whether this subject has been discussed before in another thread or our former forum, if so, please accept my apologies.

I came to this thread after listening again to Röntgen's lovely VC's. I was thinking, did Röntgen developed a style of his own? Can I recognize a piece of music as typically Röntgen? No, despite the fact that his music is so very tuneful and memorable. And he created all the themes by himself, that's for sure.

We all know that German composers like Van Beethoven, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Brahms and of course also Wagner (and Liszt) had an enormous influence on other composers. How many unsung (and sung) composers developed significantly a style of their own, not strongly influenced by those Big Names? (Rufinatscha comes to mind as an example.)

My question is, do we know of unsung composers who evidently influenced other composers (unsung and/or even sung)?

Another question is, how strong was the German musical influence in non-German countries?

I've just read in Gaudeamus, Röntgens biography by Dr Jurjen Vis, how much Brahms and Von Herzogenberg were charmed by Röntgen's Serenade for wind instruments op. 14 (1876). Brahms wrote in a letter (Januari 1877) to Clara Schumann the following: "Die Serenade von Röntgen war ganz allerliebst, wirklich erfreuend. Von einer reizenden Frische, sinnig und innig. Ich habe noch nichts so Gutes von ihm gehört. Dazu der ganze ehrliche und warme, junge Mensch, das kann einem doch Freude machen."

Now we can judge for ourselves. This serenade will be released with other chamber music for wind instruments. No audio excerpts yet available, but as a Röntgen fan my order is already in...

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/Julius-R%F6ntgen-1855-1932-Kammermusik-f%FCr-Bl%E4ser/hnum/2089074

Last Sunday afternoon I listened again to my favourite performance of Chopin's PC1 by the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire under the baton of Stanislaw Skrowaczewski  with Alexis Weissenberg at the piano.
Today I've read in the newspaper the obituary of Alexis Weissenberg. He is considered as a controversial pianist. Some people think his playing is disgusting, others admire his powerful virtuosity. For me his interpretations of Chopin's music for piano and orchestra (1967) is definitive.
I didn't realize that Weissenberg also composed piano music (see here) and even a musical, La Fugue (1979).

Any specific opinions about Alexis Weissenberg?

[X]

X's compositions, published and unpublished, cover the whole range of music in every art form – they all show consummate mastery in every aspect of technique. Even in the most facile there is beauty and wit. Each series of works culminates in something that has the uniqueness of a living masterpiece.

My questions ares: (1) who wrote those words and (2) who is X?

Anything but a thrilling topic, but just out of curiosity...

What is your last CD purchase of this year?
Mine is the double CD with orchestral music by Alphons Diepenbrock (on Chandos).

[Wouter Hutschenruyter sr. (1796-1878)]

Wouter Hutschenruyter sr. (1796-1878) was a Dutch composer of Rotterdam. In his days he was well-known as a virtuoso hornist. He composed apart from 3 symphonies and 2 overtures (one for horn and orchestra) also 5 horn concertos. The Fifth dates from December 1872 and is as far as I'm aware the only piece of music by Hutschenruyter sr. that has ever been released. It can be found on the disc Dutch Horn Concertos, see here. It's a wonderful concerto lasting only 10:34 and consists of 3 movements without a pause in between.

His son, Willem Jacob Hutschenruyter (1828-1889) was also a musician from Rotterdam. Willem Jacob must have been a skillful piano player and sought-after teacher, but his favourite instrument was the horn. From 1864 until 1887 he was the Chapel Master of the Rotterdam Wind Militia, just like his father was during 1813-1865.
He has written several symphonies and phantasies on opera's like Tannhäuser, but these works aren't available.

Wouter Hutschenruyter jr. (1859-1943), Willem Jacob's son, was a conductor and composer, who had as a young student piano lessons from such big names as Bargiel and Gernsheim. He also played the violin and viola. Especially as a concert pianist Hutschenruyter jr. had a fine reputation. He was a busy and important man in the Dutch musical life, and because of all his activities he didn't compose much.
Wouter jr. wrote a Nocturne for Horn and Orchestra, op. 13, which can be heard on the same CD featuring Dutch Horn Concertos. For other information see this.
Intriguing is his op. 5, a Piano Concerto in E flat major (another source gives the key C minor, see here), from 1883. This work must have been quite popular in his days and had more than 20 performances. Three scores, including his PC, are available at the Nederlands Muziek Instituut, see here.
How much I like to hear his PC op. 5. Who doesn't? It could very well be a hidden treasure. The score is there...

For me the symphonic music of both Parry and Stanford. Unbelievable that I didn't discover this wonderful music so many years earlier. I had some CD's, but no symphonies. It has been an utter delight exploring their music. Maybe for 2012 I will go deeper into their chamber music.

But for me the absolute trouvaille of the year is Samuragochi's Hiroshima Symphony. Each time I listen (without being disturbed) to this magical, extremely impressive symphony it leaves me completely overwhelmed.

This forum gives me a substantial pleasure in life, that's for sure.

Ever heard of this Portuguese composer? Recently a CD with chamber music for violin was released.  The excerpts can be listened here and sound interesting.
A bit of Debussy, a bit of Lekeu, but in general it stands on its own.

Just like last year the Museum at Innsbruck is helping Santa Claus to make buying presents easier. 15 pages (Seite 1/15) with a lot of Rufinatscha, Gänsbacher and other musical treasures from the Tyrolean Alps. See here.

Brahms passed away on 3 April 1897. His death was for several composers a reason to write music in memory of the great composer.

Reinecke dedicated his 3rd Sonata for Cello and Piano in G major, op. 238, "To the Manes of Brahms". Composed in 1897, this "pearl of the not all too plentiful cello literature" was premiered on 9 October 1897. (Carl Reinecke, Complete Violoncello Sonatas on MDG, 2011, booklet notes).

Parry wrote the orchestral Elegy for Brahms in A minor, a private tribute. Composed in 1897, this wonderful work had its first performance on Parry's own memorial concert in 1918, conducted by Stanford. (Parry, Symphonic Variations etc. on Chandos Collect, 2000, booklet notes).

Are there other works dedicated to the memory of Brahms?

If you like this genre, you can find many of such works. For example, Robert Volkmann composed six of them. All are performed by the Mannheimer Streichquartett and released on 3 cpo CD's in 1998 (now at jpc available for EUR 5.99 per CD only), see here. Personally I think these works belong to Volkmann's most wonderful music. Very warm, intimate, full of memorable tunes, a lot of heartfelt passages, enough depth, in short: Romantic chamber music at his very best. Warmly recommended!

BTW, Raff's wonderful Nos. 6&7 are even cheaper, see here.

Which string quartets do you like and recommend?

I suppose most of us know his delightful, sparkling Konzertstück for Clarinet and Orchestra in F major, in the style of Carl Maria von Weber.

What do we know about this composer apart from what the booklet notes of the CD 'The Clarinet in Concert' tell us? Is there a list of his works? Other work(s) released on CD?

In March 1882 Joseph Rheinberger composed Six Pieces for Violin and Organ, op. 150. Three of those pieces were arranged for violoncello and organ by Rheinberger himself. It looks to me like a most unusual combination of musical instruments in the Chamber Music repertoire.
I'm wondering whether members know of other remarkable combinations of instruments?

There is quite a lot of music for horn and orchestra and chamber music with horn in the Classical era. What happened in the Romantic era? Was the horn in disgrace? I have the impression that music with solo horn is rather scarce.

Dietrich wrote his Introduction and Romance for Horn and Orchestra, op. 27, Glazunov a Rêverie for Horn and Orchestra in D flat major, op. 24 and Ries composed a Concerto for Two Horns and Orchestra in E flat major, WoO.19.
Von Henselt wrote a Duo for Piano and Horn in B minor, op. 14 (although I'm not sure whether it was originally meant for horn), Von Herzogenberg a Trio for Piano, Oboe and Horn in D major, op. 61, Jenner composed a Trio for Piano, Clarinet and Horn in E flat major and Rheinberger a Sonata for Piano and Horn in E flat major, op. 178. Of course there are some quartets, quintets and perhaps sextets featuring a horn.

Do members know other examples of music for horn and orchestra and duos or trios with a horn?

Anyone familiar with this composer, cellist and teacher, who has been mentioned before in several threads? Some of his music is released, e.g. the clarinet and oboe concertos.  I wonder how they sound. Mendelssohnian?  Is a complete list of his works available?

Every member knows the Hexaméron (1837, by Liszt, Chopin, Czerny, Herz, Pixis and Thalberg).
A lesser well-known, but most enjoyable joint composition is the FAE Sonata for violin and piano (1853). The 1st movement is composed by Dietrich, the 2nd & 4th by Schumann and the 3rd by Brahms. The work is dedicated to their mutual friend Joseph Joachim, the bachelor (until May 1863) whose maxim was Frei, aber einsam (FAE, free but lonely).

Any other examples from the Romantic era?

Moeran seems to me a composer who deserves a thread of his own. I think his Symphony in G minor, with the beautiful 2nd movement, and his Violin Concerto are very fine works, but so far his sombre Cello Concerto grabs me most.

Any opinions on Moeran's works? What do you like best? Who are the best performers of his orchestral music?