Unsung Composers

The Music => Composers & Music => Topic started by: Gareth Vaughan on Sunday 05 February 2017, 16:18

Title: Ewald Straesser (1867-1933)
Post by: Gareth Vaughan on Sunday 05 February 2017, 16:18
Does anyone know where I can find a full score of Straesser's PC, Op. 8 (performance on You Tube)? The Ewald Streaesser Gesellschaft's website (http://ewaldstraesser.kulturserver-nrw.de/ (http://ewaldstraesser.kulturserver-nrw.de)) is opaque to say the least. The Home page contains a welcome message stating: "In the menu bar you will find a download area with audio samples under the extensions in the shop. There is also a contact link and a guestbook." I can find none of these things on the menu bar which, perversely, appears at the bottom of the page!
Title: Re: Ewald Straesser (1867-1933)
Post by: eschiss1 on Sunday 05 February 2017, 18:30
I wasn't aware that even a reduction of the Vom Ende score was available... but no, I don't, sorry :(
Title: Re: Ewald Straesser (1867-1933)
Post by: violinconcerto on Sunday 05 February 2017, 23:07
Try the "Musikwissenschaftliches Institut der Universität Köln". Thats where the scores of the violin concertos are located (as seen in my encyclopedia...)
Title: Re: Ewald Straesser (1867-1933)
Post by: petershott@btinternet.com on Sunday 05 February 2017, 23:51
Rather irrelevant I realise. But my immediate reaction when I read Gareth Vaughan's question was to think: Can anyone tell me how to persuade a string quartet to take up and record Straesser's five String Quartets? No answer to that I guess, but I'd love the opportunity to hear them.
Title: Re: Ewald Straesser (1867-1933)
Post by: eschiss1 on Monday 06 February 2017, 05:00
If you'd just like to hear them, try IMSLP (see eg Quartet no.4 (http://imslp.org/wiki/String_Quartet_No.4_in_E_minor,_Op.42_(Straesser,_Ewald)).)
Title: Re: Ewald Straesser (1867-1933)
Post by: Gareth Vaughan on Tuesday 07 February 2017, 14:36
QuoteTry the "Musikwissenschaftliches Institut der Universität Köln".

I did - and it was there. Thank you very much indeed, Tobias.
Title: Re: Ewald Straesser (1867-1933)
Post by: JimL on Wednesday 08 February 2017, 00:52
I've noticed that the performance of the Stræsser Piano Concerto seems to be incomplete, unless the work is tonally progressive.  The final movement, which appears to be a scherzo is in C Major, but the concerto is in E minor.
Title: Re: Ewald Straesser (1867-1933)
Post by: eschiss1 on Wednesday 08 February 2017, 01:25
_Does_ anyone have a 2-piano/piano duet score of the Straesser piano concerto? I'm guessing that's the best place to answer that question...
Title: Re: Ewald Straesser (1867-1933)
Post by: eschiss1 on Wednesday 08 February 2017, 01:33
According to https://books.google.com/books?id=1qimhwbpjPEC&pg=PP13 (https://books.google.com/books?id=1qimhwbpjPEC&pg=PP13) there are 4 movements:

Moderato
Ziemlich langsam
Presto
Moderato energico.

Maybe the finale is missing after all.
Title: Re: Ewald Straesser (1867-1933)
Post by: Ilja on Wednesday 08 February 2017, 06:57
Listening to the Triendl/Tennstedt recording, that does not sound unlikely at all.
Title: Re: Ewald Straesser (1867-1933)
Post by: Mark Thomas on Wednesday 08 February 2017, 13:27
I'm sure that you're right. I believe that the YouTube recording is a copy of one from my collection which I'd previousaly uploaded to UC. That wasn't an original recording either and I can't now recall it's provenance, but I've been unable to trace any reference online to the original broadcast to check whether it was of only these three movements, or whether the finale was included and somehow got lost before it reached me.
Title: Re: Ewald Straesser (1867-1933)
Post by: eschiss1 on Wednesday 08 February 2017, 21:04
... Triendl/Tennstedt recording? *blink* ??
Title: Re: Ewald Straesser (1867-1933)
Post by: Gareth Vaughan on Wednesday 08 February 2017, 21:50
That's what it says on YouTube, Eric.
Title: Re: Ewald Straesser (1867-1933)
Post by: britishcomposer on Wednesday 08 February 2017, 22:08
I have just uploaded my 2008 recording of the Sträßer concerto. This was announced as the first broadcast of this particular recording. The performers were Oliver Triendl and the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, conducted by Werner Andreas Albert. As far as I know this is the same recording as the youtube one, including the finale.
When I joined UC I noticed that Mark had already uploaded this recording and therefore didn't upload my own. I did not download Mark's, otherwise I would have noticed that the finale was missing.
Title: Re: Ewald Straesser (1867-1933)
Post by: Mark Thomas on Wednesday 08 February 2017, 22:27
Mathias, thank you so much. That's great!
Title: Re: Ewald Straesser (1867-1933)
Post by: Alan Howe on Wednesday 08 February 2017, 23:01
Indeed. This is major work, I suggest. The idiom strikes me as somewhere between Brahms and Reger, with some Lisztian pianistic fireworks thrown in for good measure. Let's hope cpo have it somewhere in their vaults...
Title: Re: Ewald Straesser (1867-1933)
Post by: eschiss1 on Tuesday 14 February 2017, 15:48
Did Tennstedt ever program it live with an orchestra? Even if it's a studio recording for a German radio station, is there any way of figuring out what year, at least, that broadcast is from? Might be nice to know just for one's records. ... Sorry...

(Then again, since I quite like most of the music of his I've heard, I hope (e.g.!! all) his 6 symphonies, including the so-far unpublished ones that I haven't heard but whose interesting qualities and quality I will for now take on faith ( :) ), are given a chance sometime soon. Yes, I recall the first two were. 

Meanwhile while Furtwängler programmed one or two of the other four (#s 4 and 6? Mentioned in the big list of Furtwängler concerts at furtwangler.net (http://www.furtwangler.net/inmemoriam/data/conce_en.htm)), I'm guessing those weren't concerts of his that were recorded. ... Who knows, maybe Tahra will release them some day if so.)

(I realize I'm spending a lot of verbiage on a composer whose commercial CD representation consists of one disc at present afaik- Straesser/Marteau clarinet quintets on Sterling- though perhaps some other recordings already - for some time? - in the can...)