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Alan,

Please forgive my breach of protocol. I haven't posted in a long time and was unaware that the extent of censorship on this forum had advanced to such a state.

Please remove my post and I will not trouble you again.

In addition to the many fine examples of music already listed and discussed here, I offer a few more suggestions. Recordings of the works are of varying availability, although a number of them can be sampled on YT. Apologies if I'm repeating anything already cited:

John Ansell: Plymouth Hoe ("a nautical overture")
Frederick Austin: The Sea Venturers (overture)
Eduardas Balsys: Reflections of the Sea, for string orchestra
Granville Bantock: Two Hebridean Sea-Poems (1. Caristiona / 2. The Sea Reivers)
                              Hebridean Symphony
                              The Sea-Wanderers (poem, for chorus & orchestra)
Arnold Bax: On the Sea-Shore (tone poem)
Gareth Farr: From the Depths Sound the Great Sea Gongs
Grzegorz Fitelberg: From the Depths of the Sea (symphonic poem)
John Hawkins: Sea Symphony
Alfred Hill: The Sea
Robert Hughes: Sea Spell
Jiri Jaroch: The Old Man and the Sea (symphonic poem)
Uuno Klami: Sea Pictures (suite)
Michel Perrault: The Sea Gallows (ballet suite)
Nikos Skalkottas: The Sea
Adolfs Skulte: Waves (symphonic poem)
Klas Torstensson: The Polar Sea
Grace Williams: Sea Sketches (suite, for string orchestra)

Here's a rundown on Jurjāns' orchestral music on vinyl. There are two Melodiya LPs devoted entirely to Jurjāns' music:

Melodiya SM 03819/20
   Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 11 "Concerto elegiaco" (Māris Villerušs, cello soloist)
   Funeral March
   Latvian Dances, Op. 3
   Latvian Song Festival March, Op. 1 [Part One only]
      Leonīds Vīgners, Latvian TV & Radio Symphony Orchestra

Melodiya S10 26679 006
   Latvian Song Festival March, Op. 1 [Complete]
   Latvju tautas brīvlaišana [The Emancipation of the Latvian People] (symphonic picture)
   Līgojat, līksmojat [Revel and Rejoice] (cantata) (with vocal soloists & chorus)
   Tēvijai [To the Fatherland] (cantata) (with soprano soloist & chorus)
      Leonīds Vīgners, Latvian State Academic Opera & Ballet Theatre Orchestra

Vīgners' recording of the Latvian Dances is also available in a monaural-only version on Melodiya D 11667/68

Part Two of the Latvian Song Festival March is available on an American vinyl release from 1978: Latvian Heritage Foundation CSRV 2656, with Alfrēds Štrombergs conducting members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in a live performance at a Latvian Song Festival.

Only Part One of the March was recorded by Melodiya back in the 1970s because Part Two quotes the national anthem of independent Latvia, hence the Soviet government forbid it to be played. In response, Part Two of the March was performed alone as a supplement to the then-incomplete Melodiya LP. By the time Vīgners recorded the work a second time, the USSR was crumbling and he managed to get the entire work approved for recording.

Indeed, there is hardly any of his music on CD, and pretty much none outside of Latvia unless I've missed something. However, there were many, many Melodiya LPs of his works in Soviet times -- two with orchestral music, many others with his choral works. I have them, but am prohibited from uploading any of their content to the forum due to the new rules. I'll see what I have in the way of concert broadcasts from Latvian Radio.

Christopher -- lucky you, to be in Latvia. I hope the weather was nice! Yes, the Barcarola is lovely, and the main theme is memorable. The other work, Ačkops, is one of four Latvian Dances he wrote at that time. I believe I have a broadcast recording of them and will upload the complete set if so.

isokani -- you're quite right about Vitols' neoclassicism in his later years, but I'm sure you'll agree he never approached it in the same, more modernistic way as, say, Stravinsky, Roussel, or other well-known exponents. I believe it was more a streamlining of his style, becoming a bit more emotionally detached, rather than abandoning his Romantic roots.

Fascinating! I was unaware of Hadley's involvement in film and will definitely seek this out. I have a high regard for Hadley's music in general, increasing with each new work I encounter. Hopefully more will be recorded commercially in time.

Pardon my digression in the previous post. Perhaps it should have been said in a different thread. It occurred to me after I'd hit the Post button that I never finished my comments on Jurjans:

Mark and Alan mentioned Jurjans' debt to Beethoven. This is very much in line with life in Latvia in the 19th Century. Though occupied by the Russian Empire since the late 1700s, there was still a very substantial German merchant class in Latvia in the 19th Century, to the extent that German culture was probably more prevalent and pervasive in the region than Russian. The earliest native composers of Latvian music, Janis Cimze and his brother Davis Cimze, were the first to incorporate Latvian melodies in their compositions (predominantly choral music), but their styles were still very heavily influenced by German music. I've performed much of their music over the years, and while it has a great deal of Latvian flavor, and I love hearing, singing, and conducting it, I have to admit that it's still very Germanic in its treatment of Latvian ethnic musical material, and somewhat primitive in its expressive of the Latvian ethos. But, it was a start, and a very important one, and it was in that climate that Jurjans took things a step further, drawing somewhat closer to a sense of "Latvian-ness" in his style. It really wasn't until the Russian-trained Jazeps Vitols came on the scene that Latvian music realized its full potential as a cultural force in the Latvian Awakening that led to eventual political independence.

Wonderful music, nonetheless. I'll try to post more of Jurjans' music soon, since this work went over so well.

I'm glad you enjoyed this work. I hadn't listened to it myself for a couple of years, but when I ha ppened to click on my MP3 file for background music while sitting at my work desk this morning, I was reminded of what an enjoyable and accessible piece it was. What better way than to inaugurate the new Downloads section?

In response to comments in this thread, Jazeps Vitols was most certainly a Romantic composer. Even though he lived to 1948, hardly any traces of 20th Century developments crept into his style. He was, however, a solidly-trained, brilliantly imaginative composer who wrote much memorable music. Indeed, I would certainly include many other Latvian composers.

While painfully disappointed by recent developments on this board, I have to recognize that this is indeed a labor of love for the moderators, and if the board had strayed too far from their passions, then they are certainly within their rights in redirecting it (although the transition could have been handled more elegantly). After all, running the board is on their time, and on their dime.

For the record, after a lifetime of collecting (45 years) and having found many "treasure troves" of music over the years, I still believe that UC in its previous state has been the single most valuable resource I've ever encountered. The scope of my familiarity with "unsung" composers has been broadened vastly (and it was already quite extensive, I thought!). I hope that Sydney Grew's board will complement UC with a broader range of music more in line with my interests. But I will continue to frequent UC, participate in discussions, and upload and download music here, because I dearly love Romantic music as well. I believe there is still much of value here, and the potential for a great deal more, within the new parameters.

I regret to inform you that my father, Robert Bruce, who wrote Symphony in B Flat,  passed away yesterday 13/08/2012 at 1545.  He just missed his 97th birthday (born 17/08/2012).

My condolences as well. The Symphony is a fine work.

A very Happy Birthday to you, Colin! Your catalogues are a treasure, and your commitment to and passion for the unsung is an inspiration to us all!

does anyone remember Todd Levin's 1995 album De Luxe on Deutsche Grammophon?

Yes! Fun at times, in a guilty pleasure sort of way.

Interesting.. I don't recall having ever heard anything else by him since that album. Has he thrown in the towel or will no one record his music? 

I know there is a State Cultural. department that publishes material, but have never found an outlet, or contact information...

I've never been to Croatia, unfortunately, but I would think the best place to start in searching for recordings is the Croatian Music Information Center. Here is their address and contact information, from their website:

Muzički informativni centar
Kneza Mislava 18
10000 Zagreb
mic@mic.hr
+385 (1) 4501 200

I corresponded with them briefly about ten years ago when they were kind enough to send me a couple of promotional CDs of Croatian symphonic music. Perhaps they still have some, or even some more recent ones.

Stjepan Sulek wasn't Croatian?

He most certainly was! I didn't include him on the list since Robin initially inquired about late 19th / early 20th Century names. Personally, Sulek is my favorite Croatian composer, but his music is a bit more advanced than what I believe Robin had in mind.

Indeed, very enjoyable! His Piano Concerto, from 1944, was available recently from a Spanish radio streaming website, may still be there. Sorry, I don't remember just now which one.

Here are a few more names to chew on:

Kresimir Baranovic (1894-1975)
Blagoje Bersa (1873-1934)
Jakov Gotovac (1895-1982)
Fran Lhotka (1883-1962)
Franjo [von] Lucic (1898-1972)
Krsto Odak (1888-1965)
Ivan Zajc (1832-1914)

All of these composers wrote very accessible, tonal, melodic works. Often there is also a strong ethnic folk influence, at least in their earlier works. Ivan Zajc, probably the most obscure of the lot, wrote a great many operas, some of which can be heard here: http://chomikuj.pl/tadeusz_baird/2.+Muzyka/CHORWACJA/Zajc*2c+Ivan+%281832-1914%29. Blagoje Bersa's symphonic poem Sunny Fields is ravishingly beautiful.