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Turkey has (and has had) a thriving classical music culture- looking forward to hearing the Usmanbas recording.  I have, since college, enjoyed (commercial) recordings of several works by Saygun (symphonies, quartets, concertos, an oratorio Yunus Emre) and (if I recall- I may have heard of him rather than works by him...) Akses. Have also heard of several other composers from Turkey I hope to investigate...

I really like Ince's 2nd symphony, fwiw.

NOTE:  I originally had to choose between a couple of spellings for this composer's last name, but have been noitfied that Ismanbas may be the better spelling than Usmanbas.  If you are researching, try both spellings!

Starting a new thread here-- I could not find a discussion about the Turkish Music Folder, where I just Symphony 3 by Turkish Composer Ilhan Usmanbas in the downloads section.  He's the older gentleman below:



Some Wikipedia info about the composer:

İlhan Usmanbaş (born 28 September 1921) is a Turkish composer.

Born in Istanbul, Usmanbaş grew up in Ayvalık. When he was twelve years old, his elder brother gave him a cello, and began to teach himself to play.

After moving back to Istanbul, he studied the cello seriously. His maths teacher, a lover of music, advised Usmanbaş to give up the career that he had planned for himself: "We have enough engineers in Turkey. You should be a composer instead."[1]

After graduating from Galatasaray High School, Usmanbaş went on to study under members of the Turkish Five – Cemal Reşit Rey, Ahmet Adnan Saygun, Hasan Ferit Alnar, Ulvi Cemal Erkin, and Necil Kazım Akses – and David Zirkin, at Ankara State Conservatory.

In 1952, he went to the United States on a UNESCO scholarship, where he came under the influence of American pioneers of new and experimental music. In 1955 he received a FROMM Music Award, in 1971 he became a State Artist; in 1993 he received a gold medal from the Sevda Cenap And Foundation, in 2000 Boğaziçi University awarded him an honorary doctorate, and in 2004 he was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 32nd Istanbul International Music Festival, he is teacher of Music at Istanbul Bilgi University.

Usmanbaş is an experimental composer, one of the second generation of Turkish composers, coming after the Five (and opposed to their ideas). He works with a freedom of form and a concentration on intensity rather than melody, with techniques that include neo-classicism, aleatoric music, twelve tone, serialism, and minimalism.

He has composed nearly 120 works, and has won more foreign awards and citations than any other Turkish composer, including commissions from the Koussevitzky foundation in the United States, and prizes from the Wieniawski competition in Poland, the International Composers Tribune in Paris, and the International Competition for Ballet Music in Switzerland.

Usmanbaş is married to opera singer Atıfet Usmanbaş.

Hi jowcol,

just as a hint, since I also have this disc (like you, I got it from Karl): actually the First Symphony is the same work as the Duisburger Sinfonia, I guess it might even be the same performance maybe recorded by two different persons.

This is what is behind the confusion: Jürg Baur's First Symphony is called "Sinfonie einer Stadt (Patetica)", which means "Symphony of a City" in English. The city Baur means is Duisburg, if I remember correctly he composed in on commission for some jubilee. The piece is from 1983. As some members are interested in movement titles, here is what I know:

I. Invocation (Passacaglia)
II. Melancholie
III. Scherzo tumultoso
IV. [don't know]

In any case, great you shared the music. I like Baur's style very much and strongly recommend the Thorofon CD with his superb Gesualdo Metamorphoses.

Thanks for the update.  I'll update the download description. I've got several more uploads from the Miller collection coming.  I'll try not to duplicate anything here, but welcome any clarification you can offer.

[Jurg Baur]

I've posted music of the German composer Jurg Baur in the downloads section,  Pentagramm, a Concerto for Wind Quartet,  his first symphony, and his Duisberger Sonfonia.    Below the portrait, I've got some highlights from the Wikipedia page for him below:




Jürg Baur (11 November 1918 – 31 January 2010) was a German composer of classical music.
•   
Education
Baur was born in Düsseldorf, where he achieved early recognition as a composer at the age of 18, when his First String Quartet was premiered at the Düsseldorf Hindenburg Secondary School by the then-famous Prisca Quartet. He studied from 1937 to 1948 (interrupted by army service from 1939–45, including several months as a Russian prisoner of war) at the Hochschule für Musik Köln: composition with Philipp Jarnach, piano with Karl Hermann Pillney, and organ and sacred music with Michael Schneider (Goslich 1982, 19 & 42; Levi 2001; Wallerang 2010). Even before completing his conservatory studies, he was appointed lecturer in music theory at the Düsseldorf Conservatory in 1946 (Levi 2001). He did postgraduate studies in musicology with Karl Gustav Fellerer and Willi Kahl from 1948 to 1951 at the University of Cologne (Goslich 1982, 19 & 42). In 1952 he was appointed choirmaster and organist at the St Paulus-Kirche in Düsseldorf, a post he left in 1960 when he was awarded a scholarship from the German Academy to study for six months at the Villa Massimo in Rome. He twice returned to Rome for extended visits, in 1968 and 1980 (Levi 2001).The vivid impression made by the Italian city is reflected in the Italian-titled works he composed there, including the Concerto romano for oboe and orchestra (Goslich 1982, 19 & 42).

Compositional career
Baur was one of the last composers of the old school. After the war, he remained faithful to his teacher Jarnach's conservative stance, and never became an extreme avant-gardist (Wallerang 2010). Widespread recognition as a composer came comparatively late. Béla Bartók was his strongest stylistic influence at first, but in the 1950s he began to use twelve-tone technique. Anton Webern's music became his model in works such as the Third String Quartet (1952), the Quintetto sereno for wind quintet (1958)—which also uses aleatory techniques—the Sonata for two pianos (1957), and the Ballata romana (1960) (Levi 2001). Later, he developed a marked propensity for quotations from earlier music. Particularly striking examples include Heinrich Isaac's "Innsbruck, ich muß dich lassen" in the Concerto da camera, a theme from Bach's Musical Offering in the Ricercari for organ, as well as in the Kontrapunkte 77 for three woodwinds, and Schumann themes in Sentimento del tempo and, especially, in Musik mit Robert Schumann (Goslich 1982, 19 & 42). Other composers whose works Baur has quoted include Dvořák, Strauss, Gesualdo, Mozart and Schubert (Levi 2001).

Primarily a composer of orchestral and instrumental music, Baur also produced a number of works for less mainstream instruments such as the recorder and the accordion (Jacobs 1993; Levi 2001). He was one of the first composers to introduce the recorder to the new musical trends of the post-war era, with Incontri (1960), for recorder and piano, Mutazioni (1962) and Pezzi uccelli (1964), both for unaccompanied alto recorder, and the virtuosic Concerto da camera "Auf der Suche nach der verlorenen Zeit", for recorder and chamber orchestra of 1975 (Wallerang 2010).

In his 87th year, Baur completed his only opera, Der Roman mit dem Kontrabass, to a libretto by Michael Leinert after the story by Anton Chekhov. Commissioned on the occasion of the composer's 85th birthday in 2003 by the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, it was premiered at the Partika-Saal of the Robert Schumann Hochschule, Düsseldorf, on 25 November 2005, with Marco Vassilli and Kerstin Pohle singing the two main roles (Smychkov and the Countess Anastasia), Szymon Marciniak as the solo contrabassist, and Thomas Gabrisch conducting (Wallerang 2005).

Thanks for the von Koch Double Concerto

I should point out however that the Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5 in the same recordings were uploaded here by Holger on 10th December.

Thanks for letting me know.   I'll search and compare before uploading in the future. 

I'm delighted that I can help share some material you all don't have.  This site is amazing!

[Symphonies 4,5 and Double Concerto by Erland von Koch:]

Symphonies 4,5 and Double Concerto by Erland von Koch:





I've posted these in the downloads section.  For those of you (like me) that didn't know much about him, I'll provide some added content, first from Wikipedia:

Born in Stockholm as the son of composer Sigurd von Koch (1879–1919), Erland von Koch studied at the Stockholm Conservatory from 1931 to 1935 and subsequently passed the advanced choirmaster and organist examinations. Between 1936 and 1938, he lived in Germany and France in order to pursue studies in composition with Paul Höffer, conducting with Clemens Krauss, and piano with Claudio Arrau. Later, he took private classes with Tor Mann in Sweden.[1]
Teaching at the Karl Wohlfarts Musikschule from 1939 to 1945, von Koch also spent the final two years of this period working as a sound expert and choirmaster for radio broadcasting. He composed much music for the Swedish film industry during a good forty years. From 1953 to 1975, he was lecturer in harmony at the Stockholm Conservatory,[2] where he was appointed a professor in 1968.[1]
von Koch became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in 1957. He has received numerous other honors and prizes at both national and international levels for his compositions. He has written six symphonies (of which the fifth, Lapponica, is dedicated to the Sami people),[3] twelve Scandinavian Dances, one opera (Pelle Svanslös), and five ballets, as well as music for wind orchestra.
Even in his nineties he composed/studied every day. His works can be described as uncomplicated and his motto was always to "keep the melody".[1]

At the website of the Swedish Society for Performing rights  there was supposed to be an interview.  The link is broken, but someone from the GMG forum posted it's contents below.   



His father was composer Sigurd von Koch (1879-1919), and as a boy Erland would lie beneath the grand piano and hear Wilhelm Stenhammar and Ture Rangström play, among others. Since that time he has met many of the big names in 20th century music, including Rachmaninov, Bartók, Stravinsky, Hindemith and Alfvén.


Studies abroad
Although he grew up in musically rich surroundings, music was never the obvious option for Erland von Koch. It was not until his teenage years that he began playing piano and soon became interested in jazz. Together with some friends he formed the first jazz band - 'Electric Band' - at Östra Real secondary school in Stockholm, and he led the 'Diddle Kiddies' and 'Optimistic Stompers', always in dark glasses in case a teacher happened by.


At the end of the 1920s he won two composition contests organised by the Edda upper secondary association. His interest in music grew, and he gradually began considering a future as a composer.


Studies at the Royal Swedish Academy of Music followed, resulting in a degree in music majoring as a cantor and organist. This was followed by composition, conducting and piano studies in Berlin. The plan was to study under Hindemith, who unfortunately fell into disfavour with the Nazis and was forced to hand Erland von Koch over to his friend and colleague, Paul Höffer. He chose Claudio Arrau as his piano teacher and for conducting he studied under Clemens Krauss.


I ask him what he considers his biggest success as a composer.

"I would say my 'Liten svit för kammarorkester' (Small Suite for Chamber Orchestra), op. 1, which I debuted with - both as composer and conductor - at the Academy in 1934."


The 1930s Generation and the Monday Group
When Erland von Koch returned to Sweden in the late 1930s he was voted into the Association of Swedish Composers, FST, and he made his definitive breakthrough with 'Piano Concerto No. 1' which premiered in 1938 with the Stockholm Concert Association and pianist Herman Hoppe.

Erland von Koch, Lars-Erik Larsson, Dag Wirén, Hilding Hallnäs and Gunnar de Frumerie all debuted in the 1930s after studying in France and Germany. They all had similar aesthetic values, and came to be known as 'Trettiotalisterna', literally 'the Generation of the 1930s'. Their music is relatively accessible and they were more influenced by Bartók, Hindemith and Honegger than by Schönberg and twelve-tone music.


The younger, radical generation which eventually made up the so-called 'Monday Group' came into opposition with the 'Trettiotalisterna', whom they considered far too traditionalistic. The Monday Group and its advocates had a strong influence on the Swedish music scene for a long time, partly because they held most of the important administrative positions. The 'Trettiotalisterna' felt left out in many respects, but the audiences appreciated their music.


Folk music and the Sami
During the 1940s, Erland von Koch became interested in Swedish folk music. Over the next decade this led to a series of works with some degree of folk musical influence, such as 'The Oxberg Variations' (1956), 'Lapland Metamorphoses' (1957) and 'Dance Rhapsody' (1957). As recently as 1990 he wrote 'Bilder från Lappland' (Images of Lapland), six choral songs based on Sami 'yoik' chants.


Personally, Erland von Koch thinks that he has been too readily and arbitrarily associated with folk music. After all, folklore is one of many elements in his style, and it is now almost fifty years since he moved on to concentrate on other styles.

This is how he describes his journey between the styles: "A tendency towards neo-classicism during the 1930s, a 'romantic' period around the mid-40s, orientation towards a more modern expression in the 1960s, and since then greater freedom encompassing all the trends and isms."

Even so, his interest in folk music and Sami chants strengthened his involvement in the Sami cause and environmental issues, which was expressed most powerfully in his symphony No. 5, 'Lapponica'. It was dedicated to the Sami people and is a kind of protest music against the way this indigenous people has been treated.

The melody is key
Erland von Koch's portfolio encompasses a large number of works in varying styles and forms. It includes 6 symphonies, 15 solo concerts, 12 'Scandinavian dances', the 'Impulsi' and 'Oxberg' trilogies for orchestra, the children's opera 'Pelle Svanlös' (Pelle - the Cat with the Very Short Tail), 5 ballets, an extensive repertoire of songs and even a few hymns.


"That's right, there's plenty on my conscience," he jokes.


He has also composed several solo works, some of the better known being those entitled '18 Monologues' - a series of skilfully executed studies of the orchestral instruments' capacity and expressive scope.

In addition - often simply to make a living, as he puts it - he has written the music for around 30 films, including half a dozen by Ingmar Bergman.

Animated rhythmic aspects - perhaps influenced by his time as a jazz pianist and by Bartók - are characteristic of Erland von Koch's music, as is the prominent role he assigns the melody. "The way I see it, the melody is the key element, the very life and soul of the music, and I have always endeavoured to cultivate its many expressive qualities," he explains.

Distinctions
Alongside his composing, Erland von Koch also worked as a harmony teacher at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm between 1953 and 1975. During the 1940s he was employed at Radiotjänst as conductor and harmony expert, and was also chairman of the Fylkingen New Music & Intermediate Art Society. He became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in 1957 and a professor in 1968.


Over the years he has been awarded a large number of prizes and distinctions: the Christ Johnson Prize in 1958, Vasaorden (RVO) in 1967, Litteris et artibus in 1979, the Atterberg prize in 1979 and the Alfvén prize in 1981. He was awarded the Royal Swedish Academy of Music medal for musical promotion in 2000.


Erland von Koch likes to quote Sibelius: "Don't think that the years make it any easier to compose music - it just gets harder and harder." At the same time, though, he says he is an incurable optimist:

"Above all I think that music can help us see - and even trust - the powers of good in life."

I am posting  Symphony 1 by Czech Composer Jiri Teml- Wikipedia entry below:



Born in Vimperk, Teml studied music theory and composition with Bohumil Dušek and Jiří Jaroch during the 1960s and early 1970s while working as an economist. His first major success as a composer came with his Fantasia appassionata for organ which took third prize at the 1972 Prague Spring Festival. In 1976 he became the head of music and a radio producer at Plzeň Radio. He left there in 1980 to join the staff of Czech Radio 3 in Prague where he worked as a producer of programs of classical music for over 20 years.

A prolific composer, Teml's output includes several symphonies, concertos, song cycles, choral works, children's operas, chamber music, art songs, and works for solo organ and piano. His writing displays an influence of Czech folk music and for many years he has collaborated with the Plzeň Radio folk ensemble.

(Source recording from the collection of Karl Miller)

[Alan Bush]

Alan Bush is a British 20th Century composer, and there is an excellent website about him at:

http://www.alanbushtrust.org.uk/default.asp?room=Home

in Grove's Dictionary, 5th Edition, Colin Mason wrote: "His range is wide, the quality of his music consistently excellent. He has the intellectual concentration of Tippett, the easy command and expansiveness of Walton, the nervous intensity of Rawsthorne, the serene leisureliness of Rubbra. He meets these four contemporaries on their respective home grounds in Dialectic (for string quartet), the Violin Concerto, the Concert Piece for Cello and Piano and the Nottingham Symphony. He is surpassed, only in melody, as are all the others, by Walton, but not even by him in harmonic and orchestral richness, nor by Tippett in contrapuntal originality and the expressive power of rather austere musical thought, nor by Rawsthorne in concise, compelling utterance and telling instrumental invention, nor by Rubbra in handling large forms well...".

On the Downloads page I have posted another recording from the collection of Karl Miller.
Africa, Symphonic Movement for Piano and Orchestra, (Opus 73). This was composed in 1971 in response to South Africa's Apartheid policy and had its premiere in Halle (Handel's birthplace) on 16 October 1972.   

[Atsushi,]

Atsushi,

Thanks very much for the upload of the Tarp 2nd Symphony

I have wanted to hear more Tarp ever since acquiring the 7th Symphony on a Marco Polo/Dacapo-where it was coupled with the Piano Concerto and the Te Deum- many years ago now. The 2nd Symphony was on an old LP but this is obviously a different performance. I see that Tarp wrote ten symphonies

You may be in luck-- I've  just uploaded Tarp Symphonies 1,3 and 5 from Radio Broadcasts, courtesy of the collection of Karl Miller--

I found this description of Tarp on a website-- sorry for the lack of attribution.

Svend Erik Tarp (06/08/1908 - 19/10/1994), a Danish composer. He was among those Danish composers who were closer to French musical culture than to the dominant influence from Germany. In a string of sparkling, diverting works, not least the popular Piano Concerto in C major, he spoke up in the 1930s for a different modernist direction than the German-inspired one that dominated the new Danish music of the period. Tarp composed a total of ten symphonies. While maintaining a certain connection with Carl Nielsen, Tarp's music exhibits striking rhythms and linearity, but usually with a determination to appeal to the wider audience. In the late orchestral works the lines are longer and the seriousness greater than in the early, more chamber-music-like works. Tarp also wrote operas, piano music, didactic pieces and in particular much chamber music and film music. Svend Erik Tarp held a number of administrative posts in the musical world, and for many years this stole time from his creative activities. On the other hand he continued to compose at an advanced age, although because of his weakened sight he had to have practical assistance with his last symphony.

I have the pleasure of announcing the upload of a collection of music by American composer Ronald LoPresti, who is definitely, in my opinion, one of the most underrated American composers. Lopresti, a clarinetist as well as a composer, was born in 1933 in Williamstown, Massachusetts. A pupil of Howard Hanson, he graduated from the prestigious Eastman School of Music, and taught at Arizona State University.   He is most known for a band composition,  his moving elegy for JFK, "Elegy for  a Young American". (If you search youtube, you will find many versions of this).  His two movement Orchestral Suite "Masks", conducted by Hanson, was released as part of the Mercury Living Presence series, and is also a strong work, but, to date, far too little of his work has been commercially released.

I've uploaded a collection of live performances of some of his never-released orchestral works:  two excellent symphonies, a nocturne for viola and strings, and other works.  This collection is first of a series I will be sharing from the collection of musical archivist Karl Miller (with his permission, naturally).

Note:
There are some of LoPesti chamber works available through the Arizona State University web site at
http://repository.asu.edu/search?q=lopresti

Thanks for uploading this.  It's a lovely work.