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[Symphony 3 by Oldrich Flosman]

Symphony 3 by Oldrich Flosman


Kuhn Female Chorus; Pavel Kuhn, Cond.
Prague Symphony Orchestra
Valdimir Valek, Conductor (1987)

Source LP:  Panton 81071

From the collection of Karl Miller


I've not been able to find out much about Flosman, other than the picture and a blurb that said he was popular during the communist era.  I would say that this work reminds me of the sound world of Vaughan Williams's 6th and 7th symphonies, which you can take as a recommendation or a warning.

OK, if that is the proper ending of the piece, than I have just the start of a second work at the end and the note on my website if wrong.

Best,
Tobias

Do we have an agreement?  I can update my post.  I'll leave it to you two gentlemen.

[Violin Concerto by Peter Mieg (1949)]

Violin Concerto by Peter Mieg (1949)
UPDATE:  There has been some question as to whether or not this recording is commercially available (Thanks Eric!), and I'm removing the link for now.


Details: from violinconcerto.de
(Note- although this seems to be the recording cited there, I cannot determine if the last bars are missing)

soloist (last name, first name): Reitz, Heiner
conductor (last name, first name): Schmid, Erich
orchestra: Radio Orchester Beromünster
duration: 21'17''

This work strikes me as somewhat dark, but not dissonant, with many lyrical stretches-- your mileage may vary.

Biography from Wikipedia

Mieg was born in Lenzburg where he spent almost all his life. He studied art history, archaeology, music history as well as French and German Literature in Zurich, Basel and Paris from 1927 to 1933. In the early 1930s Mieg became a journalist writing articles about art, music and literature for newspapers such as the Basler Nachrichten, the Weltwoche and the Badener Tagblatt.

Between 1933 and 1939 he became friends with the conductor and patron Paul Sacher and the composers Bela Bartok, Igor Stravinsky, Arthur Honegger and Bohuslav Martinu.

Compositions
In the 1940s Mieg completed his musical formation with Frank Martin. His first important works were written in the 1950s in a very personal neoclassicism. From that time on he was commissioned by the Tonhalle Orchester Zürich (Symphony, 1958), the Zurich Chamber Orchestra (Concerto per clavicembalo e orchestra da camera, 1953, Concerto Veneziano, 1955, the Concerto for oboe and orchestra, 1957, the Concerto pour piano à quatre mains et orchestre à cordes, 1980), the Lucerne Festival Strings (Triple concerto dans le goût italien, 1978) and many others.

Mieg wrote some 135 compositions, including several concertos (for piano, for violin, for flute, for 2 flutes, for harp, for cello, for piano and cello), a lot of chamber music and piano music (5 piano sonatas).

Painting
In 1961 Mieg exhibited his gouaches for the first time. They mostly represent still life and landscapes. He had been painting since his childhood.

[Symphony by Pavel Blatny (1984)]

Symphony by Pavel Blatny (1984)


Prague Symphony Orchestra
Vladimir Valek, Conductor
Private recording of a live performance

From the collection of Karl Miller

I've sorry I've not been able to dig up more about Blatny-- maybe some of you can, but he's one of these more recent composers that studied serialism and then moved to a much simpler (and emotionally satisfying) idiom.  He's dabbled, at one time or another with Neoclassicism, Jazz, Rock, serialism, and neoromanticism.

I'd consider this to be a very melodic and approachable work, barring some occasional unexpected jumps that make more sense the second time around. And  unlike the products of  some "polystylists" , this work seems to hold together well. The Third movement is one of those classic elegaic, yet brooding, third movements that a Shostakovich or Myaskovsky would write, and I've been listening several times. Anyway--  your mileage may vary, but here is some more  about Blatny:
(Who is not to be confused with the Chess Champion of the same name)



Biography

Pavel Blatny hails from a musical family (his father, composer Josef Blatny studied with Leos Janacek). Having graduated from the Brno University (Musicology) and Conservatory, where he studied piano, conducting and composition, he started to study composition with Pavel Borkovec. The studies accented Blatny's inclination to neoclassicism which prefigured his first compositional period. It is characterized by Blatny's admiration for Stravinsky, Prokofiev and Martinu; he absorbed their artistic legacy and remelted it into an individual expression, featuring, among other things, independent application of two differing sound layers, which alternate in the course of the composition as two interlocutors (it is also denoted "the dialogue principle").

At the end of the '50s the neoclassical period was replaced by composer's interest in contemporary compositional techniques. Pavel Blatny was one of the first Czech explorers in twelve-tone system composition, but he was also one of the first who realized its limits and shortcomings. His individual way of composition arose from the effort to relax the rigor of dodecaphonic combustion and it is characterized by the aspiration to achieve a synthesis of the rational composition system and the spontaneity of direct musical expression, a synthesis of classical music and jazz, often described as "the third stream". Of all his compositions of this character, Concerto for Jazz Orchestra and 0:10:30 for symphony orchestra are especially notable. Thanks to that creative concept, Pavel Blatny's name gained quick popularity at home and abroad. He appeared in eighth place in the American jazz critics' charts for Down Beat magazine in 1966, in 1967 in fifth place, although he has never been a jazz musician per se.

In his third stream works Pavel Blatny was above all seeking a way to the listener. As in the course of the '60s it was becoming ever more apparent that compositions respecting the tonal feeling are most comprehensible to listeners, Blatny returned to tonality (for the first time in the composition called D-E-F-G-A-H-C in 1967). His third stream works underwent a specific development; while at the beginning of the '60s we could characterize it as an amalgamation of approaches used then by New Music and jazz, at the end of the '60s and in the '70s we must speak of a synthesis of jazz and neoclassical or neorenaissance elements.

At the beginning of the '80s Blatny's composition style developped from the third stream to classical genres, tonality, trim form, deliberately archaizing and simplified expression. This period began with The Willow, a cantata setting of K. J. Erben's popular poem which was awarded in 1981 the Czech Composers and Concert Artists' Union Prize, then followed the symphonic movement Bells and another two Erbenian cantatas Christmas Eve and The Noonday Witch.

Importation and comprehensibility of contemporary music has been Pavel Blatny's aim in his creative endeavor so far. Spontaneous response to his extensive works (more than 500 compositions) that widespread and encompasses almost all kinds of music is a testimony to the success of his endeavor.

The synthesis of New music, jazz from the sixties, and the rock innovations by his son Marek (Confrontation, Play, Meditation) is characteristic for Pavel Blatny's more recent works which he wrote in the 1990s and in the first decade of the 21th century. Some of his late works are also inspired by his own earlier compositions (Erbeniade), and even by the works of his father Josef Blatny (Luhačovice Melancholy and others). Above all it is the method of polystylism which triumphs in his late works, e.g. Antivariation on the timbre of Antonin Dvořák, lately An Old Chant.

[Dance Preludes for Piano, by Alex North]

Dance Preludes for Piano, by Alex North


Radio Intro
Dance Preludes for Piano
Radio Outro

Joan Schlesinger, Piano

From the collection of Karl Miller

Something different from an American Composer that was best known for his film scores.


Wikipedia Bio for ALex North

Died   September 8, 1991 (aged 80)
Los Angeles, California

Spouse   Gladlynne Sherle Treihart (1941–1966)
Annemarie Hoellger
Anna Sokoloff

Alex North (December 4, 1910 – September 8, 1991) was an American composer who wrote the first jazz-based film score (A Streetcar Named Desire) and one of the first modernist scores written in Hollywood (Viva Zapata!).

Born Isadore Soifer in Chester, Pennsylvania to Russian Jewish parents[1], North was an original composer probably even by the classical music standards of the day. However, he managed to integrate his modernism into typical film music leitmotif structure, rich with themes. One of these became the famous song, "Unchained Melody". Nominated for fifteen Oscars but unsuccessful each time, North is one of only two film composers to receive the Lifetime Achievement Academy Award, the other being Ennio Morricone. North's frequent collaborator as orchestrator was the avant-garde composer Henry Brant. He won the 1968 Golden Globe award for his music to The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968).

His best-known film scores include The Rainmaker (1956), Spartacus (1960), The Misfits (1961),The Children's Hour (1961) Cleopatra (1963), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), The Devil's Brigade (1968), and Dragonslayer (1981). He composed the music for "The Wonderful Country" in a Mexican and southwestern US motif.

His commissioned score for 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) is notorious for having been discarded by director Stanley Kubrick. North reused themes from the rejected score for The Shoes of the Fisherman, Shanks (1974), and Dragonslayer, but the score itself was unheard until composer Jerry Goldsmith rerecorded it for Varèse Sarabande in 1993. In 2007, Intrada Records released North's personal copies of the 1968 recording sessions on CD.

North was also commissioned to write a jazz score for Nero Wolfe, a 1959 CBS-TV series based on Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe characters, starring William Shatner as Archie Goodwin and Kurt Kasznar as Nero Wolfe.[2] A pilot and two or three episodes were filmed, but the designated time slot was, in the end, given to another series.[3][4] North's unheard score for Nero Wolfe and six recorded tracks on digital audio tape are in the UCLA Music Library Special Collections.[5]
Though North is best known for his work in Hollywood, he spent years in New York writing music for the stage; he composed the score, by turns plaintive and jarring, for the original Broadway production of Death of a Salesman. It was in New York that he met Elia Kazan (director of Salesman), who brought him to Hollywood in the '50s. North was one of several composers who brought the influence of contemporary concert music into film, in part marked by an increased use of dissonance and complex rhythms. But there is also a lyrical quality to much of his work which may be connected to the influence of Aaron Copland, with whom he studied.

His classical works include a Rhapsody for Piano, Trumpet obbligato and Orchestra. He was nominated for a Grammy Award for his score for the 1976 television miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man. North is also known for his opening to the CBS television anthology series Playhouse 90 and the 1965 ABC television miniseries FDR.

Awards
The American Film Institute ranked North's score for A Streetcar Named Desire #19 on their list of the greatest film scores. His scores for the following films were also nominated for the list:
•   Cleopatra (1963)
•   The Misfits (1961)
•   Spartacus (1960)
•   Viva Zapata! (1952)
•   Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

"Smokin'"

[Taming of the Shrew (Ballet Suite) by Aleksandr(Alexey) Davidovich Machavariani (1984)]

Taming of the Shrew (Ballet Suite) by Aleksandr(Alexey) Davidovich Machavariani (1984)


National Symphony Orchestra of Georgia
Vakhtang Matchavariani, Conductor
Private Recording of Live Performance
Date, Venue unknown.

From the collection of Karl Miller


This is a work by a Georgian composer-- it strikes me as somewhere between Katchaturian and Shostakovitch- some very dynamic rhythms, colorful, and predominately tonal.

Wikipedia Biography:

Aleksandr(Alexey) Davidovich Machavariani (Georgian: ალექსი მაჭავარიანი) (Gori 23 September 1913 – Tbilisi 30 December 1995 ) was a Georgian composer and conductor
.
Aleksi Machavariani was born in Gori. He graduated from the Tbilisi Conservatory in 1936 and remained there for a postgraduate study. Later he joined the faculty, becoming a professor in 1963. He began his artistic career in 1935.

Machavariani produced a number of critically acclaimed plays and ballets, including the ballet "Othello" (1957), the operas "Mat i Sin" (1945), "Den moei Rodini" (1954), the symphony "Piat monologov" (1971; it earned the Shota Rustaveli Prize). He also wrote the music to many theatrical productions, including "Baratashvili" and "Legenda o liubvi". His output includes among other works also a violin concerto (1950), 7 symphonies (1947–1992) and six string quartets (the last in 1993).[1]

He was the artistic director of the Georgian State Symphony Orchestra from 1956 till 1958 and directed the Composers' Union of Georgia from 1962 till 1968.[2]


Bio from his website :

    The most eminent composer, People's Artist of the USSR, a winner of the USSR State Prize and Shota Rustaveli Prize of Georgia, Golden Medal winner of "Centro Cultural Braidense – Milano" for ballet "Othello", Professor, winner of many Soviet and International Prizes, Cavalier of many Orders, chairman of the Georgian Union of composers: 1962-1973, since 1979 – member of the board of the Union of Soviet Composers until 1992, a Deputy of the USSR Supreme Council 1962-1970.

    A. Matchavariani was born in the town of Gori in Eastern Georgia in a noble family. The folk tunes of his homeland were the first sources of his musical education. Later, at the age of 6, he started his training on piano and violin. After graduating the Tbilisi Conservatory (composition) he completed his postgraduate training in the art of composition as a pupil of Prof. P.B. Ryazanov. Later (in 1961) he became the professor of the Tbilisi State Conservatory, the recommendation for his professorship was written by D. Shostakovich & T. Khrennikov.

    In twenty's and in thirty's he was many times arrested, but his fate and his music was saving him again and again.

    His first success he had with his piano composition "Chorumi" 1937. It was after "Chorumi" when the great Georgian conductor, GMD of the Tbilisi Opera and of the Georgian State Orchestra E. Mikeladze proposed him to write an opera. A. Matchavariani wrote his first opera "Mother and Son" in 1942. Matchavariani's first big success was the piano concerto 1944, which was first performed in Tbilisi, few months later in Moscow, after in Leningrad, Germany and other places. After writing his first compositions for the orchestra: "Elegy" in 1936, "Scherzo" – 1936, "Mumli Mukhasa" – 1939. A. Matchavariani composes his First Symphony in 4 movements in 1947, which brought him a great success. The symphony was first performed in Tbilisi , Moscow and Leningrad , later in many other cities. The some time together with D. Shostakovich and S. Prokofiev he was accused in "formalism". After Stalin's death, the situation has started to change.

    The new dimension and sensational success had A. Matchavariani after writing his famous violin concerto in 1949, which was performed in many countries. First performers were M. Weiman ( Leningrad ) and D. Oistrach ( Moscow ). The concerto was recorded a number of times by "Melodia", as well by "Columbia Records" in USA .

    In 1952 he was again on the Red List to be deported together with his family. His destiny has saved him again.

    "The Day of my Homeland" Oratorio was written in 1955. The same year it's first performance was in Moscow , conducted by A. Gauk, who was the first interpreter of that and some other compositions of A. Matchavariani. The Oratorio became one of the most popular pieces in the USSR and was broadcasted many times on the Soviet Radio, recorded for "Melodia".

    In the period 1940-1955, A. Matchavariani wrote a lot of chamber music for piano, violin, choir and vocal music. Many of these compositions became the jewellery of Georgian and Soviet music.

    "<Othello> is a feast of arts" wrote Mr. Tzarev in Soviet Culture in 1958, Moscow after attending it's performance at "Bolshoi" theatre. "Othello" was finished in 1957. This ballet brought A. Matchavariani a stunning success in Georgia, in Moscow ("Bolshoi"), in Leningrad (at "Kirov" theater), in many cities of the former USSR, in USA, in Paris, in Japan, in Finland, in Germany, in Romania and many other places. With "Othello", it is the end of one chapter in a musical language of A. Matchavariani and beginning of a new musical expression.

    In 1960 he started another big composition, it is "Hamlet", an opera in two acts. This work continues until 1967. The opera was prohibited by Georgian authority's.

    In 1964 A. Matchavariani has finished "5-Monolognes" for baritone and orchestra, for which he was rewarded with S. Rustaveli Prize. With "5-Momolognes" and with "Hamlet", A. Matchavariani has started a new musical language and the much more modern way of expressing his musical ideas, together with a new way of designing his score. With symphony №2 he continues his new musical language.1972. The critics have baptized this symphony as a beginning of the PHILOSOPHICAL SYMPHONISM in Georgia .

    In 1977 A. Matchavariani wrote probably the most important composition for him. It is ballet "The Knight in the tiger skin", the poem of the 12-th century of the greatest Georgian poet and philosopher S. Rustaveli, pride of Georgia . It's first production was in Leningrad , at "Kirov"(Mariisky) theatre, choreographer O. Vinogradov. The "Knight" had a great success in Leningrad (during 7 years) Moscow , USA , Paris , Japan , Tbilisi and many other places.

    After writing a number of chamber, choral and vocal music, in 1979 he wrote a musical comedy "The Bug" after V. Mayakovsky. In 1983 Matchavariani has finished №3 and №4 symphonies. №3 Symphony is a composition of a huge power, deep and tender. The critic wrote about it: It is universal and human, cosmic and earthy. №4 symphony "The Youth's" for strings, percussion, piano, celesta and harp is a sparkling, melodic, lyrical, motor composition with electric dynamism.

    After writing the ballet in two acts "The Taming of the shrew" after W. Shakespeare in 1984, he continues the line of the symphony №3 and in 1986 he writes a stunning №5 symphony "Ushba". 46 minute symphony in two parts (without interval) is a huge universal power, like a philosophical treaty. Matchavariani is using 8:horns, 4:trumpets, 4:trombones, 2:tubas, 70:strings, a huge orchestra. He is using 8 horns and 4 trumpets already in №3 symphony, but in №5 symphony Matchavariani is using around 115 musicians.

    Immediacy after "Ushba" he writes his symphony №6 "Amirani"(Prometheus) 1987 which continues the line of №5 symphony and is a beginning of the third chapter of a new musical language.

    In 1987 he writes as well a cello concerto, for strings, harp and cello, in 3 movements.

    Next composition is a Symphony №7 "Gelati"(1989) for the choir and orchestra, after the poems of the king David the constructor of Georgia, opera "Medea" in 2 acts (1991) and ballet "Pirosmani"(1992) in 2 acts , which has not been performed yet, it way not performed as well the ballet "Taming of the Shrew".

    These compositions have not been performed because A. Matchavariani often was not in favor of Georgian authorities, because of telling always the truth.

    A. Matchavariani wrote 4 string quartets, two piano sonatas, violin sonata, many compositions for piano, violin, cello, choir, vocal, music for theatre and cinema. The film "The secret of two oceans" were he wrote the music was rewarded at Venice film festival. His music was recorded on "Melodia", "Columbia Records" and other companies, as well for Radio and TV.
    A. Matchavariani wrote as well a lot of poems and philosophical treaties, his thoughts about music.

    He was a giving, deep, optimistic, highly spiritual person and a big humanist.

    People like D. Shostakovich, A. Khachaturian, K. Karaev, M. Rostropovich, D. Oistach, I. Stern, S. Richter, J. Temirkanov, J. Grigorovich, S. Virsaladze, V. Tchabukiani, O. Vinogradov, V. Gergiev, A. Toradze, L. Isakadze, P. Burchuladze and many other musicians and artist were visiting his house.

    A. Matchavariani has died on the 31 of December 1995, the newspaper "Kultura" in Moscow wrote few days after: "Your countenance is excellent – in all of composition, in all of pages of symphony's, operas, ballet scores; in each phrase, line, note, of vocal and instrumental music... Alexei Matchavariani – friend and a hero of the row of materials at our newspaper. Editorial office of "Kultura". Moscow , 13-01-96.".

The Harberg Concert is beautiful! I've alerted a violist friend of mine in the market for recording repertoire.

I've gone to her website- she has written several works for viola--  I liked everything I've heard so far.

[Music of Pawel Lukaszewski]

Music of Pawel Lukaszewski



Adagietto for String Orchestra(2009)
The Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic Orchestra
Piotr Borkowski, Conductor

Utopia (for Orchestra- 2008)
The Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic Symphonic Orchestra
Szymon Bywalec,



Lukaszewski specializes in sacred/choral music, but these instrumentals are quite accessible  if you are comfortable with the modern "spiritual" sound.  His is alive and well, from what I can determine, and with the information below from the Living Composers Project, you can contact him if you wish....


Lukaszewski, Pawel (b. September 19, 1968, Czestochowa). Polish composer of mostly choral and vocal works that have been performed throughout the world; he is also active as a conductor.

Mr. Lukaszewski is the son of the composer Wojciech Lukaszewski (b. 1936 – d. 1978). He studied cello with Grzegorz Janusz at the High School of Music in Czestochowa from 1981-87, where he graduated with a diploma with distinction. He studied cello with Andrzej Wróbel at the Frédéric Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw from 1987-92, where he also studied composition with Marian Borkowski from 1991-95 and there earned his MMus in both subjects, as well as his DMus in composition in 2000. He then had post-graduate studies in choral conducting with Ryszard Zimak at the Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz in 1994-95. In addition, he has attended masterclasses with Barbara Marcinkowska, Harald Ossberger and Boguslaw Schäffer.

Among his honors are First Prize in the competition of the Frédéric Chopin Academy of Music (1994, for Arrampicata), Second Prize in the Young Composers Forum in Kraków (1994, for Winterreise) and the Prize of the President of Czestochowa (1995, for his entire oeuvre). He has also received Second Prize in the Adam Didur competition in Sanok (1996, for Recordationes de Christo moriendo) and Second Prize in the competition of the chorus Florilège Vocal de Tours (1998, for Two Lent Motets). In addition, he earned a recommendation in the Jihlava competition in Prague (1998, for Beatus Vir [one section]), the award and medal from the Baltic Arts University in Koszalin (1998), and the Polonia Restituta Cross (order of the knight, 1998). He was also nominated for the title Man of the Year by the American Biographical Institute (2000) and earned two Third prizes in the Pro Arte competition in Wroclaw (2003, for Church Songs [two sections]).

He has earned grants from numerous organizations, including annual grants from ZAiKS, the society of authors and composers, from 1995-99 and biannual grants since 2001. His works have been heard throughout Poland, as well as in Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Russia, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, Ukraine, the USA, and Vatican City.
As a conductor, he has served as second conductor of the Stefan Wyszynski University Choir in Warsaw since 1994 and as conductor of the chamber chorus Musica Sacra in Warsaw since 1999.

Mr. Lukaszewski is also active in other positions. He has served as president of the Sacred Music Society in Warsaw since 1992. He has also served as the artistic secretary of the Laboratory of Contemporary Music in Bialystok since 1994 and as the secretary-general of the Laboratory of Contemporary Music Society in Warsaw since 1995.

He has taught composition at the Frédéric Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw since 1996, where he has been an associate professor since 2001 and director of counterpoint studies since 2002. He also taught in Chile as a visiting professor at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago, the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, the Universidad de Chile in Santiago, and the Universidad de Playa Ancha in Valparaíso in 2003.
He is the brother of the composer Marcin Lukaszewski.

CONTACT INFORMATION
E-mail address: lukaszewski@chopin.edu.pl or lukaszewskip@poczta.onet.pl
Street address: Mr. Pawel Lukaszewski, ul. Odkryta 38A, M. 20, 03-140 Warsaw, Poland
Cellular phone: + 485 0133 9902 or + 482 2814 9592

Let me add to that.  It is gorgeous.  My daughter is playing the viola, and I look forward to exposing her to it.

[Poem for a Lost World for Violin and String Orchestra(Op. 66B, 1985) , by Johan Kvandal]

Poem for  a Lost World for Violin and String Orchestra(Op. 66B, 1985) , by Johan Kvandal
Private recording, performers unknown.

From the collection of Karl Miller


Kvandal outgrew a flirtation with the Avante-Garde and developed his style as a tonal composer.   This is a very approachable work.  He's one I'd like to learn more about.


From the Bio on his website:

Early impulses (1919-1951)
From an early age Kvandal received impressions from a rich artistic environment. His father, the composer David Monrad Johansen and mother 'Lissa' were constantly on the move. The young Johan was brought to Paris, lived in Arne and Hulda Garborg's house in the 'artist valley' at Hvalstad and the Ekeberg artists' colony. Every summer was spent in the mountain valley Østerdalen. There, a vibrant community surrounded the Norwegian anarchist writers Arne Garborg and Ivar Mortensson Egnund. The cultural influences and beautiful mountain landscapes were abundant sources of inspiration throughout Kvandal's life. After having lived on nine different locations the family finally got a permanent home close to Oslo in 1935. Painter Henrik Sørensen found the suitable property and architect Arnstein Arneberg designed the characteristic building – successively the home of composer Monrad Johansen and his son Johan Kvandal.
Kvandal studied composition with Geirr Tveitt from 1937- 1942 and Joseph Marx in Vienna 1942-44. He graduated from the Music Conservatory in Oslo as a conductor in 1947 and as an organist in 1951. He also studied theory with Per Steenberg and organ with Arild Sandvold. Like other composers of his generation Kvandal was influenced in his early works by the then prevailing national movement in the 1920's and 1930's. This can be seen in Seven Songs, Op. 4 and the Piano Pieces op. 1 and 5. His early work also reveal an urge to combine Norwegian folk music elements with classical forms such as the rondo and sonata form, e.g. Sonatina for Piano op. 2 and Norwegian Overture op. 7.

Paris and the avantgarde (1952-1969)
Kvandal's stay in Paris in 1952- 54 became an important turning point. Through studies with Nadia Boulanger at the Conservatoire de Paris he was exposed to an extremely inspiring musical environment. He became familiar with the works of Bartók and the later works of Stravinskij and Messiaen. In the 50s and 60s he integrated elements from international contemporary music scene, but without employing atonality or electronic aids. The result was a far greater compositional freedom. From 1970 he returned to his core with strong impulses from Norwegian folk music. But this time it became synthesised with an equally important feeling for the international contemporary music. This led to an innovative musical language based on what Kvandal himself defines as modern tonality.

Kvandal's modern musical expression is reflected in Variations and Fugue op. 14 for orchestra (1954), Duo for Violin and Cello op. 19. (1959), Symphony No. 1 op. 18 (1958-59), Symphonic Epos op. 21 for orchestra (1962), Flute Concerto op. 22 (1963) and String Quartet No. 2 op. 27 (1965-66). Symphonic Epos was his final breakthrough, and the conductor Odd Grüner-Hegge pronounced that 'this is a work of European importance.' The conductor Herbert Blomstedt appreciated the music of the young composer and premiered Kvandal's Flute Concerto op. 22 in 1963. The contemporary music association Ny Musikk comissioned a string quartet in 1965, which resultet in String Quartet nr. 2 op. 27.  It is Kvandal's most experimental piece, summing up his modernistic periode in the 60s.
   
New synthesis (1970-1979)
In his youth, Kvandal had experienced  the Norwegian modal tonality of folk music, which he later combined with the sonata and symphony form. He said that this form of classical music was not a conformity, but an enormous field of energy, which he as a composer could activate. The 70s was a rich decade in Kvandal's production. He turned back to a more melodic style. Fantasies on Three Country Dances op. 31 (1969) introduced a new turn back to folk music inspiration. Antagonia op. 38 for two string orchestras and percussion (1972-73) reveals a synthesis of the national and international tendencies in Kvandal's compositions. His later works often contain transformed folk music material, for instance Sonata for Solo Violin op. 45 (1976) and Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra op. 46 (1976-77). At the same time, romantic elements become progressively more discernible, particularly in Michelangelo Poem op. 49 (1977) and the large-scale Concerto for Violin and Orchestra op. 52 (1979). One of the music critics wrote: 'Kvandal's Violin Concerto is such a monumental composition that I would not be surprised if it were the best Norwegian work in this genre.'

Composer in demand (1980-1999)
The 80s and 90s were extremely busy decades for Kvandal, with new commissions accumulating and actually having to wait in line. The opera Mysteries is Kvandal's major opus. Based on the novel with the same name by Knut Hamsun, the opera was commissioned by The Norwegian National Opera & Ballet and was mainly written during the early 90s. The world premiere took place in January 1994 as part of a Norwegian Music Festival in connection with the Olympic Games at Lillehammer. The opera music received excellent media reviews and was performed a dozen times in 1994 og 1995. The opera was followed by the colourful Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra op. 77, commissioned by The Edvard Grieg Society in New York for the Grieg jubilee in 1993. Sonata for Strings op. 79 (1994) was commissioned by the Arts Council of Norway (Norsk Kulturråd) for its 30th Anniversary. In 1995 Trondheim Symphony Orchestra commissioned a work for the Kirsten Flagstad Jubilee and the result was Eternal Summer op. 80 (1995) for soprano and symphony orchestra, based on three Shakespeare texts. Sonata for Viola and Piano op. 81 (1995) was commissioned by Leif Ove Andsnes and Lars Anders Tomter for the Risør Festival of Chamber Music. After Fantasia for Hardanger fiddle and String orchestra op. 82. came Fantasia for Organ and Strings op. 83, followed by Missa Brevis op. 84 for mixed choir and organ.The last work Kvandal completed is Concerto for Piano and Orchestra op. 85, commissioned by the Elverum Music Festival 1998 and The Norwegian Youth Symphony Orchestra. It was written for pianist Håvard Gimse, who recently recorded the concerto together with Kvandal's father Monrad Johansen's Piano Concerto.

"His world of sound is international"
With strong roots in the European tonal musical tradition Kvandal inevitably came to represent an opponent voice in the prevailing experimental modernist environment. It remained a life-long paradox for Kvandal that a radical avantgarde itself had turned into a powerful establishment. In 1988 Kvandal critisised openly the favoring of atonal music in the Norwegian Society of Composers (see Quotes). Financed with own funds he released an album with the most important orchestral works in 1998, also known as his "protest album" (see Articles). Simultaneously, towards the end of his life, Kvandal experienced an increasing international interest in his music. The trend continues into 2012, with performances in New York, Dubai, Berlin, Aix-en-Provence, Devon, Scotland, Australia and India only the two last years. This testifies what pianist and journalist Kjell Bækkelund once wrote: "His world of sound is international" (see Articles).

Ingar Sletten Kolloen: Interview with Johan Kvandal in Aftenposten 23th February 1984

-Music is something truly mysterious

Johan Kvandal, one of our most performed contemporary composers, highly respected music critic in Aftenposten for years, record producer, lecturer, church organist, member of the TONO board and part of the Norwegian Arts Council's board of musicians, new dad... has written more than 60 works. One of them is 'Antagonia'. It means contradictions that belong together. An understandable choice of title.

30 years ago a relatively young composer came back to Oslo after staying several years in Paris. - Two years passed until I was able to compose anything. All the impressions needed time to sink in. Luckily, I understood that, in the same intuitive way that I earlier realized the need to break up from many things in and around me. Isn't is like that with all of us, that in certain periods we need to meet a kind of good and evil spirits of the past? Kvandal is wondering.

'Old-fashioned'
During the experimental and increasingly radical post-war years, Johan Kvandal was characterized by some as an old-fashioned composer.
- It is rather like I have always been an oppositional, the 64-year-old says quitely. These days he experiences having his works performed in Norway and abroad, and commisions for new works must wait in line.

- It was of course not easy to be accepted by my father's, David Monrad Johansen's contemporaries, who were based in much I had to make some kind of rebellion against. And my contemporaries were mostly modernists, to whom I had personal bonds. But I did not have a close artistic bond to any of these groups.

Kvandal has been inspired by widely different sources at different times. - But I have always held on to the tonal music, because it always has been a measure to be clear. I have never found it difficult to compose within the classic forms. No, what am I saying, now I talk just like a modernist, turning to non-instrumental effects in his eagerness to create 'different sound'. Some call this innovative, radicalism. It might have been in so Schönberg's time. Well, back to these basic principles I think must apply. I do not for example find the sonata form limiting, but simply as en enormous field of energy, which I as a composer can activate. But I have been wondering alot about what really happens. The longer I live, the more mysterious the music appears to me. Something absolutely amazing happens when the music of 'the great' is performed, the non-physical in us is inspired into movement.

The mysterious
During the conversation he continuously mentions his fear of grandiose words and expressions.

- But can we evade the notion of spirit in order to graps what hides behind the measureable? A composer's true inspiration can be transferred to ever new listeners in the future. An amazing process! My old pedagogue Nadia Boulanger once said: 'The geniouses were great musicians. Without knowing it, but posterity knows, they also touched the mysterious'. This is how I regard the non-material in our existence.



Handwritten note by the Composer:
Like most Norwegian composers of my generation, I began writing music with close ties to Norwegian tonal feeling, but without integrating folk music. This applies to all the early works, like songs opus 4 and Norwegian Overture op. 7, things that are still performed, the overture even very often. Eventually a need to orient myself away from this direction emerged. In the longer term, the stay in Paris from 1952 to 1954 helped me in this struggle. It wasn't in any way a break with tonality, only an expansion and enrichment of aids towards what I would call a modern tonality. This is perhaps most noticable in Symphonic Epos, op. 22 and even more in the String Quartet No. 2 op. 27.

With the music of Skipper Worse, I was involuntarily led back home, and an assignment from the Bergen International Festival to produce adaptions of Norwegian folk tunes for piano for the first time brought me in direct relation to Norwegian folk music (apart from small adaptions in op. 5). With the experience I had gained in the meantime, I could now approach the folk music without being encumbered by some sort of national issues, but look at it from a more healthy angle, as a distinctive and interesting music in and of itself.

When it comes to the Stev tunes (op. 40), I would like to mention that my mother was a great connoisseur of Norwegian folk music and sang the old folk and stev tunes for me since I was little. Only now did I, however, feel so free in relation to the material that I would dare to attempt at an adaption. In Antagonia op. 38 I think I have managed to gather and combine my experiences in the best way. In the last movement I use a stev tune, but in such a way that it is completely integrated in the style. I studied Herbert Eimerts Lehrebuch Zwôlftontechnik and in the 60s I followed closely the development, by doing many study trips. All I have heard and studied, however, has strenghtened my belief in the tonal principle.

But one's musical expression has really more to do with instinct, a kind of voice of the heart, than with the outer intellect.

Not familiar with that case--  on others, the main problem was to refuse to take down links upon request by the copyright owners, but I may be missing something.

Frankly, I've never seen a sharing site/community or group go to the care this one does, and given the limited number of people who love this material (as opposed to the popular stuff with is shameless circulated in violation of copyright), I'm not sure how much this site is likely to draw the attention that took down Megaupload. (Which was brazen)  Have Alan or Mark received any formal complaints?  (I'm not trying to be criticial-- I admire your stance on copyrighted materiel.

[The Site's Scope]

Sorry not to jump on this sooner-- we've had our power out for several days during a record heat wave...

A:  I tremendously value this site, and what Mark and ALan have done.  To a large degree, this  is the site I've been looking for for years!  My tastes are pretty wide ranging. (That may be an understatement, if you know me .)  I also feel a need to help preserve music that I am not necessarily fond of, if there is a chance someone down the road will like. So I personally tend to be of the "anything goes" camp, BUT--

B:  As I've told some of the admins when I may have strayed into more modern areas in postings,  I fully acknowledge that they are the ones investing the time and responsibility, they should have full control over the type  of material they  wish to be responsible for.  And I am EXTREMELY grateful for what they've done so far.  I'm happiest with the "mostly tonal" 20th century works, but I do like to wander.


I like the way Paul has tried to break down the issues here.   I'll try something similar.


Responsibility for Copyrighted content:
Mark has mentioned about as owner, he has responsibilities for what is posted here.  Technically, all of the uploads are not hosted on his site-, only the links.  I'm familiar with other sites that address this problem by making it clear that any music is not posted on this site, and that the owner would gladly remove any links about questionable material upon request.   A similar disclaimer here would help, no doubt, but I doubt that Mark would want to open the floodgates and then spend more time reacting to requests to remove links, or, it if is egregrious, getting cease and desist orders, which may have no legal standing, but would not be a good thing to read with your morning coffee.   I'd only recommend this as a starting point.

I've changed my signature block to make a statement that, for all posts, I'm unaware of any ciommercial digital release, and have asked that anyone who knows differently to let me or an admin know, so the link can be removed.  If it is not part of the "contract" for members, I'd suggest we make it so, so that nobody has any reason to raise objections if a link is removed.  But that still doesn't reduced the admin burden on Mark and Alan.

Prescreening:
One thing that I have noticed is that we have several dedicated members here that have identified potential copyright conflicts that a simple google search did not pick up.  (And also, whether or not a particularly performance has been posted before- thank you Colin!)  What may be a viable approach is to set up a "pre-screening" process where before posting, a person will indicate in a "Prescreening folder what they plan on posting, what they know about the source, and hopefully we can have some of the high powered scholars address these issues.   At least one other member would need to reply, saying that they've investigated the proposed  posting, and found it viable.  Any posted download would also need to include a link to the post  prescreening folder, showing that the source has been screened/approved by at least one other member.   This would make the Moderator's work a bit easier, in that they would onlly need to make sure that the poster and some other forum member have already researched the recording.   With this approach, we can avoid giving moderator admin rights to too many people, still keep up the exemplary care I've seen demonstrated on this site, and hopefully let our admins work a little less hard.   

Tagging:
Paul is correct that, sooner or later, tagging will be the best form of allowing people to navigate, since no hierarchical structure can cover everything without a lot of duplication. (For Czech composers, do we then split into time periods? SYmphonic, Concerti, Chamber?)  We also ahve some composers whose nationalities are debateable. 

By tagging, we could associate a composer with more than one nationality, assign works to  one ore more categories like choral, orchestral, symphony, chamber, and even add flags for sound quality or accessiblity.  So, if you wanted to find all german, turn of the e century concerti, for instance, you could create a query for justthat.  It would no longer be necessary to create/maintain the indexes (which I am very grateful for.

Before committing to this path, we'd probably need to develop a form for uploading-- Simple Machines supports these.  But How effective the tagging may be in Simple Machines is something we'd also want to test before committing-- I've done some research in the past, and saw mixed reactions.   the biggest concern is that tagging the existing archive will be a MAJOR undertaking.  But the benefits would be astronomical.


Tagging Lite:
Going forward, I like the idea of people describing works a bit more, to help others decide if its worth a download.  I've also tried, using a method I call "scrapbooking" to help pass  on a little information about the composer along with the work. 


Quick fix for Download structure:
There is a command for Simple Machines that allows a given part of a post to be hidden form people  that are not in the appropriate group.  If this was used for inserting links, we could hide them form guests, and no longer need a separate download and discussion page.  Guests won't see the links if they are posted properly.


Devil's Music:
I'm not a hard core modernist, but I appreciate some modern works, and I'm fond of minimalism done well.  But I do have some works I'm not posting here since I think they'd be too far out for the majority here.   Since the Avante Garge project seems to be defunct,  I've considered a Free wiki site (there will  be advertisements) to post them,  If there is similar interest, LMK.  I don't want Mark and Alan to be responsible for stuff they don't enjoy, or at least see some value in preserving.  It seems that a few others have been willing to go down this path as well.


Summary:
I guess my dream resolution here would be to keep the same general mix (I don't mind the more out-there stuff being discouraged), but to harness some of the dedicated scholars we have here to help validate proposed posting in advance, so that Mark and Alan don't need to spend as much time validating uploads.  We have some AWESOME scholars/researchers on this site, and I've always been amazed on how much info I've gotten when I've asked for help. (Or corrections when I've messed up).  And, for stuff that may be too far out, a sister site would be good.  There is some modern works that I feel belong here -- the Swayne Symphony I posted recently was tonal to the point of modal, and very melodic.  If we set ranges by dates or "types of composers" a work like that may slip through the cracks.

Some of the otehr issues for making the site easier to manage may depended on if the SImple MAchines features /add ons I've looked at work as advertised.  (Anybody in the IT business will tell you to test BEFORE you commit to something),  It may be helpful to set up a "sandbox" set of folders and a group to let some of the more adventurous test out some ideas before we make any commitments.


I would like to help to some degree, but I don't want to offer time I can't deliver.  In addition to the whole family/career thing, I'm spending a lot of time providing technical support to two groups reporting war crimes within Syria, and the demand for help there is constantly increasing.  I assure you, the music is much more fun, and I'm grateful that Karl has let me help share some of his collection here, since I can't download without wanting to give anything back.  But in terms of need, and with all of the TERRIBLE things happening in Syria right now, I need to make that the primary cause for any volunteer work I'm doing.
(If any of you are interested in the latter, you can send me an IM-- I don't want to occupy this forum with those issues. ) 

Oh-- final words-- Let me quote Elroel-- "I can't do without UC in the near future".   This site has brought me so much joy, and  although  yes, some works may have been too dry or too sappy for my personal tastes, I've found several works that have changed my life.  You can't put a price on that.

The Site's Scope


The Site's structure

There is also the seemingly unrelated point that splitting 'Composer Reference' from 'Composers and Music' exposes an unhelpful inconsistency in board structure which would probably not have arisen had Composer Reference been created in the beginning. We really could do with separating these into two boards but how we could now get there seems a tall order. (There may also be other board structural changes needing to be addressed either now or at a later point.)

Active Tagging

How, then, might changes in scope and structure be facilitated? A possible solution is compulsory tagging, to be entered when starting a new post, that might identify easily and simply say: (a) Composer / General and (b) the Era (with 2 or maybe 3 time ranges).

Such functional Active Tags across all boards would also secure the benefit of making it much easier to locate material (if Search could find within the tags field) as well as enabling the Scoping problem to be tackled (whether partially or fully in this round of change or at any later point).

These three come from here:
http://www.theory.caltech.edu/~kapustin/Nikolai/Nikolai_Kapustin_index.htm

They appear to actually be from an LP, though I keep wondering if the LP was originally in stereo.

Pesonally I absolutely adore much of his music. And incidentally there's a recording of the Piano Concerto No. 4 posted here somewhere (though also available http://d154044.u31.europeserver.nl/kapustin/music%20ludmil%20angelov.html among other non-commercial recordings on that site)

Thanks for providing the source-- I'll update the downloads page,  and and thank you more for sharing your feelings about his music.  I'm always happiest when people talk about the music they love-- even if it doesn't strike me the same way.

[Music of Nikolai Kapustin]

Music of Nikolai Kapustin

Kapustin on Piano with Oleg Lundstrem's Jazz Orchestra

1. Concert  Rhapsody Op. 25, 1976
2. Etude for Piano and Orch. Op 19, 1974
3.  Nocturne for Piano and Orchestra Op. 20, 1974

I've posted three works by Kapustin-- the composer known mostly for his attempts to apply classical rigor to jazz ideas-- you will see in the information below that he considers himself a classical composer. 

From his Wikipedia Bio:

Nikolai Girshevich Kapustin (Russian: Николай Гиршевич Капустин) (born November 22, 1937 in Gorlovka, Ukraine) is a Ukrainian Russian composer and pianist.

Kapustin studied piano with Avrelian Rubakh (pupil of Felix Blumenfeld who also taught Simon Barere and Vladimir Horowitz) and, later, Alexander Goldenweiser at the Moscow Conservatory. During the 1950s he acquired a reputation as a jazz pianist, arranger and composer. He is steeped, therefore, in both the traditions of classical virtuoso pianism and improvisational jazz.

He fuses these influences in his compositions, using jazz idioms in formal classical structures. An example of this is his Suite in the Old Style, Op. 28, written in 1977, which inhabits the sound world of jazz improvisation but is modelled on baroque suites such as the keyboard partitas composed by J. S. Bach, each movement being a stylised dance or a pair of dances in strict binary form. Other examples of this fusion are his set of 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 82, written in 1997, and the Op. 100 Sonatina.

Kapustin views himself as a composer rather than a jazz musician. He has said, "I was never a jazz musician. I never tried to be a real jazz pianist, but I had to do it because of the composing. I'm not interested in improvisation – and what is a jazz musician without improvisation? All my improvisation is written, of course, and they became much better; it improved them."[1]

Among his works are 20 piano sonatas, six piano concerti, other instrumental concerti, sets of piano variations, études and concert studies.

Russian and Japanese record labels have released several recordings of the composer playing his own music. He has also been championed by a number of prominent western pianists, including Steven Osborne and Marc-André Hamelin who both released CDs devoted to Kapustin.

Here is an interview with the band leader that may be of interest:
http://www.lundstrem-jazz.ru/eng/arhiv_press_01.php

and a clip of them performing together on Soviet TV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEDI9_oNlCA


My Take
I usually don't weigh in on aspects of an "unsung" that don't appeal to me, but I find his solo works more interesting-- I wasn't all that impressed with the orchestrations/arrangements, but they are definitely accessible, and would won't upset any of the more delicate nervous systems.  But I was hoping for more.

I don't mind efforts to cross genres -- quite the contrary.  Classical has been adapting to, and redefining popular forms for a long time.  But,  for the most part, I have tended to find the most interesting Jazz/classical crossover attempts were those that started  on the Jazz side of the fence.  Jazz composers  like Gil Evans (Sketches of Spain with Miles Davis), Charles Mingus (the Black Saint and the Sinner Lady),  the amazing Duke Ellington (particularity his more ambitious later works like the Far East Suite and Afro-Eurasian Eclipse), and even Pharaoh Sanders, (if you want to live on the wild side , try The Creator has  a Master Plan), have done a lot more, from my point of view, to advance the idiom. 

Just my 5 cents worth.  Your mileage may vary.