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I was wondering whether any friends have come across the music of Zelenski (1837-1921). Like Noskowski, he occupies the ground chronologically speaking between Chopin and the Karlowicz/Szymanowski generation - and there is an awful lot of music to explore. I have the following: the Overture In the Tatra Mountains, Violin Sonata, Piano Quartet and Piano Concerto (the last-named in a radio recording).

Broadly-speaking his music seems less immediately appealing than that of Nokowski, but it is nevertheless full of the sort of Romantic melody that makes you wonder why he is so rarely performed. There also seem to be definite signs of development from his earlier music, which may be described as being in the Schumann orbit, to the later stuff (e.g. the Piano Concerto) which is much more adventurous harmonically. 

Does anyone else know Zelenski's music at all?

Friends will be interested - and probably relieved - to know that José Serebrier's Glazunov symphony cycle is to be completed soon with a double-CD of Nos.1,2,3 and the unfinished 9th...

http://www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//2564689042.htm

Friends will no doubt be interested in the announcement by Sterling of the release of the Symphony No.1 in A (1874/5) by Polish composer, Zygmunt Noskowski. Noskowski wrote the piece while studying with Kiel in Berlin...

http://www.sterlingcd.com/

Another winner from Bo Hyttner! Noskowski is an important unsung composer and this is an absolutely wonderful symphony.

Two new recordings from cpo, available at the end of August, may be of interest to members and friends:

1.) Orchestral works (Visionen, Op.12; Legende für Orchester, Op.13 "Assisi") by the Germano-American composer, Hermann Hans Wetzler (1870-1943):
http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/SESSIONID/fb2168f227aec203db41480801eeeed3/cpo/detail/-/art/Hermann-Hans-Wetzler-Orchesterwerke/hnum/1018986
Of Wetzler, Grove online says:
<<Wetzler's compositions are rooted in the post-Romantic style; he was particularly influenced by Richard Strauss. His virtuoso treatment of the modern orchestra and preference for symphonic programme music are evident in the Symphonic Fantasy, Visionen, the Symphonie concertante for violin and orchestra, and the symphonic legend Assisi, which among 84 works submitted was awarded a prize of $1000 by the Chicago North Shore Festival Association. Although his chief work was operatic conducting, he wrote only one opera, Die baskische Venus. He also composed chamber music, songs and choruses.>>

2.) The Violin Concerto in G major, Op.52 (1912) by Weingartner:
http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/SESSIONID/fb2168f227aec203db41480801eeeed3/cpo/detail/-/art/Felix-Weingartner-Violinkonzert-G-Dur-op-52/hnum/6614805

For opera-fans there is veritable feast to be had in the first official release of a mono 1955 recording of Goetz's The Taming of the Shrew on the Profil label...

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/SESSIONID/fb2168f227aec203db41480801eeeed3/classic/detail/-/art/Hermann-Goetz-Der-Widerspenstigen-Z%E4hmung/hnum/8749600

The cast features a classy group of singers of the period and the sound has come up really very acceptably indeed. A German opera for those allergic to Wagner, perhaps!

The story of Draeseke's Violin Concerto in E minor of 1881 may or may not be known to members of this forum, but suffice it to say that the orchestral score seems to have gone missing during the early part of World War II, leaving us with only a manuscript (in two different hands!) of the piano reduction.

Anyway, the first performance of the violin/piano version has just recently taken place in Germany and some YouTube excerpts are available here...

http://www.draeseke.org/news/IDG2009VC/

Two caveats, however:
1. The first video on the page is of Hans Benda's arrangement of the Adagio of the VC - although interesting, it is essentially a recomposition of the slow movement and should not be regarded as being by Draeseke at all.
2. The other two video excerpts are labelled the wrong way round, i.e. the clip labelled 'first movement' is actually from the finale and the clip from the finale ('last movement') is actually the opening seven minutes or so of the first movement.

My initial reaction is that this is typical Draeseke - absolutely no-one else could have written this harmonically adventurous music; it is also intensely memorable and passionate - and very different from the roughly contemporary VCs of, say, Reinecke, Gernsheim, Brüll, etc.

Acte Préalable have announced the forthcoming release of the Stojowski Violin Concerto:

http://www.acteprealable.com/albums/new_ap0221.html

http://www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//AP0221.htm

New from cpo (and available later this month) are the following:

Ries Violin Concerto, Concerto for two horns, plus two overtures
http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/SESSIONID/fb2168f227aec203db41480801eeeed3/cpo/detail/-/art/Ferdinand-Ries-Violinkonzert-op-24/hnum/9955466

Röntgen Symphonies 8 & 15
http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/SESSIONID/fb2168f227aec203db41480801eeeed3/cpo/detail/-/art/Julius-R%F6ntgen-Symphonien-Nr-8-15/hnum/6142788

I have just one CD of music by Mosonyi - the PC and 1st Symphony on Marco Polo. Listening to the symphony today I found it to be thoroughly Beethovenian in style, but with a superbly dramatic slow movement that looked as much forwards as backwards. Does anyone else know this work - or, for that matter, anything else by Mosonyi?

If we omit Spohr, Lachner, Mendelssohn and Schumann, which are the most important symphonists in Germany/Austria in the period 1827 to 1850?

Another interesting composer being promoted by the Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum, Innsbruck is the Tyrolean Josef Nezter (1808-64). He wrote four symphonies (1837, 1838, 1845, 1849), all clearly in a post-Beethovenian style, but all very enjoyable. I had written them off as being very much inferior to those of Rufinatscha, but some careful re-listening has shown them to have both real quality and stature. Has anyone else encountered them?

Friends may be interested in this new CD of VCs from Dacapo...

http://www.dacapo-records.dk/?page=catalogue&id=7588&setlanguage=en

The three concertos it contains are those by Niels Gade, Lange-Müller and Rued Langgaard.

Being a great fan of the Gade VC, I bought the CD for that particular work and am glad to say that the performance is splendid. For anyone unfamilar with the piece, this is late Gade (1880) - and very much all of a piece with other roughly contemporary VCs such as those by Reinecke and Dietrich. So, if you don't know it, here is a golden opportunity to acquire it on a CD with two other interesting rarities - of which more later...

I hear from cpo that the following have definitely been recorded:

- The opera 'Das Kätchen von Heilbronn' (1881) by Carl Reinthaler (1822-96).

- The Symphony in E flat and Piano Concerto in E flat (both from around 1882) by Anton Urspruch (1850-1907) - currently 'being produced', i.e. in preparation.

OK: Grove 4 has two entries, as follows:

- Vol.2: "Op.73 Violin Concerto in A minor" (wrong opus number)
- Supp. Vol: "Op.82 Violin Concerto in A" (wrong key)

I suggest that these two entries actually refer to the same work. Glazunov's Op.73 is in fact his Solemn Overture for orchestra (1900). The (single) entry should read:

"Op.82 Violin Concerto in A minor"

It is surely a case of two wrong entries - or maybe the VC originally had a different opus number which was later changed. At all events, there is absolutely no mention anywhere of another VC - see this full list of his works:

http://home.wanadoo.nl/ovar/glazun.htm

Hi Mark,

I know that you have been plundering the catalogue of recordings of unsung music made by pianist John Kersey...

http://rdr.johnkersey.org/cd41.html

I wonder if you could let us know what you believe to be the most worthwhile of his releases? Thanks!

I am in the process of a fairly major change of mind with regard to the quality of the music of Franz Lachner. What has spurred me on to explore him further is the 5th Symphony (on Marco Polo). This is a giant symphony (around an hour) which takes its time in a Schubertian manner and which clearly stands in line of descent from Schubert 9 and points forward to Bruckner (and Rufinatscha). I am also mightily impressed by the String Quartets available on the Amati label.

I know that John White has always been keen to promote Lachner (and his brothers): now I can confirm that I am a fully paid-up member of the fan club!

If only the other symphonies (apart from 1, 5 and 8 which Marco Polo have done) had been recorded. John: I believe you have a high opinion of No.6 - can you give us any hints as to its character at all?

I can now confirm that Rufinatscha's Piano Concerto in G minor of 1850, until now only available in a recording of the version for two pianos, will be recorded in Stams, Austria in mid-July. The performers will be:

Michael Schöch (instrument: Hammerflügel by Conrad Graf, Vienna, ca. 1838, from the Music Collection of the Tiroler Landesmuseum, Ferdinandeum, Innsbruck)
Orchester der Akademie St. Blasius
Karlheinz Siessl (conductor)

Judging by other recordings made in July or August of previous years, this recording should be out around Christmas time. Watch this space!

Edition Silvertrust have published Berger's String Quintet in E minor, Op.75 - and have some enticing samples on their website...

http://www.editionsilvertrust.com/berger-string-quintet.htm

Jim L is right: in July Hyperion are planning to release Julius Benedict's two piano concertos, coupled with the Concertstück by Macfarren. Details and excerpts here:
http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/al.asp?al=CDA67720

Friends will be interested to know that firm interest in recording Rufinatscha's 6th Symphony has now been shown by one of the major independent labels. More news as it happens - and as and when I am able to reveal it!