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I will have a lot of time on my hands in the near future and am looking for some unsung piano music to read through or include in my repertoire. Any suggestions? I am particularly open works by Russian nationalists (like the Ilyinsky Lullaby), but am also interested in most musical styles. I am pretty much confined to works available on IMSLP, but does anyone know where I could find a copy of the Nicolai sonata to look at?

Thank You!

JSK

Looks like the modern premiere of "Die Heimkehr des Verbannten" will be streamed on German radio on Saturday:

http://www.dradio.de/dkultur/sendungen/konzert/1336444/

Rimsky Korsakov's piano concerto, sadko, and opera suites, especially Christmas Eve.
Balakirev's First Symphony

Just recently I came across streaming for two of Paliashvili's operas online. Haven't listened to them yet though. This website also seems to have streams of several other Georgian composers.

http://www.georgian-music.com/free_music/030.php

Borodin's sextet is quite beautiful, but only two movements survive.

I know it's not as unsung as many of the works in this thread, but I believe the Balakirev B-flat minor sonata deserves more attention. I'm especially fond of the first movement, with its distinctly un-German fugal passages.

I have all but decided to do my senior research on chamber music of Russian composer Cesar Cui. To my knowledge, English-language research into his works has so far only covered the operas and, to an extent, the piano music and songs.

Unfortunately, to most musicians Cui is only known as the least talented of the Russian Five. Nevertheless, I feel like he did write some attractive music.

Of the chamber music, I am far more interested in his four works for larger forms than his typically salonish minatures, particularly the third string quartet and the delightful violin sonata. Sadly, none of the quartets have been recorded.

Foremost a composer of operas, only Cui's Feast in a Time of Plaugue is readily available on disc. I found the work somewhat unusual. Not the most memorable Russian opera I've heard, but interesting for its intimate quality more reminiscent of solo song than grand opera.

Anyone else familiar with his music? Opinions?

This morning I was listening to Khrennikov's second symphony and reading this thread.

As fate would have it, a couple hours ago I stumbled across a rare CD of Schnittke and Khrennikov's Love for Love Suite at the Goodwill for $3. Can't wait to get the chance to listen to it!

It seems like it is indeed Goria - Thanks for the Tip!

If I can find access to a good-enough scanner, I would be happy to email anybody here copies of any of the works I have. I can double check what specific works I have by these composers.

A few days ago I received a stack of (mostly very old) piano music, some of which is falling apart. A lot of it is salonish, reflecting the tastes of many music lovers of around 1890-1910. A few of these composers are fairly famous, but I can find very little information about a few of them. I now have a lot of music with which I am not horribly familiar, but would like to intelligently explore. I would appreciate any recommendations of what to look at and information about some of the more mysterious of these composers/works.

I am now sifting thorugh:

Lots of Liszt and MacDowell, some Schumann, Greig, Chopin, plus some newer Schirmers
D'Indy Piano Sonata in E minor - Didn't know he wrote significant piano works
Godowsky Fantasia on themes from Strauss' Kunstlerleben
Philip Schwarenka Moment Musical
Moszkowski Cappricio Espagnol and Melodie for Piano
Lecuona Malaguena
Schulz-Evler Adaptation of the Blue Danube Waltz for Piano
A Schubert transcription by Tausig
Godard - At the Spinning Wheel Op 85, Mazurka Op 54, En Courant
Pabst - Concert Paraphrase on Eugene Onegin - Very worthwhile concert paraphrase if that's your cup of tea
Schytte Nocturne - Fairly easy but rewarding work that would be great for recitals by intermediate students.
Louis Conrath Air de Ballet - This seems like a pretty mediocre and repetitive salon work. All I can find out about the composer is that he had something to do with Missouri and wrote a piano concerto, whose manuscript still exists. It may not be worth playing, but the cover of the score is especially amusing. It calls the Conrath concerto "The most effective Concerto of modern times" and the back advertises Beethoven's "32 Piano Sonatinas" (not to be confused with Beethoven's "29 Sonatas") with a (probably fake) endorsement by von Bulow.

Perhaps of particular interest is a collection of opera transcriptions/paraphrases bound by a Mexican professor into two volumes at least about 100 years ago, and are thus in excellent condition considering their age. I haven't spent much time with them yet, but they seem to vary considerably in quality. Liszt and Gottschalk aren't too unknown, but I would appreciate it if any of you have comments about:

Richard Hoffman
Sigismond Thalberg (I've heard one or two recordings - impressive)
Alfred Quidant
Alfred Jaell
Joseph Ascher
A. Coria - google hardly confirms this composer's existence, so I would like any information anybody has. Maybe Coria is a pseudonym?
Th. Dohler
J. Leybach
Emile Prudent

Instead of paying for an orchestration, why not recommend the job to some musicologist looking for a publication or a graduate student looking for a doctoral dissertation?

She does indeed have published memoirs/an autobiography in English. It does not really explain how to get her scores. Heritte-Viardot lived in several places throughout her life. Furthermore, the autobiography does not mention her son by name (apparently she had a miserable family life and it seems like her son may have ended up living with his father, I don't know), so I guess it's unlikely that he inherited many of her scores and if he did they'd be hard to track down. It's also hard to find much information elsewhere on the composer since her mention in books like the Grove Dictionary exists as part of the articles on her more famous mother, Pauline.

One of my professors has edited and published an edition of one of Heritte-Viardot's quartets. I don't think she has found a copy of the cello sonata score, though I'm not certain. She told me that she has had a miserable time trying to find Heritte-Viardot scores in general, and that when she copied the original scores which she has the scores were literally crumbling.

And the Chopin arrangements mentioned are in fact by Louise's mother, Pauline Viardot Garcia. She wrote a lot of songs I do not particularly like due to their lackluster piano accompaniments.

Not sure if this story exactly matches this thread, but here goes.

Otto Nicolai, having established his position as a respectable opera composer, rejected a libretto, considering it unsuitable for an opera. The young Verdi took it up and it became his first major opera, Nabucco.

Just listened to my new copy of "Il Templario". Despite some dramatic weakness, in my opinion, towards the end I recommend it as a very good unknown opera in the bel canto style. The liner notes included in the CPO set are also fortunately very informative and long, having been written by the musicologist who recently brought out a performable edition of this opera.

One concerto that I would like to see recorded is William Sterndale Bennett's 6th, but the person who holds the manuscript is sitting on it and won't let anyone see it. I gather she is hoping to get a huge price for it.

That sort of thing is musicology at its worst. The best she could realistically hope for is a few pennies in royalties.