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Members of UC who appreciate the music of Alan Hovhaness may well be interested in the following CD released earlier this year:-

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/symphony-no-48-vision-of/hnum/6809106

This is a world premiere recording of Hovhaness's Symphony no 48 "Vision of Andromeda".

Before making this post, I trawled through previous threads on this composer, in particular the thread "Hovhaness recommendations", last posting May 2012.Reading this thread,it was obvious that members either liked Hovhaness's music or disliked it (strongly)often  giving the reason that the music was "too samey"! For my part, I have a foot in both camps. When I first discovered Hovhaness, I was immediately taken with a number of works – Sym 2 Mysterious Mountain, Sym 9 Saint Vartan, Sym 19 Vishnu and The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam amongst others. This whetted my appetite for this composer's music and I subsequently went on to purchase 18 CDs! By this time though, I too became a little bored with the music as I also found that the music was becoming quite samey!!! I then stopped listening to Hovhaness altogether sometime in 2012! It's only now that , coming across this newish release March 2015 and listening to sound bites and consequently purchasing the CD  that I rediscovered my liking for Hovhaness's music. I had simply forgotten that certain of his compositions are, for me at least, very good indeed! Although I would add that a number of his works do indeed sound similar! So where does this latest work stand? I have played this symphony at least 7 or 8 times now and I have become quite fond of it. I would say that it's not the very best symphony that Hovhaness ever wrote but at the same time it's an attractive work that repays repeated listenings. A four movement symphony, my brief comments on each movement are as follows:-Mvt 1 Andante starts with a long, expansive theme slowly building to a dramatic climax before dying peacefully away. At 6:38 there is a very delightful melody for flute which is memorable. Three times during this movements bells/chimes are heard (a feature of Russian music and of course, Hovhaness is of Armenian descent!). Mvt 2 Fugue allegro is a brief 3 minute fugue which is very exciting and really grabs one attention (Hovhaness had a particular love of the fugue and Bach and wrote many fugues which often found their way into a symphony as here).Movement 2 is a particular favourite of mine. Mvt 3 Andante -  allegro moderato features another longish, expansive theme, almost minimalist at times in its structure but subtly orchestrated and again with prominence given to the flute. Mvt 4 Largo – allegro – andante almost echoes the opening movement with another of those long, expansive, shimmering themes. As in mvt 1, the music is punctuated by bells/chimes 3 times and the music closes in a regal and satisfying way. Although this is not a programme symphony, the music at times, to me at least, suggests travelling in space, indeed on a journey to the galaxy of Andromeda:  a timeless journey, accompanied by the very weightlessness of space itself .

If members already like Hovhaness, they will like this symphony too. No, I would never say that Hovhaness is a great composer but his music, or much of his music, is very attractive indeed and does have value! Listening to this latest symphony has inspired me to get out some of my favourite Hovhaness CDs and listen to them again!

Naxos have just recently released a new version of this wonderful romantic violin concerto arranged for piano and orchestra - New Zealand Symphony Orchestra with as soloist Chen Jie. This latest version works quite well but is not, in my humble opinion,  quite as moving or as beautiful as the violin version. Notwithstanding that comment, the love theme that both opens and closes the concerto in both versions is truly memorable.

Recently I discovered by chance the music of one of Georgia's foremost composers -Sulkan Tsintsadze. I had purchased Brilliant's  Russian Historical Archives Alexander Gauk edition. On CD 8 of the 10 CD set, was a piece by this composer entitled "Fantasy for piano and orchestra". I was immediately attracted to the work, very much like Rachmaninov in places (  more joyous though than melancolic), but also reminiscent of Khatchaturian, especially in the orchestral climaxes. I really like this piece. Sadly the music is slightly spoiled by persistant coughing in this, a live recording!!! To my knowledge, this is the only commercial recording presently available. If I found a studio recording, I would buy it immediately. The Fantasy is by the way, a reworking of a Piano concerto after Georgian themes, which I would love to acquire! Other Tsintsadze works freely available are" Miniatures" and also some string quartets. I have since discovered another "Fantasy" but this time for violin and string orchestra, which I have on order. Are any members familiar with this composer and what do they think of his music? I know there are symphonies and other concertos. Your comments would be most welcome, especially if you know of other commercial recordings.

Cheers
Dennis

Do any members know this operetta from Künneke? The title suggests something slightly exotic, oriental (I really love this type of classical music) but there is only the briefest of sound bites on Jpc.de (just 30 seconds). The music certainly sounds middle eastern. Although an operetta and the cd on Jpc is the complete work, I am wondering if there are any overtures, ballet sequences etc within the operetta. Any info would be appreciated.
Cheers
Dennis

Every so often, I come across a symphony in which one of the movements stands out more than the others and often can be listened to on its own. The characteristics of this type of movement, that appeals particularly to me are humour, goodnaturedness, brio and elan. In a nutshell, a movement that is a real joy to listen to, i.e. great fun. I can think of a couple of such movements from, for example, some of the Raff symphonies, but in this instance, I have been particularly taken with the second movement of the Rubinstein symphony no 2 ( sorry - yet another reference to Rubinstein!!!!). It's 7 :25 min go by in a twinkle and it's very easy to want to listen to the movement several times in succession. Listening to this movement really does put a smile on my face. Do other members have suggestions of movements which fall into this category?

Cheers
Dennis

Re-listening to Hummel's PC opus 85, I was surprised by the lengthy orchestral opening of this PC before the soloist ( in this case Stephen Hough) makes his entry- some 3 min 52 seconds into the work before the piano writing commences. Another recent example which comes to mind is Alexander Tcherepnin's PC no 1, which has a simply stunning 3 min (just under actually)orchestral opening before the piano entry is made. Normally, most PCs usually start with the piano joining in quite early on, or at least that is how it seems to me. Perhaps I have never really noticed that before. Do any other members of the forum know of concertos (PC, VC or CC), where the orchestra features so prominently before the soloist's entry. Also, does a lengthy orchestral opening before the solist's entry make for an outstanding concerto?

Cheers
Dennis

I recently came across the above-mentioned Hungarian composer by chance. I listened to sound samples on Amazon and liked what I heard, especially the use he makes of the harp in some of his works. I followed up by researching the net for more info on Lajtha. Of his 9 symphonies, it seems that symphonies 4 and 6 are the most accessible: playful, happy, pastoral music. It would seem that symphonies 8 + 9 are generally considered his greatest but I noted that according to critics his later works are marked by some dissonance? The sound bites do not really illustrate this. I am considering buying some of the cds available but wonder if any members of the forum are familiar with Lajtha's music and what views do they hold - which symphonies are the best? is there much dissonance in symphonies 8 + 9 etc. Your views would be most welcome.

cheers
Dennis

I have long been an admirer of Western music, given extra appeal by the addition of some Arabian colour. Most composers have at some time or other composed a Suite, which includes the almost obligatory "Danse Orientale". The Russians are, in particular, especially fond of doing this and there are many examples, a good example being Glazounov's Suite charactérisque - Danse Orientale. As such, I have for a long time been on the look out for such music, not just by "sung" composers but also "unsung" composers. On occasion, I have discovered music by "sung" composers, which is far less known than other far more popular works. I wonder therefore if other members of the forum share my passion and would like to mention  those western/arabian works they particularly enjoy. By works, I mean examples of Western/Arabian music of a reasonable length, not just a "Danse orientale". My list includes works by Rimsky-Korsakov (Sheherazade of course), Khatchaturian and Glière but I particularly like the following : -

Glière Overture to the opera Shakh-Senem
Rabaud Marouf - cobbler of Cairo
Nielsen Suite from Aladdin
Ippolitov-Ivanov suite no 2 "Iveria"
Amirov symphonic mugams + Arabian Nights
Hovhannessian Marmar
Hovhaness any music from his Armenian period
Rimsky-Korsakov Sheherazade
Saint-Saens Bacchanale from Sampson and Delilah 

Interestingly, a lot of the exotic/arabian music comes from the world of ballet.

Do other members know of works that fill the above bill?

Cheers
Dennis

I noticed whilst reading the thread on Holbrooke that reference was made to Rachmaninov's The Bells, both works being based on Edgar Allan Poe's The Bells. I am not familiar with Holbrooke's works (at least not yet) but I can't help not making a reference to Rachmaninov's take on the Poe. That no-one made any comment on another of my Russian favourite composers(!!!) seemed a little surprising. Rachmaninov is certainly not "unsung" but I wonder how well known the Bells is? That said, I can't imagine that the piece is NOT well known. I for one simply love the work, virtually a choral symphony! I love Russian music and I love the sound of bells incorporated into classical music! No, ... I am not Russian (!), bearing in mind that Russians are almost fanatical about the use of bells, in all their different guises, in their music. Rachmaninov's work, in 4 movements, is very skillfully constructed. The opening movement depicts silver sleighbells and is a joyous piece of music for tenor and orchestra. Mellow wedding bells toll in the second movement (soprano, chorus and orchestra) and the third movement portrays alarm bells. The finale is very impressive and portrays funeral bells - very solemn but very, very impressive and ultimately very moving (baritone and orchestra). Whenever I am in the mood to listen to a choral work (symphony), the Rachmaninov is one of the works I choose. Marvelous music!
Cheers
Dennis

I wonder if any other members of the forum are familiar with the music of Fikret Amirov. Apparently he is very well known in his homeland of Azerbaijan, but I suspect that he is far less well known elsewhere. I recently came across his music, whilst exploring my love of Russian music. Listening to sound bites of his works on the internet, convinced me that I really liked his music. Not only is it Russian in  flavour, but it also has strong  Arabian overtones as well. I freely acknowledge my love of all Russian music but equally, I have a pronounced predeliction for the exotic, the oriental, a touch of the Middle East in my music as well. Amirov's music fits me like a glove. Exploring his works further, I discovered that he is famous, musically speaking, for the creation of the symphonic "mugam" : a symphonic folk rhapsody. As an Azerbaijani, Amirov frequently incorporates elements of Azerbaijan folk music into his works. Naxos have just released a cd of his most famous works : Shur, Kyurdi Ovshari, Gyulistan Bayati Shiras and Azerbaijan Capriccio. I have listened to the cd a number of times now and the music continues to grow on me, delicate and lyrical, not too heavy handed on the oriental, just enough to give it a quite distinctive flavour. At times, I am a little reminded of Borodin's Polovtsian Dances. There is also a wonderful ballet score, "Arabian Nights" which gives an unmistakable guide to its character - not an easy cd to acquire by the way! At present, I also have on order another Naxos cd "Caucasian Impressions", which contains amongst other tracks, Amirov's Symphony for String Orchestra. If therefore, you like Russian music with a dash of Arabia, I strongly recommend Amirov's music. Is anyone else familiar with his music?
cheers
Dennis

Hi all
I have noticed just how often the two views "objectivity" and "subjectivity" appear in threads on this forum. Quite often,  I get the feeling it is held that the two views are somehow quite separate, that they exist independantly from each other. To my mind, they are but two sides of the same coin. Listening to any given piece of music, the immediate response is whether you like the piece or not. In many cases, the response is positive, whereas for others the response may be quite different. This then, is the subjective view and as individuals, we each have the right to either like or dislike a piece, irrespective of what we are told. And if we are listening merely for enjoyment, I feel a purely subjective view is totally justified. There are those though, who suggest that being "subjective" is not enough, that in order to recognise, indeed truly appreciate great music, we must be "objective", i.e. that somehow a totally different skill is being called upon!

In my opinion, listening to music is both subjective AND objective and every listener does in fact exercise objectivity. Obviously the immediate reponse is either"I like it" or "I don't like it" (sometimes though "I'm not sure" can equally apply). But consider for example, when the response say is negative. If you were asked to say why you didn't like it and had to give reasons, you would most probably come up with "poor melodies, weak playing, strange tempos, badly recorded et al". But would you not also compare the piece with other works from the same composer or indeed, on a larger scale, compare the work in question with music from other composers? In other words, you either consciously or, more frequently, subconsciously, break down your unfavourable response to what you have listened to. Perhaps, as a non-musicologist like myself, you don't critically analyse the music technically in purely musical terms but nevertheless, we all have the ability to contrast and compare pieces of music! This is why I feel that no-one is either solely objective or solely subjective, hence the title of this thread.

Finally, if I were to express the above idea in different terms but still stick to the same premice, I could easily substitute "emotional response" for subjectivity and "intellectual response" for objectivity.

Is this too simplistic a view?

Cheers
Dennis

As a huge admirer of Russian music, I was intrigued when I came across Grechaninov, a one time pupil of Rimsky-Korsakov. I started with symphonies nos 1 and 2 and quite enjoyed listening to them. I then purchased the remaining 3 symphonies. All are very pleasant to listen to and all contain suggestions of Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin and Tchaikovsky. My favourite is symphony no 5, which is perhaps the most reminescent of Tchaikovsky. Clearly his music is not however of the calibre of the previously mentioned composers but notwithstanding that comment, his music is nevertheless a nice mixture of the lyrical and the dramatic : interesting melodies, colourful and virtuoso orchestration. It should be pointed out though that all 5 symphonies are somewhat similar; Grechaninov stuck to what he considered a successful formula! In addition to the symphonies, Grechaninov composed a large number of works and is perhaps better known for his sacred music. What do other members think of Grechaninov's symphonic works?

Dennis

I recently came across a cd of works by Unno Klami in a second hand shop in London and bought the cd on the offchance that the music would be interesting. The cd contains 3 works, Karelian Rhapsody, Kalevala Suite (as per the liner notes his most famous work) and Sea Pictures. Listening to the music, I was very pleasantly surprised. His music is post-Sibelius (another of my favourite composers) and in the above works, there are references to Ravel (in particular Bolero). I liked the music so much that I have since researched this composer further and found out that there is quite a lot of his work available. Listening to sound bites, I have as a result ordered his two symphonies. Do other members know this composer and what do they think of his music.

Cheers
Dennis

Having been alerted to the music of Noskowski and impressed by all the glowing reports of his works on the forum, I immediately bought the Sterling cd (I have already posted my views on this cd under"Noskowski sym no 1"). I loved his music so much I had to find more. Subsequently I bought the cd of his piano music and also the cd of his symphonic poem "Step" ("Polish symphonic music of the 19th century"). I wanted however to hear more of his symphonic works but sadly, at this moment, only sym no 1 is commercially available (Sterling are planning to release sometime in the future sym 2 + 3!).

Mark however very kindly came to my rescue and made me a copy of sym 3 which he had recorded from radio. Thank you again Mark ( the sound quality is excellent!).

Listening to the symphony for the very first time, and not even bothering to look at the programmatic titles of each of the 4 movements, I was instantly enthralled by the music! I knew though that the symphony bears the title "From Spring to Spring" and it's very easy indeed to associate a season with each of the movements; from the quiet, sensual opening of movement 1 (it lives up to its"con affezione" title, to its final triumphant welcoming of the return of a new Spring, via the delicate, almost pastoral feeling of movement 2, to the joyous autumnal celebratory dance of mov 3 ( this movement has almost a Raffian Allegro feel to it?). There is also a very satisfying feeling of symmetry about this symphony as the opening theme of the first movement also closes the symphony.

I note that there has been some discussion in the forum about progression in Noskowski's symphonies, with perhaps the suggestion that there isn't in fact much progression. I cannot comment on that, as that is not my field of expertise. For me though, the question is largely irrelevant. I prefer to listen to each symphony and judge the work on its own merits. To my mind, the overall tone of each symphony, the feelings that Noskowski is trying to convey, are quite different. In symphony no 1, Noskowski is trying to make strong, bold statements and there is a certain grandure to the music. In the third symphony, the mood is overall, much lighter, more joyous! Is the third better than the first? I don't know but I love both immensely!

What do other members think of symphony no 3?

P.S. Does anyone have a recording of symphony no 2? I would love a copy and would be very grateful!

Every day I read all the new posts on this forum. On two occasions I came across Tikhon Krennikov : once in the thread "cds that stay in the box" (!) and once under "Pashchenko". On impulse, I listened to an audio extract on the net and instantly liked what I heard and proceeded to buy whatever cds I could find. I now have 2 symphonies, 2 PCs and 2 VCs. Also on order is the cd with all 3 of his symphonies. No surprise then that I say I really love Khrennikov's music! In many respects, I feel he is following on in the footsteps of Prokofiev (I love Russian music and Prokofiev is one of my favourites). Like Prokofiev, his music is full of spikey rhymns and he also has a penchant for slightly dissonant passages throughout his works. I do not however find these either abrasive or jarring. On the contrary, they are part of Knrennikov's vocabulary and I find them very appealing. I have to say though that I would not dare to suggest for a moment that Krennikov approaches the same level of lyricism that one associates with the best of Prokofiev's work. If however you like Prokofiev, then I can certainly recommend Khrennikov. May I ask you Pengelli what you mean by your "guilty cd pleasure"?

Do any other members of the forum know or like Khrennikov's music?

I know I opened a different thread on another composer - Einar Englund - but I would like to quickly refer to him also here as he too, to my mind, is rather like Khrennikov in the sense that his music equally at times is highly reminiscent of both Prokofiev's  and even more so Shostokovich's music (Englund, born 1903). Surprisingly, only one other member in this forum knows Englund's work (referred to sym 2 only). My collection comprises his 7 symphonies and 5 of his 6 concertos (I can't find his flute concerto!) and I like his music every bit as much as Krennikov's!

Do no other members know of Englund's music? (too modern?)

Einar Englund (1916-1999), Finnish composer and pianist.

I discovered this composer through Amazon's "recommendations for you" and was immediately attracted to a piece of music called "the great wall of China". I purchased the cd, which also contained symphonies no 4 and 5. I was immediately hooked!

Englund composed 7 symphonies, 6 concertos (I have all bar the flute concerto - does anyone have it?), plus a large number of other works.

Englund is considered a Neo-classicist and his music is strongly influenced by Shostokovich and Stravinsky, with a nod towards Bartok and also Prokofiev.

Each of the symphonies make most interesting listening : the slow movements are elegiac, the scherzi have tremendous flare ( the scherzo from sym 4 is my personal favourite and could almost have been written by Shostokovich himself!) and his finales are often triumphantly heroic. Sym 4 is my overall favourite and interestingly Englund composed the work to honour the memory of the passing of Shostokovich and Stravinsky. Sym 6 is likewise a favourite and bears the subtitle "Aphorisms". A 6 movement work for orchestra and choir, it is a lovely work, strangely haunting! Sym 2 "The Blackbird", also very appealing, is described by Naxos as being "acknowledged as one of the 20th century masterpieces"!

Who says modern composers cannot write wonderful music in traditional mode?

If you love Shostokovich and Prokofiev, as I do, you are sure to like Englund too (try listening to audio samples on either Jpc or Amazon)!

Recently I discovered the music of Erkki Melartin (1875-1937), finnish composer and conductor.
A contempory of Sibelius, Melartin as conductor of the Viborg Orchestra, Helsinki directed the orchestra in the first performanances of Mahler's music given in any of the Nordic countries.
Unsurprisingly Melartin's music at times bears the stamp of Mahler, whilst still retaining its own original voice.
Amongst his key works : 6 symphonies and a stunning VC (all on Ondine).
Broadly classified as a National Romantic , I find his music most appealing: lyrical, yearning, stirring and very expressive, often with the inclusion of finnish folk songs. His Scherzi in particular (Sym 1-4) are full of freshness and veuve.

My own favourite is Sym No 4 (historically his most popular) and contains a choral movement for soprano, mezzo and contralto (lovely). The scherzo in particular is superb, with its racy rhythmic motif, and its Trio theme having an odd Prokofiev aspect to it.

Of the 6 symphonies, my order of preference is 4,1,2,3,5 +6.

My most unreserved praise is however for his VC, which I find especially beautiful. The main theme (a big"tune"?) introduced in the first movement reappears in all 3 movements and is variously at times tender,yearning and very moving. It's the 2nd movement however which does it for me, the Andante is so lovely. The concerto comes to a most satisfactory conclusion with an uplifting, danse-like movement.

I think Melartin deserves to be better known. Do other members know his music?