Messages

My favourite is Rubinstein's Octet op. 9, without hesitation (by the Consortium Classicum on Orfeo).
The Henselt Piano Trio is gorgeous, but so are Raff's Quintet and 4 Piano Trios, like Mark says. I cannot make up my mind which of these Raff masterpieces I like the most. They are superb.
Since a week I have Rufinatscha's Piano Quartets. Very pleasant to listen to. According to Manfred Schneider in his booklet notes the 2nd in A flat major is more mature, but up to now I prefer #1 in C minor which sounds more sparkling. 
But I have another suggestion and that is a CD with the Piano Trios of Thalberg (op. 69) and Moscheles (op. 84) by the Göbel Trio Berlin on the Signum label. Both very sparkling masterpieces, with my slight preference for Thalberg. Steven, I am absolutely confident that you won't be disappointed!

Thank you all for your suggestions. Most of us, including myself, think Brahms with the grandiose opening of his PC #1 carries off the honours, like Peter says. And yes, of course, Beethoven #4 but also #5. And Rachmaninoff #2...For our unsung heroes I keep thinking that it's all a matter of personal taste.
Ilja mentions a few Scandinavian (?) composers I have never heard of, but also Scharwenka #1. I love all his 4 PC's but prefer #4, not only for the opening but also the beautiful 2nd movement and the thrilling finale.
Orff, I still haven't heard the whole Huss PC, but listened to the opening on Hyperion's website. Definately an explosive piano entry!
Talking about Hummel, I have his op. 110 played by the London Mozart Players with Howard Shelley, but I find many concertos, how brilliant they are and full of delightful themes, somewhat too classical, except for his op. 85&89, both with very elegant openings. Like I said, it's a matter of taste.
I agree with Yavar. One of my favourites in Hyperion's series of Romantic PC's is Kullak. A subtle opening followed by captivating themes. What a pity that this splendid and brilliant work is the only music of Kullak on CD. He must have been a very interesting and creative composer as well.
I am not yet familiar with the Castillon. Alan, I agree with you on Reinecke's #3, but I prefer his #1. Yes, Litolff #4 features an opening which is hard to forget, just like the story of his adventurous life. And of course, the opening of Raff's PC is delightful. I don't know Ponti's playing, I have the Aronsky. And has anyone heard the catchy opening of Tomášek's PC #1?
In summary, there are a lot of unknown PC's to be explored by me. I'm very much looking forward to the coming release of Benedict's PC's. Hopefully with superb openings...

But so far the Henselt is still my unsung favourite, and not only because of the stunning opening (I like it even more than Rubinstein #4...).

Today I have listened after so many years to the Concerto for Piano, Violin and String Orchestra in F sharp minor, coupled on a LP (label Turnabout of course) with Moscheles' Grande Sonate Symphonique for four-hand piano arrangement. The Pixis' concerto is a real gem and the 2nd movement, an adagio sostenuto, features, as the violist Kees Kooper says, "one of the most beautiful melodies one can ever hope to hear". I fully agree. It is a very intense, heavenly theme. Has any member ever heard this marvellous concerto?

Music of Pixis on a CD seems to be very rare. The only piece I have is the "Fantasie dramatique pour le piano à quatre-mains sur des motifs des Hugenots" (from Meyerbeer) played by the Duo Alkan (Alberto Baldrighi and Anne Colette Ricciardi).

Do you recommend a PC from one of our unsung composers with an impressive, stunning opening like Brahms 1 or the elegant Hummel PC's op. 85&89? I am thinking of Henselt, including his formidable piano entry.

Rubinstein 5

I have immediately ordered the 4 Gernsheim symphonies and will let you know what I think of it. Hopefully another "trouvaille" for me, just like Rufinatscha!

Like other Forum members I am very grateful to Mark and Alan. The Forum offers an enormous source of information, particularly for lovers of classical music searching for unsung composers. And look what happened to me. Thanks to Alan's enthusiasm for Rufinatscha I recently bought some CD's, namely his symphonies 1, 2, 5 and 6, the piano quartets and the four-hand reduction of the piano concerto (I am still waiting for the last 2 CD's, ordered a few weeks ago, which might prove that the postal services in Europe are not as quick as in Rufinatscha's days...I should have gone by car to Tirol myself). Before reading the discussions on the Forum, I have never heard of Rufinatscha. And now I can say that to me Rufinatscha is absolutely what the French call a "trouvaille". Thanks Alan for introducing me to Rufinatscha's music!

The artwork of the CD's shows some parts of the scores and looking at Rufinatscha's beautiful and careful hand-writing you could expect the same care for his compositions. And indeed. What a wonderful music!

Symphony #1 is very pleasant to listen to, and has a beautiful, lyrical adagio. Symphony #2 offers true romantic 1st and 2nd parts, however, the themes of the 3rd and 4th parts are, as I feel it, rather simple and more in the early Haydn style. By the way, in the 1st part after some 6:30 minutes a very strange flute can be heard a few times which sounds to me as an almost disturbing dissonance. Is it Rufinatscha's intention or a playful idea of a flutist of the Cappella Istropolitana Bratislava? Both overtures in C minor and C major are delightful works as well.
But then his 5th and 6th! Masterpieces of the highest calibre. I have a slight preference for #5 because of the heavenly adagio. I can say that these two symphonies belong to the most overwhelming symphonies of unsung composers I have heard in a very long time. These wonderful symphonies remind me strongly of Schumann, just like both Norbert Burgmüller's symphonies.

It is good to learn that symphony #6 attracted the attention of another label. Maybe that label will be interested in releasing Rufinatscha's concert for piano and orchestra as well...

If you read Manfred Schneider's booklet notes, the Viennese demanding concert hall audience reacted very enthusiastic after hearing Rufinatscha's C minor symphony. We can only hope for a miracle and that is that the complete scores of the lost F major and C minor symphonies will turn up after all during our life...

Yes... RaffRubiRufi, the Great Triple R.