Hello everyone,
It has been a while since we had a more general discussion about the fate of the unsungs. I can sense most people's aesthetic preferences through their posts, but since we've been inundated by "new" romantic releases over the last years, I wanted to ask fellow forum members which unsung works they think really deserve a place in the concert repertory. Not necessarily the best music (let's be honest, no 12-minute Konzertstück is likely to enter the concert halls no matter how brilliant) but the best music fitting existing concert programming.
In order to avoid "List-itis" could I ask you to submit a reasoned list of three works which have impressed you so much that you think the world should no longer live without it? I shan't go first, in order not to risk setting a certain tone. But I'm curious.
Note: following up on John Boyer's note, let's start with orchestral repertoire.
I wonder if it would be better to divide this into chamber music versus orchestral? Chamber music programs are already more adventurous than their orchestral counterparts because both the performers and the audiences are more likely to be risk takers. Anyway, assuming you meant the orchestra, here goes:
1. Gade: Symphony #1. This is the symphony that made Mendelssohn write to Gade, "I cannot resist the impulse to address you directly, in order to tell you what extraordinary pleasure you have given me through your outstanding work, and how grateful I am to you from my heart for the great pleasure that it has afforded me. Not in a long time has any piece made a more vivid, beautiful impression on me [...] I found myself [...] amazed by every measure of it [...]." It's a magnificent, vivid work from first to last, with memorable themes and perfect orchestration. And that final C-major chord is the most perfect landing on the tonic I have ever heard.
2. Raff: Symphony #9. This is my favorite Raff symphony, full of great material, strikingly orchestrated. Every movement is engaging, beginning with the delicate divided strings at the opening and all the way to the joyous, jubilant conclusion. At times it makes me think of "Dvorak's 10th Symphony" -- a thoroughly enjoyable crowd-pleaser, which at the same time reminds me of Mahler's idea that a symphony should be an entire world. One imagines having visited such a world when we reach the end.
3. Dohnanyi: Piano Concerto #2. This is an imaginatively conceived work. We get three main themes in the first movement, which are cleverly presented in reverse order in the recapitulation. Note, too, the unexpected silence of the piano when the Big Tune returns in all its glory. And the thematic material is glorious. I love the weird harmonies of the Hollywood-ish Big Tune, and the third theme (see the bottom of page 15 of the two-piano reduction, "a tempo (tranquillo) dolce") is one of the most beautiful things I can think of. Finally, hats off to constructing the finale on variations on each of the themes from the first movement. Brilliant!
Finally, I will NOT include also-rans, because then we are back to just compiling lists.
"I agree and have nothing to add" (NOT Clarence Thomas), when it comes to the Gade Symphony No 1. I spent decades collecting his other symphonies. They never came near to matching up.
My second choice would have to be the Jose White Violin Concerto. Spine-tingling virtuosity with memorable themes - surely Rosand is not going to be the last violinist to perform it as a staple of his reportoire.
Number three is Pabst's only orchestral work - the Piano Concerto. Spirited,lyrical,and especially woodwind-poignant in the finale,it is a powerful work that,in my opinion,outranks contemporary Russian concertos such as the Arensky.
I'll give this a go, but I am aware my musical judgement rarely seems to harmonise with most members on this forum...
1. Ries Symphony No. 7 in A minor, Op. 181, for the sombre, dramatic, and serious character, and for the reach it spans from Beethoven to the early romantic symphony. Expert craftsmanship in orchestration and development, with effective use of the orchestra to create colour and tension - the finale is especially original in form and expression.
2. Giovanni Battista Viotti's Violin Concerto No. 22 in A minor, to me represents a pinnacle of the Classical violin concerto style while opening the possibilities of emerging Romanticism. I always find the pathos and melancholy that pervade the work to be moving, it is elegant yet dramatic. There is infectious virtuosity and genuine musical depth. Not entirely unsung, it influenced the French violin school (Kreutzer, Rode, Baillot), both Joachim and Brahms admired it, and Itzhak Perlman, Yehudi Menuhin, and Isaac Stern have recorded it - but my favourite version is by Lola Bobesco.
3. Hubert Parry's Symphony No. 3 in C major, "The English", the work embodies qualities I associate with the English character: sturdy, open-hearted, pastoral, and optimistic, with a blend of robust energy, lyrical warmth, and understatement. I enjoy the vigorous rhythms and singing melodies. It ought to be a concert hall favourite.
I may have a vested interest here, but I have to suggest Moszkowski's 2nd orchestral suite. As the work proceeds, each movement seems to have more to offer and I can never tire of the superlative melodic invention, culminating in the concluding march. There is never a dull moment and I defy any audience to find fault!
2) from a concerto perspective, my all-time favourite has to be Scharwenka's 2nd - Op56 in C minor.
It was one of the first unsung concertos that I discovered - with thanks to Mr.Ponti! IMHO it has everything and again can surely keep most audiences engrossed throughout!
3) Stenhammar's magisterial 2nd symphony in G minor. I just can't believe how such a work cannot be a regular in the concert hall. This is no light-weight 19th/20th century also-ran by any stretch of the imagination!
The one time I really disagreed with critic John Leonard was his side-swipe at the Stenhammar G minor (the concert also contained "too much of Stenhammar's G minor" - or something like that) and I wholly agree with Mr Eastick.
I note with some pleasure that Magnard's symphonies are being taken up occasionally not just in France but in Japan (at least two performances of no.4 in the last decade is better than nothing; the review I read of a 2019 performance is very positive) and elsewhere. I was introduced to these works when the overnight broadcaster at WFLN-FM Philadelphia sequenced* Ansermet's recording of the 3rd symphony, which is wonderful, but maybe I too will choose the 4th for this too, if only because when it comes down to it, it really does end just right, with a perfectly-done recall of the end of the introduction to the first movement- and solving the finale problem is no mean feat in music or any other art in time (literature, e.g.)
Much more obscure than either, I'm just very fond of Antonio Scontrino's first (G minor) string quartet, very unfortunately only available sound-wise as an ok MIDI (and I still thank Mr. Lim for being willing to prepare even that, all the same.) Perhaps it might be its third movement that might be excerpted and played separately rather than, as is now more the habit, the whole long thing or else nothing, but that might be better- the first movement may not be at quite the level of inspiration of the other three, if only because the other three are made of delightful stuff... more memorable than deep (ok, it sounds like I'm damning with faint praise, it does) but enjoyable, not frivolous, and I doubt resurrection would be regretted.
* Put on the record player, put in the program, not converted into mp3 or what have you. This was 1990 or so... It occurs to me I may be taking some poetic license here, that that may have been the first Magnard I heard, and that I first heard of him some years before when I read about him in Newman's "The Sonata Since Beethoven". That seems more likely, hrm.
Of course, given my history, you might expect me to populate my three nominations with Raff's compositions, and I could easily, but I'll stray off my well-trodden path today. So, two symphonies and a concerto by other composers, which really should be in the repertoire:
1. Bruch's Symphony No.2 in F minor. From the opening chords there's a magisterial solemnity to it, which Bruch manages to maintain throughout the piece, even in the more upbeat finale. It's serious German music, sonorous and harmonically conservative but melodically generous. Bruch's themes perfectly match the overall mood and, although a conventional scherzo would definitely be out of place, the music isn't slow or maudlin and has some really grand moments. The overall mood is dignified, maybe "loss born with fortitude" best describes it, and Bruch manages a more positive end to the work, without spoiling its noble atmosphere. I don't know another like it.
2. Glazunov's Symphony No.5 in B flat major. In complete contrast to Bruch's masterpiece is Glazunov's wonderfully colourful, gorgeously orchestrated and relentlessly upbeat symphony - the epitome of all those a la Russe pieces stretching back to Glinka, and a total crowd-pleasing wallow in endless whistleable melody, toe-tapping rhythm and sheer excitement. I'm nominating this not because I think it's the "best" unsung symphony in any technical or philosophical sense, but in response to Ilja's criteria that the works should "deserve a place in the concert repertory", and audiences would love this work for its joi de vivre. The piece bowls along towards its spectacular finale which, in the right hands, would guarantee a standing ovation every time - and not one of those deceitful ones which are really the starting grid for the rush to the car park! Now that Sheherazade seems to be disappearing from concert halls, Glazunov's Fifth, for all its brashness in places, would satisfy audiences' craving for something to just simply enjoy.
3. My concerto nomination is Joseph Joachim's Violin Concerto No.2 in D minor, the "Hungarian". It's a big work, conceived on a grand scale and an obvious model for Brahms' Violin Concerto, which it pre-dates by 21 years. The orchestration is quite sober, but the themes are all memorable and expertly chosen for the instrument. The violin part, particularly in the finale, is demanding. Joachim was the leading virtuoso of his day, a very capable composer, and a serious and unshowy artist. All that's reflected in this concerto, which is never dull, but eshews empty fireworks in favour of solid craftsmanship, whilst giving plenty of opportunity for the soloist to show off their virtuosity. It's a very satisfying listen and, given the popularity of Brahms' concerto, this work should have no problem justifying its place in the repertoire if it was given a chance.
Well, time to nail some colours to the mast, I guess, and although my preferences tend to drift over time, these are the pieces that have never left my playlist of favourites. Mark's choice of Bruch's 2nd Symphony in F minor was one I would have selected as well (and so did this guy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYUuTnk5bX0)), which quietly allows me to get away with a foursome.
The other three are:
1. Hans Huber's Piano Concerto No. 3 in D major, Op. 113 (1899). This is a work I've loved since I first heard it, and I've never grown tired of it (which is why I take care not to over-expose myself to it, as well). From its delicate opening to its lively, driven finale, it never bores and what's more, it's very well-constructed, with each movement merging into the next with inevitable logic. There's introspection, lush romanticism and, at times, surprisingly spiky pianism. Possibly my favourite piece of music in the world.
2. Kurt Atterberg, Symphony No. 3 in D major, "West Coast Pictures", Op. 10 (1916). Exactly the right amount of Atterberg, in which irresistible melodies, swooping gestures, sudden intensity and languid tranquility all combine to create a truly unique and immensely powerful symphonic painting. Every time I hear it, it feels like a special experience.
3. Richard Stöhr, Orchestral Suite No. 2 in A minor, Op. 120 (1947). The total opposite of Atterberg's symphony, this is a delicate, even fragile piece about yearning for a world that doesn't exist any longer. It's bordering on spartan in its harmonies and melodies, which only underlines the suite's intensity of emotion; one that is very effectively carried to the listener.
One of the fun things about reading the nominations so far is being reminded of so many unsung masterpieces that I haven't thought about it in some time, but which, seeing their virtues described, make me recall how wonderful they are. How could they have slipped my mind? Perhaps it's just as well, since it would have made picking three that much more difficult.
Good choices all.
This really is fun,John. I have woken up in the middle of the night to fire off a few squibs,
Your Dohnanyi - I found the Genesis recording of his First a bit avant-garde, but I played through the Second in the forlorn hope of becoming a convert.
The Viotti. I have the Perlman, and love it,but is it Romantic? The first 29 of his concertos are on offer from jpc at 29.99 euros, but I find the performances lack fibre.
The Ries. Was that the one,Hector, that finished in that fifty-something pack for the Prize?
The Bruch. I have the Louisville recording ,coupled with the effervescent Rietz Concert Overture. I play it from time to time. It is indeed noble. I always play it to the end, And yet,I think: I have been to the Museum in Cairo. I have already viewed "Head of State,deceased"
The Glazunov. Fun,fun,fun. But I thought it was very "sung" in Russia?
The Stenhammar. I have always thought him to be Sweden's finest composer, and this is a truly monumental work. I have the Westerberg and it's a performance to be treasured.
The Atterberg. After his remarkable feat of memory in resurrecting the Stenhammar First Piano Concerto, I wanted to like this work. I played it ,Ilja. I said "expletive deleted". If you like the Fourth of Sibelius. the lion's share of the oeuvre of Vaughan Williams, you will love this. For me, I felt that the reaction of Petersen-Berger was sadly understated.
Terry, I wouldn't qualify Glazunov's Fifth as "sung" even in Russia. It's not the rarest item on concert programmes from what I've seen, but then again entire seasons can pass without it being played. West of the border any Glazunov is in unsung territory, I think.
But allow me to gently direct you away from Mester's version of Bruch's 2nd sympony. Quite apart from the execrable sound of that recording (at least in the version I have) our Jorge appears to have realized he might have left the stove on at the beginning of the finale, which is rushed through in a way that removes all of its grandeur. My go-to is Masur (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bidnZ2ETmdg&t=5s), but Trevino's recent cpo recording (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StZvlRs9xoI&pp=ygUYYnJ1Y2ggc3ltcGhvbnkgMiB0cmV2aW5v)'s not bad, either.
Glazunov's 4th symphony's getting performed in Bremen in August and The Seasons and Raymonda are getting performed (ok, Tokyo is not "West of the Border", perhaps I should omit that one...) and I expect have probably been performed more often than the symphonies (including this and last season, say. San Jose Youth Symphony is doing Raymonda in a few weeks too, e.g.)
Re - "The Viotti. I have the Perlman, and love it,but is it Romantic?"
In Baillot's Notice sur Viotti (1825), a biographical tribute published shortly after Viotti's death, he praises his teacher as the founder of the modern French school and highlights how Viotti introduced a more expressive, theatrical, and dramatic quality to violin concerto writing. This aligned with the era's shift toward "style dramatique", influenced by opera and emphasizing powerful contrasts, heroic elements, lyrical depth, and orchestral interplay—contrasting with earlier galant or more decorative styles.
So I'm going to say, 'yes.'
& yes, the Ries Aminor was entered for the Vienna competition - but not with his consent.
Quote from: eschiss1 on Thursday 19 March 2026, 12:28Glazunov's 4th symphony's getting performed in Bremen in August and The Seasons and Raymonda are getting performed (ok, Tokyo is not "West of the Border", perhaps I should omit that one...) and I expect have probably been performed more often than the symphonies (including this and last season, say. San Jose Youth Symphony is doing Raymonda in a few weeks too, e.g.)
You're right,
Raymonda is something of an exception with two performances slated this season, but I was primarily thinking of concert hall performances, not ballet.
I might have been too pessimistic though. Bachtrack also mentions performances of the
Ouverture solenelle, the
Rêverie orientale,
In modo religioso and
The Seasons.
Certainly the Stenhammar symphony shuld be in the repertoire. ( It wasn't premiered in the U.K. until it was heard at the Proms in 1985 and has not been heard there since. ) I'm also a big fan of Dohnanyi's second piano concerto.
I have chosen works which I think would make a strong impression on an audience even at a first hearing.
If the Dohnanyi concerto falls within our remit, perhaps Tournemire's sixth symphony does too. It is not traditional in its form but it is an extraordinarily vital and imaginative work which easily sustains interest throughout even if it is a little difficult to assimilate because it is essentially motivic rather than melodic. It includes parts for a solo tenor and a choir. By the end it is overwhelming. Any audience would respond.
Bronsart: Piano Concerto. This has come out of the cold recently with four recordings now available. A lesson in how to write a virtuoso concerto without resorting to meritricious writing for the soloist and its finale would bring the house down.
Harty: Violin Concerto. A really fine concerto, admired by Delius, with a tuneful finale which any audience would love. It's astonishing that the old Ralph Holmes recording remains the only one.
I'd forgotten about the Bronsart Piano Concerto, and I wholeheartedly agree that it should be in the repertoire, it's a great piece.
As it is more my wheelhouse (although I hasten to add I'm no expert or avid collector), there are a few unsung keyboard concertos that I would love to see in concert halls, to which I believe audiences would respond positively:
- Adolf Wiklund: Piano Concerto No.1 – a work that made a great impression on me, in large part due to the impassioned opening. With big-boned writing, readily singable tunes and virtuosity aplenty, lovers of Rachmaninov would certainly take to it. The recording done by Hyperion is my favourite, which reminds me again of how sad it is that they have discontinued their remarkable efforts in this genre.
- Joseph Marx: Castelli Romani - I'm choosing this rarity only because Marc-André Hamelin is playing the very deserving Romantisches Klavierkonzert on a few occasions this year. Marx's second concerto is much less bombastic than its wonderful predecessor, inhabiting a rather more spacious, cinematic world. Reminiscent of Respighi, among others, it is wonderfully colourful in its orchestration, and characterful too - generous to both soloist and full orchestra. As well as it's overall sweep, there are some spine-tingling moments throughout, for example the opening of the second movement, 'Tusculum', and a few minutes into the final movement, 'Frascati', where there are two short sections which to me evoke the sun breaking the horizon at daybreak - just magical. I prefer the unreleased recording with Hans Petermandl as soloist to the David Lively recording - even though the sound is better in the ASV recording, Petermandl 'feels' the music more.
- Alexandre Guilmant: Symphony No.2 for Organ and Orchestra - although you almost need a cathedral setting for a concert (Ian Tracey's recording from Liverpool Cathedral is stunning), this work gets my vote. Wonderfully written and balanced for soloist and orchestra, with (again) gorgeous, well-developed themes, satisfying contrapuntal writing, which takes you on a joyful ride from start to finish.
1) Draeseke's String Quartet no.3. Ah, Draeseke just needs to be played more. I choose no.3 over no.2 as I find it just slightly more compelling in the long run. Having listened to it more than a couple of times, it does grow on you. Perhaps so would be the case with an interested audience: to be hungry for repeated performances of Draeseke quartets isn't a bad thing.
2) Hiller's Symphony in C major. I'm going to be biased to Hiller, having studied so much of his music. For piano music, there's a couple of very repertoire-worthy pieces dormantly waiting for more exposure, and some fine choral and chamber music too. But if his most audience-friendly pieces are considered, it's a toss-up between the C-major symphony and the Symphonische Phantasie for me. The latter is a strong and effective piece, helped by a relative quick succession of moods and atmospheres due to its compact 5-movement structure. It would be a difficult piece to program: I can't quite place it as a concert opener, but perhaps it could work together with a concerto or a symphony in the latter half of the program? In contrast, the easily programmable C-major symphony just works so well, and it shows the best of Hiller: a work of much fire and passion, humor and well-measured orchestration. I have a feeling it would be a great hit.
3) Julius Otto Grimm's symphony. The work garnered quite a lot of discussion here, initially with Martin's synthesized version and then later as the recording appeared. In mood, style and the circumstances of its composition, it's quite an important work with a lot of gravitas behind it. I feel it would be easy to program due to the relevance it has to the evolution of the symphony genre in the romantic period. And in the end, it's great symphonic music, and that's really all that counts. It just needs a little more exposure to get itself to the concert hall.
For me, being Russian romantics lover and resident of Saint-Petersburg, almost all Russian orchestral music seems to be totally unsung, you name it. For instance, last year in Saint Petersburg there has been performed NONE of 3 symphonies by Gliere (150th anniversary) and of 8 and 1/'4 by Glazunov (160th anniversary). There were some Shostakovich, quite a number of Rachmaninov concertos and once - Borodin's Second. That's it. Though I might have missed something... (I am not talking about opera as they massively staging Rymsky these days in Kirov's for some reason). Funny enough Russian romantics are more often performed in Novosibirsk (i.e. Taneyev). That is where Russian music resides nowadays..
Anyway, from all those hugely unsung Russians I would choose just one and the only. If I hear it live or thoroughly recorded until I am dead I would be quite happy. And this is Lyapunov's Second, written in 1917 in the midst of Revolution, 75 minutes' of meditative, very neatly crafted work which to me sounds as a farewell or as postcriptum to the whole era of Mighty Five and their successors. At the moment there are only two recordings both by Svetlanov (in 70's and early 90's), and as both are live, there are equal quantities of music and audience's coughing.
2026 seems promisingish in Russia (Shostakovich piano works orch. in concert in Moscow yesterday, his Lady Macbeth in Moscow 20-22 March, the Gamblers in Moscow on 26 March, in a piano concert on 23 April in Moscow and orchestrally in Nizhny Novgorod on 16 May, just for example. A concert with Weinberg's cello concerto took place in Moscow last week, I think I see- and it is the 30th anniversary of his death after all. I see some Medtner (a personal favorite...) listed as being performed or having been performed in Moscow this month too...) Some outside Russia, too (e.g. his F minor piano sonata in a program at Wigmore Hall on May 28.)
Re Svetlanov sym.2- ah, I see- one's with l'Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the other with the USSR State Symphony. Sinaisky never did record the 2nd, clearly...
Sorry for offtop.. Moscow is too far from StP so I can't judge. However, neither Shostakovich nor Weinberg are from my scope. Medtner is a fair call, however I am not sure his music is quite Russian (remembering his origins too). Once I red a curious opinion by someone from those times who wrote that of all three great piano writers of the beginning of XX c. Skryabin and Medtner are autentical figures whereas Rachmaninov is an epigon of a latter ))
Ok, it's interesting to see a list of the three great piano writers at the beginning of the 20th century (presumably not actually meaning 1900, as Medtner only graduated in that year, though the first movement of his piano quintet, and one of the songs quoted as one of its main themes, were done as early as 1903) that's Scriabin, Medtner and Rachmaninov but not, e.g., Busoni, Ravel...
If I remember correctly, this opinion dates from 1910s or even later. And it meant - of Russians.
I agree with Vitaly, Russian romantic orchestral music is very high on my list. I have no access (or money) for live orchestra, but I think those who do would love Taneyev's Symphony No. 2 (even if finished by someone else), and any music by Kalinnikov. Then, entering another "high on my list" musical realm, romantic French music, I can't imagine a live performance of either of Marie Jaell's piano concertos would not be a peak experience for anyone lucky enough to hear it.
It's long enough for one concert, and has generated huge (very positive) discussion on here (possibly the longest thread of the forum?) - I would love to see a live performance of the Ilya Muromets Symphony No.3 by Ukrainian composer Reinhold Gliere. A massive sweep of a work. I must have 7 or 8 different recordings of it, but I imagine a live performance would be a different experience altogether.
I have created a Spotify playlist for the pieces mentioned sofar (in the order in which they were mentioned) here (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1SDSlt4MpE54SyXX51cKZn?si=1bc715dc3ddb4d69).
Excluded are the chamber works (it'll soon be evident why) and Hiller's C major symphony, nominated by Tuomas but also only available thanks to his own effort on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY22op-F0bc). I'll add more works as they're mentioned by members.
Disclaimer: yes, I know Spotify pay artists a pittance, but it's a larger pittance than YouTube do (roughly over twice as much) and Presto Streaming doesn't allow for creating playlists.
Thanks, Ilja, that's really valuable. More nominations, please!