Has any one seen the scores or know any thing about the quality of Rudolf Friml's two piano concertos dating from 1904 and 1918. He was certainly a tunesmith so I am hoping!
Incidently, does anyone know where the scores are?
Have often wondered the same thing. I have something on an old cassette tape called Chansonette for 2 pianos, heckelphone & orch but no piano concertos......
Jerry
I have and enjoy an old LP of a couple of his orchestral works: Symphonic tone poem Matterhorn, The Symphony scenes of my youth, they are not exactly barn-burners but pleasant to listen to. But in the notes it say he came to America sponsored by Steinway and played "his own piano concerto" (no more details than that) for Walter Damrosch and the NY Sym orch, also appeared with Boston and Philadelphia.
Fun quote from liner notes:
"Neville Cardus once likened the world of music to the terrain of an imaginary valley. The mountains of Bach rose in the the ether, giving way to the fertile slopes of Handel and the enchanted lakes of Debussy.
To one side, the volcano of Beethoven smoked while thunder pounded against a Wagnerian mountain range. Below were the palaces of Mozart and the well-kept estates of Haydn.
On to the floor of this pleasant valley of musical fantasy, one would not be amiss to place the donkey train of Rudolf Friml."
I hope someone finds these piano concertos.
I didn't mention also having his Brazilian Fantasy and the sym poem Hong Kong.
Jerry
I too would love to find these concertos but, I fear they do not survive. I did speak with Sara Davis Buechner just after she had recorded the selection of Friml piano music a few years back and mentioned my interest in the concertos - she had already been in contact with Friml's widow concening this and other matters and it seems that they were never published and manuscripts did not survive. Obviously this may not be the final word on the matter ( we can but hope!!) - but I have a feeling we may be disappointed here.
Everett seems to describe the first concerto's manuscript in some detail - I wonder his source :( ...
Friml was quite the Hollywood ladies man. Four wives and numerous affairs.
Are there any children who might be able to throw some light on what happened to his music?
Well, he did have children in Hollywood.