An email from ArkivMusic this morning prompts me to urge anyone with a taste for tuneful, but meaty romantic-era symphonies to get hold of the splendid Arte Nova set of Gernsheim symphonies before they disappear. There's an enlightening review at ArkivMusic's website here:
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=127975 (http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=127975)
I also note that the set is on offer at dirt cheap prices both here in the UK...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B000EQ47I6/ref=sr_1_3_olp?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1353320421&sr=1-3&condition=new (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B000EQ47I6/ref=sr_1_3_olp?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1353320421&sr=1-3&condition=new)
...and in the US:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000EQ47I6/ref=sr_1_2_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1353320466&sr=8-2&keywords=gernsheim+symphonies&condition=new (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000EQ47I6/ref=sr_1_2_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1353320466&sr=8-2&keywords=gernsheim+symphonies&condition=new)
I concur with Alan, I purchased these CDs when they first came out and have returned to them many times. They are one of my most pleasurable discoveries among the unsungs.
I've just been to Amazon UK's website, hoping to order some copies at the knockdown price, but I see that they are now charging over £22 for the 2 CD set!
You don't need to buy from Amazon themselves, John. Just click on the link below to find some far cheaper offers sold through Amazon - all you pay is an extra £1-26 for p & p and the set can be yours for less than £8!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B000EQ47I6/ref=sr_1_3_olp?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1353320421&sr=1-3&condition=new (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B000EQ47I6/ref=sr_1_3_olp?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1353320421&sr=1-3&condition=new)
Good to hear from you, by the way.
There is a second hand set for £8 at Harold Moors in London. I saw it yesterday afternoon.
Many thanks, gentlemen for that information. However, I've now order the set for £12 post free from an e-bay site.
I've had my copy for several years, but I wanted a spare for a possible present for one of my friends.
Your friend is in for a treat, John!
It's a really good set of symphonies and performances (and those who like to listen along to a score now have both the published score and the autograph to choose from, at @ IMSLP and the Berlin Library respectively (poss. soon both @ IMSLP.) (I especially like syms. 2 and 4, which latter sometimes reminds me a very little of Berwald's symphony 4, not the worst thing to be reminded of, though I think that work wasn't even premiered until some years after Gernsheim wrote his symphony...)