A chilly spring evening here in Norway today (we actually had snow!) made me listen to some dark, autumnal music: Ture Rangströms symphonic poem "Song of the sea". Some great sea-music there, and it made me wonder if there are other gems out there using orchestral colours to describe the coastal- and sea-environment.
My personal favourites are two other Swedish composers:
Hugo Alfvèn: Symphony no. 4 (50 minutes of enchanting orchestral tone-painting) and the symphonic poem "A legend of the Skerries".
Kurt Atterberg: Symphony no. 3 "West Coast Pictures.
I must also mention Jean Cras "Journal de bord". Beautiful stuff!
I also have Paul Gilson "La Mer", Cyril Scotts "Neptune" and Frank Bridge "The Sea" in my collection. But unfortunately I haven't had the time yet to listen to them enough. I guess it will be worth the wait.
Any suggestions!?
Morten
Debussy beats the lot of them, surely?
That work is the most famous at least! That's why I didn't mention it, but I do have a recording with Salonen on Sony. Pretty good one too, but Debussy has never been my favorite for some reason.
There are two other pieces which I would strongly recommend: Glazunov's The Sea, Op.28 (1889) - especially in Neeme Jarvi's recording (http://www.chandos.net/details06.asp?CNumber=CHAN%207049 (http://www.chandos.net/details06.asp?CNumber=CHAN%207049))and Arnold Bax's Tintagel (1917/19) with the Ulster Orchestra and Bryden Thomson (http://www.chandos.net/details06.asp?CNumber=CHAN%2010156 (http://www.chandos.net/details06.asp?CNumber=CHAN%2010156))
Thanks! Tintagel is indeed a favourite in this house! And I do have the Bryden Thomson recording you refer to. One of many wonderful early Chandos Cd's. I have to admit that I didn't know what Tintagel was all about, but reading some background information makes it all clearer!
I have the Naxos recording of Glazunovs piece but I haven't been thrilled by that one. Could be the recording, how can Golovschin conduct the piece 5 minutes slower than Järvi?
I'm listening to Paul Gilsons "La Mer" at this moment. A particularly good final movement ("La Tempète") in that one!
Any of the works of Guy Ropartz have the sea written into them.
Also, Vincent D'Indy - Poem des Rivages and Diptyque méditerranéen. Languid, gorgeous music.
John Alden Carpenter's tone poem "Sea Drift" is a stunning work, in my opinion. A deeply personal aftershock from Debussy's seismic symphony.
In addition to Glazunov's remarkable work (why is that never played in concerts?), there's the lengthy tone poem The Sea by Lithuanian composer Mikalojus Ciurlionis (1875 - 1911). There are two recordings I know of, one, appropriately on the Seven Seas label with the Lithuanian State Symphony, and a Russian Season one with Fedoseyev. Well worth seeking out.
A beautiful work which fits the bill nicely is The Ocean (1920/21) by the American composer Henry Hadley (1871-1937). There is an excellent Naxos recording (8.559064).
Thinking of relevant orchestral excerpts from operas, there are the wonderful Four Sea Interludes from Britten's Peter Grimes. Also Ethel Smyth's The Wreckers contains some glorious sea music - best of all is the Prelude to Act II entitled On the Cliffs of Cornwall (unfortunately this is only available as part of the 1994 Conifer complete recording, sadly deleted).
Rubinstein 2, perhaps? And I'd forgotten about Tintagel: that's a really great representation of its subject. Bax's greatest work, perhaps?
In addition to Alfvén and Atterberg, one could also mention Gustaf Bengtsson's symphonic poem Vättern. It's not of the same quality as Alfvén's and Atterberg's works, but it's still quite a charming piece of music (available on Sterling). Gösta Nystroem's Sinfonia del Mare is more modern, but still quite accessible.
I'd also like to add Bantock's Hebridean symphony and the slow movement of Moeran's only symphony. There is no sea or lake related title on the last one, but I still think it is one of the best musical pictures of the sea.
This is turning into a great list of sea-music!
Just a few comments/questions to your suggestions:
The Ciurlionis tone poem is also recorded by Marco Polo, and seems to be the easiest to get hold of. Is it a recommended one?
Guy Ropartz - How are those symphonies of his recorded by Timpani? Comparable to Jean Cras?
Gustaf Bengtsson - "Vättern". Glad this work was mentioned, because it was actually that symphonic poem that ended my evening of sea-music yesterday. A bit hyper-romantic at times, but just listen to the wonderful waves in the introduction (and at approx 11 min)! I wonder when/if Sterling will record Bengtssons 2 remaining symphonies?
Gösta Nyströms Sinfonia del mare can be accompanied by his symphonic poem "Ishavet" ("Artic Ocean"). A very cold and dark work, but as is mentioned; accessible. I believe BIS has made a decent recording.
Albion! Thanks for the Ethel Smyth tip! New one for me. That old deleted recording is still available on amazon, if I can afford it..
When it comes to John Alden Carpenter and Hadley: Great music, let's do hope Naxos is planning more recordings of those two composers' music!
Morten
I'm surprised no-one has mentioned Vaughan Williams' magnificent Sea Symphony, which I studied for my 'A' Level music course and still find one of the most thrilling pieces of music I know.
As you rightly say Gareth, the Sea Symphony is a magnificent work. But not especially unsung together with Debussy's La Mer. Those two are absolutely not forgotten!
All of this talk is beginning to remind me of a particularly nasty journey to St Kilda from the Outer Hebrides.
Are there any pieces for sea sickness???
Thal
A choir I sing in once did a medley of sea-shanties which included
The Drunken Sailor arranged with occasional 5/8 bars, thus:
4/4 What shall we do with the drunken sailor
2/4 What shall we do with the
5/8 drunken sailor and
4/4 What shall we do with the drunken sailor
4/4 Early in the morning
The nausea experienced (by choir and audience) whilst performing it may have been induced by this metrical whimsy, but was more likely to have been due to the generally rather dubious quality of the arrangement. :P
Seriously, I just scanned my shelves again and realised that I had somehow failed to mention
St Paul's Voyage to Melita (1932/3) by the wonderful George Dyson (1883-1964) - a fantastic storm-scape for tenor, chorus and orchestra ably captained by Vernon Handley on Somm:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dyson-Choral-Royal-Philharmonic-Orchestra/dp/B0000AING2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1273594041&sr=8-2 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dyson-Choral-Royal-Philharmonic-Orchestra/dp/B0000AING2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1273594041&sr=8-2)
Albion's post about the vocal work by Dyson made me remember Stenhammar's orchestral song "Ithaka". Wonderful stuff in the "sea related genre"!
Quote from: M. Henriksen on Tuesday 11 May 2010, 09:24
The Ciurlionis tone poem is also recorded by Marco Polo, and seems to be the easiest to get hold of. Is it a recommended one?
Can't compare, as I've only heard the Marco Polo/Naxos recording. I would call it a good effort, but no more. Ciurlionis serves up lots of subtle textures, eschewing long-lined melody as being unrepresentative of Lithuanian song. You need really sparkling sonics for this kind of music, and at least on my system this recording lacks those.
Be sure to check out his paintings if you haven't already. They're arresting.
Quote from: thalbergmad on Tuesday 11 May 2010, 11:54
Are there any pieces for sea sickness???
Anything by the Glasgow band Marmalade, I should think. ;-)
Some of the Humphrey Searles symphonies definitely have that sea sickness quality.
Im sorry, if I offend anyone but just about anything by Stravinsky gets me sea-sick... or atleast i get THAT feeling.
Stravinsky doesn't bother me - it's the atonal Schoenberg who makes me feel seasick because all the tonal horizons have disappeared. In fact, it's like listening to a musical language which I don't speak or understand at all.
Quote from: Alan Howe on Wednesday 12 May 2010, 17:54
... it's the atonal Schoenberg who makes me feel seasick because all the tonal horizons have disappeared.
As is well known, when in the early 1920s Schoenberg codified the freer compositional choices Hauer and he had been making for some years, he felt he had guaranteed the hegemony of German music for a millennium. Less well known in musical circles are Leo Szilard's 1929 paper, "Ueber die Entropieverminderung in einem thermodynamischen System bei Eingriffen intelligenter Wesen," and Claude Shannon's 1948 paper, "A Mathematical Theory of Communication." These works make it clear that the effect of Schoenberg's codification was to render the amalgam of melody and harmony, with respect to tone, information free (as astronauts in orbit are information free with respect to gravity). The burden of musical communication then devolved upon rhythm, texture, timbre, dynamics, and so on. These parameters in turn were made information free by some composers of the mid 1950s.
When the human voice is involved and the subject matter is appropriate, as in "A Survivor from Warsaw," Schoenberg's grand gestures carry the day (for me), partly because the music so closely parallels the human condition in the arbitrarily codified world of the Third Reich.
My choice would be the exquisitely beautiful and deeply melancholy Poème de l'amour et de la mer by Chausson. The vast majority of recordings of this tour de force of melody and tragedy have been by women. It is certainly beautiful when performed by a female voice. But it does require ignoring the text, which was written by Chausson's friend Maurice Bouchor -- either that, or one must imagine the woman singing is a lesbian.
The piece was originally written for tenor, and it was a tenor who premiered the first performance accompanied by Chausson himself on piano. However, good luck searching for recordings by any male voice. I have heard one recording by baritone accompanied by piano.
There is only one recording that I'm aware of that is actually what Chausson intended, tenor with orchestra.
Turbulent Heart - Music of Vierne and Chausson by Steve Davislim, with the Queensland Orchestra conducted by Guillaume Tourniaire. Very good SACD audio on the Melba label, which has an exorbitant list price, but which can be found at half that amount if you look around. And of course, there are some excellent recordings by sopranos and mezzos out there.
May I echo Amphissa's recommendation. Turbulent Heart is a superb CD - I got mine from an Amazon trader for under £10 - but Amazon UK is offering it post-free for £11.99, so it's not too difficult, as Amphissa says, to find it at a not unreasonable price.
Two symphonic movements, although not so specified by their composers, always remind me of the sea:-
(1) The Andante cantabile from Mozart's last great symphony which has become nicknamed "The Jupiter".
(2) The opening movement of Spohr's 2nd Symphony, written in London in 1820 on his 1st visit to England, after a particularly rough crossing.
Scanning through my Cd's I discovered two more works that deserves to be mentioned in this context:
Frederick Delius: Sea Drift for baritone, chorus and orchestra.
Hakon Børresen 1876 - 1954: Symphony no. 2 "The Sea". The four movements are called Surf - Summer - Tragedy - Cruising. The symphony was composed in 1904.
Some other works I'm not sure were mentioned yet, just because:
Fitelberg's symphonic poem From the Depths of the Sea (op.26) (a friend of Szymanowski, conductor/composer, member with him I believe of Young Poland...)
Grace Williams' Sea Sketches
Vagn Holmboe's Prelude "To the Calm Sea" (for chamber orchestra actually)
Gilson's sketches "The Sea"/De Zee (orchestra, possible choir) (1892 or so.)
(Perhaps Cornelis Dopper's "Zuiderzee" symphony counts, remotely :) - but probably not.)
Skalkottas: The Sea (not sure of this one...)
Eric
Of Atterberg's music, you might try the Alven Suite, which describes the course of a river in music, with intervening landscapery. A sort of Ma Vlast without the boredom (sorry).
Also, I have a 'Gulliver' symphony by Edgar Stillman Kelley, which has lots of sea tunes. Does anyone know more about it?
Quote from: eschiss1 on Friday 14 May 2010, 06:32
Fitelberg's symphonic poem From the Depths of the Sea (op.26) (a friend of Szymanowski, conductor/composer, member with him I believe of Young Poland..
This composer looks very interesting, but he's sadly not very well represented on record (yet!). Is the above-mentioned work recorded, anyone? I know his symphonic poem "Song of the Falcon" is recorded, I've just heard a sample from jpc.de
Quote from: M. Henriksen on Wednesday 19 May 2010, 20:00
Quote from: eschiss1 on Friday 14 May 2010, 06:32
Fitelberg's symphonic poem From the Depths of the Sea (op.26) (a friend of Szymanowski, conductor/composer, member with him I believe of Young Poland..
This composer looks very interesting, but he's sadly not very well represented on record (yet!). Is the above-mentioned work recorded, anyone? I know his symphonic poem "Song of the Falcon" is recorded, I've just heard a sample from jpc.de
A broadcast from 1999, but perhaps no commercial recording. (Apparently a Polish Radio broadcast, but BBC Radio 3 Through the Night has rebroadcast it e.g. late last year, Nov. 11 2009 - http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/euroclassicnotturno/playlist091111.shtml (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/euroclassicnotturno/playlist091111.shtml) . The Polish title is W glebi morza.)
Eric
Symphony no3 op36 The Sea (1950/52) by Finnish composer Kalervo Tuukkanen (1909-79)
This symphony features soprano,tenor & choir, and is in a neoclassic idiom. Tuukkanen was taught by Madetoja in the 1940's & 50's, and his influence is evident in the work.
It is in 4 mvts: Largo allegro 16'25", Intermezzo -allegro scherzo 3'26", Allegro moderato ma energico 9'54", Larghetto ma non troppo 3'39".
Included on the disc is the Violin concerto no2 op45 (1955) (Finlandia #4509-98888-2)
A few more for the list : Wagenaar - Frithjof's Sea voyage op5, Eric Fogg(1903-39) -Sea Sheen (on Dutton #CDLX 7196), Klami - Sea Pictures, Elgar- Sea Pictures, Scott Neptune-Poem of the Sea, Ibert - Symphonie marine, Escales, Ropartz - Pecheur d'Islande, (Timpani)Prelude marine et chansons, Lazzari - Tableaux maritimes, (Marco Polo #8.223853),Parry - Chivalry of the Sea, Lilian Elkington (1901-69) - Out of the Mist. (previous two works on Dutton #CDLX 7172)
Marcus.
J.J.Abert (1832-1915) Symphony no4 in D "Columbus" is a sea portrait, with memorable themes. It is in 4 mvts:
Allegro - Impressions on Departure (10'32"), Scherzo - Seamans'life (4'19"), Adagio - Evening by the Sea (8'05", Finale- Happy owen,Rebellion, Storm, Land (12'46"). (Bayer BR 100-160-CD)
A few more :
George Lloyd -Symphony no4 "Arctic" (Albany/Troy #498)
P.Gaubert - Symphonic poem Les chants de la mer (Timpani #IC1135)
J.B.McEwen - A Solway Symphony (3mvts- Allegro moderato -Spring Tide 11'51", Molto Tranquillo -Moonlight 12'04", Vivace -The Sou'west Wind 10'25"(Chandos #9345) an excellent atmospheric work.
Grace Williams - Sea Sketches for String Orchestra 1944 (Lyrita#SRCD 323)
J.Holbrooke - Symphony no3 - "Ships" (LP #OCA 328-I)
Peggy Glanville-Hicks - Sinfonia Pacifica 3mvts 12'34" (Vox Australis #VAST013-2)
David Golightly - Three Seascapes 9'25"(ASC#CS38)
Enescu -Vox Maris op31 24'39" (M/Polo#8.223142)
Zemlinsky - Die Seejungfrau Fantasy for Orchestra 3mvts. 38'51"
Marcus.
A few others I don't think have been mentioned yet:
Bridge 'The Sea'
Elgar 'Sea Pictures'
Rubenstein Symphony No 2 'Ocean'
Ravel 'Une Barque sur l'Ocean'
Bax 'On the Sea-Shore'
Bantock Hebridean Sea Poems (Caristiona, The Sea Reivers)
Bantock Hebridean Symphony
Flagello 'Sea Cliffs'
MacDowell 'Sea Pieces'
Hanson Symphony No 7 'A Sea Symphony'
and of course:
Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture
Beethoven 'Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage'
A couple of personal comments about the music in John's selection (no intended comment at all on the selection itself). [Comments added as I'm not sure how familiar members may be with American composers.]
Hanson's Sea Symphony has always reminded me of VW 1, Junior. At the time he wrote it, Hanson was retired from Eastman and listening almost obsessively to recordings of other composers' music because he knew his days were numbered. Touching and sad to me at the time.
MacDowell's Sea Pieces are psychological portraits rather than descriptive pieces. Very little sea spray in evidence. Being the student of Raff that he was, forests play the major role in his animistic art works.
I should, of course, mention two of my compatriots who wrote orchestral pieces about the sea: Cornelis Dopper's 'Zuiderzee' symphony no. 7 (about what is nowadays a lake, but was a sea back in 1917) and Peter van Anrooy's 'Piet Hein Rapsodie' from 1901, about a Dutch buccaneer from the 17th century (either a pirate or a hero, depending where you stand).
Another suggestion - Gosta Nystrom "Sinfonia Del Mare" - very interesting work, repays several listens!
Dennis
Again...this is why I love this place (although there is so much music and so little time)! I've got the Glazunov and Hadley ones, which are both great, but looks like a lot more to listen too.
Quote from: M. Henriksen on Tuesday 11 May 2010, 09:24
This is turning into a great list of sea-music!
Just a few comments/questions to your suggestions:
The Ciurlionis tone poem is also recorded by Marco Polo, and seems to be the easiest to get hold of. Is it a recommended one?
Guy Ropartz - How are those symphonies of his recorded by Timpani? Comparable to Jean Cras?
I highly recommend the Ciurlionis work. The opening bars - the first two minutes or so - are magical. This is a gorgeous depiction of the sea. Don't miss it.
Ropartz' symphonies also are not-to-be-missed. They evoke his native Brittany in almost every measure and are some of the most unjustly unsung orchestral works I know. Ropartz refused to follow his contemporaries into discordant writing and therefore was relegated to the back burner. What a shame!
The Ropartz Third Symphony has not, yet, been recorded by Timpani. I assume this is because of the large forces required - including four vocal soloists and a huge choir. Michel Plasson did it on EMI - perhaps the only extant recording on CD? Anyway, the work is mesmerizing - it is Ropartz' testimony to nature, life and humanity. It can stand next to Mahler's Second and reaches, for me, the emotions of the Sibelius Fifth - high praise, indeed.
Thanks! I thought no one ever were to answer those questions. In the meantime I have bought the Ropartz symphonies except no. 3. So now I just have to find the time to listen to them.. The Plasson recording is unfortunately not easy to get hold of to a sensible price, I hope Timpani will record it in the near future.
Morten
Quote from: M. Henriksen on Thursday 22 July 2010, 05:27
The Plasson recording is unfortunately not easy to get hold of to a sensible price, I hope Timpani will record it in the near future.
As with many deletions, the Plasson recording
is available - from Archiv. This is an excellent initiative which ensures that 'hard copies' of recordings (not downloads) can still be obtained at a reasonable price, and they ship worldwide:
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Drilldown?name_id1=10323&name_role1=1&bcorder=1&comp_id=243094 (http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Drilldown?name_id1=10323&name_role1=1&bcorder=1&comp_id=243094)
Quote from: Albion on Thursday 22 July 2010, 06:48This is an excellent initiative which ensures that 'hard copies' of recordings (not downloads) can still be obtained at a reasonable price, and they ship worldwide:
Emphasis on the 'copy'...
Quote from: TerraEpon on Thursday 22 July 2010, 06:49Emphasis on the 'copy'...
It should be emphasised that these are properly licensed, not bootleg, discs. Unless you have a fetish for owning original releases, then I can see no problem with a sonically-identical CD with liner notes supplied at a reasonable price. It's either that or search amazon and ebay, and whilst you're at it apply for a second mortgage.
Is the compact disc itself truly the iconic object, and is the provenance really more important than the music it contains?
Arkiv's re-release programme is a hugely important initiative - and the products themselves are excellent. I use this service regularly (e.g. I have just ordered Schreker's Die Gezeichneten as a result of a recommendation in the Schreker thread). Highly recommended!
Or, you could sit on a beach and hear a live performance.
One of my favorite pieces that has to do with the sea is The Island from Sainton. The material he composed for this was used in his only film score for Hollywood Moby Dick. Both the Chandos recording of the island and the Marco Polo recording of Moby Dick are worth having in your collection.
Quote from: Albion on Thursday 22 July 2010, 07:05
It should be emphasised that these are properly licensed, not bootleg, discs. Unless you have a fetish for owning original releases, then I can see no problem with a sonically-identical CD with liner notes supplied at a reasonable price. It's either that or search amazon and ebay, and whilst you're at it apply for a second mortgage.
Well the one time I accidently bought one (through Amazon, was my fault for not reading), the disc had gaps between each track, which was especially problematic as many of the tracks didn't pause musically. This was back when they only had Marco Polo and Vox discs listed, and I imagine that issue is cleared...
Still it kinda always made they whole thing negative, and in general something feels kinda odd about 'owning' a CDR.
There's probably very few currently available discs that I would really want that isn't cheapish on Amazon anyway (and they also have quite a number of discs that one can easily buy the same recordings in an in print edition, usually with other music along with it)
Quote from: Alan Howe on Thursday 22 July 2010, 10:28
Arkiv's re-release programme is a hugely important initiative - and the products themselves are excellent. I use this service regularly (e.g. I have just ordered Schreker's Die Gezeichneten as a result of a recommendation in the Schreker thread). Highly recommended!
While I agree that Arkiv has introduced an important initiative, my experience in purchasing a couple of these has been disappointing - in that the program notes are either abridged or non-existent. I have opted to pay a bit more and seek these out-of-print CDs at Amazon.
The Ropartz Third in a good used condition is on Amazon for about 38 US bucks. I would consider this a justifiable expenditure to be sure - the piece, with its original commentary, certainly can support such a price.
Arkiv now include full copies of the sleevenotes and there are no issues with pauses between tracks. To all intents and purposes one is purchasing a first-class copy of the original at a reasonable price. A 100% thumbs-up from me!
You would rather spend £37.38,(lowest current price,on Amazon),for a couple of notes! I like the originals,but prices like that are,well......I won't use the term here. Anyway,surely you could get detailed information about the work somewhere. Perhaps here,and just write them down?
Incidentally,I waited ages for an 'original' release of 'Schwanda the Bagpiper',(the Sony?CBS recording),which is,or was,also available from Arkhiv. It never happened....well,not yet anyway. Eventually bought a near pristine copy at a reasonable price from the Classical cd Excange,at a VERY reasonable price. And dead chuffed I was,too! Likewise,the Auvidis Valois recording of Tournemire's Seventh,but again not from a --- Amazon seller.
Also,if you pay an exorbitant amount to some greedy seller,what if the record label suddenly decides to release it? What a waste! I waited ages for Boult's emi recording of Holst's 'Choral Symphony',and 'At the Boars Head',(Atherton),resisting al kinds of ridiculous prices. Eventually emi re-issued it as a two-fer with 'At the Boars Head','The Wandering Scholar',and 'The Hymn of Jesus',to boot.
Incidentally,off topic a bit I know,but if you do like original issues,the Sony box for the Weinberger opera is one of the most beautifuly designed I've ever come across,but £46,95 plus?!!! Thank you CDE!
It's been a while since this thread was active. Anyway, since last time I've had the pleasure of hearing Ernest Bloch's wonderful "Poems of the Sea" composed in 1922.
The work is in 3 parts: Waves - Chanty - At Sea.
I would particularly recommend the first part with its stormy climax and beautiful ending.
Morten
A few weeks ago I listened to another water-related (not to the sea, though), namely the Niagara Symphony by William Henry Fry. Over the top, but quite entertaining. :)
QuoteOver the top
Very good! ;D
There's another Niagra piece, the Niagra Falls Suite by Grofe. Now THAT is over the top!
shouldn't a Niagara Falls suite be into the bottoms... never mind. Such considerations are too deep for me.
Sainton's Moby Dick is indeed great sea music, as is his 'The Island'. His 'Nadir' (although not sea music) is his masterpiece in my view. Klaus Egge's fine Symphony No 1, dedicated to the Norwegian merchant sea crews of World War Two, is also wonderfully evocative of the Sea. Also a plug for the 'Sea Pictures' of Grace William and I also greatly admire Frank Brige's 'The Sea'. One more; Cuirlionis 'The Sea' is also wonderfully atmospheric.
I would suggest:
d'Indy Poème des rivages and Diptique meditarraneen (recordings by Prètre and Krivine).
Gian Francesco Malipiero Sinfonia del Mare (De Almeida recording)
Giorgio Federico Ghedini Marinaresca e Baccanale (I own an ancient de Sabata recording).
Gosta Nystroem Sinfonia del Mare (titled in Italian).
Hmmm...did anyone in this thread mention The Sea by Ciurlionis? I only know of an old Marco Polo recording of it, but it's great.
I would add:
Giorgio Federico Ghedini: Concerto dell'albatro (inspired to/by Moby Dick);
Ernest Bloch: Poems of the sea
Charles Koechlin: Paysages et marines
Alfredo Casella: Italian battleships cruising in the Adriatic sea (from "War pages").
Did anyone put in a word for Novak's 'Boure' [The Storm], opus 42? A huge piece for soloists, chorus and orchestra, full of wonderful music which manages wholly to transcend the lunacy of the poem it sets. The lengthy Epilogue is a very interesting foretaste of Janacek's Indian summer period, since this piece appeared in about 1909. It's taken me most of my life to find a score of this piece, but finally I have one (an enlightened German company has put out a reprint as a large-ish miniature score). The music immediately after the ship sinks (with swirling air pockets vividly captured as they come to the surface, and the sea returns to indifferent normality) is magnificently graphic and I defy anybody to ignore the thunderous opening (reprised climactically as the ship finally goes down with all on board). I just wish somebody would record the late 'Spring' and 'Autumn' Symphonies - I have the score of one, not the other. By the way, allegedly Novak wrote his orchestral overture 'Lady Godiva' in the impossibly brief period of two consecutive days in October 1907, in response to an emergency last-minute request. It lasts 17 minutes in Pesek's recording and is beautifully, also quite intricately scored. Perhaps a forum on the fastest composers around might prove interesting, even if not especially enlightening..?
Schubert wrote his almost an hour long string quartet no. 15 in June 1826; the program notes to a recording I have are more specific and suggest that the number of days during June 1826 it took him were not many (*goes to look, back in a minute :) but that could be a interesting or at least amusing separate thread, anyway- sorry about that.* (not 2 days, admittedly.) (11 days - June 20 to 30)
Paul Hindemith his said to have composed in London his Trauermusik for viola and strings in six hours , prompted by King George V death (1926).
Sorry, mistype again. 1936 (not 1926).
Gentlemen, we're off-topic here...
I don't think anyone has mentioned J.B. McEwen's Solway Symphony and fine as Nystroem's Sinfonia del Mare is his orchestral song Songs by the Sea is even better, like one of Edvard Munch's nocturnal seascapes.
well, it's been a long thread- the Solway Symphony was mentioned in the middle of page 3 (so, right in the middle of it? :) ) I do forget if anyone mentioned Santoliquido (1883-1971)'s sketch "Crepuscolo sul Mare" for orchestra. (pub. Grandi, 1920.) (not a brief sketch- 40 pages of published score - sketch more in the "sketches for orchestra" sense...)
Thanks for calling attention to Novak's storm, Mr. Potts. Novak is one of the best of the best, IMHO, and I can't wait to hear the work.
Novak's very next opus, Pan, has a large central section devoted to the sea. Its splendidly written for the keyboard and probably even more rousing in its orchestral version.
A little-known tone poem from Australian Romantic composer Alfred Hill simply entitled 'The Sea', was written during World War II, and was inspired by thoughts of those who had lost their lives at sea. It has sadly never been issued on CD, but there is a very good LP upload of the work on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgHkv9RmAhE
There are one or two decent Chinese orchestral pieces to do with the sea, and while they aren't the equal of, say, Debussy's La Mer, they are still quite attractive and worth checking out:
Song of the Sea, a tone poem by Wang Zong-jian and Wang Shu-feng, much in the style of Glazunov's The Sea. (HK 8.340069).
Ocean Symphony, by Sheng Li-hong (HK 8.340070) with a gorgeous slow movement called Meditation after the Storm.
Back to the Glazunov Sea for a moment, try listening to the Gennadi Provatorov version with the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, released on Olympia, coupled with the ballet Les Ruses D'amour. It is an absolute knockout, way superior to the Jarvi (Chandos) version or even the recent Serebrier recording on Warner.
Gjerstrom's 2nd piano concerto, other-where mentioned on here is subtitled "The Sea"
Paul Dessau Orchestral Music No. 2 "Meer der Sturme"
A wonderfully atmospheric work evoking the sea is Waves, composed around 1936 by Latvian composer Adolfs Skulte (1909-2000). Since there is currently no commercial recording of the work available, I'm posting a link to a broadcast recording of a live performance, in the Downloads section of the forum. Enjoy!
Does anyone know if there is a score of Sainton's The Island?
Tom
According to COPAC, Lengnick published a full score (87pp) in 1949 (plate A.L. & Co. 3682). Trinity College Dublin, Oxford, and British Library have copies.
As a hero member you're a hero in my eyes
Joaquin Turina's lovely fragment "Sinfonia del Mar" from 1946 is worth hearing. It is up on YouTube, which surprised me greatly, as Turina was in his final illness and only composed the first two movements. I had the piano score, from which it was clear that he intended to orchestrate the work, but I was unaware that he actually had done so, much less that anyone had ever played it! Aquarelles are fairly frequent in Turina's output. He also has a piano suite called "Viaje Maratimo" (Sea Journey) whose opening motive is marked "Tema Americano", and in the lovely suite "Mallorca" is a piece called "Noche de la Bahia de Palma" (Night on the Bay of Palma).
I wonder why all the members from Great Britain would have forgotten one of their own: Eric Coates. He wrote the Seven Seas March & don't forget Man from the Sea from the Three Men Suite, with the main tune modulating to "Three Blind Mice"! Perhaps Coates was not classified as a Classical composer.
Well, he's not exactly unsung!
Here on the Continent (mainland Europe) I would hazard a guess that he is not only unsung, but virtually unknown...
True, but I think Alan's point was that he would not be considered "unsung" by British contributors to this forum. Jerry wondered why members from Great Britain seemed to have forgotten him.
You are right, I just hadn't read Jerry's post carefully...
In addition to the many fine examples of music already listed and discussed here, I offer a few more suggestions. Recordings of the works are of varying availability, although a number of them can be sampled on YT. Apologies if I'm repeating anything already cited:
John Ansell: Plymouth Hoe ("a nautical overture")
Frederick Austin: The Sea Venturers (overture)
Eduardas Balsys: Reflections of the Sea, for string orchestra
Granville Bantock: Two Hebridean Sea-Poems (1. Caristiona / 2. The Sea Reivers)
Hebridean Symphony
The Sea-Wanderers (poem, for chorus & orchestra)
Arnold Bax: On the Sea-Shore (tone poem)
Gareth Farr: From the Depths Sound the Great Sea Gongs
Grzegorz Fitelberg: From the Depths of the Sea (symphonic poem)
John Hawkins: Sea Symphony
Alfred Hill: The Sea
Robert Hughes: Sea Spell
Jiri Jaroch: The Old Man and the Sea (symphonic poem)
Uuno Klami: Sea Pictures (suite)
Michel Perrault: The Sea Gallows (ballet suite)
Nikos Skalkottas: The Sea
Adolfs Skulte: Waves (symphonic poem)
Klas Torstensson: The Polar Sea
Grace Williams: Sea Sketches (suite, for string orchestra)
Thanks for this - although I'm afraid most of the pieces you mention, i.e. those by Ansell, Balsys, Farr, Hawkins, Hughes, Jaroch, Perrault, Skalkottas, Skulte, Tostensson and Williams clearly fall outside UC's stated remit. Let's concentrate, please, on those that comply with that remit...
Agreed, but surely John Ansell's "Plymouth Hoe" overture should be classed as more than acceptable for discussion here - a fine example of the typical "light overture" once so common in British music very much in the Haydn Wood / Eric Coates mould - but, as for the rest (as mentioned by Alan), well.........!
Even the Hawkins (once available as a download from here?) If you say, if you say.
Alan,
Please forgive my breach of protocol. I haven't posted in a long time and was unaware that the extent of censorship on this forum had advanced to such a state.
Please remove my post and I will not trouble you again.
QuoteJohn Ansell's "Plymouth Hoe" overture
Thanks, Martin. That was a slip-up on my part.
QuoteI haven't posted in a long time and was unaware that the extent of censorship on this forum had advanced to such a state.
There's no censorship here - just a very clear remit which we ask posters to respect:
http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,3681.0.html (http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,3681.0.html)
Further contributions which comply with this very generous remit would, of course, be most welcome.
"Daybreak and Sunrise" from the opera "Kinderen van de Zee" (Children of the Sea") by the Belgian composer Lodewijk Mortelmans (1868-1952)
Mortelmans, (who incidentally lived in the same village as I do now, there is a street named after him 500 meters from my house) was called "the prince of the Flemish art song" by his colleague Paul Gilson. He is mostly remembered for his songs and smaller miniatures. He composed one opera, "Children of the Sea", which proved to be fiasco after its premiere in 1920. The music itself was highly acclaimed, but there was a lot of negative criticism about the dramatic development and the way the dramatic scenes were constructed. Mortelmans forbid the work ever being staged again, but distilled a suite from the manuscript. The opening scene of this suite evokes the hidden danger and restlessness of the sea in contrast to the peace and safety of life on the land.
Mortelmans is little known, although Hyperion released a recording of his "Homerische symfonie". The "Daybreak and Sunrise" has been recorded by the Flemish choir and Radio orchestra, conducted by Zsolt Hamar. CD is available on the Belgian, very adventurous label Phaedra CD (www.phaedracd.com), a label which deserve all credit for its promotion of unsung Flemish and Belgian repertoire, mainly from the Romantic period. Its founder is one of those rare admirable persons who devote their lives, efforts, time (and often their own money!) into the promotion of the music they believe in... Their catalogue counts numerous treasures of unsung repertoire.
The Mortelmans disc has a very nice painting on its cover "Fishing boats at dusk", painted by the composer's brother Frans Mortelmans, presented to his brother at the premiere of his opera in the "Royal Flemish opera" in Antwerpen in 1920. :)