I came across this intriguing German composer while browsing IMSLP: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrad_Ansorge (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrad_Ansorge)
If he is remembered at all today, it is for his piano playing, not his music (he was a student of Liszt). There are ancient recordings of him playing the piano on YouTube, but, alas, none of his own compositions. His output is quite sizable, including a Requiem, two symphonies (one of which is entitled Orpheus), a piano concerto, three piano sonatas, two string quartets, a cello sonata, amongst other works. IMSLP holds four of his works, which appear to be of a turbulently dramatic nature and of lineage from the New German School: http://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Ansorge,_Conrad (http://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Ansorge,_Conrad)
Anyone know more about him?
According to 1950s grove he also wrote a Piano Concerto.....
J
Oh yes, Wikipedia lists a PC as well, but I somehow forgot to mention it...
The PC is still in hiding, despite considerable efforts to locate it.
Perhaps we need to offer a reward.
Thal
I did have scores of all three piano sonatas at one time as well as a ballade - I ended up getting rid of these during a 'consolidation' of my collection as despite several attempts to find anything worthwhile in all four works, I have to say I was most disappointed with the music. I found his music to be rather dry and melodically uninteresting, and cannot recall any positive attributes! However there may be others here who have different opinions.............
Thanks for that report, Martin. I wasn't able to judge the quality of Ansorge's music by merely skimming the scores held at IMSLP. Even so, I'd still love to hear a work or two of his. Like you say, one man's trash may be another man's treasure!
Deutschlandfunk Kultur did broadcast two string quartets last evening. They will be issued on CD. The host of the programme mentioned that they will produce the piano concerto soon, too.
Well, we'll finally have a chance to evaluate some of his music. Thanks for the heads-up.
Ansorge's Drei Traumbilder, Op.8 (1897) can be heard on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EK2OvxLpf7c (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EK2OvxLpf7c)
I rather like them for their gentle lyricism. Nice late-evening listening. The 3rd comes across as more questing, even disquieting.
Here's a glowing recommendation, plus soundbites, of his Cello Sonata, Op.24 (1909):
http://www.editionsilvertrust.com/ansorge-cello-sonata.htm
Alan, Mark uploaded the cello sonata a couple of years ago:
http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,5819.msg61500.html#msg61500 (http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,5819.msg61500.html#msg61500)
Thanks. Must have missed that at the time.
The autographs of the piano concerto (of both the partitura and 2p arrangements) are held in Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, though perhaps this was already well known at this point.
http://stabikat.de/DB=1/SET=1/TTL=11/SHW?FRST=20 (http://stabikat.de/DB=1/SET=1/TTL=11/SHW?FRST=20)
That's not a permanent link, I don't think.
This link should take you to the digitization of the full score of Ansorge's F major piano concerto Op.28 (autograph, ca.1916), which isn't yet (the scanning/digitization) carried out yet but -is- in process: this link (http://resolver.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/SBB0000AC6900000000). The piano duet reduction will be here (http://resolver.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/SBB0000AC6B00000000) when digitized, according to SBB (Stabikat).
Thanks!
Ah, sorry, it didn't link properly, but the entries are found by doing a search for Conrad Ansorge. And yes it appears to be in the process of being digitized. Thanks for the correction and proper links :)
It's probably being digitised because someone has requested (and paid for) the scan. I wonder if it presages a recording in due course?
Lately, I contacted Berlin's Staatsbibliotek about the Piano Concerto Op.28 digitization. It had been unavailable for over a year, but their helpful staff corrected the issue (due to some kind of error it couldn't be accessed before).
Another unsung work for people to digest. I really like how there's a full performance history written on the cover page. Many penciled corrections and alterations decorate the ornate pages of this most curious manuscript. Here's a link to those interested...
https://digital.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/werkansicht?PPN=PPN730113302&PHYSID=PHYS_0001&DMDID= (https://digital.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/werkansicht?PPN=PPN730113302&PHYSID=PHYS_0001&DMDID=)
Interesting. Thank you.
I'm very happy to present a Dorico/Noteperformer audio of the whole Ansorge concerto!
Structurally, it's a traditional romantic, 3-movement virtuosic Piano Concerto with a difficult chord/endurance heavy piano part. According to notes on the cover page of the manuscript, it was performed a total of six/seven times in the 1920s. Most pages bear several layers of heavy redactions, corrections, pasteovers and additions in blue and red crayon and pencil. This was very challenging to transcribe, to say the least, but it was a great learning experience for me.
I believe Oliver Triendl is set to record this piece in the near future. The music, clearly influenced in part by the Liszt, Busoni and Pfitzner concertos and others, is an exciting ride from start to its powerful conclusion!
https://youtu.be/0Fr6S5-1O1s (https://youtu.be/0Fr6S5-1O1s)
The video seems to have been taken down.
You are right. A copyright claim by someone called Monika Adam!
Quote from: Gareth Vaughan on Monday 06 June 2022, 20:46You are right. A copyright claim by someone called Monika Adam!
Unknown to me at the time I created this reconstruction from Ansorge's autograph, the score had been edited and performance materials made a few months earlier by someone. That edition had registered for scientific copyright (or urtext or something, I've forgotten what it was called) of 25 years. Monika Adam represents a music rights organization which controls those copyrights and claimed the video.
In my opinion it was unfair, given that my electronic version, for which I did not even use their copyrighted edition at all, is quite in a different medium altogether and clearly there was no financial loss whatsoever this video could have caused them.
As far as YouTube is concerned, if a claim is made against you, you are presumed guilty - see David Hurwitz's rant against the iniquity of this policy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUSE1xqbFvg).
Quote from: tpaloj on Monday 06 June 2022, 21:34In my opinion it was unfair, given that my electronic version, for which I did not even use their copyrighted edition at all, is quite in a different medium altogether and clearly there was no financial loss whatsoever this video could have caused them.
Given you did use it direct from the manuscript, created over a decade before any copyright that could still hold on it, you had every legal right to make your version.
Unfortunately as said above, that's doesn't stop from getting claimed on YT, but you can make a counter claim and I believe the person trying to claim it would have to actually sue you at that point to get it taken back down.
Oh dear - sounds horrid. What a muddle.