Mine would be the following:
1. Rufinatscha Symphony No.3 (TLM, Innsbruck) - further confirmation, if it was needed, that Rufinatscha was a genius of the first order who wrote symphonies that could be confused with no-one else's.
2. Rudorff Symphony No.3 (cpo) - proof that the great conservative symphonic tradition was by no means played out, even as late as 1910.
3. Bargiel Symphony in C (Toccata) - a wonderful, life-affirming summing-up of the symphonic tradition from Haydn/Mozart/Beethoven through Schumann.
My appreciation for the Bargiel Symphony is strong.
I propose a list of further three:
1) Pizzetti Cello Concerto in c minor (1934, Sony)
A substantial, but not long winded, romantic and tuneful concerto which dares to venture well into the thirties of the XX century
2) Napoleao Piano Concerto (Hyperion)
Inventive in form concerto with high spirits and good tunes by an absolute obscure
3) Louise Farrenc
Sextet for piano and winds (Sony)
Poise and spirit from a gifted woman composer.
1. Molique: Concerto for Accordion and orchestra - which I discovered by chance whilst looking up Nikolai Chaikin's Accordion Concerto no.1 (wonderful piece) on youtube.
2. Stenhammer's symphonies. Never gave them a great deal of attention before. Treated myself to a box set over Christmas; not disappointed.
3. Spohr: The Last Judgment. Found a 2-lp set in a second hand shop. Who would get rid of this??
I'm with Alberto on the Napoleao Piano Concerto. Inventive, moving, easy listening. Amazing for an unknown.
Also, the Bargiel Symphony in C and the E B Hill 4th Symphony and the shorter works for piano and orchestra. Would like to hear much more of Hill's music.
Jerry
We seem to have informally restricted this to three items - very wise! I have been sampling some of my favourite finds and struggling to keep the list in single figures! ::)
So, here's just three from the list:-
DE GREEF - Suite for Orchestra (1896) – wistful, melodious, playful, inventive, but no slight work at over 20 minutes;
FABRITIUS - Violin Concerto in D minor – the only work I have by this composer; totally seductive melodies, and excitement both restrained and unrestrained; my upper-range hearing deficit generally detracts from my appreciation of violin concertos, but this is an exception. In truth, it is actually a re-discovery!
...and lastly, one that doesn't quite meet our romantic criteria (apologies to Alan and Mark) but is quite irresistible:
LIPOVŠEK - Suite No.2 for string orchestra – again, the only work I have by this composer; fine string writing; engaging and beautiful, but like the other two, utterly neglected; hints of Prokofiev and Britten in the faster sections, Elgar or Sibelius in the slower, and yet to my ears no hint of pastiche.
Alan, whilst I tend to agree with you on Rufinatscha's later symphonic works, I would say that the opening movement of his 1st symphony, sounds extraordinarily like Berwald in style.
Hopefully I am in the minority, but i found 2014 to be singularly uneventful concerning the unsungs. I can only really think of one being the Napoleao PC.
Thal
Quotewhilst I tend to agree with you on Rufinatscha's later symphonic works, I would say that the opening movement of his 1st symphony, sounds extraordinarily like Berwald in style.
Well, it would have to be the other way round, John. Rufinatscha's 1st dates from nearly a decade before Berwald's 1st.
It's hard to think what was the more important music that I found
I have the Bargiel's Sterling, 5-6 years ago I get the score and I fighted for one orchestra performance it. This year I can reach this target. I like very much this symphony and Ouverture Medea. Op 22 is tragic and very emotive music! I must think in one third piece,
Maybe Moór cello concerts in Hungaroton. He was very gifted, very well crafted and charming melodies, etc
QuoteWell, it would have to be the other way round, John. Rufinatscha's 1st dates from nearly a decade before Berwald's 1st.
The symphony usually referred to as no 1 (Sinfonie Serieuse) is actually his second. There is a symphony from 1820, of which only a fragment remains today (recorded by Hyperion in the 1990ies). It is, of course, not like the mature symphonies from the 1840ies, but at least to my uneducated ears, there are Berwaldian touches already in this work.
Well, actually Rufinatscha's first two mature symphonies both precede any of Berwald's completed symphonies.
Quote from: Alan Howe on Monday 05 January 2015, 23:43
Well, actually Rufinatscha's first two mature symphonies both precede any of Berwald's completed symphonies.
If I recall correctly, the symphony of 1820 WAS completed but most of it has been lost, like several other of his early works.
If we're debating the possible influence of Berwald on Rufinatscha or something (I'm lost), then the relative dates of their symphonies isn't really so much the question, it's what works- in any genre, of any kind, any media- the composers might have heard from each other, if any, that might have, or did, leave some influence. Yes, in some cases, symphonies by one composer are known to have made an impression (Volkmann's first symphony, iirc, made at least some sort of impression on Tchaikovsky, and the latter mentioned as much in his letters- and also playing Volkmann serenades in piano reductions); but if influence is what we're discussing, not only symphonies influence symphonies (of course). ... I might just be lost though...
I can't imagine that there's any connection at all between Berwald and Rufinatscha. I can't hear any musical influences in either direction.
My third choice is Bordes vol 2 (melodies), I'm charming with these music. Reach my heart!!
So many finds in 2014 - it used to be one was lucky to discover one unfamiliar composer a year - now it is more like one a week.
To single out one, I would pick the piano concerto by Nicholas Tcherepnin. I have long been familiar with the piano concertos of his better-known son (especially the second, which I love), but coming across one by the father was a surprise. It is a striking work, in one movement (resembling the Rimsky-Korsakov concerto in that respect), with a pretty strenuous piano part.
I clipped off the opening phrase and uploaded it to my phone so it plays when a text message arrives. So if you can recognise that pgrase, and you suddenly hear it in a train or somewhere, you know who is in the vicinity, c'est moi.
Where is the Tcherepnin's concert??
Quote from: Aramiarz on Monday 12 January 2015, 12:40
Where is the Tcherepnin's concert??
Part one is here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xjjt_vUcCE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xjjt_vUcCE) and it links to the second part.
http://sdtom.wordpress.com/2014/12/17/minnesota-orchestra-showcase-99-special/ (http://sdtom.wordpress.com/2014/12/17/minnesota-orchestra-showcase-99-special/)
I found quite an exciting batch of CD's at a thrift store for $.99 each and this was one of them. Of special interest to me was the Deems Taylor work which is included as an audio clip.
Tom
The paucity of responses to the original question - re the best finds of 2014 - has been very disappointing. I really thought members' discoveries would be flooding in. Oh well, shows what I know! ???
Maybe I should add that for me personally, there have been a few highlights: the Moszkowski Op. 3 concerto was one, the Oswald (so many people have been praising the Napoleão, but I really think the Oswald is the superior concerto on that disc by some margin) was another. Furthermore, this year was the first I got to hear the Gernsheim A major quartet for the first in a live performance. That alone made my year.
I recall I made some good musical finds (for myself; not all unsung or unknown, except in some sense "to me") in 2014 but they (mostly?) didn't fall (even glancingly) within the remit of this group.
Any that did, Eric?
Hrm. Finally-getting-around-to listening to Gernsheim violin sonatas (bought in 2013 as download from Amazon, I wonder if the (1 or 2) ms. violin sonatas in the Gernsheim archive are performable and worth someone's recording too...); some quite good things from Steve's Bedroom Band but those are not, as strictly defined, recordings (but still, often enough striking enough music that I envy the above poster who got to hear the A major Gernsheim quartet (no.5) live)...
(also some MIDIs of chamber works by Bertini (e.g. his 3rd violin sonata, etc.) - good enough works that I do want to hear more of his music actually recorded- but that's a discovery that, in itself, I'd probably have to put back in 2013, when I started noticing his music.
(I'd want to include Czerny's 5th symphony, 1st movement- from a video of just that movement by the Virtuosi of Houston- but it seems iTunes is telling me I have only listened to the mp3 I "extracted" from that once (so far), on January 9th of this year- so a find of 2015 it will have to be. Hrm. ... I feel like there was more in 2014 that qualifies here - not coming to mind though, except for memorable performances of works that weren't themselves new to me (like Taneev's piano quartet, and there were a gladdening number of others).
Thanks!
Oswald's Piano Concerto. I can't stop playing it!
Most of my listening is 20th century, but one very unfamiliar work I have played several times with enjoyment, and might find approval here, is the 4th symphony in E flat minor of Joseph Ryelandt, "Credo", which, as you might expect from the title, is a choral work, the finale of which is a setting of the credo from the Latin mass. It was composed in 1912, and can be described as late Romantic in character: dramatic, expansive, impassioned. I look forward to hearing more of his music. I see that the last time his symphonies were mentioned on this board was in 2011, so he may be an unfamiliar figure to some posters.
Revilod - I enjoy everything I've heard by Oswald, and am re-visiting the Piano Concerto after reading your note! Lovely, late romantic music. ;)
re Oswald I'm looking over a list of items and am wondering if his piano quintet (pub. in the 1930s and in the collection, I think, of the Free Library of Philadelphia? I'll double-check) has been recorded?
My major 2014 discovery is... an incredible German post-romantic symphony, never recorded...
I'd like so much to record it one day that I'm afraid to share this discovery in public... :-X
:-[
Dear Ncouton, what symphony? I'm very curious!
Eric, and any others who may be interested, re Oswald; his Piano Quintet Op18 dates from 1895 and has been recorded. In fact, I have 3 different versions! They are No1:"Brasil 500" (coupled with the Quartet by Luis de Freitas Branco) featuring the pianist Luiz de Moura Castro with the Quarteto de Brasilia; issued by Estudio GLB CD5, 1999. No2: Included in a 3CD set of Oswald chamber music issued by ArsBrasil, 2010, (more details on www.oswald.com.br (http://www.oswald.com.br)). No3: Musica da Camara: coupled with his Piano Quartet Op26, with the pianist Eduardo Monteiro and others, LAMI-012 issued by LAMI/USP/PRCEU, under licence from the Universidade de Saõ Paulo!
Unfortunately, I had considerable difficulties obtaining these CD's, and others from Brazil. But perhaps someone here has access to, or can advise of an easier method of obtaining these interesting recordings which surely must have a rather limited circulation without any obvious means of international distribution!
Needless to say, I feel that music was more than well worth the effort, and, with the apparent success of the Hyperion recording, I hope that others may want to explore Oswald in more detail.
Thanks, Martin!
I would say one of my best finds of 2014 was unexpected. I didn't know what I would get with Scottish-American James Friskin's (1886-1967) chamber works. In particular the elegy and piano quintet in c minor, op 1 were gems.
See http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php?topic=4858.0 (http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php?topic=4858.0)
... though not much review was to be had. I found all of the pieces charming.
I've been meaning to post this for a few days - my find would have to be the Naxos recording of Tyberg's 2nd symphony and 2nd sonatas. Great stuff with a similar structural composition (IMHO) to Bruckner.
The Friskin quintet's material (score, parts, iirc) is available on IMSLP, but for copyright reasons (Canadian 50-year rule/European 70) you have to be in the USA (or similar) to browse it for now (we used to have a US-material-only server accessible one could upload stuff to for composers who died so late but who published material like the quintet which was in the US public domain.) Having browsed (in fact I think uploaded) it myself there, I second that statement- but having access to the score I'd now forgotten, or just didn't know, it was recorded. Must look into that. Thanks much!
(The only other time I recall encountering Friskin's name so far, was as a keyboard (piano) performer in a big Bach set available very cheaply (-very- - those are neat, if one lacks enough of that music, as I actually still did...) as a download from Amazon.com. Which... well- anyway! Good performances, I think, specifically the Friskin, and more generally mostly.)