Unsung Composers

The Music => Recordings & Broadcasts => Topic started by: Mark Thomas on Friday 23 July 2010, 12:40

Title: Two more Kalivoda symphonies from cpo
Post by: Mark Thomas on Friday 23 July 2010, 12:40
The next CD in cpo's cycle of Kalivoda symphonies wil be available next month. It features the Second and the Fourth, coupled with the Concert Overture No.17 (!). Details, but no sound samples yet, at jpc (http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/SESSIONID/691eaf566cc8af356d957eb75e0b9c21/cpo/detail/-/art/Jan-Vaclav-Kalivoda-Symphonien-Nr-2-4/hnum/5706550).
Title: Re: Two more Kalivoda symphonies from cpo
Post by: eschiss1 on Friday 23 July 2010, 13:40
Ah! Now if someone will remaster the LP of the first, all of the symphonies will be available (I am curious about all those violin concertos and the rest of those overtures etc.- the one or two of the latter I've heard were pretty good. I was only able to start a worklist when I worked on the Wikipedia article, but there was a goodly amount... )
Eric
Title: Re: Two more Kalivoda symphonies from cpo
Post by: JimL on Friday 23 July 2010, 23:59
I noted that the Wikipedia article only listed the Violin Concerto #1, implying that there were some others.  Yet only violin concertinos are subsequently listed.  What of the other violin concertos?  Also, the article mentioned he composed several piano concertos, but none are on the listed works at all!  What gives?
Title: Re: Two more Kalivoda symphonies from cpo
Post by: Alan Howe on Saturday 24 July 2010, 02:59
This is good news, Mark. Thanks for the heads-up!
Title: Re: Two more Kalivoda symphonies from cpo
Post by: Gareth Vaughan on Saturday 24 July 2010, 12:10
That's Wikipedia for you, Jim. The articles are not always written with the sort of academic rigour one has a right to expect. That said, as we all know, Grove can be sloppy too.
Title: Re: Two more Kalivoda symphonies from cpo
Post by: Alan Howe on Saturday 24 July 2010, 15:15
Toskey has Kalivoda as having written 6 concertinos and 6 concertos:

Concertinos:
1. in E major, Op.15
2. in A major, Op.30
3. in D major, Op.72
4. in C major, Op.100
5. in A major, Op.133
6. in D major, Op.151

Concertos:
1. in E major, Op.9
2. in A major, Op.20
Others in D major, A flat major;
E minor & E major (with winds only)

There are also 3 Divertissement de Concert for violin and orchestra.
Title: Re: Two more Kalivoda symphonies from cpo
Post by: JimL on Saturday 24 July 2010, 16:23
Seems like a pretty cheerful guy.  Any PCs?  Also, what did you mean by "winds only"?  As soloist or accompaniment?  Also, the Op. 20 is listed as a "Concertante? for two violins and orchestra or piano".  Does that count as his 2nd Violin Concerto?
Title: Re: Two more Kalivoda symphonies from cpo
Post by: Alan Howe on Saturday 24 July 2010, 16:42
Grove online has this entry:

Orchestral:
7 syms.: no.1, f, op.7 (1825–6); no.2, E, op.17 (1829); no.3, d, op.32 (1830); no.4, C, op.60 (1835); no.5, b, op.106 (1840); no.6, g (1841); no.7, F (1843)
18 ovs., incl. no.1, d, op.38 (1838); no.2, F, op.44 (1834); no.6, E, op.85 (1838); no.8 'Ouverture pastorale', A, op.108 (1843); no.9 'Ouverture solennelle', C, op.126 (n.d.); no.10, F, op.142 (1846); no.11, B, op.143 (1846); no.15, E, op.226, 1858; no.18, ov. to Blanda (1847)
With solo insts: 18 works, incl. Concerto, vn, op.9 (1821); Variations brillantes, 2 vn, op.14 (1829); Concertino no.1, E, vn, pf, op.15 (1830); Grosses Rondo, pf, op.16 (1830); Concertante, 2 vn, op.20 (1832); Introduction et Rondo, F, hn, op.51 (1834); Grand Divertissement, G, fl, op.52 (1834), Concertino, F, ob, op.110 (1844); Concertino no.6, vn, op.151 (1848); Variations et rondo, bn, op.57 (1856)  

The short answer is: it's all very confusing!
Title: Re: Two more Kalivoda symphonies from cpo
Post by: Gareth Vaughan on Saturday 24 July 2010, 23:25
Since Alan is quoting Toskey, Jim, "winds only" must mean the accompaniment, since Toskey's work deals only with violin or viola concerti.
Title: Re: Two more Kalivoda symphonies from cpo
Post by: JimL on Sunday 25 July 2010, 00:31
Duh!  Sorry, didn't pay attention to who he was quoting from!
Title: Re: Two more Kalivoda symphonies from cpo
Post by: eschiss1 on Wednesday 28 July 2010, 03:12
According to http://imslp.org/wiki/List_of_compositions_by_Johann_Wenzel_Kalliwoda (http://imslp.org/wiki/List_of_compositions_by_Johann_Wenzel_Kalliwoda), based on a 2005 work by Laszlo Strauss-Nemeth, there's a couple of "concertos" (rather old-style!) for 3 violins unaccompanied too. (This list gives for op. 20 a double concertino in A, not a concerto, and lists only for violin concertos op. 9 in E and WoO II/1 in E minor and WoO II/2 in D major.  A few works for piano and orchestra or strings (rondos, variations, ... - opp. 16, 66, 71, 82) (also op. 77: Chorvariationen über ein Tiroler Lied, Soprano, Men's Chorus and Piano) are the closest things I see listed to piano concertos... (the WoO section doesn't seem to list any piano concertante works.)
Eric
Title: Re: Two more Kalivoda symphonies from cpo
Post by: Josh on Wednesday 28 July 2010, 03:22
Sorry that I don't have anything useful to add, but I just want to say that this news excites me.  I've thought for years that Kalivoda (or however you spell it) is a drastically under-rated and under-appreciated master of the orchestra.  His symphonies #5 and #6 are among my all-time favourite works of the genre.  I've been dying to hear more for ages!  There are a few composers whose neglect on the recording stage baffle me, and I don't know who would top my personal list of such, but Kalivoda would be a contender for the #1 spot.
Title: Re: Two more Kalivoda symphonies from cpo
Post by: Alan Howe on Wednesday 28 July 2010, 10:48
I agree that Kalliwoda/Kalivoda is one of the best unsungs. His music is unfailingly interesting and invigorating. The only negative comment I've heard is that there doesn't appear to be a great deal of stylistic development over the course of his compositional life. Nevertheless, his best music should certainly be performed in the concert hall
Title: Re: Two more Kalivoda symphonies from cpo
Post by: John H White on Wednesday 28 July 2010, 17:35
Kalivoda's 7th symphony, to me, appears somewhat inferior to nos 5 & 6 and I think I read somewhere that it was an earlier work which somehow got wrongly numbered. Anyway, I certainly look forward to the chance of hearing the complete cycle in the not too distant future. I'm certainly not surprised that Kalivoda, being himself a top violinist, wrote quite a few concertos for his own instrument. By the way, An oboe concerto by him is amongst the works featured in a recent Camerata release of Romantic Oboe Concertos.
Title: Re: Two more Kalivoda symphonies from cpo
Post by: eschiss1 on Wednesday 28 July 2010, 17:52
Quote from: John H White on Wednesday 28 July 2010, 17:35
Kalivoda's 7th symphony, to me, appears somewhat inferior to nos 5 & 6 and I think I read somewhere that it was an earlier work which somehow got wrongly numbered. Anyway, I certainly look forward to the chance of hearing the complete cycle in the not too distant future. I'm certainly not surprised that Kalivoda, being himself a top violinist, wrote quite a few concertos for his own instrument. By the way, An oboe concerto by him is amongst the works featured in a recent Camerata release of Romantic Oboe Concertos.

The G minor (posthumously published) symphony is the "6th" in Grove's chronological ordering and the 7th in cpo's numbering, so that would seem to be right, anyway!
Title: Re: Two more Kalivoda symphonies from cpo
Post by: Alan Howe on Tuesday 24 August 2010, 13:51
Friends can sample the new cpo CD here:
http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/Jan-Vaclav-Kalivoda-Symphonien-Nr-2-4/hnum/5706550 (http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/Jan-Vaclav-Kalivoda-Symphonien-Nr-2-4/hnum/5706550)
Title: Re: Two more Kalivoda symphonies from cpo
Post by: edurban on Monday 20 September 2010, 15:00
Hurwitz really blasted the performances on the new cpo recording.

http://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=12963 (http://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=12963) 

Anybody here heard them in full?

David
Title: Re: Two more Kalivoda symphonies from cpo
Post by: khorovod on Monday 20 September 2010, 18:22
Funnily enough two of the Amazon reviews (on the British Amazon website) of the first CPO, Kalliwoda cd refer to the performances in the same sort of terms as Hurwitz does to this new one. A third one raves about the orchestra. I suppose they are not proffessional reviews when all is said and done though. The new cd isn't listed at all though on the British or American Amazon, unless I'm missing something.
Title: Re: Two more Kalivoda symphonies from cpo
Post by: eschiss1 on Monday 20 September 2010, 19:08
Quote from: khorovod on Monday 20 September 2010, 18:22
Funnily enough two of the Amazon reviews (on the British Amazon website) of the first CPO, Kalliwoda cd refer to the performances in the same sort of terms as Hurwitz does to this new one. A third one raves about the orchestra. I suppose they are not proffessional reviews when all is said and done though. The new cd isn't listed at all though on the British or American Amazon, unless I'm missing something.

Well, Hurwitz is "professional" in the sense that this is his profession- true. All other implications should be treated carefully.
It's on amazon.ca , to my surprise, but not British, French or US, true. Nor yet MDT it seems... (ah, Spering isn't conducting this one, I skipped over that detail. Willens/Köln-Akademie.)
Eric
Title: Re: Two more Kalivoda symphonies from cpo
Post by: eschiss1 on Monday 20 September 2010, 19:12
btw the full score to overture 17 op242 (the one on the new recording) is now on IMSLP - see http://imslp.org/wiki/Overture_No.17,_Op.242_(Kalliwoda,_Johann_Wenzel) (http://imslp.org/wiki/Overture_No.17,_Op.242_(Kalliwoda,_Johann_Wenzel)).
Eric
Title: Re: Two more Kalivoda symphonies from cpo
Post by: Alan Howe on Monday 20 September 2010, 19:38
It's period-instruments, so it's hardly surprising that Hurwitz doesn't like it. In my view it's a perfectly good CD - and well worth buying. I thoroughly enjoyed it - while wondering what the symphonies would sound like done by say, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra or the BPO as conducted by Abbado or Rattle. One can dream...
Title: Re: Two more Kalivoda symphonies from cpo
Post by: eschiss1 on Monday 20 September 2010, 23:46
Quote from: Alan Howe on Monday 20 September 2010, 19:38
It's period-instruments, so it's hardly surprising that Hurwitz doesn't like it. In my view it's a perfectly good CD - and well worth buying. I thoroughly enjoyed it - while wondering what the symphonies would sound like done by say, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra or the BPO as conducted by Abbado or Rattle. One can dream...
Chamber orchestra might have been against the composer's intentions in the overture, at least- if too chamber ;) (What period are the period instruments from? :) )
Eric
Title: Re: Two more Kalivoda symphonies from cpo
Post by: Alan Howe on Tuesday 21 September 2010, 19:36
The MCO can be a pretty beefy band of its type - so no problem with Kalivoda...