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I am a little surprised that on-one so far has followed up on the Zurich Ensemble CD Scheherazade. It caught my eye immediately! As some members of UC may know, I have a particular love of all exotic, oriental, Arabian inspired classical music and have built up quite a large collection of this sort of music over the years. I have always loved Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade and have grown up listening to this work. Yes, it's an old workhorse but if you don't listen to it too often, you never tire of it. At least I don't! I bought this CD as much for R-K's Scheherazade as for the Bortkiewicz and Khachaturian works (both composers I am very fond of - see earlier posts in this thread). Needless to say, listening to this CD for the past two weeks, I have been very impressed, not just by the works on the CD but also by the playing of the Zurich Ensemble. I love the chamber music version of Scheherazade. The combination of clarinet, violin, cello and piano gives a refreshingly new flavour to the piece and indeed, seems to make the music more Middle Eastern sounding, especially the clarinet, which at times adds an almost klezmer effect to the music. It is also quite striking that at times the Zurich Ensemble achieves such a full, rich sound for just four musicians. At other times, the piano also adds a more intimate atmosphere to the music. For me, this version works very well indeed. (As an aside, if chamber versions of Scheherazade are of interest, I highly recommend the album 1001 Nights, Ferhan and Ferzan Onder, which contains a wonderfully evocative version : a Transcription for 4 hands!). The Bortkiewicz Five Melodies from "a thousand and one nights" is also a very enjoyable piece to listen to. Bortkiewicz was clearly influenced by R-K and I hear quite a few references to Scheherazade in this piece. The work is though a little light weight and Bortkiewicz does not in this instance equal the melodic and lyrical inventiveness of R-K. Nevertheless the work is still quite appealing. As mjkFendrich has stated, the Khachaturian piece is indeed impressive. I can see why it was chosen and why the CD title is Scheherazade! I find the work, cool, elegant, with at times an almost impressionistic take on Debussy, together with an almost at times jazzy take on R-K's Scheherazade! If you like R-K's Scheherazade, you will like all three works on this CD. I highly recommend this CD to those who like this sort of music!

A little late with this post but this is to say thank you to you Alan for your recommendations re- the Bruch VC's and symphonies. I had of course already bought the Janicke/Gürzenich Orchester VCs 1 and 3, which I have listened to a number of times already - hugely enjoyable!!! Following on from Alan's suggestion to purchase the Conlon double CD of the Bruch Symphonies, I listened to sound bites and also performances on Youtube. I was not sure whether to buy the Conlon set or the Masur set. At the time I decided to put the these works on hold for the time being. Then, after reading the separate, very positive thread On Bruch's Symphony no 2, I decided I had to purchase the CDs, opting for Conlon's superior sound according to the Amazon reviews. I am looking forward to receiving the CDs shortly - I am particularly looking forward to getting to know really well symphony no 2!

I bought this CD back in 2012, listened to it a couple of times and since then, the CD has remained on the shelf. Thanks to the latest posts on this thread, I had another listen to the CD and this time round I was more impressed. The Garreta VC is very impressive and the opening movement  is quite beautiful, notable for its many subtle orchestral effects. I am beginning to realise that I don't sometimes listen enough to new works of unsung composers before making an evaluation! Some works clearly need to be listened to at least several times before one can really appreciate the true worth of a piece!

I have been listening to this CD for several days now. I am always on the lookout for flute music and was immediately attracted to this CD for that particular reason. I of course listened to sound bites and based on this somewhat limited listening experience, I posted that I found the music lyrical and charming, whilst at the same placing my order for the CD. Reading this thread, you will see that Minacciosa posted that I would find the music "vastly more than charming"! I can now report that I find the music - without gushing TOO much! - cool, elegant, sensuous, charming, delightful, very well-crafted, beautifully orchestrated, hypnotic, captivating and sophisticated! No surprise then, if I say that, for me, this is my chamber music CD discovery of the year! I am particularly fond of the Concert à Cinq for flute, violin, viola, cello, and harp, with its many nods to Debussy and Ravel. I would also like to mention that the Sonate pour flûte et piano - a cool and sensuous work - has a marvellous final movement "Gigue:Allegro" : and is one of the most joyous movements in a chamber work that I have heard in a long while! The final major work on the CD, "Rhapsodie" for flute, oboe, clarinet, basson, horn and piano, is also a very fine work and beautifully constructed. I , obviously, highly recommend this CD!

Without checking, I downloaded this symphony, listened to it on my computer etc. and then tried to save it in my music folder, only to be told I already had it! Mark did of course say it was already in the archive and I obviously forgot that I downloaded it first time round. No matter. It made me listen to the symphony again and I have listened to it 3 times in the last 2 days. It is a most enjoyable work, as has been said, in the Beethoven/Schubert/Mendelssohn vein and I can't think why I didn't re-discover this symphony earlier! Listening to this symphony again, with fresh ears, has made all the difference!Is there any chance Florestano, that Reichel's first symphony (and also the second symphony) will be commercially recorded in the near future?

I have been listening to this symphony on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8anwH-9cwU0

and am very impressed, in spite of a lot of background noise in the later movements which mar the listening experience just a little bit. The symphony is indeed very fine and I am often reminded of a Beethovian influence in the music, particularly in the opening movement which immediately grabbed my attention. I can also see how Bargiel might have been influenced by Schumann, Mendelssohn and Brahms. Notwithstanding these comments, Bargiel still has his own distinctive voice. I agree that this is a must-buy CD and I am putting in my order.

I have just been listening to sound bites of this Cd and am very impressed by the lyricism in all works: truly charming. Sound bites can be heard on http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/lindambentorei. Also on the afore-mentioned site are detailed descriptions of all works on the CD. Needless to say, I am now placing my order.

I thank you too Mathias for this download. The piece is indeed hugely enjoyable and is quite remarkable bearing in mind that Strauss was only 15 or so when he composed it. Mark has already described some of the influences he has detected in the writing and I can't add to that. Just listen and enjoy!

One of the great things about UC is that reading new threads about composers not listened to in a long time-in my case at least- prompts us to revisit that composer and relisten to CDs of his works we have in our collections. Max Bruch is such a case for me. I had forgotten just how much I enjoyed his music, especially his VC1 which, even if overplayed, I am very fond of. I always find the third movement quite thrilling, perhaps because I haven't listened to this VC over and over! I have since listened to sound bites of the Janicke/Gürzenich Orchester CD as recommended by Alan and have placed my order! I am eagerly looking forward to receiving it!

I hope you are right Mark even if we have to wait quite a while for the CD's appearance. I will be really looking forward to Järvi's take on Im Walde and it will be fascinating to see what tempi he adopts. It could be a very exciting performance indeed, especially as I have been listening a lot recently to Stadlmair's Im Walde. Whilst listening to Stadlmair, I was trying to imagine what the music would sound like if the movements were taken at faster speeds? Järvi's take, based on his performance of Lenore, could likewise be a revelation! We will have to see.

I thank you also Mark for the two uploads. As you say they are indeed charmers. I am always very pleased indeed to have something new from Raff!

My favourite Maazel is the double CD of the complete music of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet.

Re- my post just now, I have just read the classicalsource.com article mentioned by Alan. It answers my questions. Should have read the thread more carefully. Sorry. The article does however confirm my impressions of the music.

Thank you UC for this thread on Stokowski's Symphony. I have listened to this work quite a few times now and from the very first time I heard it, I liked it immediately. I particularly liked the scoring for the flutes (reminded me a little of Debussy/Ravel) and the employment of the bells (a typically Russian touch). I too was reminded in one place in the work of the almost Dies Irae theme. Occasionally this work also reminded me a little of Rachmaninov's Isle of the Dead, both pieces sombre, eerie and atmospheric, although the Rach piece is of course far superior to Stokowski's. Does anyone have more info on Stokowski's symphony.Had Stowkowki intended to write other movements? I must say I would have liked to hear more! As Alan said, the work as constructed does seem more a tone poem than a symphony.

Following on from Alan's suggestion, I have been listening for the past 10 days or so to Chailly's Beethoven cycle. I can now well understand why Chailly has been discussed in this thread (thank you Alan).Chailly has faithfully followed Beethoven's metronome markings (as members of this forum well know), with the result that many of the movements are played at much faster tempi than we, the listeners, (or should I say "than I", the listener) are accustomed to hearing. I have to agree with Alan that the music under Chailly definitely generates a lot of excitement and I was very pleasantly surprised that I I found myself really liking his take on the symphonies. I do however understand why some listeners believe that the excitement of the music with its faster tempi sometimes militates against the depth of feeling and inherent beauty of Beethoven's music. I think my enjoyment was enhanced, due to the fact that I hadn't listened to my Karajan cycle in quite a long time, thus Chailly's interpretations sounded fresh and vibrant. That said, I won't be getting rid of my Karajan cycle! It's great to have both!

With Chailly's faster Beethoven tempi still in mind, this brings me back to Järvi's Lenore. Because of all the talk about Herrmann's much,much slower tempi in his Lenore and not being familiar with his take, I decided to purchase a copy of the CD (quite expensive, cost £26 but worth it!). Just as I did with Stadlmair/Järvi, I then did extended listening to all 3 versions i.e. Herrmann/Stadlmair/Järvi, the one after the other, even at times just listening consecutively to the same movement of all 3, one after the other.The experience was revelatory! As others have remarked, each version has its strengths and weaknesses but to keep things simple I will just say that for me Herrmann is the most romantic, Järvi the most modern and Stadlmair in the middle. I will say though that Herrmann's is very beautiful with some exquisite orchestral colouring. What was though surprising to me is that, as a result of listening to Chailly's Beethoven cycle and then listening to Herrmann's, Stadlmair's and Järvi's Lenore, I now find myself really warming to Järvi's faster tempi!

Why is this so? The obvious answer is down to listening to music that is NOT familiar(i.e. not as expected) but through repeated listenings becomes familiar. Järvi's Lenore with its faster tempi (unsettling to me at first) sounded "unfamiliar" to me, it was not what I was used to hearing!, especially compared to Stadlmair and even more so to Herrmann. Now though, Järvi's take has become very familiar to me indeed and my opinion on it has changed dramatically! UC has again taught me a musical lesson. Don't judge a piece of music too quickly! Give the music time to grow and become really familiar. No, I won't do away with my Stadlmair and Herrmann but if I want excitement in Lenore (as against a more romantic take on the symphony, just as valid of course), then Järvi is the one I will listen to!

Sorry this post is so long!