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>I'm gratified that the A minor Quartet made a similar impression it did on you as it did on me - which I why I included it as one of my top-three chamber piece in our "Unsung chamber music: which pieces should get heard more often?

Yes, "each single note seems to be exactly where it needs to be" is very much how I felt while listening to it. A friend, who'd admitted she didn't warm to either of the Gernsheim orchestral pieces in the opening concert, felt that the composer "completely redeemed himself" in her opinion once she heard the string quartet.

To each their own, of course (I found much to like in the orchestral works) but a point can be made that there's a compactness to Gernsheim's chamber pieces that I don't hear as much in his other works. While my mind tended to wander in the concert hall, I was (almost) on the edge of my seat while listening to the string quartet. Agreed, it's a work that absolutely deserves to be in the chamber repertoire.

> I will look forward to your report.

Happy to oblige; I wanted to wait until the 3 day festival was concluded before I chimed in.

Of the four events, I was most impressed by the final program, the String Quartet #2 and String Quintet #2. During the panel, the Gernsheim scholar Enrique Lombrozo said it was his discovery of the string quintets that sparked his interest in the rest of Gernsheim's catalog, and which, incidentally, led to the creation of the festival. However, it was the quartet that made even more of an impression on me. The quality of playing in each piece was exemplary, which I've come to expect from Bard's chamber programs in the sonically perfect Olin auditorium.

The previous day's program, the Piano Quartet #3 and Piano Quintet #2 was very nearly as good, but perhaps because of the placement of the piano (and possibly my seating) I found more a unity and focus with the purely string pieces. Again, the playing was top notch, all by individual members of The Orchestra Now (TON.)

Which brings me to the first event, already mentioned. The Orchestra Now is made up of graduate students from music conservancies around the world. At a glance, it didn't appear that any of them were beyond their mid-twenties; it's certainly the most youthful full-scale orchestra I've seen. I do agree with Ilja, though - it did sound like there were some ensemble issues, particularly with the horns and woodwinds, much in evidence in both the tone poem and the symphony. I admit I found "Zu einem Drama" a bit meandering, making it seem longer than it actually was. I found more to savor in the "Song of Miriam" symphony. While much has been said about Gernsheim's similarity to Brahms, I was struck by some orchestrations and thematic development that brought Dvorak to mind, particularly in the slow movement.

>I saw the livestream yesterday (or rather: last night), but bowed out before the Brahms.

I hope this pillar of the repertoire will eventually be uploaded to TON's YouTube channel; it may be one of the best piano concertos I've ever seen in performance. Pianist Orion Weiss somehow made this warhorse seem fresh, perhaps the standout being the Adagio (slow movements are usually not my favorite; this performance convinced me otherwise.) As an encore, Weiss performed a solo piano piece of Gernsheim's, though I didn't catch the name of it.

Content-wise, much could be said about the panel discussion, but you'll get a good flavor of the conversation from a look at the printed program. Here's a link where you can discover more about Gernsheim than you can imagine:

https://fishercenter.bard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/gernsheim-program.pdf

The extensive correspondence Gernsheim continued during his career, particularly with his close friend Max Bruch, was a key topic, as was the deliberate erasure of his legacy by the Nazis once they were in power.

Mr. Lambrozo made a good point that, after a few recordings of Gernsheim's music in the late 90's (the 3rd symphony was one of the first out of the gate) there's been a relative explosion of recordings in the last fifteen years or so, evidence of a genuine and growing interest in his work.

Probably the best thing I can report is that this mini-festival is just the opening salvo of a multi-year initiative to bring more performances of Gernsheim's music to a live audience. During the music festival proper in August, I had a moment to thank Maestro Botstein in person for his efforts on the festival throughout the years. The first composer honored was Brahms; in a way, honoring his friend Gernsheim brings that full circle.

The festival is two days away; I'm local so will definitely be there. Hope to see others on this forum there as well!

>I'm assuming there are panels and discussions, but I can't find any details.

Indeed there is: "The Life and Legacy of Frederich Gernsheim" panel discussion, 11 am (East Coast Time) Sat. Sept. 19th. Panelists include Gernsheim scholar Enrique Lombrozo and festival director Leon Botstein. 

Yes, apart from the orchestral concert Friday, Sept. 18, repeated the following evening, all events are free, with an RSVP requested.   https://ton.bard.edu/gernsheim/

Interesting that Brahms was the subject of very first Bard Music Festival, well over 30 years ago!

Friedrich Gernsheim receives his own mini-festival at Bard College, upstate New York from September 18-20.

September 18, "Zu einem Drama," the 3rd Symphony ("Song of Miriam") and Brahms first Piano Concerto

September 19, the Piano Quartet #3 and Piano Quintet #2  preceded by a panel discussion, "The Life and Legacy of Friedrich Gernsheim"

September 20, the String Quartet #2 and String Quintet #2

There is a charge for the September 18th orchestral concert (repeated the following day) but the chamber music performances are *free*, RSVP required.

https://ton.bard.edu/gernsheim/

>Hello - does anyone know if this performance of The Atonement was recorded/released?

I don't know about a recording, but the performance at University of Michigan is now available on youtube:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN_oCG-SJ70

Not up to the level of "Hiawatha" imho, but still an impressive work, impressively performed by a youthful orchestra and chorus.

>Did you do the entire Bard experience -- lectures, symposia, panel discussions, etc. -- or just the opera? 

Aside from "Dalibor" I did attend a few more concerts, mostly devoted to Martinu, the subject of this year's festival. I tend to not go to the lectures, etc.; I'm there for the music. Also, the festival program each year has enough information about each of the works presented.

> I have only been once, to see the 2010 production of "Der Ferne Klang"...

A stunning production, I thought. But then, just about every opera produced at Bard has interesting visual ideas, alongside their ever-reliable chorus, the festival orchestra, and top-quality, if not always top tier, soloists. All good reasons to attend...

>Thank heaven for Botstein, but I worry that Bard and the ASO might be too much of a one man show... Once Botstein goes, I suspect the same will happen at Bard.

Unfortunately, I tend to agree. He has committed musical academics and high level performers involved (Piers Lane and the late Rudolf Firkusny, to name two) but he literally does orchestrate the whole event.

The performance under discussion is now available to watch at the Bard Summerscape Opera site on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIaaBjpSiOQ&list=PLfzbP01j_SLj4B4A46l-jLPjzWdSxt_wS&index=4

>Did anybody go see the premiere?

Not the premiere, but I was at the performance yesterday. I've been to nearly all of the Bard Festival opera rediscoveries since Schumann's "Genoveva" and though this isn't my favorite of all the works *musically* I feel it was probably their most successful opera production yet. Riveting is the best word I can think of. The lead singers, staging, the Festival chorus, the orchestra -- all in top form.

When I first heard about it, I thought, why that one? Why not "Libuse" or even "Brandenburgers in Bohemia"? (my two favorite Smetana operas.) But this production helped to elevate a work I once recalled as "good" into the ranks of "great." 

If anyone's near upstate New York, the final production is Sunday, August 3rd.

I heard the performance over NDR Kultur on Saturday and was curious what others in this forum thought of it, so I appreciate the thread. It did bring to mind "Le Cid," and while that had its big impressive moments it also felt rather vacant and yes, unmemorable.

"Gunlod" initially felt like it was going down the same path. Act one felt like a bit of a slog, but from act two on I was fully engaged. The orchestral and choral writing were what impressed me. Wagnerian, yes (a passage for strings was straight out of the Prelude to Lohengrin) but I also heard son Siegfried Wagner at times.

My issue was the vocal variability. Perhaps in response to the challenging music written for him, Odin felt strained. Gunlod herself was more consistent, but seemed to stay within the range of one emotion, semi-exaltation. As Suttung, Gunlod's husband, Derek Ballard was the standout exception - one of the most impressive bass voices I've heard since Gottlob Frick.

If a label such as CPO does release this work, and I hope they do, I'd say find a new tenor, a new soprano, but keep the bass!

"Le Prophete" will be staged at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York this coming August, conducted by Botstein. Bard and Botstein performed "Les Huguenots" in a vocally good, curiously staged production some years ago; it will be interesting to see what they do with Meyerbeer's other great work.

https://fishercenter.bard.edu/events/le-prophete/

Raff's Autumn Symphony (the 10th) will be performed on a program that also features Louise Farrenc's 3rd Symphony, August 17th at Bard College.
https://fishercenter.bard.edu/events/bmf24-p9/

Part of this year's Bard Music Festival devoted to Berlioz, August 9th - August 18th
https://fishercenter.bard.edu/whats-on/programs/bard-music-festival/

I attended the premiere last night at Bard; definitely worth seeing if you're in the area. Alfred Walker, in the title role, was indeed an improvement from the concert performance at Bard some years ago. Amanda Woodbury's Catherine of Aragon, by far the most sympathetic character, received the largest ovation. The chorus, orchestra and staging were also up to the Bard standard, a high bar compared to opera companies in most major cities.

And, thank God, it was set in the accurate time period!

That article does mention "a project to create the first full recording of the piece" so one can only hope. Considering the incredible number of performances, and durability, of "Hiawatha's Wedding Feast" it's always amazed me that more of his choral works aren't available on recordings. I've especially been eager to hear "A Tale of Old Japan," which I believe was once in the Downloads section, but currently missing. Let's hope this performance of this major work of Coleridge-Taylor does atone for that (pun intended.)

Interesting, no mention thus far of the two other works on the disc, way more unsung than "Coq d'Or," which has been performed quite a bit of late (I think I've seen four or five productions in one form or other.)  "The Maid of Pskov" impresses me more each time I hear it - the terror is palpable in the crowd scene as they await the invasion of Ivan Groznie. Then later on, to show us a human side of Ivan, convincingly, makes for a rewarding experience, not just musically. "Pan Voyevode" is even less well known; as I recall this is mostly a suite of dances. Good stuff, but quite interchangeable with similar dances by Tchaikovsky in "Christmas Eve" or his own "Voyevode."