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Perhaps it's just the other way around, that it's the 7th sonata by the composer? I understood the description as: "Piano Sonata No.7, Op.57".

Establishing any definitive listing of Hiller's symphonies is inherently very difficult, partly due to the composer never numbering any of them.

(There's also an unfinished and presumably lost symphony from 1884/85 that I wrote about in this forum some time ago.)

Ilja, are you perhaps referring to the 1833 Symphony in F minor, which has actually been recorded earlier in this series by Griffiths?

https://app.idagio.com/albums/ferdinand-hiller-symphony-op-67-and-symphony-in-f-minor

Excellent news! Can't wait for it!

The Lappeenranta City Orchestra in Finland has a few interesting concerts upcoming, e.g.  May 7 one containing works by Svendsen, Gipps, Bartók and Roussel.

Thank you for the tip! Interesting, enterprising programming. It takes over 2 hours by train to get there from Helsinki, so it's not that convenient to reach.

The 1957 1-act opera "Jäiset liekit" (Les flammes gelées) by Armas Launis will be performed in Espoo, Finland, on 2 July 2026 (venue accessible via easy connections from the airport or central Helsinki). This will be its world premiere.

It was the last opera by Launis, intended for television, but never orchestrated. It tells a story of a slave longing for his northern homeland, set in time of Ancient Rome. Launis was inspired to compose the work after seeing the memorial stone of Septentrion in Antibes, near Nizza.

https://www.urkuyofestival.fi/konsertit/jaiset-liekit

His setting of Psalm 125 (Op.60, for tenor, chorus and orchestra) by contrast was quite popular and republished often, it seems. (Listed in HMB as Psalm 25 but in Worldcat and IMSLP as Psalm 125.) (He wrote two other settings of Psalm 126, published in 1844 and 1871 (Israels Siegesgesang) respectively...)

Indeed! Thanks for the additional info, and, if one hasn't had enough Psalm 126 with their morning cereal yet, I did also finish a video of Israels Siegesgesang a few years ago: Youtube link 

[Psalm 126]

Psalm 126

Ferdinand Hiller's setting of Psalm 126, composed for alto solo, chorus and orchestra, was composed during August 1853 and finished on the 22th at Brühl. Lasting around 12 minutes, the work was premiered on 25 October 1853 in Cologne. A second performance took place in January 1854. The orchestration is standard for the period, although unconventionally, trumpets are omitted altogether.

In its premiere, the work was very well received. It was never published, however. Below, I've included a review of the premiere, which appeared in the Rheinische Musik-Zeitung on 29 October 1853. The review goes to describe each of the four numbers of this work in some detail.

In my realisation, I've typeset the work following Hiller's MS score, and attempted to give some life to the "singers" by realising those parts with Cantamus synthetic voices.

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/4RDKtrkY9cQ

Die Composition des 126. Psalms von Ferdinand Hiller besitzt alle die Vorzüge durch die sich des Meisters Arbeiten dieser Gattung, namentlich sein Oratorium allgemeine Anerkennung errungen haben. Die musikalischen Gedanken sind edel und entsprechen dem Sinn der herrlichen Dichtung; ihre Form und künstlerische Durchbildung ist klar und fliessend, die Mittel des Solo und Chorgesanges getragen von reicher Orchestration sind von der sichern Hand des erfahrenen Künstlers in schöner und äusserst wohlthuender Weise entfaltet. In dem ersten Chor wird der Zustand der Seele die sich ans langer Noth und Gefangenschaft endlich errettet sieht, und das neue Glück noch nicht fassend, sich wie vom Traume befangen findet, in sinniger Weise ausgedrückt. Das Glück ist noch ein zukünftiges und aus der Mitte des Leidens heraus wird es nur vorgestellt. Auf dem dunkel gehaltenen Grunde einer getragenen Orchestration heben sich in wehmüthig sanfter Klage die Stimmen des Chors ab, sie steigern sich nur bei den Worten "dann wird unser Mund voll Lachens sein" zu einem freudigen Ausdruck, bald wieder zur Trauer und zu dem Gefühl zurücksinkend, dass ihnen, wie später das Leiden, so jetzt noch das Glück nicht mehr denn ein Traumbild ist. Das Recitativ einer Altstimme vermittelt den Uebergang zur Erinnerung an die grossen Thaten Gottes, denen das Volk oft seine Erlösung verdankte. Hell und schön ist die Ausführung dieses Chores gehalten, wenn auch in der Erfindung der Motive vielleicht nicht so bedeutend, als das folgende. Dieses, ein Alt-Solo mit Chor, bildet den Kern und den Schluss des Ganzen: "Die mit Thränen säen, werden mit Freuden ernten"; hier nimmt die Composition einen höhern Schwung. Die Läuterung der Seele durch Leiden und die sanfte Freude nach überstandenen Schmerzen kommen hier zum vollkommenen Ausdruck und die edele empfundene und schön geführte Cantilene der Altstimme, das Eingreifen des Chorgesanges der bald capella, bald mit Orchester-Begleitung das Motiv aufnimmt und weiter entwickelt, machen einen höchst wohlthuenden und wahrhaft harmonischen Eindruck. Das Ganze maassvoll in seinem Umfang wie seinem Inhalt nach, ist eine schöne Gabe, womit der Meister nach langer Abwesenheit bei seiner Rückkehr die Freunde ächter Musik beschenkt hat.

Well, he seems to be an elusive case. Perhaps a pseudonym for someone else?

There is this one book which appears to list some audition pieces for the year 1894. Under René Chesnet, there is an "Allegro du Concerto", in reduction for two pianos. Perhaps this is either the first or the last movement of this same concerto that you've found on IMSLP?

https://books.google.fi/books?id=mZqQztb_c4gC&pg=PA15&dq=ren%C3%A9+chesnet+concerto#v=onepage&q=ren%C3%A9%20chesnet%20concerto&f=false

[Draeseke's String Quartet no.3]

1) Draeseke's String Quartet no.3. Ah, Draeseke just needs to be played more. I choose no.3 over no.2 as I find it just slightly more compelling in the long run. Having listened to it more than a couple of times, it does grow on you. Perhaps so would be the case with an interested audience: to be hungry for repeated performances of Draeseke quartets isn't a bad thing.

2) Hiller's Symphony in C major. I'm going to be biased to Hiller, having studied so much of his music. For piano music, there's a couple of very repertoire-worthy pieces dormantly waiting for more exposure, and some fine choral and chamber music too. But if his most audience-friendly pieces are considered, it's a toss-up between the C-major symphony and the Symphonische Phantasie for me. The latter is a strong and effective piece, helped by a relative quick succession of moods and atmospheres due to its compact 5-movement structure. It would be a difficult piece to program: I can't quite place it as a concert opener, but perhaps it could work together with a concerto or a symphony in the latter half of the program? In contrast, the easily programmable C-major symphony just works so well, and it shows the best of Hiller: a work of much fire and passion, humor and well-measured orchestration. I have a feeling it would be a great hit.

3) Julius Otto Grimm's symphony. The work garnered quite a lot of discussion here, initially with Martin's synthesized version and then later as the recording appeared. In mood, style and the circumstances of its composition, it's quite an important work with a lot of gravitas behind it. I feel it would be easy to program due to the relevance it has to the evolution of the symphony genre in the romantic period. And in the end, it's great symphonic music, and that's really all that counts. It just needs a little more exposure to get itself to the concert hall.

[Piano Concerto]

Wilhelm Kalliwoda was the son of the better know Czech composer Johann Wenzel Kalliwoda. Wilhelm studied with Hauptmann in Leipzig, also taking some lessons from Mendelssohn. In 1849 at the age of 22 he settled in Karlsruhe first as conductor of the Catholic church choir, and later as music director of the Baden State Orchestra. He also worked as music teacher – his most famous students were Luise von Preußen and the German pianist and composer Luise Adolpha Le Beau.


Piano Concerto

Here is a reproduction of Wilhelm Kalliwoda's Piano Concerto made in Dorico with Noteperformer instruments. The manuscript of this work is complete but lacks a lot of finishing touches such as dynamic markings or slurs. Judging from the date 1845 on the manuscript this would have been composed when Wilhelm was only 18 years old – perhaps as a graduation piece from his studies in Leipzig?

I think the work displays the young composer's talent when writing for the soloist, though the orchestration is often lacking in comparison. Let me know what your impressions are.

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/dUaeBesPcxU

[Introduction]

What a fascinating work. From the text you were able to transcribe did you get an understanding about the subject matter of Baltz's ballade?

Based on the available fragments (and to make some broad assumptions), the ballade appears to depict the artistic and/or spiritual awakening of its protagonist.

Much of the action appears to be obscured by the missing portions of the text. Only at start do we get a bigger picture of where the action begins, that is, in a forest at night. Some sort of a sound or sensation is experienced which awakens the senses of the protagonist. Then, a violin's melody is heard from afar (Nr. 2). After this, some sort of loss or a deep feeling is experienced, perhaps a religious one (Nr. 3)? The playing of the violin represents Spring and the awakening of love (Nr. 4/5). The text concludes with the symbolic approach of morning dawn (Nr. 7).

Introduction

So still [...] vom Wald umkränzt
Vom Silberlicht des Mond's beglänzt;
Verlassen von dem lauten Schwarme,
Ihr Tags hier lautes Leben schuf.
Die milde Nacht auf Gottes Ruf
Umfängt die Welt mit weichem Arme.
 
Ein süßes Duften steigt empor.
Es prangt im vollen Blüthenflor
Dort im [...] die alte Linde
Am Erkenfenster leis und sacht
[...], gute Nacht!
Dem wunderholden [...].

Schon [...] sinnt, sie blickt hinan,
So still der Mond die [...]!
Hinwandelt in dem Himmelsgarten
Zu dieser Stunde hörte sie
Jüngst zaubervolle Melodie —
Sie lauscht in ahnungssel'gen Worten.
 
Sie lauscht ihr dunkles Auge glüht
Die [...] sie ins [...] blüht;
"O [...] zurück!" so fleht sie leise
Bringst du die Antwort, Abendwind?

Nr. 2

Auf weicher Schwinge trägt erbend'
Ihr zu die sehnsuchtsvolle Weise.

Nr. 3

So blickt sein Auge weltentrückt
Und schaut in weite, dunkle Fernen.

Nr. 4

Spiel auf! Von Lenz und Liebe sag
Daß dies uns all ihr Zauber werde!

Nr. 5

Horch! da ertönt der Geige Klang,
wie ein berührend Liebeswerden.

Nr. 6

Was ich empfand, die Lust, die Qual
[...] Sangs erklingen lassen!

Nr. 7

Dir lenkt ein Höherer die Hand
Erleuchtet dich mit seinem Lichte
Schau etc.      den Morgensegen! —

[Der Spielmann, Ballade mit Intermezzi für eine Violine mit Orchesterbegleitung]

Der Spielmann, Ballade mit Intermezzi für eine Violine mit Orchesterbegleitung

Today, we have a very curious and obscure piece from the ever industrious Hiller. This work is essentially a set of seven (rather brief) interludes to a ballade by the author Johanna Baltz (1849–1918). The autograph full score and piano arrangements of this work* include snippets of Baltz's text, but unfortunately the full text is not preserved with these materials.

As far as I can tell, the existence of this work has never been brought up in any listings or catalogues of Hiller's music before. I've been unable to find out if it was ever performed, either.

The work is scored for solo violin and orchestra. The full orchestra, which includes double woodwind, two horns and trumpets each, a timpani and strings, is only used in three of the seven movements. For the most part, the accompaniment is kept to strings only. To my mind, I quite like the violin writing throughout this work, especially in Nrs. 2, 4 and 5.

Due to very poor resolution of the digitized scans, I was not fully able to transcribe the text into the score in the video, so there are a few missing words here and there. Let me know what you think!


YOUTUBE LINK: https://youtu.be/pHf5jr_qt4Y

* Found in the collections of the Historisches Archiv Köln, under shelf number Best. 1051. [A60 - 1 Paket Noten - ohne Datum.] Materials consist of a full score, clavierauszug and a set of performance parts.

It's rather inconvenient that the full score was never published, indeed there is only a set of parts and a solo part with cues added in available.

It might be worth mentioning that the autograph FS of this concerto is apparently kept in Brambach's musical Nachlass in Bonn, should it be of interest to readers here.

Each of the pieces here does have quite the personal style and charm to them, though I found the last piece a little bit too predictable for my liking. Regardless, thank you for making these works by Olsen available! There are too few recordings of this excellent composer's music out there, so this is very much appreciated.