I fully agree - the Mass is absolutely stunning, his finest contribution to the choral repertoire with so many memorable tunes and glorious orchestration. It's also well worth seeking out the operas Iernin and John Socman as well: the first was issued on CD from a BBC studio recording and the latter is in the the British and Music Archive, like wise from a studio broadcast. I so wish that Albany would issue a box set of the symphonies as recorded under the composer's baton...

 :D

The composing career of Vaughan Williams was incredibly long and incredibly prolific. Many listeners are fully acquainted with the wonderful early works such as Toward the Unknown Region (1907), Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (1910) and A Sea Symphony (1910) but are possibly unaware just how rich the earliest period is. Thankfully this repertoire has been covered by splendid modern recordings -

Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra (1896-1904) - Somm
A Cambridge Mass (1897-99) - Albion
String Quartet in C minor (1898) - Hyperion
Serenade in A minor (1898) - Dutton*
Quintet in D (1898) - Hyperion
Bucolic Suite (1900-01) - Dutton
The Garden of Proserpine (1901) - Albion
Heroic Elegy and Triumphal Epilogue (1901-02) - Dutton*
Willow-Wood (1903) - Naxos*
Piano Quintet in C minor (1903) - Hyperion*
The Solent (1903) - Albion

I would strongly recommend those marked with an asterisk, but all are well worth a hearing. Stanford was incredibly lucky with the pupils that came before him in the 1890s (whether or not they regarded themselves as quite so lucky is a moot point): Vaughan Williams, Holst, Coleridge-Taylor and Hurlstone were all quick out of the block and rapidly established their own musical personalities. Of these, the least known today is William Hurlstone, but he was as talented as the best of them, tragically dying at the age of thirty in 1906 (with Coleridge-Taylor dying in 1912 at the age of thirty-seven). The 1890s generation graduating from the Royal College of Music was quite astonishing. Vaughan Williams' output maintained its superlative quality right up until the end in 1958, but I hope that in this celebratory year his earliest-period music gets due recognition.

 :)

Honegger was one of the finest 20th century composers but-it seems to me-is still under-rated and, particularly recently, appears to have rather dropped off the radar. My impression is that his music is not performed often in the concert hall and that there have been fewer recordings of his music. It does not of course help that France does not have an equivalent of Dutton, Lyrita and Chandos in the UK, or CPO in Germany, or Dux in Poland or BIS in Sweden and does less than many other countries to disseminate its own music. Yes, I am aware of the Timpani record label but its output is rather limited (not a single disc of any music by Landowski, for example).

Kyle and Jim have referred to some of Honegger's symphonic and choral music. The symphonies are all in their different ways exceptionally fine works and the Christmas Cantata is a gorgeous piece of music. But there are so many shorter orchestral pieces I have heard which are also extremely impressive.

Honegger repays anyone who explores his music!

Welcome back Kyle (I had an unfinished Atterberg thread when you left). I concur with you re this piece, thanks for the recommendation. As a long time devotee of Honegger symphonies from the 70s supraphon vinyl days, I warmed to it right away. There is something of the care-fee quality of S4, 'Deliciae Basilienses', the chorale that is the summation of S2, and the sunlight breaking through the clouds towards the end of 'Cantate de Noel' (composed 52/53!) that is akin to the spirit of the end of the first movement of this Damase Symphonie. As well as other French composers, interestingly, I hear a touch of Honegger's pupil Ned Rorem.

Welcome back, Kyle :)

I cannot quite share your enormous enthusiasm for the Damase Symphony. It is certainly a most attractive and appealing work-a match of Faure and Poulenc-but I am afraid that it doesn't quite grip me in the way it obviously does you.

However, given your evident enthusiasm, I did go back to the Dutton cd and listen to the work again. And that is what such a recommendation should do!!

I have only just realised that you have posted a link to the actual Dutton recording of the Damase symphony, Kyle.

Please remove it!! We went through the mill with this issue a few months back (as you may not realise!). The Dutton recording can be purchased.....and should be purchased. We cannot prevent those interested in sampling it from going to You Tube but we do not post such entire recordings on here.

Puts is also a very good public representative of contemporary music.  The public adores him and he is frequently commissioned by patrons.  Despite his academic skills (he has a doctorate in composition and studied at the finest music conservatories in America), he is tall and athletic and friendly.  Basically, doesn't fit the old loner weirdo stereotypes of what some think a composer would be.  I've been fortunate to hang out with him on occasions including rehearsals of some of his premieres.  We went for a walk after the rehearsal and he had absolutely no ego, was fully curious in my musical experiences and very engaging.  I'm a huge fan of the person as well as the music he creates.  I met him for the first time back in 2002 when he was quite unknown but his music was searing and powerfully moving.  Marin Alsop was a huge fan of his already and he taught at the school I graduated from.  He was quite young (I believe 30 years old back then) and brilliant and I love everything he's written. 

Swiss composer, Volkmar Andreae (1879-1962) Symphony in C Op. 31 (1919); a masterpiece, 'discovered' thanks to Kyjo.

I just discovered this forum, so here goes:
Only - Von Hausegger (disregarding Barbarossa, which really should be termed a symphony as well. But allow me this loophole please).

1 - Furtwängler or
2 - Weingartner
3 - Langgaard
4 - Braga Santos
5 - Sibelius (the 1915 version)
6 - Tournemire
7 - Hamerik
8 - Rautavaara
9 - Von Klenau
10 - None
11 - Raff

As you may know, we already have a recording of Feste im Herbst, which is an independent version of the symphony's final movement:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2009/Mar09/marx_7773202.htm