Lowell Liebermann (b. 1951): Orchestral Works from Albany

[kyjo]

With such musical tastes, you'll definitely get along well with the members here ;D! Shosty, Bartok, Prokofiev, VW, Ravel, Debussy, Schuman, Szymanowski, Diamond, Tubin, Alwyn, Respighi, and Casella would also be on my list :). I must, however, admit that my very favorites (besides Rach) are Mahler, Tchaikovsky, and Sibelius. Other lesser-known composers I enjoy highly are Braga Santos, Atterberg, Giannini, Andre Mathieu, Harris, and Sallinen, just to name a few (before compulsive list-making takes over ;D).

P.S. You list "Somers" as being one of your favorite composers. I have never heard of this composer ???. Am I missing out on something?

[Mirror Image]

With such musical tastes, you'll definitely get along well with the members here ;D! Shosty, Bartok, Prokofiev, VW, Ravel, Debussy, Schuman, Szymanowski, Diamond, Tubin, Alwyn, Respighi, and Casella would also be on my list :). I must, however, admit that my very favorites (besides Rach) are Mahler, Tchaikovsky, and Sibelius. Other lesser-known composers I enjoy highly are Braga Santos, Atterberg, Giannini, Andre Mathieu, Harris, and Sallinen, just to name a few (before compulsive list-making takes over ;D).

P.S. You list "Somers" as being one of your favorite composers. I have never heard of this composer ???. Am I missing out on something?

This is good to hear. :) I LOVE Braga Santos! Definitely a favorite of mine as well. Great composer. That Marco Polo series of his orchestral works is indispensable IMHO.

Harry Somers (1925 - 1999) was one of the most well-known Canadian composers (not that many of them are well-known outside of Canada ;)). His music is an amalgamation of the entire 20th Century, although it eschews the more avant-garde music of the later century. His style is quite unique. Don't expect huge crescendos any things such as this, Somers' music relies more on subtlety, nuance, and color. There are plenty of highly-charged rhythmic ideas in many of his works, but I just don't want you to go into the music expecting it to be something that it's not. One of my favorite works of his is Suite For Harp and Chamber Orchestra. I also like North Country for string orchestra, Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3, Lyric for Orchestra, Five Songs for Dark Voice, and the Tippettian Symphony No. 1. I'm still in the process of discovering his music, but have heard a good chunk of it already. Checkout his recordings on the Centrediscs label. There's a 3-CD set called Portrait that contains many of these orchestral works I mentioned above. There's also a series called A Window On Somers, which is dedicated to his vocal, choral, and chamber works.

[kyjo]

Many thanks for introducing me to Harry Somers, who I'd heard of before but somehow forgotten about. His music sounds very interesting-I think I'll investigate him :).

Am I correct in saying that Canada does not do nearly enough to promote its composers? There are no well-known Canadian composers whatsoever, which is quite baffling when you consider how large and developed a country Canada is. Andre Mathieu has recently received the passionate advocacy of pianist Alain Lefevre, but he still couldn't be counted as well-known. Canadian composers Sophie Eckhardt-Gramatte, Jacques Hetu, and Talivaldis Kenins (all very fine composers) have received spotty representation on CD, but that's about it, sadly :(. However, there is a 2-disc Naxos set called "Introduction to Canadian Music" (which contains excerpts from various pieces of Canadian classical music) as well as a "Portraits" series of some modern Canadian composers (of which Somers is one, as you mention). But still, the neglect of Canadian composers seems rather strange and undeserving :(.

As to Braga Santos, his Symphony no. 4 could possibly rank amongst my favorite classical compositions, with his third running it a close second-what marvelous music :)! It's a shame he switched over to a more modernistic style later in life, though :(.

[Mirror Image]

Many thanks for introducing me to Harry Somers, who I'd heard of before but somehow forgotten about. His music sounds very interesting-I think I'll investigate him :).

Am I correct in saying that Canada does not do nearly enough to promote its composers? There are no well-known Canadian composers whatsoever, which is quite baffling when you consider how large and developed a country Canada is. Andre Mathieu has recently received the passionate advocacy of pianist Alain Lefevre, but he still couldn't be counted as well-known. Canadian composers Sophie Eckhardt-Gramatte, Jacques Hetu, and Talivaldis Kenins (all very fine composers) have received spotty representation on CD, but that's about it, sadly :(. However, there is a 2-disc Naxos set called "Introduction to Canadian Music" (which contains excerpts from various pieces of Canadian classical music) as well as a "Portraits" series of some modern Canadian composers (of which Somers is one, as you mention). But still, the neglect of Canadian composers seems rather strange and undeserving :(.

As to Braga Santos, his Symphony no. 4 could possibly rank amongst my favorite classical compositions, with his third running it a close second-what marvelous music :)! It's a shame he switched over to a more modernistic style later in life, though :(.

Canada's claim to fame may very well lie in electronic and spectral music. Composers like Claude Vivier and Norma Beecroft have made special contributions to their respective fields, but I'm not into electronic or spectral music. But pretty much all the great Canadian composers of the 20th Century: Somers, Forsyth, Freedman, Coulthard, Schafer, and the ones you mentioned have gone unnoticed by classical audiences. Naxos is working on their Canadian Classics series, which I hope will include better known composers who are in dire need of performances. Canadian composers are as neglected as Australian composers IMHO, which is unfortunate. There's still a lot of Soviet-Era composers that need more advocacy as well like Popov, Shebalin, Weinberg (who seems to finally be getting some much deserved attention), among others.

Honestly, I don't mind the direction Braga Santos went in. I like his 5th and 6th symphonies actually. It's just a different style. Of his earlier symphonies, Symphony No. 2 is probably my favorite. People always mentioned the 4th, and it's a great work, but it doesn't move me like the 2nd, but this is just all personal subjectivity. We all are moved by different things.

[kyjo]

Yes, you're right about electronic music (which I detest) in Canada. I truly hope Naxos' Canadian Classics series will bring these composers to light, as they have done so well with many other composers :). I agree with you 100% about Australian and Russian/Soviet composers. If you haven't already, please check out this site: www.russiancomposers.org.uk just to get an idea of how many Russian and Soviet composers there are that go completely unnoticed by the record companies. Yes, I like Braga Santos' second a lot as well, but his fourth is his masterpiece IMO. His fifth is fine, but it's not until the ending of the sixth that I can be drawn into the music.

[Mirror Image]

Yes, you're right about electronic music (which I detest) in Canada. I truly hope Naxos' Canadian Classics series will bring these composers to light, as they have done so well with many other composers :). I agree with you 100% about Australian and Russian/Soviet composers. If you haven't already, please check out this site: www.russiancomposers.org.uk just to get an idea of how many Russian and Soviet composers there are that go completely unnoticed by the record companies. Yes, I like Braga Santos' second a lot as well, but his fourth is his masterpiece IMO. His fifth is fine, but it's not until the ending of the sixth that I can be drawn into the music.

Oh, yeah there are so many Russian composers that haven't even received recorded performances. I should have also mentioned Colin McPhee. He's another great Canadian composer who is better represented than many others. Check out the CBC recording of some of his orchestral works with Alex Pauk conducting the Espirit Orchestra. Great recording IMHO. Definitely checkout Harry Somers. That Portrait set is easy to obtain as are the other Centrediscs which I mentioned.

Besides the Somers recordings, one of my favorite recordings of Canadian music is this one:



Which can bought pretty cheaply here:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000003WS7/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=

[kyjo]

Thanks for the tip! How could I forget about McPhee :o! If you haven't already, I encourage you to check out Sophie Eckhardt-Gramatte (1898-1974)- many of her compositions (including Symphony no. 2 and Piano Concerto no. 3) can be found on YouTube and her six virtuositic piano sonatas (played by Hamelin, no less!) and her Bassoon Concerto have been recorded on CD :). Her voice is definitely a very individual one and deserves to be recognized :).

[Mirror Image]

Thanks for the tip! How could I forget about McPhee :o! If you haven't already, I encourage you to check out Sophie Eckhardt-Gramatte (1898-1974)- many of her compositions (including Symphony no. 2 and Piano Concerto no. 3) can be found on YouTube and her six virtuositic piano sonatas (played by Hamelin, no less!) and her Bassoon Concerto have been recorded on CD :). Her voice is definitely a very individual one and deserves to be recognized :).

I'll definitely checkout Eckhardt-Gramatte. Looks like she hasn't been recorded much. A shame. By the way, Forsyth's Atayoskewin Suite gets my vote for composition deserving mainstream repertoire status. If you haven't heard it, you'll be delighted by what you hear I think.

[cjvinthechair]

Mr. Mirror Image - lovely to see your expertise aded to that already abundant on this site; most welcome. Will be sure to check out Somers, + maybe one or two others you mention !
Certainly concur with Mcphee - Tabuh Tabuhan...terrific !

[Mirror Image]

Mr. Mirror Image - lovely to see your expertise aded to that already abundant on this site; most welcome. Will be sure to check out Somers, + maybe one or two others you mention !
Certainly concur with Mcphee - Tabuh Tabuhan...terrific !

Thanks for the welcome, Clive! I miss seeing you on GMG. Yes, check out Somers. I think you will enjoy his music.

[guest145]

I'm just saying that the lesser-known composers that Albany records shouldn't be compared to the giants of American music

Albany Records doesn't actually record, or even plans to record, many of the releases on their label. In many instances, organizations or individuals come to them with completed masters and funding, and are looking for a respectable outlet to release and distribute them. Not quite a "vanity press," in that Albany is still selective about who and what they will allow to appear on their label. But if you've got a good product, a respectable reputation, and enough money, you can wind up on their label. They're very selective about what they record themselves (such as all the Ian Hobson releases), with careful consideration as to gaps in the recorded repertoire, the need for a more modern recording of something that hasn't shown up else where in many years, and of course, the cost of making these recordings and the potential for profit. But the last point is not critical. If they believe in a composer and/or work, and it's practical, desirable, and worthwhile, they'll do it.

[Dundonnell]

To return at least to the composer mentioned in the thread title  ;D :the Lowell Liebermann Symphony No.2/Flute Concerto Delos cd arrived with me this morning.

Two superb works which I am really enjoying :) Must invest now in the Hyperion disc of the two Piano Concertos and the new Albany disc, which I shall, presumably, have to order from the USA.

[dyn]

i checked out the two piano concertos from my local library. although it's been a while since i heard them my impressions were that they were quite Rachmaninov-like—hard to tell apart in places, even—albeit with finales that seem to be sanitised versions of the Toccata concertata from Ginastera's Concerto No. 1. (which in turn owes quite a bit to the finale of Bartók 2, i suppose)

liebermann's slow movements are not especially memorable for whatever reason; it's not as though he can't write a Big Tune™ when he wants to, and for that reason i'll recommend the first movement of PC 2 whose main theme i can still remember despite it being quite a while since i listened. i suppose that's an endorsement. >.> i will second the comments of my first music teacher though, whose response to a description of slow movements as "just a beautiful melody repeated over and over again" was "and what's wrong with that exactly?!"

[kyjo]

they were quite Rachmaninov-like

A warning to Colin, perhaps ;D

...and that's why I enjoy them so much ;D

[Dundonnell]

Maybe....but they are now on next month's wish list (together with the Weingartner Symphony No.7, the Weinberg Symphony No.8, the new Chandos Montsalvatge disc and the new Naxos Goehr disc) :)