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The Dozen Most Neglected on CD Non-British 20th Century Symphonists

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Author Topic: The Dozen Most Neglected on CD Non-British 20th Century Symphonists  (Read 7378 times)
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kyjo
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« Reply #15 on: February 22, 2013, 03:03:23 am »

For starters:
Alexander Raichev's 6 symphonies
Andrei Eshpai's 9 Symphonies
Arnold Rosner's 8 symphonies (please..please)
Gerorge Rochberg's 6 symphonies
George Antheil's 6 symphonies

And certainly Jaques Hetu's 5!!


Another fine list! I would agree with you about Eshpai-though all of his symphonies besides the Ninth are available somewhere (on CD, YT and classical-music-online.net), a modern cycle on a single label with a professional orchestra and idiomatic conductor would certainly not go amiss. Rosner is also highly deserving of more attention-his Symphony no. 5, especially, is a tonal, wholly accessible piece which is quite wonderful :)
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guest136
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« Reply #16 on: February 22, 2013, 06:09:12 am »

Nikolai Peiko.
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Dundonnell
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« Reply #17 on: February 22, 2013, 01:06:31 pm »

I have never heard a single Eshpai symphony ???

This will-shortly-be remedied. Eight of the nine are available at classical-music online.net :)

....and three are on Albany cds.

Why has this composer escaped me up to now ??? ???
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kyjo
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« Reply #18 on: February 22, 2013, 09:28:31 pm »

As I have said before, Eshpai is a fine composer. All of his symphonies are worth exploring, but I'd start with the dark, powerful no. 5, which should certainly be to your liking, Colin :)
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« Reply #19 on: February 23, 2013, 04:53:48 am »

Nos. 1-4 downloaded so far ;D
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« Reply #20 on: February 23, 2013, 06:57:43 pm »

As I have said before, Eshpai is a fine composer. All of his symphonies are worth exploring, but I'd start with the dark, powerful no. 5, which should certainly be to your liking, Colin :)

I happen to agree totally. What drew my attention was the fact, that Eshpai (his name already betrays it) is a 'Mari', one of the Volga-Finnic (Finno-Ugric) peoples: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mari_people.
He makes use of Mari traditions in his music and had strong ties with Hungary and the Hungarian musical scene around Kodály who tried to connect all these Finno-Ugric traditions and regarded them (more than could be maintained) 'one big musical family'. I once interviewed a famous Kodály pupil, musicologist László Vikár, who had actually led some of the 1960s Hungarian ethnomusocological expeditions into Mari-El and who had also met the Eshpai family on that occasion. Though I think Andrei made his carreer in Moscow, and had to, as a composer.  :)
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« Reply #21 on: March 06, 2013, 01:36:05 pm »

Neglected also implies they may have been recorded, but are not well-known due to a lack of advocates, or a defunct label. Although not a symphonist(only 3) most of William Mathias music went up in smoke with Nimbus, but this man is one of my top 10 composers. And Jaques Hetu's wonderful music and handfull of fine symphonies have have had limited distribution due to the Canadian government.
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« Reply #22 on: March 07, 2013, 01:35:22 am »

The 4th and 5th are my favorites, hummable even when long over...
The 2nd Violin concerto is unforgettable as is the Ballet Apocalpse, a crazy collage of mixed music.
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« Reply #23 on: March 07, 2013, 01:50:54 am »

As I have said before, Eshpai is a fine composer. All of his symphonies are worth exploring, but I'd start with the dark, powerful no. 5, which should certainly be to your liking, Colin :)

I happen to agree totally. What drew my attention was the fact, that Eshpai (his name already betrays it) is a 'Mari', one of the Volga-Finnic (Finno-Ugric) peoples: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mari_people.
He makes use of Mari traditions in his music and had strong ties with Hungary and the Hungarian musical scene around Kodály who tried to connect all these Finno-Ugric traditions and regarded them (more than could be maintained) 'one big musical family'. I once interviewed a famous Kodály pupil, musicologist László Vikár, who had actually led some of the 1960s Hungarian ethnomusocological expeditions into Mari-El and who had also met the Eshpai family on that occasion. Though I think Andrei made his carreer in Moscow, and had to, as a composer.  :)

The History and present circumstances of the Mari makes for very sad reading :( >:(
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« Reply #24 on: March 07, 2013, 03:41:39 pm »

Neglected also implies they may have been recorded, but are not well-known due to a lack of advocates, or a defunct label. Although not a symphonist(only 3) most of William Mathias music went up in smoke with Nimbus, but this man is one of my top 10 composers. And Jaques Hetu's wonderful music and handfull of fine symphonies have have had limited distribution due to the Canadian government.

Oooh,I love the Mathias symphonies. The Nimbus recordings are magnificent. I remember writing,excitedly,to them about Daniel Jones,at the time,but they didn't reply :(!  Perhaps they were too busy?! :)
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« Reply #25 on: March 11, 2013, 07:37:05 pm »

Some comments on the names proposed so far:

Cowell: I would love to like his symphonic output after hunting it for so long, but I keep being disappointed. Considering how striking his piano music is, his orchestral music, such as I have been able to hear, seems anaemic.

Karamanov: A fascinating figure, but the only works of his I've been able to hear have been in rather poor performances; so hard to assess.

Danish composers: I agree that Bentzon is much more important than Klenau, and really terribly under-performed. Maybe his huge output is daunting?

Eshpai: Really? I agree his music is enjoyable, but it is rather derivative and I wouldn't make any great claims for it. He might also be the original target of the dismissive phrase memorably used of average Soviet composers that their music amounted to "Tchaikovsky-and-Benzedrine".

Dutch composers: I would bother too much about Pijper, but where is Cornelis Dopper? Only two of his seven symphonies are available on commercial release. There is a barnstorming performance by Mengleberg of the superb 7th (Zuiderzee) in 1940s sound, and it REALLY needs a good modern performance on CD (there was a recent Dutch radio performance). Sad, sad neglect, of a composer with potentially great popular appeal.

Swedish composers: Yes to Rosenberg! But another name is missing is John Fernström, who I think is one of the most neglected composers in proportion to his ability. Twelve symphonies, only two of them recorded so far as I know.
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kyjo
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« Reply #26 on: March 11, 2013, 08:12:21 pm »

Some comments on the names proposed so far:

Cowell: I would love to like his symphonic output after hunting it for so long, but I keep being disappointed. Considering how striking his piano music is, his orchestral music, such as I have been able to hear, seems anaemic.

Karamanov: A fascinating figure, but the only works of his I've been able to hear have been in rather poor performances; so hard to assess.

Danish composers: I agree that Bentzon is much more important than Klenau, and really terribly under-performed. Maybe his huge output is daunting?

Eshpai: Really? I agree his music is enjoyable, but it is rather derivative and I wouldn't make any great claims for it. He might also be the original target of the dismissive phrase memorably used of average Soviet composers that their music amounted to "Tchaikovsky-and-Benzedrine".

Dutch composers: I would bother too much about Pijper, but where is Cornelis Dopper? Only two of his seven symphonies are available on commercial release. There is a barnstorming performance by Mengleberg of the superb 7th (Zuiderzee) in 1940s sound, and it REALLY needs a good modern performance on CD (there was a recent Dutch radio performance). Sad, sad neglect, of a composer with potentially great popular appeal.

Swedish composers: Yes to Rosenberg! But another name is missing is John Fernström, who I think is one of the most neglected composers in proportion to his ability. Twelve symphonies, only two of them recorded so far as I know.


Excellent post! I agree with you about Dopper-his symphonies are exciting late-romantic works which are right up my alley. The 7th is a wonderful piece (close to a masterpiece IMO), as are the Symphonies 1 and 2 and the huge Ciacona Gotica for orchestra. As I have said before, I would give anything to hear his large-scale Symphony no. 5 Epica, but I doubt it will ever be recorded :(

Fernström is certainly deserving of more attention. His chamber music (string quartets, mainly) has been reasonably represented on CD, but we definitely need to hear more of his orchestral output. Actually, three of his symphonies have been recorded (the 6th, 11th and 12th). Interestingly, Fernström was born in China and spent the first ten years of his life there. That would explain the vaguely Oriental influence in some of his works, not least in Ro-Nai-Nai's Songs for soprano and orchestra, as well as the Chinese lettering on the cover of the Daphne CD of four of his string quartets.

And yes, we all seem to agree about the Rosenberg situation ;D :(
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Toby Esterhase
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« Reply #27 on: March 11, 2013, 11:50:10 pm »

As I have said before, Eshpai is a fine composer. All of his symphonies are worth exploring, but I'd start with the dark, powerful no. 5, which should certainly be to your liking, Colin :)

OK but IMHO also n°4 is a great work far superior to ballet "Circle".
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« Reply #28 on: March 12, 2013, 12:37:46 am »

Fernström is certainly deserving of more attention. His chamber music (string quartets, mainly) has been reasonably represented on CD, but we definitely need to hear more of his orchestral output. Actually, three of his symphonies have been recorded (the 6th, 11th and 12th).

Oh, now where is the 11th recorded? I only knew about the 6th and 12th (and the string quartets; well, a few of them).

I first came across Fernström via his Concertino for Flute, Small Orchestra and Women's Chorus (!).
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« Reply #29 on: March 12, 2013, 12:44:37 am »

Henry Cowell ???   I tend to agree. Many more deserving American composers merit up to date recordings.

Niels Viggo Bentzon ??? Again, agreed.....but I fear that the massive output is indeed too daunting and I also suspect that the later music does not match the earlier symphonies.

Cornelis Dopper ??? We have recordings of Symphonies No.1 and 7(the latter in a good, modern radio recording) on file here, Symphonies No.2, 3 and 6 are on Chandos cds. Symphony No.5 is, apparently, either lost or in an unrecoverable state(I forget which). So....not too bad a situation.

Pipjer ???  Only three symphonies, two of which are on cd and No.1 on file here.

Fernstrom ??? Agreed...but again, his output is probably too large.

Rosenberg ???  Remind me....have I expressed an opinion about him before ??? ;D
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