The Art-Music, Literature and Linguistics Forum
February 10, 2025, 03:12:21 am
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?

Login with username, password and session length
News: Here you may discover hundreds of little-known composers, hear thousands of long-forgotten compositions, contribute your own rare recordings, and discuss the Arts, Literature and Linguistics in an erudite and decorous atmosphere full of freedom and delight.
 
  Home Help Search Gallery Staff List Login Register  
  Show Posts
Pages: 1 2 [3] 4 5 ... 8
31  Assorted items / General musical discussion / Re: What piece do you consider to be the latest "Masterpiece"? on: September 28, 2013, 10:55:44 pm
I've never understood why the Sibelius VC is so popular. I've never liked this work much at all and if violinists are playing it just so they can have a Scandinavian concerto in their reportoire, they should definitely check out the Nielsen, Atterberg, Larsson or Melartin VCs, all of which I enjoy much more than the Sibelius. And when was the last time I heard a Sibelius tone poem besides Finlandia in concert? Hmmmmm.....let me see here.....
Being very snobbish, I would like to point out that Sibelius was not Scandinavian ;)
More to the point, there are easily twenty Scandinavian and Nordic violin concertos I would like to play, however the Sibelius concerto is still on top of my list. Why? Because I can relate to it on all time scales and on the full spectrum between tone shade, feeling and architecture. Maybe it is a violinist's thing. The last four symphonies are probably 'greater' music, but I cannot help feeling that the VC remains one of the three or four most beautiful ever written in this genre. Not something reason can really fight ;D
32  Assorted items / General musical discussion / Re: Composers who died too young on: September 28, 2013, 10:48:10 pm
I may have missed Arvid Kleven here.

Here is a fairly depressing list of symphoists who died at 40 or less...

1822   1853   Aerts, Egidius
1806   1826   Arriaga y Balzola, Juan Cristosomo de
1768   1808   Baguer, Carles
1899   1922   Baines, William
1801   1835   Bellini, Vincenzo
1838   1875   Bizet, Georges
1834   1874   Blodek, Vilém
1862   1897   Boëllmann, Léon
1888   1928   Bohnke, Emil
1810   1836   Burgmüller, Norbert
1838   1873   Castillon, Alexis de
1854   1893   Catalani, Alfredo
1937   1971   Chargeishvili, Nektarios
1875   1911   Čiurlionis, Mikolajus K.
1875   1912   Coleridge-Taylor, Samuel
1923   1953   Drejsl, Radim
1779   1813   Eggert, Joachim Nikolas
1926   1958   Falabella, Roberto
1905   1931   Femelidi, Volodymyr
1900   1936   Ferroud, Pierre-Octave
1789   1826   Fesca, Friedrich Ernst
1803   1836   Fröhlich, Friedrich Theodor
1790   1825   Gerson, Georg
1938   1978   Glodeanu, Liviu
1840   1876   Goetz, Hermann
1829   1869   Gottschalk, Louis Moreau
1934   1970   Gržinić, Vjekoslav
1919   1946   Harašta, Milan
1951   1986   Israel, Brian
1902   1936   José, Antonio
1866   1901   Kalinnikov, Vasilij Sergeevič
1915   1940   Kaprálova, Vítězslava
1923   1950   Karapanchevski, Tihomir
1876   1909   Karłowicz, Mieczysław
1909   1937   Kishi, Koichi
1899   1929   Kleven, Arvid
1756   1792   Kraus, Joseph Martin
1951   1990   Krzanowski, Andrzej
1921   1957   Kurka, Robert
1883   1918   Kuula, Toivo
1902   1942   Lie, Harald
1871   1904   Lie, Sigurd
1967   2006   Liede, Roberts
1933   1970   Linde, Bo
1917   1950   Lipatti, Dinu
1929   1968   Mathieu, André
1961   1996   Mattiisen, Alo
1809   1847   Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix
1756   1791   Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
1810   1849   Nicolai, Otto
1911   1951   Otaka, Hisatada
1912   1948   Pakalnis, Juozas
1889   1924   Paunović, Milenko
1885   1923   Pejačević, Dora
1846   1882   Ponce de León, José Maria
1848   1884   Power, Teobaldo
1902   1941   Prišlin, Ivo
1915   1945   Richter, Nico
1935   1965   Ronnefeld, Peter
1858   1884   Rott, Hans
1725   1762   Sarrier, Antonio
1797   1828   Schubert, Franz
1920   1936   Suolahti, Heikki
1766   1803   Süssmayr, Franz Xaver
1791   1825   Voříšek, Jan Václav Hugo
1918   1939   Vorob'ev, Gennadij Vasil'evič
1910   1942   Vučković, Vojislav
1845   1885   Waelput, Henryk
1786   1826   Weber, Carl Maria von
1773   1812   Wölfl, Joseph
1905   1945   Xian, Xinghai
1914   1943   Yarullin, Färit Zahidulla ulı
1955   1983   Zenkl, Michal
33  Assorted items / Commercial recordings (vintage, new and forthcoming) / Re: Knudåge Riisager (1897-1974): Symphonic Edition, Vol. 2 from Dacapo on: September 28, 2013, 10:39:02 pm
Ironically, Riisager once stated: the symphony is dead... long live music! And he went on to compose five symphonies. But not Nielsenian ones, indeed.

DaCapo is right to record these works, but I wish they also recorded Svend Schulz's symphonies, or the remaining four by Ebbe Hamerik.
34  Assorted items / Commercial recordings (vintage, new and forthcoming) / Re: Panufnik Vol. 6 at CPO on: September 28, 2013, 10:34:35 pm
"The whole is prefaced by a brief but potent introduction for strings, which reappears transformed in the inexorable motion towards the close in what constitutes a powerful if undeniably hieratic apotheosis: hope having been envisaged without thereby being attained."
[...]
What interests me though in RW's sentence is his use of the word 'hieratic', prefaced by the word "if". "Powerful if undeniably hieratic". The word "if" implies some pejorative or at best conditional connotation, does it not ???   If so....why ???

Can anybody offer any elucidation ???
A tentative one: 'hieratic' does indeed convey a sense of grandeur in modern use, but initially refers more to priesthood. What RW probably means is that despite its austere, perhaps forbidding severity, the apotheosis in this piece is (emotionally?) powerful.
35  Downloads by surname / Only direct links / Re: Romanian music on: September 28, 2013, 06:49:58 pm
George Enescu (1881-1955)
Capriccio for violin and orchestra (1928-, orchestrated by Cornel Ţăranu after Enescu's sketches)
4 parts
Dmitry Sitkovetsky (violin)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Cristian Mandeal
Sala Mare a Palatului, Bucureşti, 28.9.2013
Live broadcast by Radio România Muzical
http://www.mediafire.com/folder/bppx539ldd2dg/Enescu_capriccio-violin-orchestra
36  Assorted items / Coming broadcasts and listen-later links / Re: Hilding Rosenberg: Danssvit ur “Orfeus i stan” (1938). on: September 27, 2013, 03:13:35 pm
The complete ballet is definitely worth hearing!
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2003/Sept03/rosenberg_orpheus.htm
37  Downloads by surname / Downloads: discussion without links / Re: Croatian Music on: September 15, 2013, 02:41:32 pm
It is indeed one of Bjelinski's most persuasive symphonies! Formally very clear, consistently inspired in its thematic invention. Thanks for pointing it out again :)
38  Downloads by surname / Downloads: discussion without links / Re: Croatian Music on: September 15, 2013, 02:09:08 pm
Does anyone else think Bjelinski's 7th is a masterpiece, or is this just a personal preference??
I liked it at first hearing, but oddly have not listened to it again for ages. Here it comes back on top of my list!
39  Downloads by surname / Downloads: discussion without links / Re: Croatian Music on: September 15, 2013, 02:07:54 pm
As we all know here, Stjepan Šulek is the only Croatian composer by whom, every season, at least one symphony is performed in concert in Zagreb. 2013-2014 shall be no exception, with the Croatian Radio & Television Symphony Orchestra offering an all-Šulek programme on Thursday, April 27, 2014 at 7.30pm (CET), in the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall.

The conductor shall be Pavle Dešpalj, once Šulek's student, a worthy composer himself and probably the foremost performer of Šulek's orchestral music since Milan Horvat's retirement. Arguably the Seventh is not the best among the eight symphonies, but it is still well worth hearing. The soloist shall be veteran pianist and pedagogue Vladimir Krpan.

Programme:
Epitaph for a forgotten illusion
Piano concerto No. 3
Symphony No. 7
40  Downloads by surname / Downloads: discussion without links / Re: Estonian Music on: September 05, 2013, 08:33:47 pm
Mikhel Lyudig (Michael Ludig)  (1880-1958)
Overture: Fantasia No 1 and No 2
Estonian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Jarvi, conducting


Melodiya LP



Do you know if this is one, two or three pieces?  I love it anyway - many thanks for the upload!

According to the generally very reliable emic.ee website, there are two pieces by Lüdig bearing the title "Overture-Fantasia", both in B minor: "Avamäng-fantaasia nr. 1 h-moll" (1906) and "Avamäng-fantaasia nr. 2 h-moll" (1945).
41  Downloads by surname / Downloads: discussion without links / Re: Croatian Music on: September 01, 2013, 10:59:03 pm
Yes indeed  ;D
It is a pleasure. Maybe an Art-Music forum lobby can convince Mr. Heymann that Sulek is not such an 'obscure' composer! 8) After all, more or less once a year, one or another of his symphonies is performed in concert by one of the main two Zagreb orchestras, some of his instrumental concertos every once in a while, and then there are the classical concertos, the sonatas, the quartets...
If you wonder why Sulek is neglected, look thru the thread of "Dream Concerts"..One would think Croatia is not even a country..
Well, not all countries are mentioned by all contributors, but Croatia appears not once, but twice in my suggestions...  ???
42  Assorted items / General musical discussion / Re: Your Dream Concerts on: August 31, 2013, 04:13:13 pm
How did you know that I did this programming exercise regularly on my way to work? ;D (Not to mention plans for future CDs and videos!)

Lithuania/Latvia-1
A.
Kenins: Sinfonia Ad Fugam (Symphony No. 6)
Kenins: Concerto for 14 instruments
B.
Jērums: Eseja (Essay)
Juzeliūnas: Žmogaus lyra (Symphony No. 3: the Lyre of Man)

Lithuania/Latvia-2
A.
R. Šerkšnytė: Žara (Glow)
Grīnblats: Symphony No. 5
B.
Balakauskas: Concerto for oboe, harpsichord and strings
Balakauskas: Ostrobotnijos simfonija (Symphony No. 3: Ostrobothnian Symphony)

Estonia
A.
A. Kapp: Symphony No. 1
B.
Eller: Videvik (Twilight)
Tubin: Symphony No. 8

Finland
A.
Madetoja: Syksy (Autumn)
A. Merikanto: Fantasia orkesterille (Fantasy for orchestra)
B.
Raitio: Joutsenet (Swans)
Englund: Mustarastassinfonia (Symphony No. 2: Blackbird)

Sweden
A.
Atterberg: Adagio amoroso
Kallstenius: Symphony no. 2
B.
Stenhammar: Serenade

Norway
A.
Kleven: Skogens Søvn (The Forest Asleep)
Valen: Violin Concerto
Irgens-Jensen: Passacaglia
B.
Egge: Dolce quasi passacaglia (Symphony No. 5)
Sæverud: Salme (Symphony No. 7: Psalm)

Denmark-1
A.
Nørgård: Twilight
Langgaard: Det Himmelrivende (Symphony No. 6: the Heaven-Storming)
B.
Nørholm: Isola Bella (Symphony No. 2)

Denmark-2
A.
Holmboe: Symphony No. 11
H.D. Koppel: Tre Davidssalmer (Three Psalms of David, op. 48)
B.
Nørgård: Symphony No. 3

Croatia-1
A.
Šulek: Klasični koncert br. 2 (Classical Concerto No. 2)
Šulek: Violin Concerto
B.
Šulek: Symphony No. 6

Croatia-2
A.
Bersa: Sablasti (Apparitions)
I. Brkanović: Symphony No. 2
B.
Slavenski: Simfonija Orijenta (Symphony of the Orient)

Slovenia, Hungary
A.
Veress: Sinfonia Minneapolitana (Symphony No. 2)
Lajtha: Symphony No. 9
B.
Ramovš: Sinfonia Pietà
Škerjanc: Symphony No. 4, for strings

Serbia
A.
Hristić: Ohridska Legenda (the Legend of Ohrid), Suite No. 1
Ristić: Symphony No. 8
B.
V. Mokranjac: Lirska Poema (Lyrical Poem)
Brucci: Symphony No. 3

Bulgaria
A.
P. Vladigerov: Symphony No. 2 for string orchestra, "Majska" (of May)
B.
L. Nikolov: Symphony for 13 string instruments
Iliev: Symphony No. 6

Albania, Greece
A.
Zadeja: Symphony
Ibrahimi: Sinfoni tragjike (Tragic Symphony)
B.
Skalkot(t)as: I epistrofi tou Odyssea (The Return of Ulysses)

Slovakia, Czech Republic
A.
A. Albrecht: Túžby a spomienky (Desires and Memories)
Suchoň: Metamorfózy (Metamorphoses)
B.
Kabeláč: Symphony No. 7, for narrator and orchestra
Feld: Symphony No. 1

Poland, Romania, Ukraine
A.
Niculescu: Cantos (Symphony No. 3)
Palester: Violin Concerto
B.
Lyatoshynsky: Symphony No. 3

Caucasus
A.
Kancheli: Symphony No. 4, edzghvneba mik’elanjelos khs. (in memoriam Michelangelo)
Q. Qarayev: Violin Concerto
B.
Terterian: Symphony No. 6
43  Assorted items / General musical discussion / Re: Guess the composer! on: August 25, 2013, 08:51:13 am
For No. 5, I'd rather have said Benjamin Frankel.
44  Assorted items / General musical discussion / Re: Five Most Underrated Symphonists on: August 25, 2013, 08:50:12 am
Another point I have to make. You will notice that the composers I listed in my top five (six, really ;D) have all had excellent recordings of their symphonies (all have had complete cycles except Diamond): Hughes in Holmboe, Svetlanov in Miaskovsky (though his recordings are somewhat marred by the audio quality and I would certainly welcome a modern cycle), Schwarz in Diamond, Hickox in Rubbra, Kubelik in Hartmann and Rasilainen (and now Jarvi) in Atterberg. Because of the excellent advocacy these composers have received, I am more convinced of the music's high quality. The problem is that there are so many potentially equally gifted symphonists out there who have not received the great advocacy of the composers I chose, therefore I am not completely sure of the music's quality and can't justifiably designate it as "underrated". Hope this makes sense! :)

Yes, it makes a lot of sense, it is actually a critical factor. Being (or having been?  ::) ) a performer, I can to an extent make up for bland performances, or even poor sound quality if it does not erase all interesting details altogether. But, quite often, actually playing the music in question (if it is for violin) and not just listen to it can still be revelatory, you can literally feel the potentialities under your fingers. It is well-known that composers such as Delius, Fauré, Reger can easily be betrayed by flamboyant but inadequate performances. And there are a number of symphonies of which I feel the potential, but know that the performances at hand could hardly convert an absent-minded producer. This is especially true when the music is complex and needs much work and accuracy to become intelligible or coherent. Bjelinski can survive a routine performance (even though it may suppress some of its subtler layers and only retain the energetic, cheerful side), Ivan Brkanović or Šulek cannot, and they are no lesser composers for this, quite the contrary probably. Even a rather transparent score like Atterberg's Sixth only reaches its full dimension, in my view, with both the commitment and virtuosity of Neeme Järvi's recent reading.

In general, people tend to say that it is easier to perform lesser-known music because audiences do not have the works in mind and cannot compare. This very widespread view, especially within the musical world, is not without some foundation but is quite misleading. First, it is absolutely possible to identify an outstanding performance or, conversely, a routine or approximate one in a piece you hear for the first time, even if the first impression can be refined with repeated hearings. Second, the less the piece is familiar, the strongest advocacy it demands, precisely because the "average" listener does not have this whole collection of references, echoes, reminiscences, personal experience with that piece, which tend to enrich and amplify the impact classics have on us (unless we are fed up with them, of course, which can also close our ears and sensibility). Incidentally, I find it very satisfactory when a piece I have discovered a few months or years ago starts to resonate unconsciously in my mind, which is a different process from knowing it by heart. It means that it has become a personal "classic", as it were.
45  Assorted items / General musical discussion / Re: Five Most Underrated Symphonists on: August 24, 2013, 06:42:06 pm
Of course, others will doubtlessly have different definitions of the word "underrated", but, keep in mind that I didn't start this thread to start a debate on this subject! ;D

This might be why you got exactly that!  ;D

Daniel Jones falls in a fourth category: major symphonists whom I have not investigated nearly enough myself, for no good reason at all  :-[ And yet this forum made sure that it could be fixed.

Indeed the vast majority of professional musicians have a very narrow knowledge of the repertoire. I noticed that quite brutally when I was a full-time musician. Definitely the capacity to go deep into, say, Bach's, Beethoven's or Mahler's music is not enhanced by the choice of ignoring lesser-known figures, or lack of curiosity altogether.

The really difficult part - and I am struggling with it even more now, obviously - is to secure enough time to actually work on all the pieces we would like to play, famous or neglected, and do it not in a superficial way, but with the depth and quest for perfection which suits a masterpiece. Not every conductor is a fast learner like Neeme Järvi. But every conductor can, and should, at least know all major symphonists by much more than their names.
Pages: 1 2 [3] 4 5 ... 8
Powered by EzPortal
Bookmark this site! | Upgrade This Forum
SMF For Free - Create your own Forum


Powered by SMF | SMF © 2016, Simple Machines
Privacy Policy