Six favourite symphonies by (really) lesser-known composers.

Started by vandermolen, March 23, 2009, 04:21:40 AM

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kyjo

New list:

Alfano: Symphony no. 2
Alnæs: Symphony no. 1
Dopper: Symphony no. 7 Zuiderzee
Hailstork: Symphony no. 2
Hashimoto: Symphony no. 1
Mortensen: Symphony
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

Symphonic Addict

Quote from: kyjo on November 25, 2021, 09:25:05 AM
New list:

Alfano: Symphony no. 2
Alnæs: Symphony no. 1
Dopper: Symphony no. 7 Zuiderzee
Hailstork: Symphony no. 2
Hashimoto: Symphony no. 1
Mortensen: Symphony

Thumbs up for the Alfano, Alnaes and Mortensen. Fascinating works.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

timwtheov

Kyjo, another great list to add.

And yes, Brian, Allan Pettersson occurred to me: I think I'll make it him.

Symphonic Addict

This thread has encouraged me to give a list. Let's see...


Olav Kielland: Sinfonia I, a granitic, organic and intense piece.

Adolfs Skulte: Symphony No. 9, incredibly powerful in the vein of Ivanovs, Tubin, Holmboe.

Henk Badings: Symphony No. 12 Symphonische Klangfiguren, a fascinating work from start to finish. Its sound world is otherwordly.

Daniel Sternefeld: Symphony No. 1, as far as I recall, it has bite and driving moments.

Torbjörn Lundquist: Symphony No. 4 Sinfonia ecologica, a work I could call "epic" because of its ambition. 45 minutes of great music without pauses.

Stanley Bate: Symphony No. 3, definitely one of the most impressive neglected and quasi "forgotten" English symphonies.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

vandermolen

"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

vandermolen

#245
Quote from: Symphonic Addict on November 25, 2021, 06:25:48 PM
This thread has encouraged me to give a list. Let's see...


Olav Kielland: Sinfonia I, a granitic, organic and intense piece.

Adolfs Skulte: Symphony No. 9, incredibly powerful in the vein of Ivanovs, Tubin, Holmboe.

Henk Badings: Symphony No. 12 Symphonische Klangfiguren, a fascinating work from start to finish. Its sound world is otherwordly.

Daniel Sternefeld: Symphony No. 1, as far as I recall, it has bite and driving moments.

Torbjörn Lundquist: Symphony No. 4 Sinfonia ecologica, a work I could call "epic" because of its ambition. 45 minutes of great music without pauses.

Stanley Bate: Symphony No. 3, definitely one of the most impressive neglected and quasi "forgotten" English symphonies.
Big thumbs up for Sternefeld and Bate (Bate's 4th Symphony is another favourite). I think that the Sternefeld was written when the composer (who was Jewish) was in hiding in Nazi-occupied Belgium. He risked his life in 1943 by coming out of hiding to attend the funeral of his teacher Paul Gilson in Brussels.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

kyjo

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on November 25, 2021, 06:25:48 PM
This thread has encouraged me to give a list. Let's see...


Olav Kielland: Sinfonia I, a granitic, organic and intense piece.

Adolfs Skulte: Symphony No. 9, incredibly powerful in the vein of Ivanovs, Tubin, Holmboe.

Henk Badings: Symphony No. 12 Symphonische Klangfiguren, a fascinating work from start to finish. Its sound world is otherwordly.

Daniel Sternefeld: Symphony No. 1, as far as I recall, it has bite and driving moments.

Torbjörn Lundquist: Symphony No. 4 Sinfonia ecologica, a work I could call "epic" because of its ambition. 45 minutes of great music without pauses.

Stanley Bate: Symphony No. 3, definitely one of the most impressive neglected and quasi "forgotten" English symphonies.

If only I could find a recording of the Kielland.... :'( So far I've only heard Badings' 4th Symphony which impressed me greatly. The Sternefeld is superb - surprisingly "modern" in places and searingly intense. Ditto the Bate - his 4th may be even finer IIRC.
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

kyjo

Quote from: kyjo on November 25, 2021, 09:25:05 AM
New list:

Alfano: Symphony no. 2
Alnæs: Symphony no. 1
Dopper: Symphony no. 7 Zuiderzee
Hailstork: Symphony no. 2
Hashimoto: Symphony no. 1
Mortensen: Symphony

Seeing as the Mortensen has already been mentioned multiple times previously in this thread, I'll offer Fernström's Symphony no. 6 as a bonus. 8)
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

André

It's good you mentioned the Zuiderzee symphony, Kyle. It's a powerfully evocative work. Jan van Gilse's no 4 is another excellent work by a Dutch composer.

vandermolen

#249
Quote from: kyjo on November 25, 2021, 09:25:05 AM
New list:

Alfano: Symphony no. 2
Alnæs: Symphony no. 1
Dopper: Symphony no. 7 Zuiderzee
Hailstork: Symphony no. 2
Hashimoto: Symphony no. 1
Mortensen: Symphony
Big thumbs up for Hashimoto's First Symphony. I'm going to include Moroi's moving and eloquent 3rd Symphony as well (a powerful lament for the victims of war).
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Symphonic Addict

Quote from: vandermolen on November 27, 2021, 12:28:06 PM
Big thumbs up for Hashimoto's First Symphony. I'm going to include Moroi's moving and eloquent 3rd Symphony as well (a powerful lament for the victims of war).


One of my favorite Japanese symphonies for sure. This Naxos Japanese series is nothing but fabulous.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

Symphonic Addict

Quote from: kyjo on November 27, 2021, 08:07:52 AM
If only I could find a recording of the Kielland.... :'( So far I've only heard Badings' 4th Symphony which impressed me greatly. The Sternefeld is superb - surprisingly "modern" in places and searingly intense. Ditto the Bate - his 4th may be even finer IIRC.

You should give a try to the Skulte when you can. It's a stunner, a dramatic utterance if you have empathy with works like that.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

Symphonic Addict

I could go with other six nine:

Goldenthal: Othello Symphony
Niigaki: Hiroshima Symphony
Ovchinnikov: Symphony No. 1
Bræin: Symphony No. 2
Landowski: Symphony No. 2
Sulek: Symphony no. 6
Chargeishvili: Symphony
Soderlind: Symphony No. 8 In memoriam of Sibelius
Bentzon: Symphony No. 5 Ellipser
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

kyjo

Quote from: André on November 27, 2021, 11:53:23 AM
It's good you mentioned the Zuiderzee symphony, Kyle. It's a powerfully evocative work. Jan van Gilse's no 4 is another excellent work by a Dutch composer.

The qualities of Dopper's Zuiderzee Symphony that really struck me are its sheer tunefulness, color, and even sense of humor (it quotes Handel's Harmonious Blacksmith at one point in the slow movement)! I'll have to check out the van Gilse. It seems there are many excellent Dutch composers who are all but unknown....
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

kyjo

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on November 27, 2021, 05:00:40 PM
You should give a try to the Skulte when you can. It's a stunner, a dramatic utterance if you have empathy with works like that.

I will! Of course I have empathy with works in the vein of Tubin and Holmboe. ;)
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

vandermolen

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on November 27, 2021, 07:21:33 PM
I could go with other six nine:

Goldenthal: Othello Symphony
Niigaki: Hiroshima Symphony
Ovchinnikov: Symphony No. 1
Bræin: Symphony No. 2
Landowski: Symphony No. 2
Sulek: Symphony no. 6
Chargeishvili: Symphony
Soderlind: Symphony No. 8 In memoriam of Sibelius
Bentzon: Symphony No. 5 Ellipser

The Ovchinnikov and Soderlind are favourites of mine as well. I wish that they were available on CD.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

André

Quote from: vandermolen on November 28, 2021, 01:03:42 AM
The Ovchinnikov and Soderlind are favourites of mine as well. I wish that they were available on CD.

I don't know Söderlind but intend to remedy that oversight  :).

+ 1 for Chargeishvili, Ovchinnikov and Landowski  ;D

vandermolen

"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Irons

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on November 27, 2021, 07:21:33 PM
I could go with other six nine:

Goldenthal: Othello Symphony
Niigaki: Hiroshima Symphony
Ovchinnikov: Symphony No. 1
Bræin: Symphony No. 2
Landowski: Symphony No. 2
Sulek: Symphony no. 6
Chargeishvili: Symphony
Soderlind: Symphony No. 8 In memoriam of Sibelius
Bentzon: Symphony No. 5 Ellipser


Playing the role of a guinea pig; If I have heard of him then no way a really lesser-known composer. Landowski rings a bell (I think). The others are unknown to me. Same goes for Kyjo's list above.
You must have a very good opinion of yourself to write a symphony - John Ireland.

I opened the door people rushed through and I was left holding the knob - Bo Diddley.

Symphonic Addict

Quote from: Irons on December 11, 2021, 01:06:01 AM
Playing the role of a guinea pig; If I have heard of him then no way a really lesser-known composer. Landowski rings a bell (I think). The others are unknown to me. Same goes for Kyjo's list above.

Please, don't be ashamed to try different composers. I have a slight hunch about how you could react to each of them.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky