Twelve neglected 20th century Symphonists

[Dundonnell]

I have been busy recently with research into the Royal Navy between the end of World War One and the outbreak of World War Two but...just to keep my hand in

Using the criteria of a composer having composed four or more symphonies and less than half being available currently on cd the following little list emerges-

Grazyna Bacewicz(Poland):           1 out of 4
Henk Badings(The Netherlands):    5 out of 14 ?
Arnold Cooke(Great Britain):          2 out of 6
Peter Racine Fricker(Great Britain): 1 out of 5
Alun Hoddinott(Great Britain):        4 out of 10
Janis Ivanovs(Latvia):                  9 out of 21
Daniel Jones(Great Britain):           5 out of 13
Paul von Klenau(Denmark):           3 out of 9
Ragnar Soderlind(Norway):           3 out of 8
Maximilian Steinberg(Russia);        2 out of 5
Malcolm Williamson(Australia):       3 out of 7
William Wordsworth(Great Britain):  2 out of 8

It is a very personal list, I admit. I was tempted to include Arthur Butterworth(2 out of 6), Iain Hamilton(none of 4), Edvin Kallstenius(1 of 5) or Valentin Silvestrov(3 of 7). I understand, however, that CPO is embarking on a Kallstenius cycle and BIS on a Silvestrov cycle. CPO has already started its Badings cycle. DaCapo may continue recording von Klenau symphonies.

What is surprising is that there are more British composers than I had expected(but then I am British so I am biased  ) and no Americans. There is no famous American composer who falls within my criteria(except Vittorio Giannini-and he isn't exactly famous!). There are 5 unrecorded David Diamond symphonies and three each by Roy Harris and George Rochberg but the great American symphonists have actually done pretty well by recordings.

[Lethevich]

I agree with excluding Silvestrov - whether or not they are currently recorded, they inevitably will be - some many times over - given his current popularity. He's "made it", I feel.

This Iain Hamilton fellow (0 out of 4) strikes me as enigmatic - has any musicologist yet been able to comment on their worth, or is this already implied by the quality of his other music?

[Maciek]

Grazyna Bacewicz(Poland):           1 out of 4

You'd think that the centenary would change something but so far... nothing.

[Dundonnell]

I agree with excluding Silvestrov - whether or not they are currently recorded, they inevitably will be - some many times over - given his current popularity. He's "made it", I feel.

This Iain Hamilton fellow (0 out of 4) strikes me as enigmatic - has any musicologist yet been able to comment on their worth, or is this already implied by the quality of his other music?

If you are interested here is a link to an article by Paul Conway about Iain Hamilton. Hamilton is-almost without any doubt-the most seriously neglected of the generation of British composers who came to maturity in the two decades after 1945. What Conway has to say about the music and the four symphonies in particular makes me very sorry that this neglect continues to this day.

http://www.musicweb-international.com/Hamilton/index.htm

[Lethevich]

If you are interested here is a link to an article by Paul Conway about Iain Hamilton. Hamilton is-almost without any doubt-the most seriously neglected of the generation of British composers who came to maturity in the two decades after 1945. What Conway has to say about the music and the four symphonies in particular makes me very sorry that this neglect continues to this day.

http://www.musicweb-international.com/Hamilton/index.htm

Beautiful words, thank you! Come on, Chandos!

[vandermolen]

Interesting thread Colin. Naval research sounds interesting - are you writing a book?

Wilfred Josephs 0 out of 12 symphonies - a discraceful situation.

Hilding Rosenberg doesn't fit into your critirea, but we need a complete cycle.

[vandermolen]

Claudio Santoro - only two symphonies recorded (no 4 is a wonderfully inspiriting score) out of at least nine.

[Christo]

Claudio Santoro - only two symphonies recorded (no 4 is a wonderfully inspiriting score) out of at least nine.

I also own a (Brasilian) recording of his Symphony No. 5, which makes a total of three symphonies out of nine, or 33%. And I do admire all three.

Santoro is not unlike Camargo Guarnieri, of whom the first six (out of seven) were recorded by the same forces, the Sao Paolo SO under John Neschling, who did a superb job. Both Guarnieri and Santoro, but especially Guarnieri, are fine symphonists, I would say. (And both were often writing in a neoclassicist idiom that I happen to love, so I'm biased ;-)

[vandermolen]

I also own a (Brasilian) recording of his Symphony No. 5, which makes a total of three symphonies out of nine, or 33%. And I do admire all three.

Santoro is not unlike Camargo Guarnieri, of whom the first six (out of seven) were recorded by the same forces, the Sao Paolo SO under John Neschling, who did a superb job. Both Guarnieri and Santoro, but especially Guarnieri, are fine symphonists, I would say. (And both were often writing in a neoclassicist idiom that I happen to love, so I'm biased ;-)

I have you Johan to thank for introducing me to this composer (his symphonies 4 and 9 happily smuggled into the house some time back  ). You are right - the similarity with Guarnieri is very apparent, although the slow movement of Symphony No 4 (my favourite) reminded me a bit of Bernard Herrmann! The arrival of the chorus in the last movement of Symphony No 4 is a great, inspiriting moment - oddly reminiscent of Vaughan Williams. I play this symphony often (including at this moment). 'Ponteio' is also a fine work, which says a lot in 5 minutes.

[eyeresist]

What is surprising is that there are more British composers than I had expected(but then I am British so I am biased  ) and no Americans. There is no famous American composer who falls within my criteria(except Vittorio Giannini-and he isn't exactly famous!). There are 5 unrecorded David Diamond symphonies and three each by Roy Harris and George Rochberg but the great American symphonists have actually done pretty well by recordings.

With Telarc being sold off recently, I have been thinking that American labels have not really shown same the commitment to native composers that the British have to theirs.

[Dundonnell]

Interesting thread Colin. Naval research sounds interesting - are you writing a book?

Wilfred Josephs 0 out of 12 symphonies - a discraceful situation.

Hilding Rosenberg doesn't fit into your critirea, but we need a complete cycle.

No, Jeffrey, not writing a book, I am afraid! I just get the proverbial bee(or, more likely, swarm of bees) in my bonnet about some obscure area of research and spend weeks on it. This time it involves compiling lists...now there's a surprise, isn't it . I have been working out exactly who was the captain of every British battleship, battlecruiser, aircraft carrier and cruiser(that's 84 ships) between 1918 and 1945 and the deployment of these ships. Involves travelling to libraries to consult dust-covered copies of the Navy Lists for each year. No such lists exist anywhere in book form or on the net!

Sorry...huge digression I agree with you about both Wilfred Josephs and Claudio Santoro(both of whom fit within my idiosyncratic criteria).

[Maciek]

Well, sounds like a booklet at least, Colin! You should start a separate thread where we could monitor your progress! (Dead serious, if anyone is wondering.)

[tarantella]

Hoddinott's 6th Symphony, couple with the composer's evocative tone poem 'Lanterne des Morts' available on the Chandos label, is a beautiful work with a fantastic climax that drifts away to end a symphony that should be more performed than it is currently.

[Guido]

Are they all worth it? Some surely are, but I'm not sure all are...

Josephs is one of those figures like Walker and Bowen I feel - rather tepid music, lacking personality and soul.

[vandermolen]

Are they all worth it? Some surely are, but I'm not sure all are...

Josephs is one of those figures like Walker and Bowen I feel - rather tepid music, lacking personality and soul.

Bowen was certainly a big disappointment but I'd like to have the opportunity to hear more Josephs. He wrote some fine incidental music for film and TV and an impressive Requiem which I have on LP but I never heard any of his symphonies.

[Daverz]

One of the most shockingly neglected is David Diamond.  Have there ever been complete recordings of his Symphonies 6, 7, 9, 10 or 11?

[vandermolen]

One of the most shockingly neglected is David Diamond.  Have there ever been complete recordings of his Symphonies 6, 7, 9, 10 or 11?

Good point - I think that Diamond was a great composer - I especially like Symphony 3.

[The new erato]

Have there ever been complete recordings of his Symphonies 6, 7, 9, 10 or 11?

You mean parts of them have been recorded? 

[Daverz]

You mean parts of them have been recorded? 

Yup, Delos only got one movement of 11 in the can.

[Cato]

I have you Johan to thank for introducing me to this composer (his symphonies 4 and 9 happily smuggled into the house some time back  ). You are right - the similarity with Guarnieri is very apparent, although the slow movement of Symphony No 4 (my favourite) reminded me a bit of Bernard Herrmann!

Although not a symphonist per se, Herrmann did compose a symphony, which is only available used now on Amazon.

A recording from the middle 70's had a performance with the composer conducting.