Five "unsung" works everyone should hear

[Karl Henning]

I don't know if these have been mentioned yet, but if so they deserve a second mention :

[snip]

Holst: The Hymn of Jesus.  A lovely piece for antiphonal choirs and orchestra.

(* pounds the table *)

[kyjo]

Robert Suderberg: Concerto "within the mirror of time".  A big, neo-Romantic, very fun piece.

Where have you heard this work? It sounds like it would be right up my alley!

[mc ukrneal]

Holst: The Hymn of Jesus.  A lovely piece for antiphonal choirs and orchestra.

I saw that a new version from Elder/Halle was coming out this month. Could be interesting...

[jochanaan]

Where have you heard this work? It sounds like it would be right up my alley!

It was on an LP with Bela Siki, Milton Katims and the Seattle Symphony, the world premiere recording issued 1974.  I have no idea whether it's been reissued on CD or can be downloaded.  I couldn't find it on Youtube just now...

[kyjo]

Elaborations on my third list:

Novak: De profundis: A dark work with a sense of grim defiance. It includes an important role for the organ, which adds much textural depth to the proceedings. http://youtu.be/xGsuZ2T0Xfw

Melartin: Symphony no. 4: Subtitled A Summer Symphony, this work reflects the unbridled joy of a Nordic summer. The slow movement, featuring three wordless sopranos (shades of Nielsen's Espansiva) is breathtakingly gorgeous. Only Melartin could have created a work like this, so full of zest for life. http://youtu.be/lDb2UKqwXJA

Holmboe: Four Symphonic Metamorphoses. The unrelentingly dark, cavernous mood of these masterworks is never depressing or predictable a la (some) Pettersson; Holmboe is an amazing orchestrator and he uses his talent to create ear-catching contrasts and shadings. An Amazon reviewer describes these works as "subterranean"; I couldn't think of a better adjective to use! (strangely, no YT upload of this work)

Arthur Benjamin: Symphony. I've always found it a shame that Benjamin composed only one symphony, because this is truly a masterwork of the form. Written during the dark days of WWII, this highly emotional work has an epic, gripping quality that brings to mind RVW 4 and 6 and Shostakovich with some Baxian overtones. In this work, I'm often reminded of a stormy British seascape, complete with sheer cliffs and jagged rocks. http://youtu.be/2-Sx9xjMsHU

Joseph Marx: Romantische Klavierkonzerte: This is one of those pieces where the best listening strategy is just to sit back and let the overwhelming lushness of sound wash over you. Think of a kaleidoscopic, high-cholesterol mixture between Rachmaninov, Scriabin and Delius and you'll have a slight idea what to expect here. Exciting, over-the-top luscious stuff! http://youtu.be/TXP6CEWfVQc

[kyjo]

It was on an LP with Bela Siki, Milton Katims and the Seattle Symphony, the world premiere recording issued 1974.  I have no idea whether it's been reissued on CD or can be downloaded.  I couldn't find it on Youtube just now...

Hmmmmm......It doesn't appear to have been reissued on CD, nor can I find it on YT or anywhere else.

[listener]

The SUDERBERG was on an LP   Odyssey   34 140 (Katims, Seattle)  backed with the SCHUMAN 8th Symphony (Bernstein, NYPhil)

[kyjo]

The SUDERBERG was on an LP   Odyssey   34 140 (Katims, Seattle)  backed with the SCHUMAN 8th Symphony (Bernstein, NYPhil)

Yes, I noticed that, but I don't collect LPs.

[jochanaan]

The SUDERBERG was on an LP   Odyssey   34 140 (Katims, Seattle)  backed with the SCHUMAN 8th Symphony (Bernstein, NYPhil)

Yep, that's the one.  And I love the William Schuman symphony too.

[pjme]

Voilà!

5 vocal works :

Gordon Crosse: Changes - available on Lyrita

Peter Dickinson wrote: "In 1966 Crosse conquered the Three Choirs Festival with Changes: a Nocturnal Cycle [Argo LP ZRG 656]. This fastidiously chosen anthology of poems was the basis for a 50-minute choral work extending the Britten tradition in a personal way. Apart from its richly imaginative orchestral textures it shows Crosse as a melodist too. Its neglect by our choral societies is simply incomprehensible." Well, while I might agree wholeheartedly with Dickinson's sentiment, I can to a certain extent understand why such a demanding work would be a reluctant choice for choral societies. This is one of those pieces which requires strength at all levels, and would always require a considerable investment of time and resources to be given full justice.

Full justice is what it receives on this recording however, and Lyrita has done everyone a large favour by making it available once more. Crosse's strengths in orchestration are immediately apparent, and in his own note to the work he acknowledges that it is 'concerned with variety and contrast', an aspect which is given greatest pungence through the use of the orchestra, which includes a large percussion section and the full works from the other sections. Crosse also admits having to 'work hard for unity' in a piece with many short sections, but in the final reckoning this never seems to arise as a problem – in any case, I never had the impression of a composer trying hard, or becoming aware of procedural workings-out. In his own summing up, Crosse in essence shows what our approach to the work should be: '...with the aim of communicating enjoyment I tried to enjoy myself. I... concentrated on opening my ears and mind to simple ideas.'

These 'simple ideas' do sometimes have the ring of Britten about them. Take the children's chorus Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, which in which the cadences and melodic shapes of the elder master are unmistakeable. There are occasional tinges of Tippett in the orchestral filigrees which pop through now and again early on, maybe a whiff of Shostakovich in the choir in the Bellman's Song, that kind of thing: but in essence this is very much a personal odyssey, and in any case such associations are always a response based on personal experience. This is in no way a shopping list of references and influences, and I have certainly come through the listening sessions invigorated and resolved to 'swim in wine, and turn upon the toe...' rather than dwell upon 'The pear doth rot, the plum doth fall, The snow dissolves, and so must all.'

As for the performances, I can single out Jennifer Vyvyan for sheer gorgeousness with those high notes in the Nurse's Song and beauty of restraint in The Door of Death, and it certainly sounds as if the LSO are playing out of their skins. There is an intense English straightness about some of the diction, and I can imagine the delivery of such lines as 'Hey nonny no!' being done a little less in the old BBC received pronunciation these days. That this kind of thing stands out at all only emphasises the international drama and strength of the music as it stands. English it is of course, but, far from advocating some kind of streetwise interpretation; the weight of the music still takes us to places far beyond well modulated tones and Mr. Cholmondeley-Warner. For choral societies looking for an alternative to A Child of Our Time or Noye's Fludde I would say – go for it! Dominy Clements / Musicweb

Bohuslav Martinu: his early, 1918 patriotic cantata Czech rhapsody . Martinu in full, late Romantic swing ! His use of the Hymn "Saint Wenceslas" in the closing bars is quite overwhelming.

Hilding Rosenberg: Symphony nr 4 "The revelation of Saint John" is another grandly expressive work. The a capella choral sections are breathtakingly beautiful.

Jehan Alain: Messe modale en septuor for 2 voices, flute & string quartet (or organ). In strong contrast with the Crosse, Martinu and Rosenberg works. A simple Mass (1938), but the flute adds a poignant and poetic touch that doesn't fail to move me.

Possibly : Bartok's Cantata profana, Britten's Cantata academica and Cantata misericordium ....

Etc.

P.

[Daverz]

Oh, i have that suderberg lp around here somewhere.

[kyjo]

Just out of curiosity, has anyone been inspired to listen to any of the pieces I listed? If so, what are your impressions? I'd be most interested to hear them, whether they be positive or (respectfully) negative.

[Ten thumbs]

Medtner - Piano Concerto 1
Medtner - Piano Concerto 2
Medtner - Piano Concerto 3
These are not performed nearly enough in concert.

Meyer - Symphony No.5
Should be part of your musical education.

Fanny Hensel-Mendelssohn - lieder
All of them, because they are amongst the best ever.

[kyjo]

Medtner - Piano Concerto 1
Medtner - Piano Concerto 2
Medtner - Piano Concerto 3
These are not performed nearly enough in concert.

Agree with you about the Medtner PCs; they're wonderful works. As I said in another thread, they are rather like a more introverted Rachmaninov.

[kyjo]

Just out of curiosity, has anyone been inspired to listen to any of the pieces I listed? If so, what are your impressions? I'd be most interested to hear them, whether they be positive or (respectfully) negative.

No one has followed any of my suggestions?!

[Johnll]

No one has followed any of my suggestions?!

\
Don't take it personally but sometimes serial posters find themselves there. Ask MI.

[kyjo]

\
Don't take it personally but sometimes serial posters find themselves there. Ask MI.

Oh, I'm not taking it personally. I just don't feel like putting the effort into elaborating on the rest of my lists if no one is taking interest in the music I am trying to promote.

[Sammy]

Just out of curiosity, has anyone been inspired to listen to any of the pieces I listed?

Not me.  Too many lists - diminishing returns set in.

[kyjo]

Not me.  Too many lists - diminishing returns set in.

Did you even read the elaborations on my lists that I was requested to write? Have an adventurer's spirit, for goodness sakes!

P.S. At least try listening to the pieces on my initial list. They're the ones I feel most strongly about.

[kyjo]

People need to get out of their comfort zones and realize there's more to classical music than the acknowledged "greats". What can you possibly lose if you just go on YouTube to sample a work (and then, hopefully, buy the CD afterwards)? I mean can't you guys just take a little time out of your "busy" (note the quotation marks) schedules?