Personal Discoveries Thanks to The Forum

[Taxes-]

Szymanowski! thanks to Maciek and to this nice blog.

[Lethevich]

Hehe, I tried to make a list, but then realised that most of the CDs I own can be attributed to either recommendations or confirmations of worth stemming from this forum.

[vandermolen]

What is your opinion of Miaskovsky? I have several symphonies.  My favorite is the 21st.  I'm having a hard time "getting into" many of the others.  Must be me. I'll also check other threads.  I just wanted your personal opinion.  I know he's quite prolific. Yet his works seem to lack that "color" and "visionary" sense developed among his contemporaies.

Ok - here are my recommendations. Symphony No 27, Miaskovsky's last symphony a beautiful, valedictory and yet life-affirming work. He was gravely ill with cancer (refusing an operation so he could complete his final symphony) he was also under the displeasure of the regime, having his music condemned, along with that of Shostakovich etc, in 1948. Miaskovsky's creative answer to this great injustice was his Symphony No 27 - maybe you know it already. There is a nice Naxos CD with symphonies 24 and 25 - both excellent. I also like Symphony No 16 - it has a wonderful slow movement - the work was inspired by the Maxim Gorky air disaster. Symphony No 6 is long and sprawling but contains perhaps his greatest music (trio section of scherzo and choral finale). The DGG version is very good. I like Symphony No 3, which shows the influence (a bit) of Cesar Frank. Symphony No 11 and 12 are both worth exploring - even though No 12 pays tribute to a collective farm! No 23 is the most tuneful and easily approachable (based on Caucasian folk melodies which Miaskovsky came across during his warime evacuation). His Cello Concerto is his best known work along with Symphony No 21. I strongly recommend his Cello Sonata No 2 (there is a good Regis CD with both the Cello Concerto and Cello Sonatas on.) I think that Symphony No 17 is one of his greatest works too. Hope this helps - I have rambled on a bit! In some ways his work can at times seem rather academic but, beneath the surface, I feel that there is often great depth of feeling - all the more moving for being rather understated. Of his shorter works the Lyric Concertino is especially good and I love the slow movement.

I hope that you discover some more music by Miaskovsky which you like.

[The new erato]

Are you familiar with this site:

http://www.clofo.com/

Great review of the Simonsen in the 13th July issue.

[schweitzeralan]

Ok - here are my recommendations. Symphony No 27, Miaskovsky's last symphony a beautiful, valedictory and yet life-affirming work. He was gravely ill with cancer (refusing an operation so he could complete his final symphony) he was also under the displeasure of the regime, having his music condemned, along with that of Shostakovich etc, in 1948. Miaskovsky's creative answer to this great injustice was his Symphony No 27 - maybe you know it already. There is a nice Naxos CD with symphonies 24 and 25 - both excellent. I also like Symphony No 16 - it has a wonderful slow movement - the work was inspired by the Maxim Gorks air disaster. Symphony No 6 is long and sprawling but contains perhaps his greatest music (trio section of scherzo and choral finale). The DGG version is very good. I like Symphony No 3, which shows the influence (a bit) of Cesar Frank. Symphony No 11 and 12 are both worth exploring - even though No 12 pays tribute to a collective farm! No 23 is the most tuneful and easily approachable (based on Caucasian folk melodies which Miaskovsky came across during his warime evacuation). His Cello Concerto is his best known work along with Symphony No 21. I strongly recommend his Cello Sonata No 2 (there is a good Regis CD with both the Cello Concerto and Cello Sonatas on.) I think that Symphony No 17 is one of his greatest works too. Hope this helps - I have rambled on a bit! In some ways his work can at times seem rather academic but, beneath the surface, I feel that there is often great depth of feeling - all the more moving for being rather understated. Of his shorter works the Lyric Concertino is especially good and I love the slow movement.

I hope that you discover some more music by Miaskovsky which you like.

Thanks for the info.  I'll try the 27th for now.  You are quite familiar with many works of this prolific composer.

[mahler10th]

Thanks for the info.  I'll try the 27th for now.  You are quite familiar with many works of this prolific composer.

I have a fabulous Maiskovsky CD for which he [vandermolen] wrote the covernotes.   He really IS familiar with Maiskovsky.  

[mahler10th]

Oh my, I have so much to thank this forum for, including:

Havergal Brian
Ture Rangstrom
Rautavaara
Petrassi
Pettersson
Langaard

This forum has also brought to me a greater appreciation and understanding of the music of:

Szymanowski
Martinu
Mahler
Sibelius

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

GMG has been immensely important to me these past two years. My musical horizon has expanded enormously. Composers I wouldn't have explored quite so soon (or even never!): Braga Santos, Myaskovsky, Pettersson, Atterberg, Carter, Dopper, Kallstenius, Kleiberg, Enescu, the list goes on... I thank all the persuasive advocates!

[MishaK]

I've found many wonderful things through GMG, from Sinopoli's and Kubelik's Bruckner to Antonini's latest Beethoven releases.

[Dr. Dread]

I have discovered I can spend oodles of money and never catch up.

[Lilas Pastia]

Too many to mention really but, off the top of my head, some of the guilty ones (responsible for feeding my addiction  ) are:

Lilas Pastia (Schulhoff Symphony No 5, Ross Edwards Symphony Da Pacem Domine, Jaz Coleman etcetcetc)

Harry (Alan Bush Symphony No 2)

Christo (Diepenbrock, Vermeulen, Santoro Symphony No 4, Orthel, Simeon Ten Holt etc)

J (Kleiberg's Bell Reef Symphony, Miaskovsky Symphony No 16, String Quartets, Hurum Symphony etcetc)

Dundonnell: Simonsen Hellas and Zion symphonies etc

+ many more

Thanks for the Schulhoff and Coleman attributions, Jeffrey, but who is that Ross Edwards character ?   Someone here must be thinking - hey, wasn't it me who brought it to his attention?  

Thanks to you I listened to - and branched out into: Vainberg, Fanelli, Egge, Arnell and at least half a dozen more I hadn't heard the names of before  

Gurn has also been a great source of inspiration (and audio material  )  for many classical era composers I had only read the name of in music publications.

J has also been a surprisingly inspirational source when it came to musicians I had not even heard the name of in music publications!!

And a few more friends here, without which I 'd so much Bruckner-poorer - you know who you are - or what not - one can't listen to everything. Whch is the great lesson: when you think you've hard it all, a fellow GMGer comes along with some good news !

[Lilas Pastia]

BTW, isn't the thread name a misnomer? If we owe a discovery to someone else, it ain't personal, no?

[Opus106]

BTW, isn't the thread name a misnomer? If we owe a discovery to someone else, it ain't personal, no?

I was thinking the same.

Just discovering Myaskovsky -- his cello sonata, actually.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2hdvvyM5SI

Beyond actually bringing to attention the names of composers, this forum in particular has helped me a bit in the exploration-off-the-beaten-track process. I must say that I have not wandered very far from the aforementioned track like some here , but I'll likely join them sometime in the future.

[vandermolen]

Thanks for the Schulhoff and Coleman attributions, Jeffrey, but who is that Ross Edwards character ?   Someone here must be thinking - hey, wasn't it me who brought it to his attention?  

Thanks to you I listened to - and branched out into: Vainberg, Fanelli, Egge, Arnell and at least half a dozen more I hadn't heard the names of before  

Gurn has also been a great source of inspiration (and audio material  )  for many classical era composers I had only read the name of in music publications.

J has also been a surprisingly inspirational source when it came to musicians I had not even heard the name of in music publications!!

And a few more friends here, without which I 'd so much Bruckner-poorer - you know who you are - or what not - one can't listen to everything. Whch is the great lesson: when you think you've hard it all, a fellow GMGer comes along with some good news !

Oops! Sorry about Ross Edwards mix-up Andre. His Symphony 'Da Pacem Domine' in memory of his friend, the conductor Stuart Challender is a really powerful minimalist type score - sure you'd like. I'd probably never heard of it without this forum - so apologies to whoever recommended it (there are now two CD recordings of it).

[schweitzeralan]

BTW, isn't the thread name a misnomer? If we owe a discovery to someone else, it ain't personal, no?

Well, now that I think of it, this is a discovery in itself.  Obviously what was intended was my interest in finding out if there were other listeners, who, like me, learned a great deal from the many views and comments posted in the forum. I believe most respondents here were cognizant of the significance or of motive assumed in this thread.  The comments from those who did respond were indeed much appreciated by me "personally."

[Lilas Pastia]

You can be cognizant and picky  .

I owe much of my credit card debtload to enthusiastic recommendations from fellow posters  . And I like to think I'm behind a few purchases from other GMGers as well  

[schweitzeralan]

You can be cognizant and picky  .

I owe much of my credit card debtload to enthusiastic recommendations from fellow posters  . And I like to think I'm behind a few purchases from other GMGers as well  

No problem.  I'd like to pose a question for you.  Are you familiar with the piano music of Leonid Polovinkin? I also placed a query on another thread.  I played (dabbled?) some of his pieces on  a sheet music anthology called "Early Soviet Piano Works."  Title may not be exact, as I don't have it currently in front of me.  Many Russian, mostly unknown or unrecorded artists (save perhaps Alexandrov) are included.  I very much like the few inclusive pieces by this Polovinkin.  A recording of his piano works is coming out in August, and I have ordered it from Amazon. His style is quite relevant to what was considered to be composed as "late tonality;" e.g. (Scriabin, Taneyev, early Roslavets, Krein). No bi tonality nor polytonality in Polovinkin; yet there are such style developments in other composers included in this anthology.

[Lilas Pastia]

Sorry, I've never heard of him. Maybe Drasko or Sidoze would know ?

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

No problem.  I'd like to pose a question for you.  Are you familiar with the piano music of Leonid Polovinkin? I also placed a query on another thread.  I played (dabbled?) some of his pieces on  a sheet music anthology called "Early Soviet Piano Works."  Title may not be exact, as I don't have it currently in front of me.  Many Russian, mostly unknown or unrecorded artists (save perhaps Alexandrov) are included.  I very much like the few inclusive pieces by this Polovinkin.  A recording of his piano works is coming out in August, and I have ordered it from Amazon. His style is quite relevant to what was considered to be composed as "late tonality;" e.g. (Scriabin, Taneyev, early Roslavets, Krein). No bi tonality nor polytonality in Polovinkin; yet there are such style developments in other composers included in this anthology.

I found an article from the Musical Times, written in 1937 by William Kozlenko, which says:

Leonid  Polovinkin (b. I896) has composed four symphonies which, though conceived for an unusually large orchestra, are so transparent in style and so integrated in workmanship
and technique that one can easily define them as amplified chamber works.

[schweitzeralan]

I found an article from the Musical Times, written in 1937 by William Kozlenko, which says:

Leonid  Polovinkin (b. I896) has composed four symphonies which, though conceived for an unusually large orchestra, are so transparent in style and so integrated in workmanship
and technique that one can easily define them as amplified chamber works.

Many thanks for the info.  There is very little to be found on the Internet.  I'll simply wait for the CD. Hope its worth it.