Three Composers You Feel To Be Unfairly Neglected

[Christo]

Since you and I share many musical tastes, Orthel looks like a promising composer for me.

The shortest test - 4 minutes - is his Evocazione (1977), a little longer - at 12 minutes - the Scherzo No. 2 per orchestra (1957), the 'war symphony' to start with his Third (1943) in four movements:
https://www.youtube.com/v/HIlC2qRv8kA https://www.youtube.com/v/Rn67S0U7jrE&t=498s https://www.youtube.com/v/22CV5Eg3o34

Top of the list would be Camargo Guarnieri who has been well served on disc by BIS & Naxos but when did you last hear him played live this side of the Atlantic? - but instantly attractive and appealing music.

Totally agree, find the symphonies superb - and we're still waiting for a recording of No. 7!~

[Ken B]

Did you hear Willem van Otterloo's dramatic Symphony No. 2, restored by Otto Ketting? It's on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/v/CSu1w5F6lyI&t=240sDouwe Eisenga being the outsider here, glad to learn that you know him, because very few in this country do; I myself have subscribed to his own, weekly, online music offerings :-)
All of them and some more. My personal favourite is Hendrik Andriessen, but composers that I often play include Pieter Hellendaal (18th c.), Johan Willem Wilms, Anton Fodor & Johannes Verhulst (19th) and more from the last century, including Alphons Diepenbrock, Jan van Gilse, Cornelis Dopper, Henriëtte Bosmans, Hans Henkemans, Oscar van Hemel, Anthon van der Horst, Lex van Delden, Jurriaan Andriessen, Hans Kox, Daan Manneke, Joep Franssens, Jacob ter Veldhuis, Joey Roukens, and a handful that I forget. 

Completely unknown, but a pleasant surprise to listen to, is composer Erik Lotichius (1929-2015), a Dutch Poulenc. I only know this cd, on offer at JPC.de for 3 euros:

I discovered Eisenga serendipitously years ago. I am one of the first 10 subscribers to his YouTube! There were 8 when I joined.

[vandermolen]

To the two composers above I would add Geirr Tveitt. In the early part of his career he lived in Paris and his music reflects that to some extent. He has been compared to Bartok but I don't hear that myself. After he moved back to Norway he became more folk-influenced. His Piano Concerto No 4 Aurora Borealis is a good starting point.

I was just listening to that piano concerto the other day - it is very nice indeed - quite a haunting work.

[SymphonicAddict]

The shortest test - 4 minutes - is his Evocazione (1977), a little longer - at 12 minutes - the Scherzo No. 2 per orchestra (1957), the 'war symphony' to start with his Third (1943) in four movements:
https://www.youtube.com/v/HIlC2qRv8kA https://www.youtube.com/v/Rn67S0U7jrE&t=498s https://www.youtube.com/v/22CV5Eg3o34

Thanks for this! Just played the Evocazione and I was gripped by its militaristic-march-like sounds.

[André]

The Scherzo no 2 is a personal favourite.

Maybe we should petition CPO to embark on a Leon Orthel series !

[Mirror Image]

The Scherzo no 2 is a personal favourite.

Maybe we should petition CPO to embark on a Leon Orthel series !

Not until they record more Enescu!

[SymphonicAddict]

The Scherzo no 2 is a personal favourite.

Maybe we should petition CPO to embark on a Leon Orthel series !

+1

It's just and necessary!

[some guy]

Michèle Bokanowski



Beatriz Ferreyra



Maryanne Amacher

[vandermolen]

List No.2

Richard Arnell ( a fine symphonist - especially symphonies 3,4 and 5). Deserves more attention.

Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov: wrote the marvellous score to the Soviet 'War and Peace' film and yet none of his symphonies are available on CD.

David Diamond. Should be up there with Copland, Harris and William Schuman IMO. His Third Symphony, in particular is wonderful and very moving in places.

Below:
Ovchinnikov
Arnell
Diamond

[André]

Very good list, Jeffrey ! On the surface Diamond does not appear very neglected, but that is deceptive. Most of what we know is the work of Delos (later picked up by Naxos), who never got to complete its project of recording the symphonies  .

[springrite]

Some wonderful names so far!

(Now, if you want a good fight, start a "Unfairly NOT neglected" list... 

[Mirror Image]

List No.2

Richard Arnell ( a fine symphonist - especially symphonies 3,4 and 5). Deserves more attention.

Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov: wrote the marvellous score to the Soviet 'War and Peace' film and yet none of his symphonies are available on CD.

David Diamond. Should be up there with Copland, Harris and William Schuman IMO. His Third Symphony, in particular is wonderful and very moving in places.

Below:
Ovchinnikov
Arnell
Diamond

Sorry Jeffrey, but only one list per member. I hate to be one of those people, but there you have it.

[Daverz]

Agree about Diamond. 

Ernst Bloch, particularly the string quartets.

Many 20th Century American composers.  I'll mention Creston, but there are at least a half dozen others that could be mentioned. 

[vandermolen]

Sorry Jeffrey, but only one list per member. I hate to be one of those people, but there you have it.

Oops - sorry John. Won't do any more.

[vandermolen]

Very good list, Jeffrey ! On the surface Diamond does not appear very neglected, but that is deceptive. Most of what we know is the work of Delos (later picked up by Naxos), who never got to complete its project of recording the symphonies  .

Yes, that's a good point Andre.

[springrite]

First of all, most unfairly neglected composers are not necessarily neglected unfairly. I remember listening to one of the "lesser" Beethoven sonatas and thinking: if another composer composed something close to this, he'd be considered grossly unjustly neglected!

Then again, there are some who should receive a bit more attention. Many has been mentioned but I will name one more:

Peter Mennin. Yes, I know, he composed those symphonies and a couple of concerti but otherwise not as versatile. But those symphonies (and the cello concerto!) has such a distinct voice worthy of attention.

[vandermolen]

Agree about Diamond. 

Ernst Bloch, particularly the string quartets.

Many 20th Century American composers.  I'll mention Creston, but there are at least a half dozen others that could be mentioned.

Agree about Bloch sq's in particular. The epic No.1 is a favourite of mine.

[Biffo]

Agree about Diamond. 

Ernst Bloch, particularly the string quartets.

Many 20th Century American composers.  I'll mention Creston, but there are at least a half dozen others that could be mentioned.

[/b]

Are they neglected in their homeland?

Several years ago someone posted a list of composers ranked by the number of performances in the Amazon UK forum. Once you got outside the top 50 'usual suspects' US composers (mostly unknown to me) began to appear quite frequently. Some of these provoked discussion and one possibility touted that it was down to the number of amateur, semi-professional and collegiate orchestras in the US. At least the composers are getting played somewhere. Sorry I can't give more details or examples but I no longer have the list or a link to it.

I have Creston's Symphony No 2 and probably played it only once; that is not enough for me to know whether he is unjustly neglected.

[kyjo]

[/b]

Are they neglected in their homeland?

Several years ago someone posted a list of composers ranked by the number of performances in the Amazon UK forum. Once you got outside the top 50 'usual suspects' US composers (mostly unknown to me) began to appear quite frequently. Some of these provoked discussion and one possibility touted that it was down to the number of amateur, semi-professional and collegiate orchestras in the US. At least the composers are getting played somewhere. Sorry I can't give more details or examples but I no longer have the list or a link to it.

I have Creston's Symphony No 2 and probably played it only once; that is not enough for me to know whether he is unjustly neglected.

Unfortunately, Copland, Gershwin, Bernstein, Barber, and perhaps John Adams are the only American composers performed with any regularity here. Hanson, Schuman, Harris, Creston, Mennin, Diamond, Persichetti, etc. are virtually ignored.

[JBS]

Unfortunately, Copland, Gershwin, Bernstein, Barber, and perhaps John Adams are the only American composers performed with any regularity here. Hanson, Schuman, Harris, Creston, Mennin, Diamond, Persichetti, etc. are  ignored.

FTFY.
There is a possible upside to this void. I think many orchestras prefer, when they do perform "modern music", to do works by composers of the current generation, which they can tout as "new", a "discovery", with the possible eclat of commissioning and premiering a brand new work, and then quietly drop if it doesn't go over well.  There is possibly a financial motive as well: the orchestral parts need not be as expensive.