The conductor as composer

[vandermolen]

Don't know how I could have missed Hamilton Harty! You are absolutely right! Good heavens-I have got 5 cds of music by Harty!! The Irish Symphony, the Piano and Violin Concertos and, a piece I really like, the Tone Poem "With the Wild Geese"(which is nothing to do with the geese which fly btw; the "Wild Geese" were the soldiers of an Irish Jacobite mercenary army which fought in continental Europe on the side of France and a number of other countries in the wars of the late 17th and early 18th century).

The tone poems "With the Wild Geese" and "In Ireland" are both favourites of mine too, along with The Children of Lir and the immensely enjoyable (if listened to in the right spirit) Piano Concerto.

[vandermolen]

CPO are releasing Bruno Walter's Symphony in January. Looks like a very interesting release. Anyone know anything about it? The blurb describes it as a masterpiece.

[Dundonnell]

CPO are releasing Bruno Walter's Symphony in January. Looks like a very interesting release. Anyone know anything about it? The blurb describes it as a masterpiece.

I talked about it elsewhere on this forum I shall look for the post(although with less enthusiasm than I would have had if you had told us you liked Arthur Butterworth )

[Dundonnell]

Well...that took some finding..but here it is-

http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,9.msg242628.html#msg242628

[vandermolen]

Thanks v much Colin. Infact your description of Bruno Walter's Symphony 'long, rambling' etc could have been a description of Arthur Butterworth's Symphony  hehe, which I am listening to at the moment.

[Dundonnell]

It is shorter than that rotten old degenerate Arnold Bax's 2nd or 3rd

[vandermolen]

It is shorter than that rotten old degenerate Arnold Bax's 2nd or 3rd

Now you go too far. Jezetha will be especially upset 

[Dundonnell]

It will be ok....so long as you don't tell him

[vandermolen]

It will be ok....so long as you don't tell him

Mum's the word 

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Mum's the word 

Your secret is safe with me. 

[Dundonnell]

Aaaaaah!

It wasn't me!! It was that other boy over there

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Aaaaaah!

It wasn't me!! It was that other boy over there

I'll tell the head.

[Dundonnell]

I'll tell him I was forced to listen to a surfeit of Bax.........AND Delius

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I'll tell him I was forced to listen to a surfeit of Bax.........AND Delius

DELIUS? Then I stand no chance, he'll exonerate you... Woe is me!

[Dundonnell]

 

[vandermolen]

I'm surprised that Havergal Brian hasn't yet been dragged into this undignified little display 

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I'm surprised that Havergal Brian hasn't yet been dragged into this undignified little display 

There are limits, dear Jeffrey, there are limits.

[vandermolen]

There are limits, dear Jeffrey, there are limits.

[Cato]

Okay, I happened to see a mention of Christoph Graupner and it jogged a far distant memory.

When I was in Germany (Tuebingen) in the early 1970's, I often listened to German classical radio.  One day I hear the announcer go on and on about a man "who is creative in an uncreative time" and who dares to follow his own way without bothering about fashionable trends like "serialism or musique concrete," etc. etc.

"Dieser Mann heisst Kurt Graunke!"

More lionization was spoken, and then finally we were about to hear the "Symphony #2 by Kurt Graunke, Kurt Graunke conducts the Kurt Graunke Symphony Orchestra!"

And so how was the symphony?  I do not recall being at all impressed!

So... I just "googled" his name, and came across a Wikipedia entry in German about him:

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Graunke

And I was amazed to discover that the present Munich Symphony Orchestra is the descendant of the "Kurt Graunke Symphony Orchestra."   

Amazon.de lists several CD's, including the symphony I heard!

[asin]B001URGCA4[/asin]

[Cato]

You have reminded me that somewhere I have a copy of this:


Bruckner Symphony No.8
Graunke Symphony Orchestra
Kurt Graunke conductor

Which I must have played at some point but of which I retain absolutely no memory.  Think I will seek it out and give it a whirl (this may take some time... )

Graunke must have had some money, and/or a magnetic personality and competence to put together an orchestra, name it after himself, and get recordings made, especially right after WWII.

And I understand about searching the archives!