Quiz: Mystery scores

[(poco) Sforzando]

Hello guys. I've snuck back in quietly. It's been one hell of an awful few months, and I'm far from out of the woods yet - but I had a sudden urge to reregister here, so that can't be a bad sign.

But I don't think I'm up to be being very active yet. Maybe just my two or three favourite threads!

So, I must say it's been bugging me that none of you lot got these last ones -

1) not sure what the cello one is yet...
2) Alkan Concerto for Solo Piano...
3) Some Haydn Piano Sonata or other, would need to look it up...
4) Liszt, B minor Sonata
5) Beethoven, Emperor Concerto (piano part only)

This is all very weird...be gentle with me!

At least three of these are very easy. I just wasn't around for the past six months.

Now will someone make some attempt to guess some of mine? 

[rappy]

I got no idea Sforzando, these are very tricky ones...  

No 1: A symphony in d minor with Clarinets, so it's neither Haydn nor Mozart nor Schubert. It's rich in contrapuntal texture and the 3rd movement is in a remote key... But what could it be? Any lesser known early-romantic? The Allegro movement reminds of Lachner, but I checked his D minor symphony no. 2 and its 3rd movement is not in B major... Maybe Spohr, Berwald, ...

No 2: Early Haydn? No...

No 3: Debussy?

No 4: I know that theme vom bars 6-12!! Must be from a large-scale late romantic symphony, but not Bruckner or Mahler I guess... This does not sound German. Rather Slavic...? No, British... 

Sorry, my guesses are very ppor  

[Guido]

Welcome back to both of you - can't believe that I missed both of your returns - shows how much I've been here recently. WELCOME BACK - to both!

Sfz- I don't know any of yours I'm afraid.

Taxes - your first is Fauré's first cello sonata opening movement.

[Guido]

Just listening to the first sonata now - thanks for the jolt - I think I'm understanding and appreciating it more fully for the first time! I've always thought the two cello sonatas the most rarefied and dificult of the late works.

[(poco) Sforzando]

I got no idea Sforzando, these are very tricky ones...  

No 1: A symphony in d minor with Clarinets, so it's neither Haydn nor Mozart nor Schubert. It's rich in contrapuntal texture and the 3rd movement is in a remote key... But what could it be? Any lesser known early-romantic? The Allegro movement reminds of Lachner, but I checked his D minor symphony no. 2 and its 3rd movement is not in B major... Maybe Spohr, Berwald, ...

No 2: Early Haydn? No...

No 3: Debussy?

No 4: I know that theme vom bars 6-12!! Must be from a large-scale late romantic symphony, but not Bruckner or Mahler I guess... This does not sound German. Rather Slavic...? No, British... 

Sorry, my guesses are very ppor  

Nicht exact, aber nicht so schlecht als du glaubst . . .

1. Right period, but wrong on your sense of the key structure. The primary key is D major, with a slow movement in B minor ending in the tonic major. Lesser known composer, yes, another who died rather young, but I think it a masterly work.

2. A little too regular for Haydn, no?

3. Wrong composer, right country, right period. Strip it down to bare essentials and you'll have it.

4. Alas, not a symphony per se, but right period and one of those is the right country, though this programmatic work is "about" another country altogether.

A few good clues there if you can use them.

[(poco) Sforzando]

Oh, dear. This thread is dying. Perhaps if (since #4 is in 4-hand score) I gave an audio clue it would help. (But damn this 500K limit!)

[karlhenning]

Oh, dear. This thread is dying.

Au contraire, you gents have revived it.  It just isn't one of your 'road-runner' threads.  Let it be what it is 

[rappy]

A few good clues there if you can use them.

Yeah, but if I don't know the pieces, I can only guess...

1. The allegro page looks wonderful, I agree. Still don't know the composer 

2. Yep, and to many V-I progressions. Dittersdorf or something like that?

3. I'm not familiar enough with impressionism...

4. The language sounds very familiar... could it be Mussorgsky?

[(poco) Sforzando]

Yeah, but if I don't know the pieces, I can only guess...

1. The allegro page looks wonderful, I agree. Still don't know the composer 

2. Yep, and to many V-I progressions. Dittersdorf or something like that?

3. I'm not familiar enough with impressionism...

4. The language sounds very familiar... could it be Mussorgsky?

Dittersdorf is correct, a delightful example of what a mediocre, uninventive hack he was. I think we can all see it's a string quartet in G major, so nothing more needed.

Not Mussorgsky; you're getting colder rather than warmer (alas). I would say that to my ears this passage is startlingly modern for the composer in question. (Ironically, it is intended as a programmatic description of ancient times.)

Where's Luke? 

[rappy]

Okay, I listened to the audio file again, it sounds a little bit like film music. But it's not Korngold, as you've already said it's either British or Slavic...

[Luke]

Where's Luke? 

He was just enjoying Vorisek's Symphony in D.............

[(poco) Sforzando]

He was just enjoying Vorisek's Symphony in D.............

Excellent. An absolutely superb classic symphony. ##1 and 2 guessed, ##3 and 4 to go. Not film music, but one of Rappy's countries is correct. Alas, io voglio that the many clues dropping left and right like veils will finally yield the other answers.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

#4 sounds British to my ears. Is it Elgar's Caractacus? (just guessing) Or King Olaf?

[(poco) Sforzando]

#4 sounds British to my ears. Is it Elgar's Caractacus? (just guessing) Or King Olaf?

Getting very warm.

[Luke]

Oh, it's In the South, isn't it - funny, that was the first piece that came to mind when you gave one of your clues earlier - don't know why I didn't follow through on that!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Oh, it's In the South, isn't it - funny, that was the first piece that came to mind when you gave one of your clues earlier - don't know why I didn't follow through on that!

I recognised Elgar's 'sound'. Alas, I don't know 'In the South'... Of course, you do!

[(poco) Sforzando]

I recognised Elgar's 'sound'. Alas, I don't know 'In the South'... Of course, you do!

In the South, otherwise known as Alassio (Alas, io voglio), a concert overture about Elgar's sojourn in that Italian town - of which this rather magnificent passage is designed as a depiction of the ancient Romans.

One more of mine to go. French, a contemporary of Debussy, but not in fact an admirer.

[Luke]

Yes, that one was bugging me, clearly French, clearly of that group inspired by Wagner - a Parsifalian-Pelleasian look to some of this page. Chausson, D'Indy, that kind of thing, was where my thoughts were tending...

it's D'Indy - Istar.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I was thinking along the same lines, but could never have come up with that - D'Indy is still on my wishlist... Chapeau, Luke!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

In the South, otherwise known as Alassio (Alas, io voglio), a concert overture about Elgar's sojourn in that Italian town - of which this rather magnificent passage is designed as a depiction of the ancient Romans.

Well, I did hear it once on Dutch radio, but that was many many years ago. I think that passage would have struck me more forcefully now than then...