The Symphony Cyclist

[Grazioso]

Anyone else here collect symphonies from varied composers? Any great finds? Any disappointments? Any word on ongoing recorded cycles or new one in the works?

Here's a thread for news, reviews, and comments for explorers who enjoy finding great symphonies by composers off the beaten path. I've done some preliminary research, and it looks like there's somewhere around 200-250 different composers whose complete symphonies are in print.

Some news:

Chandos have recorded all the Rota symphonies now. (There's also an older BIS series.)



CPO have boxed their complete Sallinen series:



Brilliant got the rights to Jarvi's old Stenhammar recordings:



Edited for clarity--I hope 

[karlhenning]

In reverse order ; )

Here's a thread for news, reviews, and comments. I've done some preliminary research, and it looks like there's somewhere around 200-250 different composers whose complete symphonies are in print.

Sacrée vache! So many of them must be heretofore obscurities . . . who, by and large, ought to be allowed to remain obscure ; )

Anyone else here collect symphonies from varied composers? Any great finds? Any disappointments?

For me, the good & deserving finds: Langgaard, Holmboe, Toch, Roussel, Wm Schuman

For me, the turkeys included: Milhaud, Pettersson

I wish there were a complete Mennin cycle! And Wuorinen . . . .

[Grazioso]

Sacrée vache! So many of them must be heretofore obscurities . . . who, by and large, ought to be allowed to remain obscure ; )

Them's fightin' words!  I prefer to dwell on the positive. So much great stuff off the beaten Beethoven-Bruckner-Brahms path: Arnold, Atterberg, Bax, Farrenc, Frankel, Hindemith, Holmboe, Kalinnikov, Kalliwoda, Kokkonen, Korngold, Kraus, Lilburn, Madetoja, Mathias, Onslow, Pettersson, Rangstrom, Rorem, Rosetti, Rubbra, Simpson, Vanhal, et al.

[karlhenning]

Them's fightin' words! 

Yes : )

And I appreciate your positive-accentuatin' mission here.  Fact is, I do seek out obscurities regularly . . . I find that not all of them engage me with greatness.  YMMV

[mc ukrneal]

A bti confused as to the purpose of this thread. Is it to list composers who wrote symphonies or to discuss them? If to discuss them, why discuss them here when there are other places to do so (composer pages, for example). Not trying to be difficult, just not quite grasping what we will do here.

[Grazioso]

A bti confused as to the purpose of this thread. Is it to list composers who wrote symphonies or to discuss them? If to discuss them, why discuss them here when there are other places to do so (composer pages, for example). Not trying to be difficult, just not quite grasping what we will do here.

Being GMG, make it what you will. But I did go back and edit the OP to clarify that the focus is on trading news and suggestions regarding symphony cycles off the beaten path. The Composer Discussion and Great Recordings and Reviews fora would indeed be more suitable places for discussing the warhorses: e.g., a new LvB or Mahler set, a comparison of existing ones, etc.

[Grazioso]

Yes : )

And I appreciate your positive-accentuatin' mission here.  Fact is, I do seek out obscurities regularly . . . I find that not all of them engage me with greatness.  YMMV

For the past few years, I've been collecting the complete symphonies of lesser-known composers (and lesser-known symphonies of the big-name composers, such as Wagner). I have to say, the label execs for the most part do their job of sifting the wheat from the chaff quite well. I've been very pleasantly surprised by the overall level of quality, and have come across many stunners.

[DavidW]

to clarify that the focus is on trading news and suggestions regarding symphony cycles off the beaten path.

Oh that changes it.  I don't what constitutes off of the beaten path.

[karlhenning]

If there is a complete cycle recorded . . . sounds like a path has been beaten, wot? : )

[DavidW]

If there is a complete cycle recorded . . . sounds like a path has been beaten, wot? : )

Exactly!

[kishnevi]

If there is a complete cycle recorded . . . sounds like a path has been beaten, wot? : )

But not heavily traversed.

One composer who I would tout heavily is Gade, who my ears tell me is a superior grade of Schumann (at least in the orchestral works).

Edit to clarify--superior grade of Schumann means better than Schumann's own works in the genre of the symphony.

[Grazioso]

If there is a complete cycle recorded . . . sounds like a path has been beaten, wot? : )

But not beaten to death Make of "off the beaten path" what you will, but to me, that means symphonies by composers beyond the Usual Suspects who make up the bulk of concert programming, have a couple dozen integral cycles of their symphonies on record, etc. I.e., not Haydn, Mozart, LvB, Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler, Shostakovich, Sibelius, et al.

But not heavily traversed.

One composer who I would tout heavily is Gade, who my ears tell me is a superior grade of Schumann (at least in the orchestral works).

Edit to clarify--superior grade of Schumann means better than Schumann's own works in the genre of the symphony.

Speaking of Gade, BIS, offers this inexpensive set:



BIS also offers budget symphony sets for Schnittke, Tcherepnin, Glazunov, and Alfven (also available from Brilliant).

[karlhenning]

BIS also offers budget symphony sets for Schnittke . . . .

Aye, but . . . four out of five Schnittke fanciers have found the BIS set wanting.

[karlhenning]

I grant you, Jeffrey & Grazi, the pathly nuance.

Assessing Gade as a symphonist superior to Schumann is an interesting contrarian viewpoint, to which I cannot answer.

[mc ukrneal]

But not heavily traversed.

One composer who I would tout heavily is Gade, who my ears tell me is a superior grade of Schumann (at least in the orchestral works).

Edit to clarify--superior grade of Schumann means better than Schumann's own works in the genre of the symphony.

I like Gade, but better than Schumann - errr, no. Schumann takes a lot of crap on the symphonies, and I think it is way overstated. But it is unclear to me if you are talking as a whole, in the strutures, or something else. So maybe you have something more specific in mind.

[Brahmsian]

My favorite is Ernest Chausson!  Sorry, it had to be said.   

[Drasko]

Not sure how much beaten are their paths, but the symphony cycles that held in my listening rotations are Martinu, Honegger and Roussel.

[karlhenning]

I like Gade, but better than Schumann - errr, no. Schumann takes a lot of crap on the symphonies, and I think it is way overstated. But it is unclear to me if you are talking as a whole, in the strutures, or something else. So maybe you have something more specific in mind.

Thanks for this!  I am not utterly mad for the Schumann symphonies, but I do think very well of them, and I have no quarrel with the orchestration, at all (the usual canard hurtled at 'Gibbering Bob').

[Brahmsian]

I love Schumann's symphonies.  In fact, I prefer them over my beloved Brahms' or Mendelssohn's symphonies.

[karlhenning]

Milhaud a turkey?  I think not!

Monsieur, j'ai dit: « pour moi! »

: )

Only the "grand symphonies" cycle. Lots of other Milhaud I like quite well.