Composer Anniversaries 2011

[verismissimo]

Bi-centenary of the birth of Franz Liszt. (Let's hope we get lots from R3 - and I'll certainly be listening to my collection of recordings through the year.)

And (whisper it softly) the centenary of Mahler's death. (So long as I ration it, I can stay in love with GM 's music...)

Who else of note?

[Lion-of-Vienna]

Swedish composer Allan Pettersson was born in 1911. His work is dominated by 17 symphonies, the first and last only fragments. They are mainly large one movement structures ranging from 40 to 70 minutes in length. I have just finished listening to them all over the last few weeks. It takes stamina and I did not find them easy listening but they are rewarding and I shall certainly be returning to them in his centenary year.

[pastoralguy]

I tried to get the recording of Ida Haendel playing one of his violin concertos but have never managed it. I remember as a teenager the Lp was an enormous £13!! (When a full price DG was about a fiver). I MUST attempt to hear these works.

[pastoralguy]

[QUOTE=Lion-of-Vienna;16999]Swedish composer Allan Pettersson was born in 1911. His work is dominated by 17 symphonies, the first and last only fragments.

Could you suggest a starting point, Lion?

Thanks.

[Vile Consort]

It's the centenary of Alexandre Guilmant's death. He was a prolific composer, but as most of his works are for the organ I don't expect we will hear much of him. Perhaps the first Sonata in its orchestral version will get an airing, and maybe one or two of the shorter pieces will get played in the middle of the night. His editions of 17th and 18th century French organ music are still in print.

It is also the centenary of Alan Hovanhess's birth. He was the subject of CotW a few years ago. I liked what I heard then.

[Parry1912]

I tried to get the recording of Ida Haendel playing one of his violin concertos

Ida Haendel? Surely not!!

On a serious note: I bought a couple of CDs of his symphonies on a market stall a few months ago. As Lion-Of-Vienna said they are not easy listening but I must have another go.

[Lion-of-Vienna]

Could you suggest a starting point, Lion?

CPO have recorded all of the complete symphonies. They are available either separately or in an expensive box set. I would start with Nos 6, 7 and 8, by which time Pettersson had found his distinctive style. No16 is an immediately approachable work, essentially a concerto for alto saxophone.

If you have access to Naxos Music Library you will find most of the symphonies there together with Ida Haendel's Caprice recording of the 2nd Violin Concerto mentioned by Parry 1912.

[LeMartinPecheur]

A few more for our earnest consideration:
1961 Grainger died
1861 Arensky, Loeffler, McDowell born
1811 Ambroise Thomas born

Out of this lot I vote for a week - at least(*) - devoted to playing ALL of Grainger's works, in ALL his published versions, transcriptions etc. PLUS all his piano recordings, inc. of course his piano rolls

Anybody join me in proposing this to Wroger Right??

(*) We may feel obliged to play a few - probably more than a few - tracks more than once for comparison purposes, but I'm sure R3 listeners won't mind this at all

[verismissimo]

All good ones, thanks LeMP.
Look forward to SOME Grainger, Arensky and McDowell particularly in 2011.
Wonder what plans there are, if any re Liszt. For some reason I never embarked on Leslie Howard's Odyssey, but I do have a large and diverse collection of the composer's work from all phases of his life, which I like a lot. I think he's one of the underrateds.

[Parry1912]

A few more for our earnest consideration:
1961 Grainger died
1861 Arensky, Loeffler, McDowell born
1811 Ambroise Thomas born

Out of this lot I vote for a week - at least(*) - devoted to playing ALL of Grainger's works, in ALL his published versions, transcriptions etc. PLUS all his piano recordings, inc. of course his piano rolls

I'd rather have Arensky!

[Suffolkcoastal]

I expect they'll be plenty of Grainger, as he seems to be one of the RW era favoured composers, not that I'm very keen on Grainger I'm afraid.

[maestro267]

2011 marks 100 years since the births of Alan Hovhaness (already mentioned, I know), Gian Carlo Menotti, Nino Rota, Bernard Herrmann and Hans Vogt.

As for living composers, Brett Dean and Unsuk Chin both turn 50 in 2011.

Are there any notable 'piece' anniversaries in 2011?

[Parry1912]

Elgar's 2nd Symphony

BTW I hope that Bernard Herrmann gets some good coverage.

[LeMartinPecheur]

Well, if we're now doing works instead of composers, how about this lot for 1911?
Nielsen Violin Concerto
Sibelius Symph 4; Rakastava
VW 5 Mystical Songs
Rachmaninov Etudes-Tableaux Op33
Holst Invocation; 2nd Suite for Military Band
Ives Browning Overture; The Gong on the Hook and Ladder; Tone-roads 1
Schoenberg Herzgewachse
Ravel L'heure espagnole; Valse nobles et sentimentales
Wolf-Ferrari (fp) The Jewels of the Madonna
Bridge The Sea
Bartok Bluebeard's Castle; Allegro barbaro; 3 Burlesques
Enesco Symph 2
Stravinsky The King of the Stars
Webern 5 pieces for orchestra
Butterworth 2 English idylls; 6 songs from A Shropshire Lad
Prokofiev Magdalene; Piano conc 1

I've spared you Reger's listing for the year

The Webern and Butterworth orchestral pieces make an interesting juxtaposition don't they? Webern was 28, Butterworth 26. Perhaps R3 can put them alongside each other in a concert this year?

[verismissimo]

And if we are to do works as well as composers, what about performers?

The great Dame Nellie Melba was born in 1861. :)