Gerhard, Roberto (1896 - 1970)

[Serial_Apologist]

A short piece by the Catalan-born composer is to be featured on tomorrow's Lunchtime Concert: the five minute Fantasia for solo guitar of 1957. An attractive piece, it catches Gerhard in transition from his earlier Andalusian-influenced work to his later serialism, and from listening to it I'm sure Britten must have been influenced for his own Nocturnal of 7 years later.

Small beginnings for the consideration of a great composer, but it's better to start somewhere than nowhere, and we don't get to hear much Gerhard these days, more's the pity.

[Suffolkcoastal]

I'm with you there S_A. I particularly love the clarity of his orchestration, perfectly suited to his evolving personal style. To 21/07/18 he's only had 16 pieces/chunks on R3 since the beginning of 2009!

[Serial_Apologist]

I'm with you there S_A. I particularly love the clarity of his orchestration, perfectly suited to his evolving personal style. To 21/07/18 he's only had 16 pieces/chunks on R3 since the beginning of 2009!

Thanks, Suffy. I'll find some links to dig up when I've got a few moments.

[Beef Oven!]

Rather keen on RB. Having checked my library, I'm surprised that I have quite so many recordings: Symphonies 1, 3 & 4; violin concerto; Chaconne For Solo Violin; string quartets 1 & 2; Nonet; Hymnody; Leo and his opera 'The Plague.

I'm not over familiar with all his works and will give him a spin, soon.

Thanks S_A for bringing this to our attention

[Bryn]

Worth exploring QOBUZ. They have two different recordings of Duenna, for instance, and their prices are lower than other sites I have checked.

[jayne lee wilson]

One of those composers I can obsess about for weeks...
(perhaps not during a Proms week as good as this one).
From Spanish-Folkloric to 60s avant-garde, there's often a lovely coloristic shine and gleam to his sound, leavened by very poetic, evocative or songful string passages. Very rewarding to follow right through, season-style, from the 40s to the 60s. It was quite a far-flung developmental journey!

There are two major series of Gerhard's orchestral works, 5 highly recommendable, starrily-reviewed Volumes on Chandos (BBCSO/Bamert), and IIRC 7 on Auvidis Montaigne (Tenerife SO/Victor Pablo Perez).

The Chandos series is widely available - -

https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/search_v2?q=roberto+gerhard+chandos&i=boutique

...my personal favourites are the yellow, red and purple ones ...

The Tenerife series was very good too (with as usual much comparative give and take for musical/sonic quality between the two series, the Chandos more spacious/atmospheric, the Montaigne close/warm) but are much rarer now.... I found most of them on Qobuz/Audirvana Discover but they were much harder to trace on the Qobuz website itself. They must be there somewhere...!
As for the CDs, well...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=roberto+gerhard+auvidis&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aroberto+gerhard+auvidis

...if you ever find the complete ballet Don Quixote (AFAIK the only ever recording of a very attractive earlier work, predating the 1st Symphony) or Symphony No.4 with Perez on Montaigne for a good price, don't hesitate.....
IIRC, I recall the Barrett being critical of one of the recordings of the 3rd, because of its orchestra/electro-acoustic tape balance, but I can't recall the details now...

This stone-cold classic should, as they say, "be in everyone's library"...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=sr_nr_i_1?fst=as%3Aoff&rh=k%3Agerhard+lyrita%2Ci%3Apopular&keywords=gerhard+lyrita&ie=UTF8&qid=1532479004

Two scintillating discs of chamber works, including Leo and Libra....
https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/search_v...ius&i=boutique

...again, brilliantly well-recorded.

[Pulcinella]

I have the (coloured) Chandos set (5CDs), but, try as I might, have not found much appeal in this music: nothing that grabs me in the way it clearly does jlw.
Time for (yet) another attempt, I suspect.

Dances from Don Quixote appeared on a BBC MM CD in 2005: Volume 13, Number 11.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Prepare to be grabbed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdQcZahpv3Y

[Bryn]

Worth exploring QOBUZ. They have two different recordings of Duenna, for instance, and their prices are lower than other sites I have checked.

A little warning. The non-Chandos recording of The Duenna is from an AM broadcast of the premiere in 1949, along with a later broadcast of the Violin Concerto, both replete with closing announcements. Not exactly Hi Res, but not bad for AM broadcasts.

[ahinton]

Prepare to be grabbed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdQcZahpv3Y

...and prepare to be grabbed again...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0ndg4EZenI

...a work that I first heard conducted by Norman del Mar many years ago; surely among the finest works bearing its title...

[Richard Barrett]

IIRC, I recall the Barrett being critical of one of the recordings of the 3rd, because of its orchestra/electro-acoustic tape balance, but I can't recall the details now...

You do. In this regard the Tenerife recording is far superior to Bamert's, which puts those sounds rather apologetically in the background.

The 2nd String Quartet hasn't been mentioned yet (recorded on Aeon by the Ardittis). I think this is a masterpiece that can stand alongside any other in the medium.

[Pianoman]

...and prepare to be grabbed again...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0ndg4EZenI

...a work that I first heard conducted by Norman del Mar many years ago; surely among the finest works bearing its title...

I've just had my old Argo LP of this digitised - stands up remarkably well, much more gripping and incisive than the Bamert, a proper classic recording that badly need re-issuing.

[rauschwerk]

If you should find the Piano Concerto pedestrian in Geoffrey Tozer's account, turn to Peter Donohoe (Naxos). His account of the first movement has me on the edge of my seat every time.

I much prefer Gerhard's music to that of any of his fellow Schoenberg pupils Berg, Webern or Skalkottas. I still remember being obsessed with Dorati's recording of the Don Quixote suite (now transferred to CD from my LP copy).

[Richard Barrett]

I much prefer Gerhard's music to that of any of his fellow Schoenberg pupils Berg, Webern or Skalkottas.

With the exception of Berg (and, in fact, with the inclusion of Schoenberg himself) I would agree with you there.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The 2nd String Quartet hasn't been mentioned yet (recorded on Aeon by the Ardittis). I think this is a masterpiece that can stand alongside any other in the medium.

Further grabbing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhmEDqL-ZG4