The finest unrecorded Classical works

[teamsaint]

I am hoping to tap into the wealth of knowledge hereabouts, as I am interested in works which have either never been recorded, or of which there is no easily available recording.Just interested in what a there might be, whether by well known or obscure composers.

( I was primarily interested in chamber/orchestral rather than choral, but anything goes!!).

Also, as a side issue, could anybody enlighten me as to the cost of the rights to record such a work, whether in or out of copyright (if copyright exists). Perhaps these fees are variable. Any help as to the jargon in regard to this would be useful also.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

TS

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Anything by Leopold Spinner ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_Spinner ). I've only seen a couple of scores and some excerpts in a couple of Tempo articles, but they "sound" at least as valuable as Skalkottas. (Which is my way of saying that, as far as I can judge, I prefer them to the Greek composer's work.)

[Petrushka]

The problem here is that of being able to judge the quality without a recording. Another is that no sooner have you said it's unrecorded than someone here will provide a link proving otherwise.

All that aside, I'd like to nominate three British violin concertos: the recent ones by Harrison Birtwistle and Peter Maxwell Davies plus the one written for Ralph Holmes by Richard Rodney Bennett. I was present at the 1975 premiere of this in Birmingham and have waited in vain ever since for it to be recorded.

[teamsaint]

The problem here is that of being able to judge the quality without a recording. Another is that no sooner have you said it's unrecorded than someone here will provide a link proving otherwise.

All that aside, I'd like to nominate three British violin concertos: the recent ones by Harrison Birtwistle and Peter Maxwell Davies plus the one written for Ralph Holmes by Richard Rodney Bennett. I was present at the 1975 premiere of this in Birmingham and have waited in vain ever since for it to be recorded.

I agree its a bit difficult......but there is plenty of stuff out there, and some of it does get performed. Anyway, great suggestions, just the kind of thing I was hoping to get. Thanks.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

All that aside, I'd like to nominate three British violin concertos: the recent ones by Harrison Birtwistle and Peter Maxwell Davies plus the one written for Ralph Holmes by Richard Rodney Bennett. I was present at the 1975 premiere of this in Birmingham and have waited in vain ever since for it to be recorded.

Add Ronald Stevenson's to your list, too, Pet (especially if, as I fervently hope, Sir Harry's does reach the recording studios some time soon).

[Petrushka]

Add Ronald Stevenson's to your list, too, Pet (especially if, as I fervently hope, Sir Harry's does reach the recording studios some time soon).

Not heard the Stevenson, FHG, and didn't know there was one. Regarding Richard Rodney Bennett, I believe that Chandos had Richard Hickox lined up to record the orchestral works and I was at last hoping for that elusive recording of the Violin Concerto. Sadly, the project was terminated by his untimely death, but I hope it can be resurrected, perhaps under Martyn Brabbins.

Be nice if record executives are scouring this thread!

[makropulos]

I am hoping to tap into the wealth of knowledge hereabouts, as I am interested in works which have either never been recorded, or of which there is no easily available recording.Just interested in what a there might be, whether by well known or obscure composers.

( I was primarily interested in chamber/orchestral rather than choral, but anything goes!!).

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

TS

Interesting question. There is plenty, though how much of it would count as "finest" is probably a matter of opinion.

Since I've been listening to British music this evening, my thoughts are mostly on British composers.

I'm particularly interested in unrecorded operas. I'd love to see a complete recording of Malcolm Williamson's "Our Man in Havana" (I think only the orchestral suite has been recorded). And has there ever been a recording of Bliss's TV opera "Tobias and the Angel"? I remember seeing extracts from the video once and being very impressed but I've never come across it since. Franz Schmidt's "Fredigundis" has some beautiful music in it - but the only recording I've ever come across is a pirate taken from an Austrian Radio broadcast. And so it goes on... There are some really intriguing curios that it would be amusing to hear one day like Winfried Zillig's "Das Opfer", which is about Captain Scott and includes a dance-chorus of Penguins (singing tone rows if I remember rightly), but I doubt if that's a realistic proposition for even the most enterprising of record companies. Meanwhile gaps are being filled all the time - last year we had the first complete recording of Frank Martin's (wonderful) "Der Sturm" and last month along came the first recording of Korngold's "Die stumme Serenade" - and, like London buses, at the same time a historic recording of the same opera was released for the first time.

Not sure if Matyas Seiber cantata "Ulysses" has ever been recorded commercially, but I don't think it has - I do remember a radio broadcast that left quite an impression. Among composers whose music is (or has been) thinly represented, three women come to mind: two of them major figures –iElizabeth Maconchy, Grace Williams –iand another well worth discovering: Morfydd Owen - an extraordinary turn of the century composer who is best remembered for her songs (several of which have a positively Strauss-like harmonic richness). She died in her mid-twenties of acute appendicitis but produced a lot of music in her short life. Such of it as I have heard is remarkable, but only a relatively small number of songs seem ever to have been recorded.

There are still large-scale works by Parry and Stanford that have never been recorded - to say nothing of more recent British choral-orchestral pieces like Malcolm Williamson's Mass of Christ the King. I don't know if Williamson's orchestral song cycle "Les Olympiques" has ever had a commercial recording, but it's a work that certainly deserves it.

On a slightly side issue, there are a number of famous works that exist in different versions still to be recorded - the original published edition of the Grieg Piano Concerto (with substantial chunks of different music) comes to mind as a conspicuous example. And out of curiosity, I'd be intrigued to hear a recording of Constant Lambert's reduced orchestration (for ballet performances) of Vaughan Williams's Job.

Just a few thoughts, and there will be lots more from other posters. Among French composers, Daniel-Lesur, Jean-Louis Martinet, Jean Cartan and Elsa Barraine have all written worthwhile chamber and orchestral music that languishes, and they are just four whose names are off the top of my head. There are acres of American music yet to be recorded, and the same is true much else. CPO is doing a great job with hitherto forgotten Austro-German repertoire - though there's always more.

[Pabmusic]

I'd like to hear a recording of George Butterworth's Suite for String Quartet. Butterworth wrote very little, and destroyed several pieces anyway, but what there is includes some of the best-known pieces of British music. It is surely surprising, then, that his longest work should never have been recorded, even though the music has been available for years. There's also a short choral piece with piano, 'In the Highlands', that would fit easily among similar pieces be Vaughan Williams or Holst.

[Panjandrum]

I'd like to hear a recording of George Butterworth's Suite for String Quartet. Butterworth wrote very little, and destroyed several pieces anyway, but what there is includes some of the best-known pieces of British music. It is surely surprising, then, that his longest work should never have been recorded, even though the music has been available for years. There's also a short choral piece with piano, 'In the Highlands', that would fit easily among similar pieces be Vaughan Williams or Holst.

Given that A Shropshire Lad is one of the most magical instances of British pastoralism, this is, indeed, quite extraordinary. Surprising that an enterprising company, such as Chandos or Hyperion hasn't recorded it.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I'd love to hear the Rutland Boughton "Glastonbury Ring".

[EdgeleyRob]

I adore the first 2 string quartets by Stanford and often listen to them.How good the rest are I do not know (apparently there are at least another 5 unrecorded).

Come on Naxos,Chandos or Hyperion.

[Petrushka]

Mention is made in a letter in the latest issue of BBCMM that Peter Maxwell Davies's Symphony No 8 (Antarctic) has never been recorded. Another omission in need of rectification!

[MrGongGong]

Mention is made in a letter in the latest issue of BBCMM that Peter Maxwell Davies's Symphony No 8 (Antarctic) has never been recorded. Another omission in need of rectification!

For pedagogical reasons I have a recording of a rehearsal which is complete
but i'm not allowed to copy it
so it would be great to have a commercial recording

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Anything by Cyril Lloyd.

[Roehre]

On a slightly side issue, there are a number of famous works that exist in different versions still to be recorded - the original published edition of the Grieg Piano Concerto (with substantial chunks of different music) comes to mind as a conspicuous example.

In 1993 this version has been recorded (by BIS iirc)

CPO is doing a great job with hitherto forgotten Austro-German repertoire - though there's always more.

Not only for Austro-German repertoire: Milhaud, Pettersson, Badings, Sullivan, Wellesz, Casella, Searle, Villa-Lobos, MacFarren are hardly Austro-German, are they ?