Neglected works by popular composers

[salymap]

I well remember the last time I played ( in the orchestra) K365 in a context where two Steinways were used was in about 1979 at the Proms ( I've played it several times since then but in HIPP perfomances and/ or recordings where Stein or Walther/ Walter fortepianos were used).
The thing that sticks in my memory ( apart from the fact that the two soloists - Curzon and Barenboim - were superb ) is that Mr Barenboim in deference to Mr Curzon came on stage with 'the music' ( Curzon habitually didn't play from memory), placed his copy on the music stand, opened it at page 1 and then never turned any more pages over, as of course he played from memory!

That was nice of DB, Waldhorn. And I remember CC as a rather nervous man, when I saw him at rehearsals.

[Extended Play]

Dvorak's concert overtures In Nature's Realm and Othello: very fine works, but probably not played as often as their companion piece, Carnival.

[AjAjAjH]

Since the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, opened, there have been 2 Sibelius symphony cycles and another one scheduled for next year. Yet the 'Kullervo' symphony was/is not included in them:. A very sad omission.

When do you hear any music by Suk, apart for the 'Asrael' symphony, played these days?

Dvorak's early symphonies are also too seldom heard.

[Northender]

I think Dvorak's 5th is a wonderful work.
Walton's 2nd symphony doesn't seem to be programmed very often, does it? Not in the same league as the 1st, but surely worth an occasional outing...

[aeolium]

Dvorak's early symphonies are also too seldom heard.

As are Schubert's, apart from the over-programmed 5th. In particular, the very accomplished 1st symphony written when Schubert was 16, is rarely heard. Although obviously heavily influenced by works of the classical masters, it is unmistakeably Schubertian and the first movement has a relatively unusual feature in that the slow introduction is recapitulated after the development.

I have no real idea why this work is neglected, except the standard one of the concert scheduler's fear of programming anything unexpected so that if it is Schubert, it must be 5, 8 or 9; if it is Dvorak, it must be 7, 8 or 9; if it is Tchaikovsky, it must be 4, 5 or 6 etc etc

[Pabmusic]

...When do you hear any music by Suk, apart for the 'Asrael' symphony, played these days?

When do we actually hear Asrael?

[Serial_Apologist]

I think Dvorak's 5th is a wonderful work.
Walton's 2nd symphony doesn't seem to be programmed very often, does it? Not in the same league as the 1st, but surely worth an occasional outing...

True to some extent what you say, Northy, but the second does have a wonderfully passionate slow central movement, as good as anything he composed, imho.

[Tony Halstead]

True to some extent what you say, Northy, but the second does have a wonderfully passionate slow central movement, as good as anything he composed, imho.

I think it's the flimsy, insubstantial 1st movement that lets it down.
The Passacaglia last movement is on the same level of inventive intensity as the slow movement, and its difficult, high-lying horn solo always send a shiver up the spine ( especially when one has to play it!)

[salymap]

I think it's the flimsy, insubstantial 1st movement that lets it down.
The Passacaglia last movement is on the same level of inventive intensity as the slow movement, and its difficult, high-lying horn solo always send a shiver up the spine ( especially when one has to play it!)

Waldhorn - I have a CD of the Walton 2, Bournemouth SO, conducted by Charles Groves from a BBC lunchtime concert, no date. Would you have inside knowledge of this, may I ask? It's never appealed to me as much as no 1, which is such a wonderful work. I must listen to it again soon.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I think it's the flimsy, insubstantial 1st movement that lets it down.
The Passacaglia last movement is on the same level of inventive intensity as the slow movement, and its difficult, high-lying horn solo always send a shiver up the spine ( especially when one has to play it!)

Oh, crumbs!

I adore the first two movements of the Walton #2; that glowing, radiant first movement where the composer explores exciting new harmonic possibilities for the first time in twenty years. And then (as S_A so rightly says) the "wonderfully passionate" second movement: marvellous stuff ...

... and then, he just gives up: a dull (IMO) twelve-note theme followed by some perfunctory (IMO) variations that even the composer got bored (IMO) with so brought to an abrupt stop.

So nearly as good as the First.

[Tony Halstead]

Waldhorn - I have a CD of the Walton 2, Bournemouth SO, conducted by Charles Groves from a BBC lunchtime concert, no date. Would you have inside knowledge of this, may I ask? It's never appealed to me as much as no 1, which is such a wonderful work. I must listen to it again soon.

I thought I owned pretty well all of Groves' recordings of English music but I don't know that one at all. Sorry I can't shed any light on it. The only Walton work I ever played when I was briefly in the BSO was his 'Variations on a Theme of Hindemith' - a lovely work - conducted by Silvestri.