Thread: Not very well known symphonies

Originally Posted by tankership

Joseph Martin Kraus

Symphony in C major Violino Obligato
Symphony in C major
Symphony in C-sharp minor
Symphony in E minor
Symphony in C minor
Symphony in D major
Symphony in E-flat Major
Symphony in F major

I have these and they are very fine works indeed.

I just discovered Kraus. Amazing symphonies I must say!

Originally Posted by ComposerOfAvantGarde

I just discovered Kraus. Amazing symphonies I must say!

The Swedish Mozart!
With symphonies this good it gets you thinking what the rest of his output is like!
I’ve just sampled a Naxos disc of his ballet music, also very high quality music.

Kalinnikov.

The Russians.

Kraus is a good composer, but we should not overestimate him.
To see his "great" difference with...Mozart, try his Piano (mostly recorded on Fortepiano) and his Chamber Music, for which is predominantly well known. He wrote some...nice Operas too.

Principe

Originally Posted by principe

Kraus is a good composer, but we should not overestimate him.
To see his "great" difference with...Mozart, try his Piano (mostly recorded on Fortepiano) and his Chamber Music, for which is predominantly well known. He wrote some...nice Operas too.

Principe

No, but we should enjoy him with no reserve of passion either! His music has brought be "great pleasure," regardless of how "great" he is.

We play the game of semantics pretty skillfully here on talkclassical for amateurs.

Here is a partial list of not very well known symphonies in my CD collection in no particular order .

I have recordings of symphonies by Antron Rubinstein , for example the so-called "Ocean" sympnony .(no 2).
The three symphonies of Czech composer Zdenek Fibich (1850 -1900) .
Two by America composer John Alden Carpenter. Elliott Carter's only symphony, an early tonal work.
The two by Carl Maria von Weber. Symphonies 1,2 by Gheorghe Enescu .
Respighi's one symphony (Sinfonia Dramatica). The three of Max Bruch . No 2 by Richard Strauss, from
his teenage years . 3 and 5 by English composer Robert Simpson (1921-1997). 3 by Arnold Bax.
The three by Ned Rorem. Two by Swedish composer Hugo Alfven (The f is silent ) (1872-1960) .
The four of Karol Szymanowski (no 2 is sort opf a cross between a symphony and a piano concerto).
The one by Bedrich Smetana (Festive symphony). The one by English composer E.J. Moeran .
7 and 31 by Havergal Brian . A Color symphony by English composer Sir Arthur Bliss (each of the four
movements represents a different color !) .1,2 and 4 by Albert Roussel in the Marek janowski set of all four
on RCA (the 3rd is fairly well known). Tippett : no 1. Josef Suk, Asrael symphony .
Carlos Chavez , 1-6 with Eduardo Mata and the LSO. Mily Balakirev ,1,2.
Nikoilai Myaskovsky: 6,8,2 ,22. and a few others. Rimsky-Korsakov: 1,3. Sergei Liapunov. no 1.
Howard Hanson,3,6. Hans Pfitzner, symphony in C major. Stefan Wolpe, no 1.
Ernst Toch, no 3. Glazunov, 2, 7. Reinhold Gliere, 1,2. Kahatchaturian, no 2.
Bruckner, symphony no Zero. Johan Svendsen,1,2. Vassily Kallinikov, 1,2.
Gorecki, no 2. No 16 by Leif Segerstam with the composer conducting Out of over 200 so far !).
Christopher Rouse, no 2. Martinu, 1-6. 6,7 by Georgian composer Giya Kancheli (1935-).

Lots of interesting stuff here !

Originally Posted by Morgante

Kalinnikov.

^^^ this ^^^

This.

"Great for pleasure" (brought from any composer) vis a vis "how great" a composer is, I think, it is more than a "game of semantics". It demonstrates some degree of substance in terms of the qualityof this pleasure, if that matters, clavichorder, to you.
In any case, Kraus, may give enough pleasure in quite a few of his works. Likewise, these of average greatness composers may provide a considerable amount of inventive or creative pleasure: Sigismund Neukomm (some fine orchestral works to be discovered, on various labels), Franz Ignaz Beck (his Symphonies to be found on CPO), or Paul Wranitzky (on Supraphon or CPO too).

Principe

I herad Bruch sy no 1 for the first - and LAST time. This is no doubt a work that cof av garde and many others would call amazing.
It seems Bruch wrote 2 great works - vc 1 and the scot fant for violin and orch.

I don't know if it's well-known or not, but for me is certainly interesting. A kind of baroque symphony.

How do you perceive, like or dismiss the Symphonies of Henk Badings Nos. 2, 7 & 12, on CPO?
I can barely accept them as a worthy listening experience.
However, Lous Theodore Gouvy's Symphony No. 6 (on CPO again) seems more interesting in its rather average performance.

Principe

Originally Posted by Renaissance

I don't know if it's well-known or not, but for me is certainly interesting. A kind of baroque symphony.

I find Boccherini one of the most high energy Composers out there.

Gösta Nystroem - Symphony No. 3 (Sinfonia Del Mare) (1946)