Tim Mahon <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Daniel Beland puts together a 'short list' of mouthwatering twentieth
>century works and wonders why they're not more often programmed.  Good
>question.  Talking to musicians and programmers, the answer is often "Gee
>-- I wish I could do this, but people just won't pay to come hear this
>stuff."

As mentioned in my last message, I think that musicians have to build
coherent and attractive programs to make more room for "little known
works".  On CD, Decca has done that with the great "Entartete Musik"
collection.  And some conductors such as Claudio Abbado are also good at
creating attractive and original programs around literary or historical
themes...  I don't argue that all the programs should be "coherent and
original", but some efforts are needed to expand the repertoire and bring
more excitement (and people) in the concert hall!

>Daniel's list is a fascinating starting-point, full of little tugs of
>memory taking me down almost-forgotten paths.

I'm glad you found my little list interesting!  Every week, I discover at
least one new "great but little known work"!  Indeed, the city of Calgary
has great CD libraries:-)

>Bloch -- Schelomo is also fascinating, but so are the Suite for Cello and
>Piano, the Baal Shem Suite and the C minor Symphony.

I also *love* the "Three Jewish Poems" for orchestra!  Among many other
interesting works, I also recommend the string quartets and the Symphony
"America"...  Bloch's output is really fascinating!

>Denisov -- some of his film music is really gripping and his choral music
>is to die for.

I also like the chamber music, especially the Schubert Variations.

>Frankel -- almost any of the symphonies are worth getting hold of.

And some of his film scores are interesting too!  But I wanted to mention
only ONE work per composer...

>Langgaarrd -- a composer who blows my mind totally.  Not only his 14
>symphonies, but some of his tone poems and his more adventurous pieces
>(Music of the Spheres is on Chandos or cpo, from memory -- the Symphonies
>were on Danacord) -- well worth investigating for lovers of late
>Romanticism.

Langgaarrd's music is quite interesting, but the quality of his output
is rather uneven.  But I think that the Music of Spheres or the Fourth
Symphonies should integrate the "standard repertoire"!  As for now, we
can turn to Langgaarrd's new Dacapo recordings, which are excellent!

>Composers not featured on Daniel's list but worthy of a mention might
>include:
>
>Foulds -- April England, Diptych, the quartets (microtones before Bartok!),
>cello sonata, Three Mantras

This is a composer I want to discover as soon as possible!  Outside the UK,
he's not known at all...

>Bowen -- piano music and string quartets
>Aho -- probably one of our greatest living symphonists -- now 10 and
>counting -- Insect Symphony

Aho as well as Englund were on the first draft of my list, but I removed
their names because I consider them as a fairly well known composers:-)

>Eshpai -- try Symphony No. 4 or the first Violin Concerto
>Boiko? Symphonies 2 and 3

Can you tell me more about these two composers? I think that you can help
me to expand my own list!

Daniel Beland