Don asks:

>So, I have three questions.  First, which recordings would you recommend
>for the Goldmark symphonies.

Definitely Bernstein for the "Rustic Wedding," although Lopez-Corbos is
okay.  I don't know any other Goldmark symphony.

>Second, are Goldmark's compositions very
>syrupy?

No, he's closer to Brahms than to the syrupy camp.

>Third, any thoughts on why Goldmark is relatively obscure like me?

At one point, he wasn't.  The "Rustic Wedding" Symphony was not only
played, but discussed in textbooks.  The violin concerto could be found
in most major violinists' repertory.  The overture "Im Fruehling" was a
popular favorite, with, I believe, even an arrangement for the Sousa band
(not done by the composer, I hasten to add).  To me, it's very attractive
music and also fairly modest.  Since most of us favor Significant over
Pretty, it eventually got crowded out by other works.  Since the classical
repertoire seems to become narrower and narrower in favor of "standard
repertory" (don't ask how pieces make the inner circle), some works get
left out.  It's a shame, since the music speaks fairly directly and
interestingly.

Steve Schwartz