Dave Lewis wrote:

>As stated in the opening, I'd like to hear who your favorite neglected
>composers are - so over to you.

One of Dave's choices was Berwald, and I agree with Dave.  Other composers
who I'd like to see garner more recognition are:

a.  Planicky - A baroque composer.  I have just one of his recordings, a
sacred choral w/orchestra disc on the Arta label.  Planicky, much more than
any other baroque composer, reminds me of Bach in terms of writing style
and melodic development.  I thought the Arta disc was outstanding; if
someone had told me that Bach was the composer, I would have accepted that
statement.  But, as far as I know, no additional recordings devoted to
Planicky have been issued.

b.  Othmar Schoeck - A late-romantic composer.  He seems to get less ink
than Zemlinsky, Schmidt, and a few others.  I like his music very much and
recommend his string quartets on MDG, horn concerto, and a two or three
operas on various labels.  If late-romantic appeals to you, Schoeck should
fill the bill.

c.  Reicha - He's in the time period and class of Spohr but recorded less
frequently.

d. Alkan - Although his music is not one of my prime hunting grounds, I've
been very impressed with his solo piano works.  He's a nobody compared to
Chopin, but I see him as close to Chopin's level.

Don Satz
[log in to unmask]