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   Overtures

Geoffrey Bush
(1920-1998)

Overture "Yorick" (1949) ¹
Music for Orchestra (1967) ²
Symphony #1 (1954) ³
Symphony #2 "The Guildford" (1957) ⁴

¹ New Philharmonia Orchestra/Vernon Handley
² London Philharmonic Orchestra/Vernon Handley
³ London Symphony Orchestra/Nicholas Braithwaite
⁴ Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Barry Wordsworth
Lyrita SRCD.252 79:07

This CD of works by the English composer Geoffrey Bush, not to be confused with Alan Bush or William Busch, contains his only two symphonies. There are strong similarities to the music of Walton in terms of rhythm, and there are also traces of Elgar and Arnold. Music for Orchestra has more austere orchestration. The disc demonstrates the excellent engineering that is typical of the label.

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Vítězslav Novák
(1870-1949)

Lady Godiva, Overture, Op. 41 (1907)
Toman and the Wood Nymph, Op. 40 (1906-7)
De Profundis, Op. 67 (1941)

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra/Libor Pešek
Chandos CHAN9821 66:22

Novák is one of the less well-known Czech composers and his reputation rests largely on symphonic poems, orchestral suites and a handful of chamber music. This CD offers an overture and two symphonic poems which are infrequently recorded. The music is powerful and dramatic, and will appeal to anyone who likes Richard Strauss' symphonic poems or Gustav Mahler's symphonies.

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[ Sheet music by this composer: Sheet Music Plus - Musicnotes.com ]

Johann Wilhelm Wilms
(1772-1847)

Symphony #1 in C Major, Op. 9 (1806)
Overture in D Major (1829)
Symphony #4 in C Minor, Op. 23 (1807)

North German Radio Philharmonic/Howard Griffiths
CPO 777209-2 65:13

Although born in Germany, Wilms settled in Amsterdam very early in his career and like Röntgen, became a significant part of Dutch musical life. The influences of Haydn and Beethoven are clear and the jaded collector falls gratefully on releases such as this, a source of interesting and highly enjoyable music given first-rate performances. Other Wilms symphonies have been recorded by Archiv (474508-2) and Challenge Classics (CC72147).

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Xaver Schnyder von Wartensee
(1786-1868)

Overture in C minor (1818)
Symphony #3 "Militärsinfonie" in B Flat Major (1850)

Württemberg Philharmonie Reutlingen/Christopher Fifield
Sterling CDS1073-2 53:22

This Swiss composer's third symphony has some affinity with Haydn's Military Symphony, some of the same sudden moves in unexpected directions used by Berwald, a little of Berlioz's style, and some unusual techniques. Christopher Fifield has made a number of recordings for Sterling, all of unfamiliar music, and makes a very persuasive case for Schnyder's music. To my knowledge, none of his other four symphonies has been recorded.

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Felix Draeseke
(1835-1913)

Symphony #1 in G Major, Op. 12 (1873)
Symphony #4 "Symphonia Comica" in E minor, WoO 38 (1912)
Overture "Gudrun" (1884)

North German Radio Philharmonic/Jörg-Peter Weigle
CPO 999746-2 68:58

Strongly echoing the symphonies of Schumann, Draeseke's well-crafted symphonies provide more evidence that there is still plenty of excellent music awaiting discovery. CPO has recorded the other two symphonies (999719-2 & 999581-2), and there are competing versions on MD&G, which include a piano concerto (MDG3350929-2 & MDG3351041-2).

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[ Sheet music by this composer: Sheet Music Plus - Musicnotes.com ]

Arthur Benjamin
(1893-1960)

Overture to an Italian Comedy (1936) ¹
Cotillon, Suite of English Dance Tunes (1938) ²
North American Square Dance Suite (1951) ³
Symphony (1945) ³

¹ Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Myer Fredman
² London Symphony Orchestra/Nicholas Braithwaite
³ London Philharmonic Orchestra/Barry Wordsworth
Lyrita SRCD.314 76:50

Benjamin was an Australian composer who spent most of his life working in Britain, and knew well such composers as Bliss and Howells. He is best known for Jamaican Rumba, and although much of his work was light-hearted as in the first three items on this CD, the more serious side of his nature appears in his only symphony, which runs about 45 minutes. It was clearly influenced by World War II and is an essentially tragic work with some of the feeling of Bax and Walton.

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[ Sheet music by this composer: Sheet Music Plus - Musicnotes.com ]

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakoff
(1844-1908)

Christmas Eve: Overture & Suite (1894-5)
Night on Mount Triglav (1899-1901)
The Tsar's Bride: Overture & Intermezzo (1898)
On the Tomb, Op. 61 (1904)
Greeting (1907)

Moscow Symphony Orchestra/Igor Golovschin
Naxos 8.553789 75:19

The first three items, which comprise most of this CD, are from Rimsky-Korsakov's operas. Night on Mount Triglav is an arrangement of Act III of Mlada. On the Tomb and Greeting are short occasional pieces. Everything shows his wonderful orchestration and talent for creating atmosphere. Mount Triglav is not quite as sinister a place as Mussorgsky's Bald Mountain, but has its moments.

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[ Sheet music by this composer: Sheet Music Plus - Musicnotes.com ]

Leo Sowerby
(1895-1968)

Concert Overture, H251 (1941)
Passacaglia, Interlude & Fugue, H207 (1931/2)
All on a Summer's Day, H325 (1954)
Symphony #2 in B minor, H188 (1927/8) *

Czech National Symphony Orchestra/Paul Freeman
* Chicago Sinfonietta/Paul Freeman
Cedille CDR90000039 60:51

Better known as a composer of church and organ music, Sowerby left quite a lot of orchestral music, including five symphonies. His music is identified by the work list compiled by Huntington. The music presented here has some affinity with that of other American composers of the same era such as Howard Hanson, although with a slightly harder edge, so you will hear the odd phrase which will remind you of Hindemith and, at one point, Mahler's 5^th. The slow movement of the symphony would have made an excellent complement to one of John Ford's movies set in Monument Valley, and I mean that as a compliment. Cedille has recorded another CD of Sowerby's orchestral music, including The Prairie.

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[ Sheet music by this composer: Sheet Music Plus - Musicnotes.com ]

Ernst Boehe
(1880-1938)

Tragic Overture, Op. 10
Symphonic Poem "Odysseus' Voyages", Op. 6
    Departure & Shipwreck
    The Island of Circe
    The Lament of Nausicaa

Rheinland-Pfalz State Philharmonic Orchestra/Werner Andreas Albert
CPO 999875-2 74:29

Symphonic Poem "Odysseus' Voyages", Op. 6
    Odysseus' Homecoming
Symphonic Poem "Taormina"
Symphonic Epilogue to a Tragedy, Op. 11

Rheinland-Pfalz State Philharmonic Orchestra/Werner Andreas Albert
CPO 999908-2 77:52

Boehe was a native of Munich and a friend of Richard Strauss, whose influence and that of Wagner are apparent in what seems to be most of his orchestral output on these two CDs: the only biographical information I could find comes from the liner notes. The four long symphonic poems which comprise From Odysseus' Voyages last a few minutes too long to be accommodated on one CD. Boehe was better known as a conductor, mainly with the forerunner of the present Rheinland orchestra. All the music is scored for a very large orchestra and apart from the influences above, often sounds more than a little like Suk. The CDs are available separately but buying only one means you miss part of the Odysseus cycle.

[ Volume 1 available on CD: Amazon - UK - Germany - Canada - France - Japan - ArkivMusic - CD Universe ]

[ Volume 2 available on CD: Amazon - UK - Germany - Canada - France - Japan - ArkivMusic - CD Universe ]

Norbert Burgmüller
(1810-1836)

Overture, Op. 5 (c. 1830)
Symphony #2 in D Major, Op. 11 (c. 1836)
Piano Concerto in F Sharp minor, Op. 1 (1829)

Leonard Hokanson, piano
Wuppertal Symphony Orchestra/Gernot Schmalfuss
Dabringhaus und Grimm MDG3350817-2 77:42

Burgmüller was the most talented of his family: his father and elder brother Friedrich were also composers. He suffered from an apparent lack of ambition and indifferent health, and is thought to have died of an epileptic seizure. His music was highly thought of by Mendelssohn and Schumann: these composers are evident influences, as is Schubert. The overture, which is fairly long for the period, was for an incomplete opera, and is quite dramatic. The piano concerto was in part a vehicle for establishing his reputation as a pianist and is reminiscent of Chopin and Hummel. The symphony has only three movements and was the composer's last work. Note that the label is known is some countries as either MD&G or Dabringhaus und Grimm.

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[ Sheet music by this composer: Sheet Music Plus - Musicnotes.com ]