Lesser known orchestral works

ttf_Mahlerbone · Post by **ttf_Mahlerbone** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 5:30 pm

Everybody knows about the typical great pieces - Mahler #5, Beethoven #5, the Brahms symphonies, the R. Strauss tone poems, Bartok Concerto for Orchestra, etc. But lately, I've been listening to some pieces that are rarely played, yet are amazing in their own respect.

Here's what's been in my CD player recently: I wish I could hear the New York Philharmonic or Boston Symphony perform them more often.

Prokofiev: Symphonies #3 & 4 (fantastic trombone parts, incredible orchestration)
Ibert: Escales (a lot like Debussy's writing)
Bax: Symphonies (all of them)
Popov: Symphony #1 (never heard of it, but decided to take a chance after seeing it in my CD club. I really like that Russian music.)
Kalinnikov: Symphonies #1 & 2 (same as above)
Lutoslawski: Concerto for Orchestra
Gould: American Symphonette No. 2 (highly jazz influenced)

What are your favorite orchestral works that nobody knows about? I love Mahler's music, but seriously, how often can one listen to the 5th symphony over and over? So I'm always looking for new music.

ttf_BGuttman · Post by **ttf_BGuttman** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 5:58 am

I also have the Kalinikov on CD.
Gould's Symphonette was popular in the 1940's, but isn't performed much now. Too bad.

Some of the pieces that are less Mainstream that I have had the opportunity to play:

Prokofiev's 6th Symphony. It's a tour-de-force for the Bass Trombone and Tuba. I never heard it until we started rehearsing it, and the Boston Symphony decided to program it that same year.

Borodin Symphony #2. Several short but exposed solos for the Bass Trombone, and soli section work for the entire trombone section.

Some things I'd like to play:

Copeland ballet suites. These were very popular 20 years ago, but seem to be absent today. I especially like "Billy the Kid". Normally all you hear is "Appalachian Spring". While I'm on Copeland, we play "Fanfare for the Common Man" pretty often, but I'd really like to play the whole symphony from which it was extracted.

The earlier Dvorak symphonies (1 through 5). Dvorak had a good concept of trombones, although you have to deal with alto clef.

Ravel: "L'Enfant et les Sortilleges".

Stravinsky: "L'Histoire du Soldat". It's for a very small ensemble of extremely virtuosic players.

Manuel De Falla, "The Three Cornered Hat".

Probably lots more, but I can't think of them at this moment.

ttf_Mahlerbone · Post by **ttf_Mahlerbone** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 7:07 am

Quote from: "BGuttman"Gould's Symphonette was popular in the 1940's, but isn't performed much now. Too bad.

A couple of years ago, I saw the Boston Pops perform it on television. I loved the piece so much that I ran out the next day and got a recording.

And about Prokofiev 6, I saw the New York Philharmonic perform that either last year or the year before. Jim Markey played the bass trombone part. I never knew he was such a beast on the bass trombone. What an amazing player!

ttf_Dave Tatro · Post by **ttf_Dave Tatro** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 11:24 am

Great topic Jeff!

Let's see.....

Bax is great. I love his tone poems too. (I happen to love English composers in general so take this with a grain of salt!)

Barber. Some TERRIFIC orchestral music! He seems to mostly be known for his vocal music and the Adagio, but his Essays for orchestra, Music for a Scene from Shelley, Medea's Dance of Vengeance, and others are just superb writing.

Chavez wrote six symphonies and they are astonishingly good. I have a box set recorded by the London Symphony. My wife once heard a performance of the 2nd Symphony (prompting the purchase of the box set), but other than that I have not heard of them being performed much. The 3d and 4th Symphonies both contain monstrous trombone solos (one very technical and the other an extended lyrical passage which ends on a long, and very exposed, high E. The 2nd Symphony (called Sinfonia India) is one of the most exciting pieces I have ever heard. It is a short, one-movement symphony which uses Mexican Indian folk tunes as themes. The final two minutes feature the trombones prominantly and will make your hair stand up!

ttf_BgBonez · Post by **ttf_BgBonez** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 3:19 pm

Speaking of Prokofiev, how about his Scythian Suite-I have Abbado/Chicago Symphony recording on DG (just listen to the last thirty seconds of second movement-incredible writing for brass, never heard anything like that before)
- Ralph Vaughan Williams-Symphonies 2,3,5,6
- Alexander Glazunov-Symphonies 4,5,6
- Reinhold Gliere-Symphony No.3
- Josef Suk (Dvorak's pupil and son-in-law)-Asrael Symphony
- Carl Nielsen-Overtures & Tone poems
Anyone heard of Estonian composer Eduard Tubin? I'm interested in obtaining some of his symphonies, so I'd like some information from fellow trombone players

What about Arnold Bax? Any good starting point for getting to know his works?
Cheers

ttf_Dave Tatro · Post by **ttf_Dave Tatro** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 3:28 pm

Quote from: "BgBonez"- Ralph Vaughan Williams-Symphonies 2,3,5,6

No. 5- Gorgeous symphony, all serenity, love and light. The slow movement is absolutely breathtaking.

No. 6- So dark it is almost hard to believe it was written by RVW. The dark side of beauty... 2nd mvt. is one of the most intense in the symphonic lit. That repeated figure in the drums and trpts haunts me at night....

(da da daaa)

ttf_Mahlerbone · Post by **ttf_Mahlerbone** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 3:31 pm

Thanks Dave! I'll look for those Chavez symphonies right away.

About Arnold Bax, the whole symphony cycle is recorded on Naxos. You can pick up each symphony for only about $7 or $8, whatever the price of a Naxos CD is these days. That's relatively cheap compared to a major label like Deutche Grammaphon, EMI, or Decca, where the average recording costs in the neighborhood of $16.

The Bax complete symphonies on Naxos are wonderfully recorded. It's the Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by David Lloyd-Jones.

ttf_Dave Tatro · Post by **ttf_Dave Tatro** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 6:34 pm

I'll definitely look for those Bax recordings. That sounds like a great deal!

I just thought of another little-known piece while I was out running:

Korngold- Symphony No. 1. This is a piece that absolutely sparkles with color. It is tonal, although it contains some very tasty harmonies. The faster movements are witty and fun, the slow movement is solemn and uses the brass in a big way (beautiful minor chorales).

I have a Philly recording of this and it is superb!

ttf_BgBonez · Post by **ttf_BgBonez** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 6:53 pm

Yeah, I've read some good stuff about those Bax recordings on Naxos, but as far as I know, there are seven symphonies and I really don't wanna buy the whole cycle, just want to buy one or two CDs, so I wanna know which are the most accessible of his works.
Quote from: "Dave Tatro"
No. 5- Gorgeous symphony, all serenity, love and light. The slow movement is absolutely breathtaking.
The whole symphony is breathtaking, I especially like the first movement climax. I have the Naxos recordings of 3 & 6, 5 & 9 with Kees Bakels & Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra

ttf_Mahlerbone · Post by **ttf_Mahlerbone** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 7:58 pm

I have Bax Symphonies #2, 3, 5, and 6. So you could start with any of those.

I forgot about Eduard Tubin. I have a recording of Sibelius Symphony #2 and Tubin Symphony #5, and the 1st movement of the Tubin Symphony is absolutely stunning. I believe it's the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra playing it.

While we're on the topic, Christopher Rouse wrote some interesting stuff besides the Trombone Concerto that's worth checking out.

Finally, check out Alfred Schnittke Symphony #1. Crazy stuff!

ttf_Jeff Smith · Post by **ttf_Jeff Smith** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 6:44 pm

QuoteI love Mahler's music, but seriously, how often can one listen to the 5th symphony over and over?

I'm more partial to Mahler 2 and 3.

That's just me.

Back on topic.

ttf_anonymous · Post by **ttf_anonymous** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 7:56 am

Neat topic!

I've recently run across a label called Arte Nova, I think it's owned by Sony/BMG. It's not a new label, and I think the recordings in this particular series are re-releases, but it's the first time I've noticed them (simply because they were grouped together in Borders!). They're budget CDs by lesser-known European orchestras, except for the Tonhalle with Zinman, but they're actually pretty good recordings!

I picked up some Elliott Carter and some Hans Werner Henze. Janacek too. The Elliott Carter recording (SWR Orchestra with Michael Gielen) has his Piano Concerto (Ursula Oppens), Concerto for Orchestra, and 3 Occasions, and is an amazing performance. I had never actually heard any Henze, and while the performance is good (Saarbrücken Rundfunk), that amount of Henze is an awful lot to swallow at one time, so I'm still processing it. The 5 Neapolitan Songs are pretty cool, though. The Janacek (SWR, Vaclav Neumann) is pretty good, too, although I bet there were better takes left on the cutting-room floor.

ttf_djdekok · Post by **ttf_djdekok** » Wed Oct 04, 2006 4:41 pm

Walton 1

Peter Maxwell Davies' "An Orkney Wedding with Sunrise"--gotta love the "everything but the kitchen sink" nature of this piece written for the Boston Pops and John Williams

Malcolm Arnold's "English Dances" and "Four Scottish Danses"
you hear these for band on a regular basis, but not the orchestral version

Ditto on Carl Neilsen, esp. the "Inextinguishable" Symphony

ttf_fsgazda · Post by **ttf_fsgazda** » Wed Oct 04, 2006 6:45 pm

The Lutoslawski Concerto for Orchestra has been mentioned, love that piece!

I don't know if the Janacek Sinfonietta counts (I've seen it live by both the NYP and NSO), but his Glagolitic Mass and Rhapsody for Orchestra 'Taras Bulba' are very obscure, and just great music, IMO.

I also really dig a piece by Gorecki called "Beatus Vir".

As for Dvorak, his 8th and 9th Symphonies are beaten to death, but I much prefer his 6th and 7th Symphonies.

Also, Elgar's Cockaigne Overture is great!

ttf_Dave Tatro · Post by **ttf_Dave Tatro** » Wed Oct 04, 2006 7:44 pm

Quote from: "djdekok"Walton 1

Good piece.

Quote from: "fsgazda"I also really dig a piece by Gorecki called "Beatus Vir".

Another good Gorecki piece, although not exactly obscure, is his third symphony. Very beautiful.

ttf_anonymous · Post by **ttf_anonymous** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 11:30 am

Hindemith's music doesn't seem to get performed much. OK, it's in a modernish idiom but it's very approachable. Things like Matis der Maler and Symphonic Metamorphosis hardly ever appear on programs.

Some of Liszt's tone poems, other than Les Preludes, rarely see the light of day and often feature flashy trombone writing. Mazeppa is a particularly tasty one.

There are quite a few Symphonies that don't get out much. Sibelius' 6th and Bruckner's 5th and 6th, and also some of the Shostakovich symphonies.

ttf_anonymous · Post by **ttf_anonymous** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 11:34 am

Quote from: "poozer"Hindemith's music doesn't seem to get performed much. OK, it's in a modernish idiom but it's very approachable. Things like Matis der Maler and Symphonic Metamorphosis hardly ever appear on programs.

Some of Liszt's tone poems, other than Les Preludes, rarely see the light of day and often feature flashy trombone writing. Mazeppa is a particularly tasty one.

There are quite a few Symphonies that don't get out much. Sibelius' 6th and Bruckner's 5th and 6th, and also some of the Shostakovich symphonies.

We played Symhonic Metamorphosis just last year!!! (the march from said piece.) OK, so were a high school band. but still...

ttf_anonymous · Post by **ttf_anonymous** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 12:05 pm

Great topic. There's alot of terrific repertoire that I seldomly hear in the concert hall.

Bartok, The Miraculous Mandarin
Stavinsky: L'Histoire du Soldat; Le Sacre du Printemps
Strauss: Eine Alpinsinfonie
Rachmaninoff: The Isle of the Dead
Hanson: Symphonies 1-3
Respighi: Fountains of Rome; Feste Romane

ttf_Dave Tatro · Post by **ttf_Dave Tatro** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 12:36 pm

Quote from: "Posaunen"Great topic. There's alot of terrific repertoire that I seldomly hear in the concert hall.

Bartok, The Miraculous Mandarin
Stavinsky: L'Histoire du Soldat; Le Sacre du Printemps
Strauss: Eine Alpinsinfonie
Rachmaninoff: The Isle of the Dead
Hanson: Symphonies 1-3
Respighi: Fountains of Rome; Feste Romane

Some good pieces.

Humorously, I heard two of these (Rite and Alpine Sym.) on the same FL Orchestra concert a few years ago. They did a particularly nice job on the Stravinsky.

And I'll be performing Hanson's 2nd early next year. Great piece!

ttf_gpkimzey · Post by **ttf_gpkimzey** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 1:22 pm

Quote from: "BGuttman"While I'm on Copeland, we play "Fanfare for the Common Man" pretty often, but I'd really like to play the whole symphony from which it was extracted.

Yes! Quite good (even if he did give the melody to a flute player. . .

) Also of note is "The Quiet City" - I love that piece (there are several versions - I'm referring to the full orchestra version.)

ttf_Dave Tatro · Post by **ttf_Dave Tatro** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 1:33 pm

Quote from: "gpkimzey" Also of note is "The Quiet City" - I love that piece (there are several versions - I'm referring to the full orchestra version.)

I've only heard that played by a chamber orchestra but absolutely love the piece.

ttf_Edward_Solomon · Post by **ttf_Edward_Solomon** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 2:43 pm

Most of the music mentioned so far doesn't really qualify as lesser known works, at least in the UK.

I'll venture a few rarities of my own:

The symphonies of Muzio Clementi.
The symphonies of Franz Berwald.
The symphonies of Philip Cipriani Potter.
The symphonies of Joachim Raff.
The symphonies of Franz Schmidt.
The symphonies of Charles Hubert Hastings Parry.
The symphonies of Arnold Bax.
The symphonies of Sir Malcolm Arnold.
The symphonies of Albéric Magnard.
The symphonies of Mili Balakirev.
The symphonies of Reinhold Glière.
The symphonies of Havergal Brian.
The symphonies of Anton Arensky.
The symphonies of Alexander Glazunov.
The symphonies of Vasily Kalinnikov.
The symphonies of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
The symphonies of Camille Saint-Säens (not including No. 3).
The symphonies of Alexander Borodin (not including No. 2).
The symphony of Sir Arthur Sullivan.
The symphony of Hans Rott.
The Winter Idyll of Gustav Holst.

ttf_Elkhart 88H · Post by **ttf_Elkhart 88H** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 5:11 pm

George Whitefield Chadwick is another composer whose music is seldom heard in the concert hall, except for the first two movements of his Symphonic Sketches (Jubilee and Noel) that turn up on Pops programs every so often. His Symphony No. 2 is magnificent -- an original and striking work in a style that somewhat echoes Brahms and Dvorak -- and No. 3 is also good, though I find it less original than #2. His Rip Van Winkle Overture is utterly charming and several of his overtures that he named for the Muses are also worth hearing. I can recommend the Neeme Jarvi / Detroit Symphony recordings of Chadwick's music on Chandos as fine additions to a CD collection, and there's also a very good Naxos recording of Chadwick overtures with the Nashville Symphony conducted by the late Kenneth Schermerhorn.

Rimsky-Korsakov's opera music is seldom heard outside Russia. If the CDs that I have of orchestral suites from his operas are any guide, we're missing something wonderful in the West. The discs I found are on the Kontrapunkt label (from Denmark) and feature Edward Serov conducting the Odense Symphony.

John Philip Sousa wrote a number of operettas that have faded into obscurity and penned some dance music as well. While this music is not as profound as many of the other works mentioned in this thread, it speaks with both grace and charm. Keith Brion's recordings on Naxos are worth seeking out if you're interested in hearing this music.

Finally, I can recommend Meredith Willson's two symphonies as worth hearing (and quite different from the musicals that made his reputation as a composer). The one recording that I know of, a Naxos CD of both works, has a few ragged moments but still makes a persuasive case for the music.

ttf_fsgazda · Post by **ttf_fsgazda** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 6:34 pm

QuoteThe symphonies of Havergal Brian.

The only problem with performing Brian is the Symphonies I've heard make Mahler 8 look small (both in length of piece and size of forces)! Really interesting stuff, though.

ttf_anonymous · Post by **ttf_anonymous** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 6:57 pm

I have had a hard time finding recordings of Prokofiev symphonies that are not #1 or #5, despite some effort. Actually, that goes for Borodin that is not #2, Saint-Saens that is not #3, Sibelius, Rachmaninov that is not #3....

I think the Malcom Arnold and Ralph Vaughan Williams symphonies are sadly underplayed in the US at least. Have your pick.

Korngold's violin concerto and Symphony... eh, 4, I think? The one in F# major (gah!) are infrequently but regularly played by the Pittsburgh Symphony- once again, no luck finding recordings of stuff that aren't those two.

The Copeland Ballet suites seem to have become Pops pieces, however that happens. Not to denigrate Pops or Copeland, but they seem to be played.

I can't think of anything to add. I've very rarely heard Arvo Part live, although I don't know if that would count or not.

I am constantly disappointed by the inability of the local record stores to stock stuff beyond the obvious. Gah.

ttf_djdekok · Post by **ttf_djdekok** » Sun Oct 08, 2006 4:38 am

Quote from: "Elkhart 88H"George Whitefield Chadwick is another composer whose music is seldom heard in the concert hall, except for the first two movements of his Symphonic Sketches (Jubilee and Noel) that turn up on Pops programs every so often. His Symphony No. 2 is magnificent -- an original and striking work in a style that somewhat echoes Brahms and Dvorak -- and No. 3 is also good, though I find it less original than #2. His Rip Van Winkle Overture is utterly charming and several of his overtures that he named for the Muses are also worth hearing. I can recommend the Neeme Jarvi / Detroit Symphony recordings of Chadwick's music on Chandos as fine additions to a CD collection, and there's also a very good Naxos recording of Chadwick overtures with the Nashville Symphony conducted by the late Kenneth Schermerhorn.

Rimsky-Korsakov's opera music is seldom heard outside Russia. If the CDs that I have of orchestral suites from his operas are any guide, we're missing something wonderful in the West. The discs I found are on the Kontrapunkt label (from Denmark) and feature Edward Serov conducting the Odense Symphony.

John Philip Sousa wrote a number of operettas that have faded into obscurity and penned some dance music as well. While this music is not as profound as many of the other works mentioned in this thread, it speaks with both grace and charm. Keith Brion's recordings on Naxos are worth seeking out if you're interested in hearing this music.

Finally, I can recommend Meredith Willson's two symphonies as worth hearing (and quite different from the musicals that made his reputation as a composer). The one recording that I know of, a Naxos CD of both works, has a few ragged moments but still makes a persuasive case for the music.

Sousa's operettas should remain in the dust bin of history. I had the misfortune of playing 15 performances of "El Capitan" one summer about 20 years ago, and still can't shake the memory

ttf_Elkhart 88H · Post by **ttf_Elkhart 88H** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 4:53 am

Fifteen performances of just about anything can lead to disenchantment. I played sixteen or seventeen services of "The Sound of Music" many summers ago, and it took me years to get to the point where I could tolerate the music of Richard Rodgers again. A trombonist buddy of mine had the same experience with Gilbert and Sullivan, getting called for two or three G&S shows in a row, and to this day he shudders when he hears anything by Arthur Sullivan.

I'm not claiming that "El Capitan" is as good a show as a G&S operetta or a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical -- it isn't, to put it bluntly -- but it does have some lovely moments that deserve to be heard on Pops programs.

ttf_anonymous · Post by **ttf_anonymous** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 12:29 pm

Quote from: "fsgazda"The Lutoslawski Concerto for Orchestra has been mentioned, love that piece!

I don't know if the Janacek Sinfonietta counts (I've seen it live by both the NYP and NSO), but his Glagolitic Mass and Rhapsody for Orchestra 'Taras Bulba' are very obscure, and just great music, IMO.

I also really dig a piece by Gorecki called "Beatus Vir".

As for Dvorak, his 8th and 9th Symphonies are beaten to death, but I much prefer his 6th and 7th Symphonies.

Also, Elgar's Cockaigne Overture is great!

Hi Frank!

Who can forget performing Beatus Vir in St. John the Divine?

Here's one to check out: Kaljo Raid - Symphony No. 1 - Jarvi - Royal Scottish National Orchestra (featuring the incomparable Bob Hughes)

ttf_Jox · Post by **ttf_Jox** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 2:28 pm

Mathis der Maler by Hindemith?

ttf_BGuttman · Post by **ttf_BGuttman** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 2:36 pm

Quote from: Jox on Mar 03, 2009, 02:28PMMathis der Maler by Hindemith?

Pretty mainstream compared to some of the stuff here. It's not performed terribly often, but it is considered part of the general rep. I wouldn't turn away a chance to play it, though.

ttf_HouBassTrombone · Wed Mar 04, 2009 10:34 pm

Elgar's symphonies never get played. I think that they are great and so are his overtures... Into the South and .. yea I can not spell the other.
-Z

ttf_djdekok · Post by **ttf_djdekok** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 2:33 am

is that "Cockaigne Overture", perchance?

to add to the list:

Holst's Hymn of Jesus
Tippett's A Child of our Time
Reynaldo Hahn's le bal de Beatrice d'estre

ttf_Schultz · Post by **ttf_Schultz** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 3:48 am

As Ed Solomon mentioned, but may have got a bit lost in his list, if you are a fan of Mahler, check out the Symphony of Hans Rott.

He was a contemporary of Mahler, died at age 26, and their writing was VERY similar.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Rott

Also have a listen to the music of Erwin Schulhoff. He was a Czech composer, who composed some of his music while in a concentration camp. I have only played his 5th Symphony, but it has huge brass parts. For example, a Mahler symphony goes for around 1hr 20mins and has maybe 8-10 pages of music in the trombone part. Schulhoff #5 goes for around 30mins, and the trombone parts were 16 pages of music. It would possibly not be uncalled for to play it with 1 tenor and 2 bass trombones, in that there are several low B naturals in the 2nd trombone part. When I performed it though, we swapped a few lines in the 2nd and 3rd trombone, as while he was descending into the bass trombone register, i was quite comfortably playing in the staff. I don't think it was copyist error though.

Here is what i managed to find from someone else's website about the symphony:

The work was written following the Munich Agreement which threatened to destroy his native Czechoslovakia (giving the Sudetenland as an appeasement to Hitler), an emotional response you can hear especially in the violence of 1st and 3rd movements. One writer hears something similar to the war-time symphonies of Ralph Vaughan Williams, his modernist 4th and the war-torn 6th. There is a bitter and determined air to the finale which nevertheless strikes me as having rather over-reached its material. The whole work is alive with stirring military atmosphere, brass gestures and gritty attack but all purged of disillusion or sarcastic commentary.

Also i can recommend the Creation Symphony in C, and some other symphonic poems by the Scottish composer William Wallace...(no not William Wallace of Braveheart fame)

ttf_Elkhart 88H · Post by **ttf_Elkhart 88H** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 6:40 am

The orchestra that I play with performed Paul Creston's Two Choric Dances on its most recent subscription concert. The work convinced me that Creston is underrated as a composer and deserves much more exposure in the concert hall and on CD. I haven't been able to find a CD recording of both dances, though I did locate an LP recording by Golschmann and the Concert Arts Orchestra on Capitol. A used copy is on its way to me from a dealer in NYC.

Another lesser-known orchestral work that I particularly like is the Peacock Variations by Kodaly. Testament reissued Istvan Kertesz's recording with the London Symphony a few years ago, and it's a gem.

ttf_HouBassTrombone · Thu Mar 05, 2009 10:54 am

Yea the Cockaigne Overture is an amazing piece. I want to look into this contemporary of Mahler.
-Z

ttf_Trombonaut · Post by **ttf_Trombonaut** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 10:50 am

P.Tchaikovsky:
Manfred, Symphony in B minor, Op. 58
The Tempest, Symphonic Fantasy after Shakespeare, Op. 18
Francesca da Rimini, Symphonic Fantasy, Op. 32
Hamlet, Overture-Fantasia, Op. 67a
The Storm, Concert Overture, Op. 76
Fatum, Op. 77
The Voyevoda, Symphonic Ballad, Op. 78

ttf_anonymous · Post by **ttf_anonymous** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 12:40 pm

Berlioz's overtures, March Troyenne (one of my favorites), and his Symphony Funebre for band( the second movement may be with solo trombone, but the first movement is truly some of his best writing{WOW}). The Requiem goes completely without saying, but is near imposable to mount.

ttf_Trombonaut · Post by **ttf_Trombonaut** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 5:44 am

Quote from: GRM on Mar 21, 2009, 12:40PM Berlioz's Symphony Funebre for band( the second movement may be with solo trombone, but the first movement is truly some of his best writing{WOW}).

If you mean his Grande Symphonie funèbre et triomphale, there's a huge first trombone solo (about 5 minutes long, I think). I was listening it a couple of weeks ago in Helsinki. It was played by Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and the Guards Band of the Finnish Defence Forces. The symphony seemed I little bit boring to me, but brass was playing really well.
I would like to add to the list Four Pieces for Orchestra op.12 by Béla Bartók. Very good music by the way. We are playing it this week.

ttf_anonymous · Post by **ttf_anonymous** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 9:41 am

Elgar stuff - Enigma and a couple of the Pomp's get played a lot - how about 'In the South'.
Shostakovich other than Symphony 5

ttf_anonymous · Post by **ttf_anonymous** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 11:22 am

For what its worth the Saint Louis Symphony has several of these lesser known and performed works on our season this year. We are performing Elgar's 1st Symphony, Tippet's A Child in our Time and Vaughn Williams Sea Symphony among others as well. If anyone is interested please check out slso.org for more information.

Jonathan Reycraft
Utility Trombonist
Saint Louis Symphony

ttf_dmguion · Post by **ttf_dmguion** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 5:27 pm

In case anyone thinks that Tchaikovsky wrote three symphonies and perversely numbered them 4, 5, and 6, the Third has a nice trombone solo. Of course, the last three are all much better than the first three, but they're worth doing from time to time. Rimsky-Korsakov's Second Symphony ("Antar") uses the same themes in all four movements and doesn't vary much but the tempo, orchestration, and key, but the inner movements have some really fun brass licks.

One piece I'd love to hear some time is George Frederick Bristow's Second Symphony. Composed in 1853, it appears to be the first symphony ever to use the trombone as a solo instrument. I don't know off hand if it has ever been performed in the past 150 years.

Swedish composer Joachim Eggert used trombones in his Third Symphony, which he wrote before Beethoven wrote his Fifth. Even the Eggert is not the first symphony with trombones, but it's probably the earliest that's worth performing. It must have been performed somewhere lately, because someone sent me a recording. It's not a great masterpiece, but it's better than some of the stuff that get run into the ground. Gluck's Don Juan, one of his first masterpieces, is the first use of trombone (just one) in a ballet. I have a recording. It's worth programing, but I don't thing it gets played much. Too bad.

Ed Solomon mentioned Clementi's symphonies several posts back. As long as we're including symphonies that don't use trombones, Antonio Rosetti and C.P.E. Bach wrote things that are worth playing.

ttf_HouBassTrombone · Post by **ttf_HouBassTrombone** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 2:45 pm

The Mendelssohn Reformation (#5) has some great trombone parts and it is less recorded I have noticed. It was fun to prepare and perform.
-Z

ttf_djdekok · Post by **ttf_djdekok** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:57 pm

Quote from: HouBassTrombone on Oct 06, 2009, 02:45PMThe Mendelssohn Reformation (#5) has some great trombone parts and it is less recorded I have noticed. It was fun to prepare and perform.
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Yeah, especially those screamin' high D's at the end.

ttf_Edward_Solomon · Post by **ttf_Edward_Solomon** » Wed Oct 07, 2009 2:18 am

Quote from: dmguion on Oct 03, 2009, 05:27PMEd Solomon mentioned Clementi's symphonies several posts back. As long as we're including symphonies that don't use trombones, Antonio Rosetti and C.P.E. Bach wrote things that are worth playing.

Clementi's four symphonies do use trombones!

ttf_Trombonaut · Post by **ttf_Trombonaut** » Wed Oct 07, 2009 4:14 am

Continuing with the works that use trombones:
Robert Schumann's oratorio Scenes From Goethe's 'Faust' for vocal soloists, double chorus, children's chorus and orchestra. Never heard about this piece before. We did a few numbers from it a couple of weeks ago. The whole thing is something about two hours long.

ttf_S Hunter · Post by **ttf_S Hunter** » Thu Oct 08, 2009 10:28 am

I'm surprised our UK friends haven't mentioned Stanford's symphonies--they are much less performed than his choral works. I had the pleasure to play "The Irish" a few years ago; the last movement isn't exceptionally virtuosic for the bones, but it is a long hard blow!

EPJ

ttf_Edward_Solomon · Post by **ttf_Edward_Solomon** » Thu Oct 08, 2009 1:59 pm

Quote from: bonespiel on Oct 08, 2009, 10:28AMI'm surprised our UK friends haven't mentioned Stanford's symphonies--they are much less performed than his choral works. I had the pleasure to play "The Irish" a few years ago; the last movement isn't exceptionally virtuosic for the bones, but it is a long hard blow!

EPJ

You're quite right; an omission (and quite a serious one) on my part. I recently acquired a set of the Stanford symphonies, which have also been released on Naxos at a very affordable price and are well worth the trouble to acquire. Stanford bridges the gap between Potter, Parry, and Elgar, with a distinctly British (or, more specifically, Irish) twist to the Germanic tradition of Brahms, Schumann, and Mendelssohn, which later British composers, such as Holst, Vaughan Williams, and Walton were to eschew in favour of a modern, British style.

ttf_robcat2075 · Post by **ttf_robcat2075** » Thu Oct 08, 2009 3:10 pm

In the "obscure children of great composers" category I'll nominate Seigfried Wagner, son of you-know-who (and of course, grand son of Franz Liszt).

He also wrote operas and had some success with that. Some of it is being rehabilitated and performed and recorded on CD.

My favorite Seigfried Wagner piece is his Overture to "Der Schmied von Marienburg"

You can get some sense of the themes from this excerpt from Act II of the opera.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es02ZuBD8Ls&feature=player_embedded

I have NO IDEA how a devil and a golden motorcycle helmet figure into the story... but there they are!

Mysteriously, much of his music was destroyed by his family after he died. Did they think it was too awful or was it too unlike his father's music?

What we have left sounds VERY much like "Wagner".

ttf_Fishlips · Post by **ttf_Fishlips** » Mon Nov 02, 2009 12:53 pm

We do big orch/choir concerts around here..they don't get played much because the vocal parts are SO demanding and require professional soloists. we fly the soloists in from all over the country to perform with us. There are some really great trombone parts in:

Mendelssohn - Elija oratorio
Verdi - Requiem
Mozart - Requiem
Dvorak's - Requiem

Tchaikovski's 6th doesn't get much play time anymore and has some really great trombone parts.
Mendelssohn's 3rd in movements 3 and 4 have demanding trombone parts also.

ttf_BGuttman · Post by **ttf_BGuttman** » Tue Nov 03, 2009 4:58 am

Quote from: Fishlips on Nov 02, 2009, 12:53PMWe do big orch/choir concerts around here..they don't get played much because the vocal parts are SO demanding and require professional soloists. we fly the soloists in from all over the country to perform with us. There are some really great trombone parts in:

Mendelssohn - Elija oratorio
Verdi - Requiem
Mozart - Requiem
Dvorak's - Requiem

Tchaikovski's 6th doesn't get much play time anymore and has some really great trombone parts.
Mendelssohn's 3rd in movements 3 and 4 have demanding trombone parts also.

I'd hardly call these pieces "lesser known"...