10 concert works we need to hear again

10 concert works we need to hear again

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norman lebrecht

January 03, 2019

Our list of works we never need to hear again continues to attract readers’ comments, almost five years after posting.

Here’s something different: works  that used to be played with some regularity in our major halls but which orchestras are, for one reason or another, not putting on their current programmes.

We need to hear them again.

Here are 10 that I miss.

1 Cesar Franck, Symphony in D minor

2 De Falla, Nights in the Gardens of Spain

3 Mozart, Haffner Symphony

4 Kodaly, Dances of Galanta

5 Copland, clarinet concerto

6 Bohuslav Martinu 6th symphony

7 Vaughan Williams 5th symphony

8 Darius Milhaud, Creation du monde

9 Borodin, In the steppes of central Asia

10 Malcolm Arnold 5th symphony

Now add your own.

 

UPDATE: OK, so here are 10 more

 

Comments

  • Mike Schachter says:

    Very much agree with this list, except to confess I have never heard the Copeland and Hartmann concertos.

  • Pianofortissimo says:

    Stravinsky, Symphony in C.

    • Paul Carlile says:

      Ugh, ghastly idea….a well-deserved oblivion. Stravinsky, the most overrated of 20C composers needs a well-deserved rest.

    • Michael Turner says:

      And the early Symphony in E flat which, admittedly has more of an affinity to Borodin’s Steppes (a splendid work) than his later output.

  • Chris says:

    I love Borodin’s ‘In the Steppes of Central Asia’.
    I would like to add Salvador Bacarisse: Concertino for Guitar and Orchestra in A Minor, even if it’s just the 2nd movement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yrdyhx-nA_g

  • Guy Rickards says:

    VW 9 rather than No 5, plus Brian Symphonies 5, 10, 16, 30, any of McCabe’s piano concertos plus his 3rd Symphony and, of course, Harold Truscott’s Elegy for strings which finally had its UK premiere in Malvern last year.

    • norman lebrecht says:

      I’d also prefer VW9, Guy, but it was never played as much as 5, and now both are silent

      • Daniel Ayala says:

        Norman – fly across the pond to Boston Jan 10-12, where you can here the RVW 5th with the BSO as conducted by Sir Andrew Davis….also on the program is music by Harbison and Mozart’s 24th piano concerto.

      • DCmusic says:

        VW 5 next week in Boston

      • DCmusic says:

        Sir Andrew Davis conducts VW5 next week in Boston

      • Sir Andrew Davis seems to be the RVW ambassador to the USA. I’ll be at Symphony Hall in Boston next week to hear him conduct the 5th with the BSO. He did the 9th in Chicago a couple of years ago, the only time I can remember a major American orchestra playing it.

        • Michael says:

          I think Andrew Davis does a very good job with these works. Anyone in the Boston area would be wise to attend.

      • Michael Turner says:

        No.5 does crop up in quite a few amateur circles. The Ludlow Orchestra programmed it last year and I’ve conducted it twice with the Bloomsbury Chamber Orchestra over the past 15 years.

      • Paul Brownsey says:

        I bumped into Andrew Manze a few years ago when he was doing a VW symphony cycle in Glasgow and he said he was programming VW with an orchestra in Scandinavia and the players were very enthusiastic.

    • Deal Hudson says:

      The Truscott is a gem!

    • Deal Hudson says:

      The Truscott is a gem with only one recording I believe.

  • John Gibbons says:

    I too lament the disappearance of the Franck and the de Falla but surprised Borodin is on the list and have done that quite a bit recently.
    My suggestions:
    Arnold 4,
    Ibert Ouverture de la Fete,
    Roussel Symphony No. 4,
    Moeran Symphony in G minor
    and George Lloyd’s Fourth Symphony

    • Ninedragonspot says:

      +1 for Roussel’s Fourth

      Honegger’s Symphonies, too, seem to have dropped off the map. Or maybe I need to get out more.

    • Kevin Scott says:

      I would favor Lloyd’s fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth symphonies over the fourth. To me this is when Lloyd really finds his voice and mission as a symphonist and a composer with something to say.

  • Adam Stern says:

    Two works that I shamelessly admit I’ve only heard live under my own direction, and would dearly love to hear as an audience member: Holst’s “Egdon Heath” and Khachaturian’s Symphony No. 2.

  • Jean says:

    Outside of UK you almost never hear any symphonies by Vaughan Williams, Bax, or Moeran – despite the obvious quality of their works.

    Also: I’ve never had the chance of hearing a Schnittke piece in an orchestral concert.

  • Ellingtonia says:

    Miške (In the Forest), symphonic poem for orchestra by the Lithuanian composer Ciurlionis, a magnificent tone poem that would grace any concert hall.

  • Classical Music Whisperer says:

    I was lucky enough to respond to a postcard notice of an add on concert a few years ago at Carnegie Hall by Mikhail Pletnev and the RNO which included Borodin’s ‘In the steppes of Central Asia’ and I absolutely fell in love with that piece. I have seen it show up on programs 2 or 3 times since at Carnegie Hall or in the programs of the NY Phil. It’s one of those pieces that’s a “can’t miss” for me.

  • Ilio says:

    Boston Symphony is doing the RVW 5th this month with Sir Andrew.

  • Stephen Maddock says:

    Not that rare in Birmingham – the CBSO played three of these last year, two the year before and one in 2016. Haffner Symphony not since 2010, curiously. But it’s true that Martinu has pretty much dropped out of the rep (and wishlists) of most conductors, and Arnold never quite made it there in the first place. Good piece though.

  • Will Duffay says:

    Haydn symphonies, played by regular orchestras. I heard Yannick do one with the LPO a few years ago and it was wonderful. Now that orchestras have learnt the lessons of the HIP movement, there’s no reason to leave pre-19th century music just to the specialists. And we can never have too much Haydn.

  • James Inverne says:

    The Copland Clarinet Concerto was done a few years ago by the Tel Aviv Soloists, with the wonderful Shirley Brill as the, well, soloist . It was a smashing performance, smashing work.

    • Michael Turner says:

      The Clarinet Concerto is, indeed, a great work. However, there are many other Copland chamber-orchestra-sized pieces that deserve more regular outings. These include the Three Latin-American Sketches, Music for the Theater, Music from the Movies and Dance Panels. There’s also the Short Symphony, of course, which seems to be finding more supporters (John Wilson and the BBC Phil, for example).

  • Cubs Fan says:

    Kalinnikov 1st, Chausson symphony, Gliere 3rd

  • Daniel Ayala says:

    I dont have a top 10 list, per say. But, as a relatively younger concert goer in America, I would be interested in seeing live performances of the following pieces, that to my mind, are not regularly programmed:

    Barber – 1st Essay for Orchestra
    Borodin – 2nd Symphony
    Copland – Organ Symphony
    Durufle – Requiem
    Dvorak – Stabat Mater
    Gliere, Hanson, Honegger, Kabalevsky – anything
    Jongen – Symphonie Concertante
    Khachaturian – concertos or symphonies
    Respighi – Church Windows, Metamorphoseon, Belkis
    Scriabin and RVW – symphonies

  • The View from America says:

    Offenbach-Rosenthal: Gaite parisienne
    (seriously)

  • Brian says:

    Great list; I found myself nodding almost throughout. If it’s any consolation, the Berliner Philharmoniker did play the Haffner Symphony with Kirill Petrenko less than two years ago…

    Happy New Year!

  • Squagmogleur says:

    Sandy Goehr’s Little Symphony.

  • Roberto says:

    Massenet Piano Concerto

    Kilar September Symphony

    Korngold Symphony in F#

    Goldenthal Symphony in G# Minor

    Nyman MGV

    Ifukube Ritmica Ostinato for Piano and Orchestra

  • Alan K says:

    The VW 5 is an underrated masterpiece and almost never played in the US. I would rank it with the other great 5’s of the early to mid-20th Century: Nielsen 5, Sibelius 5, Shostakovich 5, and Mahler 5. Although M 5 was my first LP (Bernstein and NYP) and I love it, I believe it is now overplayed and could use a timeout from the concert hall and radio.

    • Michael says:

      Agreed. VW5 is a remarkable, moving work; and I love the piece dearly. The lack of performances in the U.S. makes me very angry. Same with #2 or any of them for that matter. The poor state of concert programming in general makes me quite upset.

    • Vance Koven says:

      The Boston SO will be performing VW5 next weekend under Andrew Davis!

  • MacroV says:

    I assume you’re talking mostly UK experience. I’ve heard the Copland Concerto – or seen it programmed – a number of times in the US. I’ve heard the Franck symphony a few times, too.

    In the US, Vaughan Williams is rarely played, Malcolm Arnold almost never. Martinu rarely, unfortunately.

  • Kananpoika says:

    No. 1 on my list would be the three Vorspiels from Hans Pfitzner’s opera “Palestrina.” I have never understood why
    this searingly beautiful, searching music is rarely played in North America.

  • Robert Roy says:

    How about the Symphonies of George Lloyd?

    • John Gibbons says:

      You need to come to West London to hear the George Lloyd symphonies – complete cycle starts with Number 1 on Saturday 26th January with Ealing Symphony Orchestra. Same Orchestra did the first ever complete concert cycle of the Malcolm Arnold Symphonies

  • Leonard Slatkin says:

    This is always a fun game. My take is that the list should be pieces that were played on a regular basis but are now mostly absent. The Martinu and Arnold were not regular visitors, at least internationally but here are a couple to replace those.

    Hindemith Symphony Mathis der Mahler
    Bartok Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste

    And what about the good old Enescu 1st Roumanian Rhapsody?

    • Michael Turner says:

      I can’t but agree, Leonard. I’d add Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphoses too.

    • nimitta says:

      Great choices, especially the Bartok – one of the supreme masterworks of the 20th century but a challenging score not played so often these days…

    • norman lebrecht says:

      That’s exactly my criterion, Leonard: works that used to be fixtures but are now discarded.
      The Franck, for instance, seemed to be on all the time when I was a kid and every major conductor recorded it. The symphony cannot suddenly have become a bad work.

    • Derek says:

      Agreed. The Bartok, in particular, it was included in one of the first concerts I attended and is certainly rare nowadays.

    • MacroV says:

      Mathis der Mahler may not be played enough, but it’s about the most frequently played work by Hindemith, at least in the U.S.. When I see it programmed I usually wonder why orchestras can’t think of anything else to play by Hindemith – the Symphony in Eb, especially.

      The Enescu probably suffers from seeming to fall into the pops repertoire.

    • Alan K says:

      Mr. Slatkin,
      One of my biggest disappointments in your tenure with the NSO is that you did not perform the VW 5. Your recordings of VW are excellent and I looked forward to your performances in DC. Perhaps you will return for more guest appearances and bring some VW!

      • Bone says:

        Yes to Maestro Slatkin’s VW (and best Prokofiev 5 ever)!

      • The View from America says:

        Unfortunately, post-Slatkin DC has seemed a bit barren, musically, at least in comparison to what came before. Let’s see how well Noseda redresses the situation.

    • John Cheek says:

      And Nobilissima Visione perhaps

    • Paul Carlile says:

      By coincidence, i recently heard the LPO/Ortega-Estrada with the Enescu 1st Rhapsody, (excellent), and the Martinu 4th, (less so!) in the same programme, (RFH), thus dealing with two “neglected” at one stroke, what luck!
      YES- for the Hindemith & Bartok!

  • Michael Turner says:

    I like the list and the suggestions of other Stravinsky and Vaughan Williams symphonies. I would like to add a handful of other works:-

    Moeran: Symphony in G Minor
    Piston: Symphony No.2
    Copland: Dance Symphony
    Honegger: Symphony No.3
    Berwald: Symphony No.2
    Lambert: Horoscope
    Delius: Eventyr
    Poulenc: Concerto Champetre
    Holst: Beni Mora
    Vaughan Williams: An Oxford Elegy

  • Sixtus says:

    Many of Sibelius’ greatest pieces are now ignored in favor of Finlandia and his symphonies 1, 2, 5 and 7. I’d like to see more performances of Tapiola (his greatest tone poem by far) and symphonies 3, 4 and 6. The 4th is a superb work.

    I was going to add the Bruckner 6th but that has been going through a fad recently seemingly at the expense of Bruckner 5. Bruckner 3 is also a great and effective piece that should be performed at least as much as the 6th.

  • JamesM says:

    Walton Symphony No. 1
    Elgar Symphonies
    William Schuman Symphony No. 3
    Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms

  • Ron Keillor says:

    “works that used to be played with some regularity…”
    SIBELIUS Tapiola and Pojola’s Daughter (also Symphony no.4 which has never been played here)
    GROFÉ Grand Canyon Suite
    BALAKIREV: Tamara
    RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: “Antar” Symphony (and the neglected concertos)
    HONEGGER: Pacific 231
    GLAZUNOV: Stenka Razin
    PISTON: The Incredible Flutist
    an Overture by SUPPÉ (or HEROLD – Zampa?)

    • Michael says:

      The Grove Grand Canyon suite certainly appeared often on recordings several decades ago, even if not in non-pops concerts. It’s a wonderful work and I’ve never figured out why it’s fallen from favor. I believe it actually should appear on subscription programs as it has every right to be taken seriously as a concert work.

      • John Marks says:

        When I was a music student in the early 1970s (well, more like, “a card-carrying Young Baroque Fascist”), I was stunned to be told by another violin student that her teacher had told her that Grand Canyon Suite was the most popular piece of American music in terms of orchestral performances.

        Regardless the accuracy of that claim, no question (1) it had been hugely over-exposed, and (2) as long as people my age have positions of decision-making in concert music, I think it will stay neglected. For us, it was sooo 1960s.

        But perhaps in future years, younger generations may decide to, in Boris Goldovsky’s wonderful usage, “glect” it.

        jm

  • Stuart says:

    Stamford Symphony #5
    Diamond Symphonies #2 and #4

  • John Marks says:

    The violin concertos of Glazunov and Goldmark–once in the repertory of the top international soloists, but now not heard that often in live performance.

    The slow movement of the Goldmark (IMHO) can stand with the slow movement of any of the better-known 19th-c. violin concertos, up to and including those of Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky. But I would not go so far as to say that on the whole, the Goldmark is an achievement in composition on the same level as the Mendelssohn. The Tchaik, for me, as it is usually played today, is a dog’s breakfast. (C’mon, John! How do you really feel?)

    If anyone is curious, here is former Heifetz student Arturo Delmoni playing the Goldmark “Air” in an arrangement for violin and pipe organ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utUKO3zYnKc&t=160s

    Ciao,

    John

  • Ceasar says:

    Poulenc’s Sinfonietta

  • Luis says:

    A good program in Santiago de Compostela last month:
    Real Filharmonia de Galicia
    Conductor: Paul Daniel
    Clarinet: Kari Kriikku
    Arnold: Dances around Britain (a selection from the different Arnold’s sets by Daniel)
    Lindberg: Clarinet Concerto
    Vaughan Williams: A London Symphony

  • Bruce says:

    I’d love to get a chance to play some English music. Aside from the Enigma Variations, my orchestra (in Spokane, WA) has only played three or four English works over the past 25+ years. Don’t know why, except that our music directors don’t like it. So I can’t really say that it was ever in regular rotation here, but it would be fun to try it out.

    Other pieces:

    • Borodin Symphony #2 (as well as the Steppes of Central Asia)
    • A Mozart piano concerto besides #20 (approx 75% of our Mozart piano concerto performances have been #20)
    • Berlioz overtures (also – was Harold in Italy ever part of the standard repertoire? That would be fun.)
    • Weber overtures
    • Suppé overtures
    • Brahms Academic Festival Overture (never played it in 29 years, except once on a student concerto winners’ concert in 1993, with zero rehearsal — not even a run-through)

  • Michael says:

    Sadly, I don’t believe the VW5 ever really turned up with much frequency in the US. If not mistaken, the Nights in the Gardens of Spain (although probably much less since Alicia de Larrocha left us) and Dances of Galanta still turn up on occasion. Copland’s clarinet concerto is still often heard, at least in the U.S. The Martinu, Arnold and Milhaud pieces were never common here.

    Two works that used to be very common back in the 50’s into the 60’s were the Symphony on a French Mountain Air by D’Indy (virtually never heard now) and Saint-Saens Piano concerto No. 2 (used to be very common, but now rather rare).

    • sam bork says:

      Beside the WW5, there is the Sixth Symphony with a most fascinating slow movement. Also anything by Walton, remember “Façade”? It was quite a popular piece mid 20th century! Where has it gone?

      • Paul Brownsey says:

        You’re right about Facade. I remember Hermione Gingold and Russell Oberlin doing it at the London proms in the 60s, Robert Tear doing it at the (R)SNO proms in the 70s, and several other performances in the same decades.

    • Sandrey Date says:

      Benjamin Grosvenor is playing Saint-Saens 2 with the Bournemouth Symphony on 23 January

  • Joel A Stein says:

    The Copland Clarinet Concerto is being done by the NY Phil together with a new work by Julia Wolfe in January. I would like to hear an American Orchestra play a symphony by Tuur, Aho or Norgard. I heard the NY Phil do Norgard’s 8th a couple of years back. Have never seen any others programmed. I’ve given up on hearing Pettersson’s seventh.

    • Sam Bork says:

      Another 20th century clarinet concerto that was premiered by the NY Philharmonic, the Corigliano Clarinet Concerto, and “Last Alice”, which was played a few times after its premiere, and then, forgotten.

      • MacroV says:

        Corigliano’s Clarinet Concerto is pretty close to standard rep for clarinet – I’d rank it just behind Mozart, Nielsen, and Copland. But orchestras don’t do clarinet concertos all that frequently, so Corigliano doesn’t pop up as much as it should, and it’s not something an orchestra is likely to do more than once.

        I like Del Tredici but his music doesn’t turn up that often anymore. “Final Alice” was premiered by Solti and the CSO in 1976. You can hear the broadcast of it here:https://pastdaily.com/2016/10/05/sir-georg-solti-del-tredici-1976/

  • Thomasina says:

    Caucasian sketches by Ippolitov-Ivanov, I have heard it once at a concert. Beautiful melodies, piccolo and bassoon are very charming in the last piece.

  • Kevin says:

    Amen amen amen to the Symphony of Psalms, Mathis der Maler, and all the RVW.

    I’d add Hindemith’s Apparebit Repentina Dies to the mix, and – jumping back a few centuries – Scotland’s answer to Thomas Tallis, Robert Carver.

    Tragically, the majority of Carver’s magnificent output was destroyed during the Reformation, and his life story falls into the shadows of obscurity after that.

    • Julian Faigan says:

      and Hindemith’s Schwanendreher… is it ever performed?

      • Paul Carlile says:

        Yes, but only cos violists need repertoire; love Hindemith tho i do, it’s really not an exciting or interesting enough piece to bring the hall to its feet. (Now bring on the viler jokes and Devil take the Hindemotht).

  • Peter says:

    Indeed, any list of forgotten or rarely played works will be incomplete.
    I will vote for any work by Bartok, except the Concerto for orchestra. Music for strings, percussion and celesta is an excellent choice.
    Frank Martin’s Petite symphonie concertante
    d’Indy: Symphonie Cévenole
    Villa Lobos: Bachiana nr 5, then add Choro nr 10 (chorus and orchestra)
    Prokofiev: pianoconcerto’s 4 and 5 , selection from Cinderella
    Honegger: symphonies 2 and 3 (add 1, 4 and the mighty 5)
    Darius Milhaud: Suite Provençale (cfr. Munch/Boston)
    Debussy: Jeux, Printemps, Fantaisie for piano and orch.

    Anyway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy, Brazil, Lithuania, Iceland, Scotland, Danmark, Sweden, the USA….all have archives stuffed with good music waiting to be performed.

  • Don Fatale says:

    I’ve attended a couple of Franck’s Symphony in D in the last three years (one thrilling, the other ho hum). My favourite, however, is Franck’s large orchestral work Psyche. I’m longing to see it live.

    Another of my favourites, Tchaikovsky’s Manfred seems a live rarity.

  • Anthony Gigliotti says:

    Brahms-Schoenberg: Piano Quartet in G Minor

    Glazunov: The Seasons, Scènes de Ballet

    Walton: Symphony #2, Partita for Orchestra (Szell’s renditions of these still give goosebumps)

    Casella: Paganiniana

    Dvorak symphonies 3 and 5

    Ibert: Escales

    Tchaikovsky Suites

    Smetana tone poems, especially Wallenstein’s Camp

    Any Martinu

    Rameau ballet suites

    Brahms Serenades for orchestra

    Bach-Elgar: Fantasia & Fugue in C minor

  • John Marks says:

    Duuh! Roy Harris’ one-movement Symphony 3 (of 1939). Once regarded as “the quintessential American symphony,” after a flurry of renewed interest circa the 1976 Bicentennial, it seems to have sunk beneath the waves. Too bad, it is a remarkably fresh and vital work.

    jm

  • Oded Zehavi says:

    Ives: symphonies 2 and 3
    any Janacek at all
    Nielsen 4-5-6
    Bartok the wooden prince
    Bartok violin concerti

  • Jack says:

    Delius: Eine Messe des Lebens

  • MacroV says:

    The comments have degenerated, as it were, into lists of underplayed works that by and large were never all that popular. Getting back to the original idea: pieces that were once played but now less so:

    – Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherezade – Everyone knows it, many recordings, but how often does one actually hear it in concert?

    – Beethoven 2: I don’t think it gets played much outside of complete cycles (though I don’t really miss it).

    – Overtures by Offenbach, Suppe, Thomas, etc.. – popular with wind ensembles in transcription, but unlikely to turn up on symphony programs.

    As for Norman’s list:

    – Creation du Monde uses only about a dozen players so isn’t something symphony orchestras were ever likely to play much.

    – The Martinu symphonies are wonderful but I doubt they’ve ever been played much outside the Czech Republic. They do get played in Prague, I can assure.

  • Jack says:

    Delius: Mass of Life

  • Kevin Scott says:

    There are a number of works that should be heard more often, among them the other four symphonies of William Grant Still. Everyone programs the Afro-American Symphony but tend to neglect the remaining ones. In my opinion Nos. 2 and 4 are his best works in the genre.

    Also, it would be nice to hear the Bernard Herrmann symphony, as well as those by Jerome Moross, Elie Siegmeister, Irwin Bazelon, Arnold Rosner, Gloria Coates and even Peter Mennin, whose symphonies are not even heard in the concert hall.

    I do concur with many folks here about Vaughan Williams, Brian, Lloyd and Arnold, but you also have the symphonies of Daniel Jones which are rarely heard outside of the UK, as well as those of William Alwyn, Alan Rawsthorne, Benjamin Frankel and Humphrey Searle.

  • Well, to hear the Mozart piece live in the very near future, tune in from anywhere in the world at roco.org on Feb 23rd at 5pm central for the ROCO Live stream. We will be playing Haffner on our “Ticket to RIde” concert with a world premiere commission by Jim Stephenson about miniature trains. In addition, our train trip around Europe includes Ethyl Smyth’s Wreckers Overture (rescore by Mark Buller for Chamber Orchestra), Kilar’s Orawa, and Saint-Saens’ Cello concerto played by our principal, Richard Belcher all conducted by guest conductor, Brett Mitchell!

    • Paul Carlile says:

      Well, all power to your imaginative enterprise, but is it really a very good idea to programme “The Wreckers” on a train trip….? Bon voyage, en tout cas.

  • adista says:

    Absolutely agree on the de Falla

  • Lucide says:

    Many works with solo voice and orchestra are rarely performed, even Mahler’s Lied von der Erde. But think of Hugo Wolff’s Lieder with orchestra, Liszt’s ditto, Dvorak’s Biblical Songs,… Let alone works with choirs – Berlioz’ Roméo et Juliette, Lizst’s Christus, Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius. And for orchestra, it is high time to pay tribute to Roussel born 150 years ago. His compositions are all fine and rewarding for the players and the audiences – Le Festin de l’Araignée, Bacchus et Ariane, his symphonies,…

    • Paul Carlile says:

      And to Roussel’s list you can add the stunning “Evocations” giving vocal and instrumental brilliance, color, verve, mystery and poetry!

  • Julian Faigan says:

    Weinberger: Schwanda the Bagpiper Polka and Fugue
    Hindemith: Mathis der Maler symphony
    Scriabin: Symphony #1

  • Julian Faigan says:

    Ross Lee Finney- Symphony #1 “Communique”

  • J. Froberger says:

    Any symphony of Nikolai Myaskovsky. I have only heard his fourth by Gergiev and the Rotterdam Phil. He wrote 27…

  • Paul Carlile says:

    The César Franck seems to be the only really major work that’s slipped out of concert presence. Possibly the Kodaly and Borodin, altho they’re more “occasional” pieces anyway. Mozart “Haffner…?” I’m tripping up over it constantly!
    There are many worthwhile major works that have never been constantly present, but would be welcome; my choices would be:
    Martinu, Roussel, Nielsen, Hindemith, Honegger, (for symphonies & concertos, but also much else), and certain underplayed Sibelius (4 & 6), Tchaikovsky (1, 2, 3, Manfred, 2nd concerto, “Hamlet”…..), Borodin, (all 3 symphs!), Berwald, Balakirev, (1st & “Tamara”) would be a welcome change…

    I’m sorry not to be enthusiastic about most British music, which bores most of the rest of the world stiff! So for me, any Warm-Villains, Elgar, etc are vastly overplayed! (I’m with Sir Thomas on that one: at the finish of a VW symphony, he continued to beat time, until the 1st violin, whispered: “eerrh….Sir Thomas…it’s finished!” “What d’you say?”…(loudly, turning to last page)…”oh, so it has! Thank God for that!”)

  • Brent says:

    None of these pieces were ever part of the standard repertoire but in my opinion they should be played in the concert hall more often.

    1. Mozart – Symphony #34
    2. Dvorak – Symphonies #5 and #6
    3. Tchaikovsky – Symphony #1
    4. Handel – opera Alcina
    5. Schubert – Symphony #2
    6. Stravinsky – Fairy’s Kiss ballet
    7. Handel – Italian cantatas
    8. Haydn – Piano Concerto in D
    9. Taverner – Lalishri
    10. Hansen – Symphony #2

  • Guillermo García Calvo says:

    16th and 17th of January the Robert-Schumann-Philharmonie will play in the Stadthalle Chemnitz Vaughan-Williams Sixth Symphony. Broadcast on MDR Kultur:

    https://www.mdr.de/kultur/radio/ipg/sendung-384054_date-2019-01-22_ipgctx-true_zc-564a0bf2.html

  • PETER LONGSHAW says:

    the Kodaly was programmed twice in London this season; I heard the Franck twice in London quite recently under ADES & NICQUET and also went to Berlin to hear MINKOWSKI conduct it

  • PETER LONGSHAW says:

    also there is a vw 5 under Wigglesworth M soon at Cadogan Hall

  • muslit says:

    1. Weill Symphonies 1/2
    2. Hindemith Symphony in E Flat
    3. Dvorak Scherzo Capriccioso
    4. Dvorak Variations for Orchestra
    5. Szymanowski Symphony no. 3 “Song of the Night”
    6. Franck “Le Chausseur Maudit”
    7. Copland Statements for Orchestra
    8. Honegger Symphony No. 5 “Di Tre Re”
    9. Zemlinsky “Lyric Symphony”
    10. Bizet “Rome” Symphony

  • debusschubertussy says:

    Can we extend this to piano works? Is it just me or are Mozart sonatas and concertos fast disappearing from professional concert programs nowadays? I’d rather hear a well-played K. 595 than sit through yet another Rach 2 or 3.

  • debusschubertussy says:

    In 2019, I’d love to hear any other 20th century American composer besides Leonard Bernstein, please! 2018 was a bit…much.

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