# Your favourite obscure works/composers



## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

I thought that the nature of my other thread about the neglect of some music in favour of the often-recorded works by more famous composers got a little out of hand, so I created this thread which deals with a similar subject but eliminating the negativity of some of the posts in that last thread.

Here we post and praise our favourite obscure works and composers and we can all share our opinions on them without bickering. First of all I'd like to share one of my favourite symphonies of the 19th century by the lesser known composer Louise Farrenc. Here is her symphony no. 3 in g minor:


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## Meaghan (Jul 31, 2010)

HEY YOU GUYS LISTEN TO THIS ARIA because it's pretty great.






I love the swelling and ebbing string accompaniment, sounds like ocean.

Also, the epic overture to the same opera:






Very lush, dramatic, late romantic stuff. Which you'll maybe dig if you're into that. Also - leitmotifs! And cool folk-inspired melodies because she's English. At times Smyth sounds like a weird mix of Wagner and Vaughan Williams (she was inspired by the former but predates the latter), in a good way. Listen to the rest of the opera.

Most of the obscure music I like isn't on youtube (or, in some cases, there are performances on youtube, just not good ones or complete ones) because it is by women, making it _extra_ obscure (which sucks). These Wreckers excerpts are only on youtube because I put them there. I took a class on women composers and that's why they make up the bulk of the obscure composers I listen to. But I'll list just a few other composers and pieces that I really like on the off-chance that some musical adventurer wants to explore my recommendations.
*Louise Farrenc:* Symphonies (she wrote 3)
*Elfrida Andrée:* Fritiof Suite, Symphony #2, Swedish Mass #1, Andante Quasi Recitativo
*Pauline Viardot:* Utёs, various other songs
*Ethel Smyth:* The Wreckers
*Germaine Tailleferre:* Harp Sonata, "Image" for eight instruments
*Rebecca Clarke:* Three Irish Country Songs
*Kaija Saariaho:* Six Japanese Gardens for percussion and electronics


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I thought that the nature of my other thread about the neglect of some music in favour of the often-recorded works by more famous composers got a little out of hand, so I created this thread which deals with a similar subject but eliminating the negativity of some of the posts in that last thread.
> 
> Here we post and praise our favourite obscure works and composers and we can all share our opinions on them without bickering. First of all I'd like to share one of my favourite symphonies of the 19th century by the lesser known composer Louise Farrenc. Here is her symphony no. 3 in g minor:


This was a great idea. Well-done.


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## brianwalker (Dec 9, 2011)




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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

I don't know if he is considered obscure by the standards of this site but I was quite obsessed with Ornstein for a while.






For a good recording of the above: http://www.amazon.com/Leo-Ornstein-Quintet-String-Quartet/dp/B0000030JT/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top










He was one of first 20th century _enfant terribles_. He later took on neoromantic idiom:






This was all back in the day when I used to explore a variety of music instead of fixating all of my attention obsessively on Wagner.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

^Wow! Ornstein is awesome! His name sounded vaguely familiar, but I'm surprised even from that piano quintet that he isn't better known.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

He's more famous for his _enfant terrible _pieces 'Suicide on an Airplane', 'Wild Man's Dance', etc. But I think he wrote stuff with more depth. He fell into almost total obscurity when he began writing more romantically (still with some healthy dissonance though) and the avant garde crew disowned him.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

Daniel Catán (April 3, 1949 - April 8, 2011) was a Mexican composer of Russian Sephardic Jewish descent. He was known mostly for his operas. He was both the first Mexican composer to have an opera produced in the United States and the first composer to have a Spanish-language opera premiered in the US.

Catán composed music in a neo-Romantic style that was highly lyrical, lush, and unquestionably operatic in scope. He sited influences ranging from Wagner, Richard Strauss, and Puccini to Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky, Berg and Heitor Villa-Lobos (among other Latin-American composers).

His opera, _La hija de Rappaccini_ (Rappacinni's Daughter) (1991) was based upon a translation/transformation of the classic Nathaniel Hawthorne tale by the great Mexican poet, Octavio Paz. It was released on Naxos records:






His opera, _Florencia en el Amazonas_ (Florencia in the Amazon) (1996) involves a journey (real and metaphorical) down the Amazon River by a group of travelers, including Florencia, a retired opera singer involving love and self-discovery. It was premiered by the Houston Grand Opera:






His final opera, _Il Postino_ premiered at the Los Angeles Opera in September 2010. It was based upon the novel by the Chilean author, Antonio Skármeta, and the 1994 Italian film of the same name which tells a fictional story in which the real life Chilean poet Pablo Neruda forms a relationship with a simple postman who learns to love poetry. The premiere featured Plácido Domingo in the role of Pablo Neruda.






Daniel Catán died shortly after attending rehearsals for the production of _Il Postino_ in Huston.

The LA opera has not yet released either a DVD or CD recording of _Il Postino_.


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

Unsuk Chin and Kaija Saariaho. These 2 Composers should get recognized more.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

My advice for posters of this thread: Do not *not* post works. Do not post *too many* works. Post 1 or 2 of the works you are most passionate about. That way they will get heard and the composer will get explored.


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

Chin : Violin Concerto Part 1


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## HarpsichordConcerto (Jan 1, 2010)

Not as obscure perhaps as the names mentioned thus far but often overshadowed by many of his contemporaries, *Louis Spohr* (1784-1859). This is part of his clarinet concerto #4 in E flat minor.


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## Toddlertoddy (Sep 17, 2011)

Shchedrin: Piano Concerto No. 2


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## Krisena (Jul 21, 2012)

I'm a big fan of Sibelius' Piano Quintet in G minor. Almost no one knows of this work, being composed in 1890, long before his mature period. The quintet is easy listening, but also full of energy and lively and cute.

So obscure there are only two movements on Youtube! Take it easy, I uploaded the scerzo for you, you can listen to it here:

https://www.box.com/s/qzjvljhro41fnzyfexoy


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

EJ Moeran - my favourite obscure composer. Best: cello concerto, violin concerto, symphony.


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## BurningDesire (Jul 15, 2012)

Music from the obscure (yet awesome) Herman Lovenskiold's ballet La Sylphide, considered the first Romantic ballet. This is the recording of the work used in the anime Princess Tutu.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

This is the last of four symphonies by Mikhail Nosyrev (1924-1981). This is a man who was thrown into a gulag on the strength of some diary entries while still a teenager - originally sentenced to death but then commuted to 10 years. Then he had to live most of his life in what amounted to internal exile. To be honest, I was amazed it was actually on Youtube - the only recording I know of is on Olympia who went belly-up some years ago.


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## Lisztian (Oct 10, 2011)




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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

I just stumbled upon this forum: http://www.unsungcomposers.com
Seems interesting!

I am currently listening to an obscure symphony.
I liked some of Catoire's piano pieces, so maybe this is nice.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I was going to start my own thread where we could champion our favorite obscure composers and works, but then I found this excellent one, so I will necropost instead. I'm on the hunt for lesser known composers and I wonder why this thread didn't have more fuel.

Here's my contribution. *Emil František Burian* lived an adventurous life to be sure. Apparently he was a jack of all trades more prominent in the theater and in left wing political activism than in music. His music is interesting though when presented with the skill of the Rosemunde Quartett.






So, what do you say? Any others?


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## Dimiter (Feb 24, 2013)

Pancho Vladigerov (1899-1978) Enjoy


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## Stargazer (Nov 9, 2011)

Is this obscure? It was written for Anne de Bretagne way back in the day, before we had all these new-fangled gadgets and gizmos!


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

*Michael Tilson Thomas*

Michael Tilson Thomas: _Street Song_

MTT is not an obscure musician but I had no idea that he was such an outstanding composer until I heard the U. S. Marine Band perform this work. It was originally composed for brass quintet and Thomas rearranged it for brass ensemble. The video is only the second movement of a three movement work:






Link to CD:
http://www.harmoniamundi.com/#/albums?id=1634


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Arriaga, died while still a teenager...


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## LordBlackudder (Nov 13, 2010)




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## Ramako (Apr 28, 2012)

I'm really digging Kraus at the moment. I need to get more of him.


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## Nervensis (Feb 2, 2013)

John Hebden (1712-1765), I love the CD someone gave me of his string concertos but he seems to be a very unknown composer esp. for baroque (he has about 360 listeners on last.fm). Though I can understand with only two of his works ever actually being published and only Opus 2 being his only surviving works.


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## DrKilroy (Sep 29, 2012)

I think that Jehan Alain is almost completely unknown here. He was a French organist, his composition have some similarities with early Messiaen works, but they are original nevertheless. Links to a few works by him:

Variations sur un thème de Clément Jannequin 
Deux danses à Agni Yavishta 
Choral dorien
And the most famous one, Litanies.

Best regards, Dr


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## ptr (Jan 22, 2013)

DrKilroy said:


> I think that Jehan Alain is almost completely unknown here...


No, really? Jehan Alain is well known to everyone who is into Pipe Organs, not lest because of his little sister Marie Claire being one of the finest French Organists!!!










I can agree that the fact that he was killed at the tender age of 29 did not help his fame, but every organist with the least interest in French Organ Music will have played his "Trois Danses" n'est-ce pas?... 

/ptr


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## DrKilroy (Sep 29, 2012)

Are there that many organists? 

Best regards, Dr


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

I am not an organist, but I have a Jehan Alain CD in my collection.


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## ptr (Jan 22, 2013)

DrKilroy said:


> Are there that many organists?


I personally have 5 dozen or so in my back pocket, so yes, there are many, organ people are hopelessly fanatical... 

/ptr


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

I love all that I've been able to hear of Charles Koechlin's _Les Chants de Nectaire_


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)




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## presto (Jun 17, 2011)

Some fantastic links here, I don’t know why people dwell so much time on endless versions of popular works when there is so much more to discover!


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