# Almost unknown symphonies



## TudorMihai

There are many composers out there whose symphonies are not known or they're known by only a handful of people. We will talk about them here. To begin with, here is Gustav Holst's Symphony in F major, Op. 8 (1899-1900)

Allegro con brio





Elegy (In Memoriam William Morris)





Scherzo


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## TudorMihai

And the Finale


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## KenOC

Franz Berwald's Symphony No. 3, the "Singulière." Actually this is a pretty significant symphony IMO.


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## Weston

TudorMihai said:


> To begin with, here is Gustav Holst's Symphony in F major, Op. 8 (1899-1900)


What?!!!  I didn't know about this! Thanks for posting it.



KenOC said:


> Franz Berwald's Symphony No. 3, the "Singulière." Actually this is a pretty significant symphony IMO.


I've loved this Berwald piece for a long time. All his works are satisfying, but especially this one.

I'm sure I've got a ton to fit this category, but I need to think on it properly.


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## Prodromides

This forum has had, over 6 months ago, a similar thread on not-very-well-known symphonies. 

http://www.talkclassical.com/19978-not-very-well-known.html

Lots o' valuable contributions from members in there, most of which could be almost unknown to other TCers.


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## Weston

Well, there's a big different between not very well known and almost unknown, isn't there? Because in between you have not well known and not very unknown.

This one might be considered not very unknown rather than almost unknown, but in lieu of starting another thread, I'll mention it here. I've just acquired this Dutilleux Symphony No. 1 (a different slower version with Daniel Barenboim) and have not heard it all the way through, but I am captivated by the syncopated horn jabs starting at about 1:26 in this video. It has a kind of 1950s flim noir thriller feeling. I love it so far.


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## GSchiappe

This Dutilleux symphony is quite an interesting work, I'll look it up on amazon.

I think that Weber's symphonies are quite good and sounds a little early schubertian to my ears, with better use of the sonata form.

The sound isn't good at all, but I couldn't resist the pairing:


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## Vaneyes

Prodromides said:


> This forum has had, over 6 months ago, a similar thread on not-very-well-known symphonies.
> 
> http://www.talkclassical.com/19978-not-very-well-known.html
> 
> Lots o' valuable contributions from members in there, most of which could be almost unknown to other TCers.


And I s'pose some would interpret "almost unknown" or "not very well known", as being *unloved*. If so, there's a link for them, too. :tiphat:

http://kennethwoods.net/blog1/2013/02/17/the-greatest-unloved-symphonies/


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## TudorMihai

Prodromides said:


> This forum has had, over 6 months ago, a similar thread on not-very-well-known symphonies.
> 
> http://www.talkclassical.com/19978-not-very-well-known.html
> 
> Lots o' valuable contributions from members in there, most of which could be almost unknown to other TCers.


I say that it's a difference between "not very well known" and "almost unknown". For example, in the category "not very well known" is Tchaikovsky's Manfred Symphony. Many people heard of it but not many listened it because it's rarely recorded and performed. In the category "almost unknown" we put symphonies that many people don't even know of their existence, like Holst's symphony or John Williams' symphony (as a matter of fact, it was never recorded).


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## Ravndal

It's easy to get lost in unknown symphonies at youtube. It's quite fun though. You start out with the one, checking it out really fast, then moving on to next related obscure piece.

Kurt Atterberg - Symphony 2






Bernard Zweers - Symphony 3






Btw, does anyone know where the pictures from the videoes are from? They are beautiful.


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## TudorMihai

Bernard Herrmann's symphony (1941), conducted by the maestro himself.


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## TudorMihai

George Frederick Bristow's Symphony in F-sharp minor (1858)


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## TudorMihai

And the fourth movement


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## Frasier

Unfortunately almost unknown symphonies might not be represented on youtube.


The two recorded symphonies of Robert Still intrigue me. They're recorded on Lyrita with Humphrey Searle's Symphony No. 2, better known but still obscure. The Still are energetic and basically tonal but chromatic as easy to listen to as any mid-20th century music. 

There are also the 2nd and 3rd by William Wordsworth (the composer) also on Lyrita. As is usual for Richard Itter, the recordings are splendid.


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## Weston

Ravndal said:


> Btw, does anyone know where the pictures from the videoes are from? They are beautiful.


A lot of these look like the 3D graphics found on the Deviantart site, another place I can get lost exploring. I know that -- someone I know of or have heard about, let's say, who has one of these channels, likes to have more than one picture and pans across them while the music is playing, and also tries to match the images with the period of the music, but it gets hard after a while finding different images to use. Maybe 3D art and just one image throughout is the better and easier idea.


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## TrevBus

I am an avid collector and love to investigate obscure composers. I have so many that I could list but I will stick w/4 that I bought lately and have really enjoyed. Below are the 4 composers and the symphonies. If you haven't already, you might want listen to all. IMO, they are all worth your while.

Volkmar Andreae Symphony in C Guild Label GMCD 7377
Fernando Lopes-Graca Symphony for Orchestra Naxos Label DDD 8.572892
Stanley Bate Symphony #3 and Symphony #4 Dutton/Epoch Labels CDLX 7239, 7255
Paul Graener Wiener(Vienna) Symphony Sterling Label CDS 1090-2


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## mtmailey

Here are some SCHUBERT symphony 7 d.729 & symphony 10.TCHAIKOVSKY symphony ELAT major.BEACH symphony in e minor.WAGNER symphonies he had a full one & a fragment.TAYLOR a minor symphony.
View attachment 19635


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## jurianbai

Almost unknown symphony.

How about Franz Lachner (2 April 1803 - 20 January 1890), he wrote eight symphonies. From number 5 upward, I think the symphonies are worth to have some listening.






I also open a composer guestbook for the Lachner brothers, but seems nobody come to comments yet.


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## spradlig

Honegger's First symphony. I have never seen it mentioned in this forum.


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## Celloman

Zemlinsky's _Lyric Symphony_ is one of his "best-known" works, but it's rarely performed/recorded. It was influenced by Mahler's _Das Lied von der Erde_, if I'm not mistaken.


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## nightscape

TudorMihai said:


> Bernard Herrmann's symphony (1941), conducted by the maestro himself.


I'm glad someone else actually knew of the existence of this Symphony. Great piece of work rarely heard. Credit for knowing it, thinking of it, and posting it. :tiphat:


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## TudorMihai

Another symphony I have recently discovered on YT. Jesús Guridi's (1886-1961) _Sinfonía pyrenaica_ (1945).


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## TrevBus

TudorMihai said:


> Another symphony I have recently discovered on YT. Jesús Guridi's (1886-1961) _Sinfonía pyrenaica_ (1945).


I knew about Guridi w/the one cd I has of his music. EMI Classics.'Diez Melodias Vascas', 'Amaya' and 'Homenaje a Walt Disney'. I was unfamiliar w/the Sinfonia, until I bought the Naxos recording of it. Superb.


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## Heckill

Wonderful! Thank you for sharing


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## Feathers

Here's Rangstrom's Symphony No. 2. 

Full of northern flavours!


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## Forte

Joachim Raff's symphonies (all 11 of them) are great works which have all but slipped into obscurity since his death.


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## TudorMihai

Forte said:


> Joachim Raff's symphonies (all 11 of them) are great works which have all but slipped into obscurity since his death.


Unfortunately, not only his symphonies but all his works have fallen into obscurity. I've listened to his Piano Concerto today and I can't imagine why it's not performed more often. Raff was an amazing composer and incredibly prolific (over 200 works with opus number and others without, that's incredible); he deserves more attention. Hopefully, just as Korngold's works are beginning to be performed more and more frequently, maybe Raff will someday receive the respect and appreciation he deserves.


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## LFTBR

Malcolm Arnold's 9 symphonies are tragically neglected works by a pillar of 20th century British composers. Orchestrated beautifully, and full of emotion and depth while still very accessible, I wish these pieces were performed more frequently.


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## Cosmos

I just discovered this interesting little gem by Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas, "La Noche de los Mayas" (Night of the Mayans, for non-hispanoblantes)


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## Tristan

What about Louis Spohr's symphonies? I never hear any mention of them nor do I hear much mention of Spohr's work in general...

I'm listening to his Symphony No. 7 right now; it's excellent


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## LFTBR

Chanced across some scores at my local library for a symphonist I've never even heard of: Edmund Rubbra. Apparently a British composer whose output spanned a good chunk of the 20th century. Now to try and track down some recordings of this fellow!

Anyone know of any recordings of his works so I can get an idea of what is - to me anyways - completely unknown composer sounds like?

LFTBR

http://www.listeningfromthebackrow.com


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## joen_cph

The Chandos recordings are excellent in any way (I believe there are a few old Lyrita ones as well, and a few scattered ones too).


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## TudorMihai

Looks like Rubbra is in the same league as Raff: prolific composer but sadly forgotten. Looks like there are all his symphonies available on Youtube. Here are some examples:


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## moody

LFTBR said:


> Chanced across some scores at my local library for a symphonist I've never even heard of: Edmund Rubbra. Apparently a British composer whose output spanned a good chunk of the 20th century. Now to try and track down some recordings of this fellow!
> 
> Anyone know of any recordings of his works so I can get an idea of what is - to me anyways - completely unknown composer sounds like?
> 
> LFTBR
> 
> http://www.listeningfromthebackrow.com


I use Presto Classical for my orders and they have a lot of Rubbra.


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## LFTBR

Thanks for posting those! I'll be checking out those scores at the next chance to see what I've been missing out on.


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