Repertoire: The IDEAL Romantic Works for String Orchestra

Lively, luscious, and lovely, here is a delicious pile of serenades, sonatas, and suites for string orchestra, spanning the entire long 19th century, from Mozart at one end to Elgar on the other. Along the way, you'll find a whole slew of works you probably never heard, but will be thrilled to encounter. This is a lengthy talk, but with lots of musical examples courtesy of Supraphon, CPO, and Naxos, you'll discover a gold mine of truly rewarding romantic music for strings.

[@85vesti]

I'm so glad to hear Fuchs' name out loud at long last. I've been saying it wrong all this time and have been getting some rather peculiar looks as a consequence.

[@ftumschk]

There's a story about Sir Thomas Beecham getting a telegram from a talent scout about the soprano Marta Fuchs, which read "Marta Fuchs wonderful", to which Beecham replied, "I'm sure she does, but can she sing?".

[@AlexMadorsky]

Fuchs wrote a wonderful symphony for full orchestra or two as well. Not familiar with Herr F-U-X.

[@basilpeewit3350]

Well, Fuchs is pronounced Fux, not as Dave first tries to PC it. He later gets it right.

[@michelangelomulieri5134]

This is one of the best video since I started watching you. Bravissimo!

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Wow, thanks!

[@colinwrubleski7627]

One last post from I.V.: the subject of the Karlowicz string serenade logically leads to the need to cover the six large-scale Karlowicz orchestral symphonic poems. The (Lithuanian) M. Cirliuonis--- lamentably, as short-lived as Kalinnikov and Karlowicz---- symphonic poems and the early Szymanowski Concert Overture in E (a Polish "Don Juan"-?!?^^) certainly would be nice to be explored as well...

[@carmel1629]

Great talk David ! I had no clue about Fuchs or Victor Herbert and am very grateful for including them in my collection. Valuable works by forgotten composers. This is what it's all about. Indeed Classical music is a living breathing organism that infuses us with new and unexpected turns. Bring it on ! I love how endless great music is. Bravo Mr. Hurwitz. Keep up the good work.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!

[@shostakovich343]

That Pešek disc (as well as the gold one) also contains Suk's rarely heard 'Under the Apple Tree', the first movement of which (around 75 seconds in) contains a tune that could easily make our 'greatest ever' list. This is not a submission to that series, just an urge to people who love beautiful melodies to find themselves some Suk.

[@simonvaughan6017]

To my knowledge, Under the Apple Tree (Pod jaboní) has been recorded only twice, and only one of those recordings has been released on compact disc. The neglect is incomprehensible. Suk was a truly great melodist, as great as his father-in-law, though very different. His early piano works abound in melodies that, in a just world, would be famous.

[@WolfGratz]

A very informative and entertaining talk - thank you. Plus it happened to end on my favourite disc of all time.

[@cliffordbaker4930]

Thanks for the information on the lesser-known composers. And I’m so glad you included the Rossini. I’ve loved that I Musici recording for many years. I look forward to your 20th Century videos. Thanks again!

[@davidhickey1182]

Gosh, it is interesting to hear Entremont as a conductor from deep in the 21st Century when he was such a star of the piano in the 1960s. Wonderful that he is still recording music.

[@estel5335]

Yes! I was trying to meditate yesterday evening after hearing the 'Wedding Day at Troldhaugen' like ten times (the one from Tharaud's awesome 'Autograph') and I just couldn't clear my mind. What a teriffic melody! So catchy. Thank you, Edvard! =)

[@classicalduck]

Glad to see a little love for Robert Volkmann. His Konzertstück, Op. 42, might be a candidate for a future sequel to your talk on Miniatures for Piano and Orchestra.

[@samnelson8280]

Wedding Day at Troldhaugen gets stuck in my head, too! Every time I hear it it’s a guarantee I’ll be humming it for the next couple hours at least. Great video!

[@Wolfcrag85]

Every minute of this video was as delightful as the examples you played. As for the Tchaikovsky, another worthy version is the one on Virgin with Richard Hickox, conducting the City of London Sinfonia.

[@LaurelT1948]

Karlowicz reminds me of the graceful ragtime of Scott Joplin and Joseph Lamb! Amazing,! Some of the works you mentioned are favorites of mine- Holberg Suite and Souvenirs of Florence. I’m checking out Fuchs next. Can’t wait for the 20th century list. Thanks, Dave.

[@kylejohnson8877]

Really looking forward to the 20th century talk! SO many gems to be found there!

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Working on it!

[@raphaelfournier8273]

@@DavesClassicalGuide Thinking on it, what do you make of Berger's Rondino giocoso? Last ca. 6', it's dance-like, funny, nostalgic, buoyant, ironic, crazy, you name it. Deliciously Viennese, slightly, elegantly decadent. I always dreamt a conductor dare use it as a bis. Never happened for me. But Böhm recorded it (in vintage nasty nazi sound!), and most important, Stokowski made a gorgeous recording of it in yummy early stereo sound (in the Warner Icon box, or in Guild reissue). The piece seems to have disappeared at all since then.

[@Dodecatone]

There's a fabulous disc with Souvenir de Florence and Verklarte Nacht, both in their original sextet form, played by an augmented Emerson Quartet. The smaller forces make the pieces spark with energy and flow with ease. Absolutely gorgeous.

[@tortuedelanuit2299]

I especially love Serenadenfuchs' Third Serenade because it summons up a magical Mahlerian world.

[@carlconnor5173]

I’ve always loved the late Mendelssohn String Symphonies. I haven’t heard the Janacek before. Kinda shocked me. And I’m a fan! Go figure.Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir is lovely. But my favorite piece by Tchaikovsky is the Serenade for Strings (second only to “Winter Dreams”. Another topic). The Suk sounds worth a listen. I’m sure I’ve heard the Elgar but I’ll have to revisit.

[@rsmickeymooproductions4877]

I do like the mention of Karlowitz and Suk. Two of my favourite unsung composers. Not quite in the basic repertoire is Weingarter's Serenade for Strings. A short piece of four movements but contains some interesting pastoral/folky Celtic type music. I like it very much.

[@KingOuf1er]

Thank you again, David: I’ve just commanded Presto to send me the two Naxos Fuchs Serenade discs and the Herbert cpo disc. Thank G-D I already had the rest! Happy New Year!

[@adamfrye246]

I find it fascinating from reading John Clapham's liner notes for Colin Davis' recording that Tchaikovsky and Dvorak became friends when Tchaikovsky gave him a copy of his Serenade for Strings. And since Dvorak wrote his first but was not known outside Czechoslovakia, neither composer would have known the other's work in the genre at the time, but now we have both works paired together and can experience them in a complementary way.

[@rbmelk7083]

Great topic, and I cannot wait for your 20th century followup videos. Fuchs is terribly underrated, and he wrote some very nice chamber music as well. You mentioned Robert Volkmann who is also undeservedly ignored, and in another video, you mentioned how similar the opening of Bizet’s symphony is to Prokofiev’s classical symphony: Have you noticed how similar the opening of Volkmann’s first is to Borodin’s second symphony? Thank you again!

[@Cesar_SM]

Blatantly similar indeed.

[@ralphbruce1174]

Antoni Wit is so a great conductor. And his Naxos recordings are cheap and always great.

[@arbuckle123]

Thank you for another great review. I've conducted Nielsen's Petit Suite and (for what it is worth) I totally agree with your succinct analysis of it. Next! (sorry for stealing your transition style, but I love it) I don't know if it falls within the selection, because it was written in 1925 for four lutes, and later adapted for string orchestra, but I would like to mention Joaquín Turina's "La Oración del Torero" (The Bullfighter's Prayer). It has a very Spanish tone; romantic, dramatic and deeply pensive. After all, bullfighters have a lot to pray for before they go to the arena. And finally I would like to quote the legendary piano virtuoso Chico Marx in Animal Crackers: "And now I'll play one of my own compositions by Victor Herbert".

[@ftumschk]

12:58 I stumbled across Janácek's Suite/Idyll by accident a few weeks ago when I bought that very František Jílek CD, for his recording of the Lachian Dances. I was pleasantly surprised by how delightful the couplings were.

[@jeremyberman7808]

A set of string pieces by Mozart which predate "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" are the Divertimenti K. 136 through K. 138. Not as popular as K. 525, I think they're quite wonderful. Thanks for the video, I always enjoy hearing some pieces I previously hadn't been familiar with.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Yes, they are lovely, but they are not part of the repertoire of "romantic string orchestra works," which was my point in starting where I did.

[@markzacek237]

Dave, it’s great to see Victor Herbert getting some love! There’s actually more orchestral music than you mentioned and it’s absolutely terrific! John McGlinn’s early death prevented him from advancing with scholarly editions - he said there was as much Victor Herbert as Telemann! But he recorded the complete Babes In Toyland, which EMI never released. But the recording can be found at a very reasonable price by some internet sleuthing. And it is superb! And there’s three very full discs of unstinting melody. It includes a very extended Prologue, which is actually a huge tone poem and in the Appendix, a fabulous Overture. There is storm music that is more hair raising than any you’ve ever heard! I think if this recording had been released, it would have been acclaimed as a revelation on a par with McGlinn’s recording of Show Boat.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Yes, I knew John well and we discussed this and many other projects that remained sadly unrealized.

[@edwinschirp3536]

Hello.. I highly recommend listening to Julius Klengel's Serenade for Strings Op. 24 (1890). Although I hope you have more luck than me finding a recording... there is also József Bloch's suite Op. 6 in D (1895). I also recommend LA Serenade for strings in d minor Op. 36 by Julius de Beliczay (1873) very nice. there is also the serenade for strings in g minor op. 35 by Oscar Straus(1899). Also recommend Richard Heuberger 'Nachtmusik' Op. 7. lovely. another forgotten composer is Hans Rott. an incredible composer who passed away before his time, he was a colleague and contemporary of Gustav Mahler. he composed Symphony for String Orchestra in A-flat major (incomplete) .. and I hope you have the opportunity to listen to these suggestions and above all I hope you share your comments. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and insightfulness with everyone. P.S.. if you find any recordings of Julius Klengel's serenade. please share the information..thanks. bye

[@brtherjohn]

Besides the Tchaikovsky's sextet for string orchestra, played here, there are also full string arrangements of Mendelssohn's Octet. (Zuckerman and Mehta have recordings of it..)

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I know. As I said, with the exception of the Tchaikovsky I deliberately excluded other such arrangements. I just talked about orchestral versions of the Brahms G Major Sextet as well...

[@whistlerfred6579]

Just spent a very agreeable hour with Fuchs' delightful Serenades. And was that a brief bit of Chopin in the Capriccio?

[@colinwrubleski7627]

A little bit of immodest self-promotion: Igor Vrableetch, in his alter-ego as an orchestral violinist (now more a violist), was involved in the Canadian premiere in the summer of 1988 of the Karlowicz Serenade opus 2 by the Northern Music Festival Orchestra, in North Bay, Ontario, with Armenian-Canadian conductor Nurhan Arman on the podium. The same ensemble performed it again in the summer of 1989 with Polish conductor Karol Stryja, now lamentably deceased. // Apparently the work has also become a favourite "party-piece" of the Korean Chamber Orchestra, since their leader has fallen in love with it and programs it often on that orchestra's international tours. [I.V. had all his bows and instruments stolen in May of 1999, during his "first tour of duty" as an EFL teacher in Korea, so he spent far more time in Korea as an audience member than as a performer. Sigh... Some pretty darned good concerts, though, to which to listen.~]

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

It's OK to use the first person pronoun when referring to yourself, just in case you had any doubt.

[@c.iuliusbalbus4399]

Is there an orchestration of the "Lyric suite" by Karl Muck? I read that Anton Seidl orchestrated four lyric pieces, but Grieg didn't like his work very much and orchestrated them himself, substituting one that Seidl had not arranged. Thanks!

[@Don-md6wn]

OK, you did it again. I have somehow never had a recording of the Peer Gynt Suites or the Holberg Suite. I ordered a couple of discs you have reviewed favorably at Classics Today - Blomstedt/SFO with Peer Gynt plus the Aladdin Suite by Nielsen (which I also didn't have) and a BIS SACD with the Holberg Suite plus other mostly string orchestra works by Grieg with Grieg's Bergen Philharmonic conducted by Ruud.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I'm sure you'll enjoy them.

[@Don-md6wn]

@@DavesClassicalGuide I'm sure I will. By the way, that BIS 4+ hour SACD of the complete Mendelssohn string symphonies (including both versions of the one he also arranged for full orchestra) by the Netherlands Chamber group I bought based on one of your past videos is outstanding. It's hard to believe he wrote all that music from age 12 to 14.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

@@Don-md6wn Yes, it's pretty amazing.

[@jimyoung9262]

The Ruud box is fantastic. You won't be disappointed.

[@raycatellier2079]

David, any other recommendations for the Mendelssohn string symphonies set besides the Naxos?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Feel free to check reviews on ClassicsToday.com.

[@raycatellier2079]

@@DavesClassicalGuide Thank you. I will.

[@vincentd.1424]

How many CD's do you have

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

How should I know? I have better things to do than count them!

[@vincentd.1424]

@@DavesClassicalGuide yeah I guess that’s fair.