Flying under the radar

[Ouled Nails]

Some good works you have heard lately from composers who are seldom performed, with a recording here and there over the last several decades?

Let me start!

Henriette Renié's "Pièce symphonique" for harp! A 1913 work, a little over eight minutes in length.

Incidentally, the French were notorious for using the word "symphony" for solo instruments, most notably the organ....

[Corno Dolce]

Over on youtube a kind soul who calls themselves AWOLiberal has posted the movements of Havergal Brian's Symphony No. 1 *The Gothic*. I heard a bootlegged copy of it many years ago and never really gave it a second thought. Now I am discovering a masterful symphonist who, imvho, is as good, or even better than Mahler and Bruckner put together. The man has written 32 symphonies, five operas, a cantata that takes over four hours to perform and that is supposedly lost and much, much, much more.

The Gothic clocks in at around two hours to perform, is scored for, among other things, 8 horns in F, four brass bands, three tenor trombones, bass trombone, contrabass trombone, 2 euphoniums and 2 tubas, 20 violins, 20 second violins, 16 violas, 16 cellos, and 12 double basses plus assorted orchestral traps, huge mixed choirs and many soloists and organ...Whew!!!!!!!! Hope I didn't leave anything out

[mathetes1963]

Our local classical radio station recently played Salieri's variations on La Folia. I rather enjoyed it.