Bruch: Odysseus, Op 41

I love Bruch's music so I paid big bucks for this rare CD. Bruch's secular choral work is soldly constructed and contains some sweet melodies, but the solos fall short of ever becoming memorable or deeply moving, and in general the work lacks variety. One keeps hoping for a truly big passionate choral climax, but the work never provides one. One feels the influence of the Elijah all through the work, but Odysseus falls far short of Mendelssohn's masterpiece. It's worth a single hearing but not much more.

You probably know that Bruch and Brahms were good friends for some time. But Bruch's fame was well established long before Brahms reclaimed the reputation that Schumann had precipitously broadcast to readers of his Music Journal. Inevitably, Brahms came to resent Bruch's success. One day, on Bruch's visit to Vienna they sat next to an open window in a guest house, sipping beer, when Bruch offered the handwritten score of his Odysseus to Brahms to look it over. At the same he asked Brahms not to divulge what he saw. Shortly thereafter a barrel organ man came past the window with a banal tune. When he had gone, Brahms handed the score back and said: "Too late Bruch, that man already plays your music!"Whether true or not, this story circulated in Vienna for ages. And true or not, it reflects what a stringent judge might pronounce on this work. Bruch went through a phase of oratorio writing at that time, hoping to broaden his base by supplying the numerous musical societies with music to sing. Indeed it meets perfectly the pseudo-romantic sentimentality of the German bourgeoisie, and any similarity to Homer's hero is purely coincidental. Appropriately the music is bathed in sentimental tunes and scenes of fake-nobility which would scarcely find favour with discriminating music lovers, let alone such a master of his craft as Brahms.I went through a phase of discovering Bruch myself some years ago. It was a rewarding experience until I came upon this recording. I listened to it a few times, to increasing disbelief and dismay at the impoverished musical invention and the trashy, incoherent production. This recording, itself a selection from the full work, cannot redeem it. I doubt that Karajan could have; and although the musicians on this recording do their best, they don't succeed in putting a case for the worth of the music. Only a truly great singer might have rescued this feeble, slobbering hero and his retinue from provoking revulsion; and only a great orchestra and conductor might conceivably have put a sheen on the music to make it half-way worthwhile. This album is second-rate on all counts. Just imagine them playing the G minor Concerto!Yet this was part of the "romantic" repertoire of two or three generations of Sunday choristers, and to obtain a close view of what really went on in the music and concert halls of the time, this recording serves to acquaint you with it. I guess there must be room for one Bruch oratorio amid the hundreds of choral productions that are coming back into circulation. But this is the only recommendation I can give to it.

I happened to find this at the local library. When I got home and tried to play it, I found the discs too badly damaged. I looked on Amazon and found it to be out of print and expensive. I managed to find a playable copy through inter-library loan.I enjoyed listening to this piece greatly, and wish it were in print. It has a wonderful feel of the ocean about it, a subtle effect that runs throughout. The work flows well as a whole, and is performed with enthusiasm and attention to details of rhythm and dynamics.Is it "great music?" I don't know. Is only "great music" worth listening to? Given that we have so many works to choose from it's easy for the "less great" to be lost. All I know is that sometimes what's left behind is worth finding, and my world would be poorer for not having heard this.I recommend going to your library and having them find a copy for you to hear. I'd happily buy one if the price were reasonable.

Odysseus Op 41 is a 1999 Koch Classics GmbH recording starring Radio-Philharmonie Hannover des NDR under direction of Leon Bostein. Libretto written by Wilhelm Paul Graff. Glenn Stanley has written the music notes. The booklet also contains short biographies of the performers and all the lyrics. Being Scandinavian I am therefore extra proud of Camilla Nylunds performance. A delightful recording that I highly recommend. 5/5.

At long last, an unjustly neglected masterpiece has seen the light and it is long overdue. Even Brahms thought enough of it to conduct the world premiere for his friend. Max Bruch, the composer famous for his beautiful violin concerto #1 in G minor, and The Scottish Fantasy, thought (and hoped) he would be remembered primarily for his Choral music, and listening to this latest offering on cd, you may wonder why he was'nt. It is both serene and powerful music and I for one, only want to hear more of it. The opening orchestral prelude sets the stage for much beautiful singing. Highly recommended. Performance could'nt be finer.

THIS IS SOME OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CHORAL MUSIC YOU WILL EVER HEAR. LEON BOTSTEIN, DIRECTOR OF THE AMERICAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, LEADS JEFFREY KNEEBONE (GET HIS "NO TENORS ALLOWED" WITH SAMUEL RAMEY!) IN A SUPERB PERFORMANCE OF BRUCH'S NEGLECTED MASTERPIECE. NANCY MAULTSBY AND CAMILLA NYLUND EXCEL IN THE FEMALE ROLES. AND LET'S NOT FORGET HOMER, WHO PROVIDES THE SUBSTANCE. A MUST FOR ALL COLLECTORS. REALLY. YOU WILL GET YOUR (DEVALUED) MONEY'S WORTH!