Sutermeister/ Cathomas/ Held - Orchestral Works 1

Heinrich Sutermeister (1910-95) belongs to the generation of Swiss composers after Bloch, Honegger, Martin and Schoeck. The runaway success of his operatic version of Romeo and Juliet - in the 1950s it was the most widely produced modern opera after Der Rosenkavalier - soon spread his reputation far afield, and conductors as prominent as Böhm, Karajan and Sawallisch championed his works. Although his star has waned in the quarter-century since his death, the four orchestral works recorded here - ranging from the dramatic suite he drew from that first Shakespearean operatic success via the easy-going charm of two lighter suites to his deeply felt response to the Swiss landscape - bring a salutary reminder of why his music appeals so directly to it's audiences. This generously filled recording (it's over 87 minutes in length) is the first in a project where Rainer Held will be recording unknown Swiss orchestral repertoire for release on Toccata Classics.