Daniel Jones(1912-93)-a prolific Welsh symphonist

Started by Dundonnell, January 16, 2009, 06:23:43 PM

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J.Z. Herrenberg

Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything. -- Plato

Dundonnell

Quote from: J. Z. Herrenberg on September 02, 2011, 03:20:56 PM

I'd love to hear some Hoddinott and Jones! I'll help you, if you need help, you're a pro now... But - no rush!

I can certainly help you with some Hoddinott and some Jones, Johan.....I think you know that ;D

Dundonnell

Quote from: J. Z. Herrenberg on September 02, 2011, 03:26:20 PM

:o :o :o  Indeed.

Even the 'completist' in me has to admit defeat as far as Hoddinott is concerned ;D ;D

Dundonnell

Quote from: J. Z. Herrenberg on September 02, 2011, 03:19:25 PM
I remember borrowing a Hoddinott LP from the library. On the cover was some cosmic image. Perhaps one of you know which symphony I will have been listening to. It did have power.

Pretty sure that would have been the Third (coupled with Sinfonietta No.3 and Music for Orchestra "The Sun, The Great Luminary of the Universe"---now there's "terrifying" for you!!)

J.Z. Herrenberg

Quote from: Dundonnell on September 02, 2011, 03:27:15 PM
I can certainly help you with some Hoddinott and some Jones, Johan.....I think you know that ;D


Ah, of course! I'll make some room in my head, and then the symphonic Eisteddfod can begin. In a few days, perhaps.


Quote from: Dundonnell on September 02, 2011, 03:28:26 PM
Even the 'completist' in me has to admit defeat as far as Hoddinott is concerned ;D ;D


Coming from you, that is revolutionary!


Quote from: Dundonnell on September 02, 2011, 03:33:00 PM
Pretty sure that would have been the Third (coupled with Sinfonietta No.3 and Music for Orchestra "The Sun, The Great Luminary of the Universe"---now there's "terrifying" for you!!)


I think you're right about the record. And about the 'terrifying'!
Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything. -- Plato

cilgwyn

Whoa! That work list is long!!! I had to do quite a bit of scrolling there!
I could also add the Rhian Samuel pieces and the Huw Watkins Sinfonietta at a later date,IF I can find them. Unfortunately,I had a clear out a while back. I needed the room,but it is an action I still regret.
Incidentally,I know of two people who knew Hoddinott and described him (the person,not the music) as 'cold'! Not saying I agree with this,but I just thought I would mention it.
I have to say,the photos Lyrita have used of Daniel Jones & Grace Williams (the one with the symphony) are very nice. Just how releases like that should be.

J.Z. Herrenberg

Quote from: cilgwyn on September 02, 2011, 03:34:35 PM
I have to say,the photos Lyrita have used of Daniel Jones & Grace Williams (the one with the symphony) are very nice. Just how releases like that should be.


They should have merged - Grace Jones is quite successful.
Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything. -- Plato

cilgwyn

You mean Grace 'Pull up to the bumper' Jones?!!! Actually,I DO have some Grace Jones in a box,somewhere...........

J.Z. Herrenberg

Quote from: cilgwyn on September 02, 2011, 03:39:29 PM
You mean Grace 'Pull up to the bumper' Jones?!!! Actually,I DO have some Grace Jones in a box,somewhere...........


No, I prefer Daniel, I think! Especially before going to sleep... As I am going to do in a few minutes! See you all tomorrow!
Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything. -- Plato

Dundonnell

Quote from: cilgwyn on September 02, 2011, 03:34:35 PM
Whoa! That work list is long!!! I had to do quite a bit of scrolling there!
I could also add the Rhian Samuel pieces and the Huw Watkins Sinfonietta at a later date,IF I can find them. Unfortunately,I had a clear out a while back. I needed the room,but it is an action I still regret.
Incidentally,I know of two people who knew Hoddinott and described him (the person,not the music) as 'cold'! Not saying I agree with this,but I just thought I would mention it.
I have to say,the photos Lyrita have used of Daniel Jones & Grace Williams (the one with the symphony) are very nice. Just how releases like that should be.

He looks 'cold' in his photographs, I have to admit. And I vaguely remember(from the very distant past) someone who knew him telling me that he was like that.

cilgwyn

#30
I do find some similarities between Daniel Jones and Brian,actually. Both composers are on first encounter,perhaps,a little forbidding,craggy,severe or,what might be termed,in plain English,'tough nuts to crack'.Yet,repeated listening reveals an often curiously soft centre (crass way of putting it,I know!). Colourful,striking,original orchestration and in it's own way lyrical, approachable and even at times eg Brian's Sixth or Jones's Fourth,lush! They are also gripping and enthralling,in so far as every fresh encounter seems to reveal more. Music that makes you think!

Don't worry Johan,I'm definately not planning to upload any Grace Jones.
Oh,and goodnight! Or,as they say here,'Nos da!'

J.Z. Herrenberg

'Nos da!' Good to know that. So the adjective follows the noun ('nos' must be 'night', am I right?)

As for Hoddinott's and Brian's cragginess - if Hoddinott has that 'soft centre' I think I'd like him.
Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything. -- Plato

cilgwyn

And at this time of the day it's 'Bore da'! I'm not a speaker myself,but I heard it all the time as a child & I can get the gist of a conversation. After midday it will be 'prynhawn da'. And if someone buys you a drink or you just want to bid you're host or drinking partner good health,it's 'iechyd da'!
Back to Welsh composers. I think I will buy that Lyrita cd of Hoddinott symphonies myself. No 7,is certainly intriguing enough for me to want to hear more. I will upload it as soon as possible.
Incidentally,I remember an article in 'The Guardian' some years ago which was about why a country like Wales,which is supposedly so musical ('The Land of Song') has no great composers,or at least,no composers who are perceived as great. I am not sure of the exact wording,but the title of the article was something along the lines of 'So many valleys,but so few mountains'!!! I remember the writer had a theory that one of the obstacles to the creation of a specifically Welsh musical identity was the construction and rhythms of traditional Welsh song and the language  itself. He pointed to (what was) Czechoslovakia and the profusion of composers like Dvorak,Smetana and Janacek,and the way they used speech rhythms and traditional music in the creation of a specifically Czech sounding repertoire.
Anyway,most of it was a bit too 'technical' for me,but it was one of the Guardian's more interesting articles on,so called, 'classical music'. It also explains why I might have been hearing bits of Martinu in some of my Welsh composers!

cilgwyn

#33
Not being as savvy as some on these boards (I still use cassettes) the uploads may take a little longer than usual. But please bear with me!
Apologies for this.

vandermolen

I increasingly like Hoddinott's Third Symphony (thanks to Andre of this forum).  It is not 'easy' at all but has a kind of grim, uncompromising integrity which I find rewarding - the final chord is beautiful. No 6 is fine too and more approachable.  I have a very high opinion of Grace Williams's Symphony No 2, rather in the idiom of her teacher's (Vaughan Williams) Symphony No 4. I think that Daniel Jones's 10th Symphony, a fine work was on an old BBC LP but never made it to CD, which is a pity.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

cilgwyn

Daniel Jones's 10th on LP? I'll have to look into that! It seems to me that Welsh composers are all,with the exception of,possibly Mathias,a pretty neglected lot & probably allot more interesting than their neglect would suggest. Indeed,I would go so far as to say that Daniel Jones is one of my favourite composers!
Hoddinott is another composer just crying out for a complete cycle,from say,cpo. Yet,when it comes to recordings of Welsh composers the record labels seem to always go for Mathias or Karl Jenkins!!!
Scottish composers seem to have more luck!

cilgwyn


vandermolen

Quote from: cilgwyn on September 03, 2011, 05:40:35 AM
Daniel Jones's 10th on LP? I'll have to look into that! It seems to me that Welsh composers are all,with the exception of,possibly Mathias,a pretty neglected lot & probably allot more interesting than their neglect would suggest. Indeed,I would go so far as to say that Daniel Jones is one of my favourite composers!
Hoddinott is another composer just crying out for a complete cycle,from say,cpo. Yet,when it comes to recordings of Welsh composers the record labels seem to always go for Mathias or Karl Jenkins!!!
Scottish composers seem to have more luck!

I may have got that wrong - the LP could have has symphonies 8 and 9 on - sorry.  The LP is in the attic somewhere - I recall that I liked both works very much.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

vandermolen

I just did a google search 'Daniel Jones Symphony 10', which took me back to my above post  ::)

I think that the LP was probably Bryden Thomson's BBC resording of symphonies 8 and 9 and a Dance Suite. The symphonies are on Lyrita CDs of course - but he did write a 10th Symphony!
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

cilgwyn

#39
You had me going then. I even had a look at the Lps on ebay! Although,I had an idea the Lp would have been in our library. Nice bit of nostalgia looking at those Lp sleeves. But I wouldn't go back to them.
(Symphony No 10 1980, I would have been in my late teens when he finished that one!)