Havergal Brian.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

LSSO was the first, with symphonies 10 and 21. Then came their record with 22, Psalm 23 and the Fifth English Suite. Then you had Groves with symphonies 8 and 9. Then the Hull Youth Orchestra recordings. Then The Tigers Suite (we have reached the 1980s by now). Then the Mackerras 7 and 31. And then Lionel Friend with the Third.

For the dates, check the HBS site. But this, off the top of my head, is how I remember it.

P.S.There also is the recording of Brian's piano works somewhere.

[calyptorhynchus]

Problem is that the HB Society pages list the recordings but only have the most recent release: for example for the Mackerras 7 and Groves 8 & 9 they have '2002' (when they were issued as an EMI twofer).

I don't have the information on the original release dates of the recordings.

[Christo]

LSSO was the first, with symphonies 10 and 21. Then came their record with 22, Psalm 23 and the Fifth English Suite. Then you had Groves with symphonies 8 and 9. Then the Hull Youth Orchestra recordings. Then The Tigers Suite (we have reached the 1980s by now). Then the Mackerras 7 and 31. And then Lionel Friend with the Third.

For the dates, check the HBS site. But this, off the top of my head, is how I remember it.

In between came the Sinfonia Tragica coupled with No. 16, both by the LPO under Myer Fredman (the Lyrita recording was made in 1975). I remember, because the LP was my acquaintance with Brian in 1979 or thereabouts. 

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

In between came the Sinfonia Tragica coupled with No. 16, both by the LPO under Myer Fredman (the Lyrita recording was made in 1975). I remember, because the LP was my acquaintance with Brian in 1979 or thereabouts. 

Of course! I knew I had forgotten something!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Problem is that the HB Society pages list the recordings but only have the most recent release: for example for the Mackerras 7 and Groves 8 & 9 they have '2002' (when they were issued as an EMI twofer).

I don't have the information on the original release dates of the recordings.

I'll see what I can do.

[vandermolen]

Just sent off to the HB Society for the new Naxos disk which will complete all 32 symphonies in professional orchestra recordings on disk.

(Also sent off for an HB society mug, which I'm told will be the first one ever to arrive in Australia, I hope in one piece). 

I've got a question, we know that the LSSO LPs were the first two HB recordings issued, what was the next one? Was it Myer Fredman and the Tragica? Or was it Mackerras or Groves in one or other(s) of 7, 8, 9?

If someone has the information to hand or in their heads it might be worth posting a chronology of HB recordings.

Never mind the symphonies I want the HB Society mug!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

10 & 21: April 1973
22: February 1975
6 & 16: May 1975

Taken from MM's books (release dates).

8 & 9: early 1978

[hbswebmaster]

Release dates are all given in the 'chronology since 1972' under Brian's Life on the website. The year for the CBS LP is inaccurately given as 1976; a slip of the finger, it was indeed February 1975, just before the Lyrita. Thanks for the heads-up, I'll fix it.

Vandermolen; rejoin, and you can order one! 

[vandermolen]

Release dates are all given in the 'chronology since 1972' under Brian's Life on the website. The year for the CBS LP is inaccurately given as 1976; a slip of the finger, it was indeed February 1975, just before the Lyrita. Thanks for the heads-up, I'll fix it.

Vandermolen; rejoin, and you can order one! 

Definitely!

[calyptorhynchus]

Here is the list extracted from the HB website chronology. I have not bothered with reissues of recordings unless the HB website has missed the first issue (ie Rayner Cook songs LP, Hull Youth Symphony Orchestra recordings, Cameo Classics piano). Also not included is the Dutton historical issue of radio broadcasts.

April 1973   Unicorn releases first commercial recording: an LP of Symphonies 10,21 Leicestershire Schools SO/James Loughran, Eric Pinkett
February 1975   CBS releases LP of Symphony 22, English suite 5, Psalm 23
May 1975   Lyrita releases LP of Symphonies 6, 16, London PO/Myer Fredman
June 1978   EMI releases LP of Symphonies 8,9, Royal Liverpool PO/Sir Charles Groves
1987   EMI releases CD of Symphonies 7, 31, Tinker's wedding with RLPO/Sir Charles Mackerras
1989   Hyperion releases CD of Symphony 3, BBCSO/Lionel Friend
1990   Marco Polo releases CD of Symphony 1; Bratislava RSO and Slovak PO/Ondrej Lenard
1993   Marco Polo releases CD of Symphonies 17, 32, In memoriam, Festal dance
1994   Marco Polo releases CD of Symphony 18, Violin concerto, The jolly miller
1995   Marco Polo releases CD of Symphonies 20, 25, Fantastic variations
1998   Marco Polo releases CD of Symphony 2, Festival fanfare
February 2000   Marco Polo releases CD of Symphonies 11, 15, Doctor Merryheart, For valour
19 October 2005   CD release of the original Auracle LP of Songs, Legend on Toccata Classics: Brian Rayner Cook (bar), Roger Vignoles (pno), Stephen Levine (vln), Peter Lawson (pno)
December 2009   CD issue of the 1966 Boult Gothic symphony on Testament; BBC Symphony Orchestra forces/Sir Adrian Boult
January 2010   CD re-issue of the complete Hull recordings on Cameo Classics; Hull Youth Symphony Orchestra/Geoffrey Heald-Smith
July 2010   CD issue of 6 songs c/w other composers on Tableaux Records; David Hackbridge Johnson (bar), Yeu-Meng Chan (pno)
August 2010   CD issue of Symphonies 9 and 11, Dr Merryheart on Dutton in historic performances by the London Symphony Orchestra/Harry Newstone & Norman Del Mar
January 2011   CD issue of Havergal Brian Orchestral works vol. 1 on Toccata Classics; BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Garry Walker
January 2011   CD issue of Symphonies 10, 30, Concerto for Orchestra, English Suite 3 on Dutton; Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Martyn Brabbins
January 2011   CD issue of the Cello concerto on Dutton c/w Bush, Bowen; BBC Concert Orchestra/Martin Yates
September 2011   CD issue of Havergal Brian Orchestral Works vol. 2 - Music from the Operas on Toccata Classics; BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Garry Walker
28 November 2011   CD issue of the Proms Gothic symphony on Hyperion; BBCNOW/BBCCO forces/Martyn Brabbins
May 2012   CD issue of Havergal Brian Songbook vol. 1 on Stone Records; Mark Stone (Bar), Sholto Kynoch (pno)
November 2012   CD issue of the Violin Concerto, Symphony 13, English Suite 4 on Dutton; Lorraine McAslan (vln), RSNO/Martyn Brabbins
May 2013   CD issue of Symphonies 22-24, English Suite 1 on Naxos; Noviya Rossiya Symphony Orchestra/Alexander Walker
July 2013   CD re-issue of the complete Havergal Brian piano music on Cameo Classics; Peter Hill (pno)
April 2014   CD issue of Havergal Brian Songbook vol. 2 on Stone Records; Mark Stone (bar), Sholto Kynoch (pno)
11 November 2014   CD issue of the 1983 BBC studio performance of The Tigers on Testament; BBC Symphony Orchestra forces/Lionel Friend
January 2015   CD issue of Symphonies 5 'Wine of Summer', 19, 27, Festal Dance on Dutton; Roderick Williams (bar), RSNO/Martyn Brabbins
March 2015   CD issue of Symphonies 6 'Sinfonia tragica', 28, 29, 31 on Naxos; Noviya Rossiya Symphony Orchestra/Alexander Walker
July 2016   CD issue of Symphonies 2 and 14 on Dutton; RSNO/Martyn Brabbins
October 2016   CD issue of the 1966 premiere of Symphony 6 'Sinfonia tragica' on CRQ Editions (c/w Robert Simpson conducting Beethoven's Eroica; Royal Opera House Orchestra/Douglas Robinson

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Good work!

I miss the Suite from The Tigers, released somewhere in the middle of the 1980s. Leopold Hager, conducting a Luxembourg orchestra  (and very well, too, I might add).

[John Whitmore]

Good work!

I miss the Suite from The Tigers, released somewhere in the middle of the 1980s. Leopold Hager, conducting a Luxembourg orchestra  (and very well, too, I might add).

It was reissued by Tim Grocutt of Heritage soon after we finished work on the the LSSO double CD. Link here and it sounds very good.
http://www.heritage-records.com/classical-orchestral-cd-album-titles/havergal-brian-the-tigers-john-foulds-pasquinade-symphonique-no-1
I also wrote a review here:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2014/Jun14/Brian_Tigers_HTGCD270.htm

[John Whitmore]

Good work!

I miss the Suite from The Tigers, released somewhere in the middle of the 1980s. Leopold Hager, conducting a Luxembourg orchestra  (and very well, too, I might add).

PS here's another from Cameo. Transcription by yours truly. Sounds OK mainly due to the first rate pressing I managed to source from Ebay:
http://www.wyastone.co.uk/havergal-brian-the-complete-music-for-piano.html
Review here:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2014/Jul14/Brian_piano_CC9016CD.htm

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Thanks, John!

P.S. In your Tigers review you mention the 'harp and celesta' in Green Pastures. I think you spotted the extremely close-miked vibraphone, which Brian possibly was the first to employ in a symphony orchestra...

[calyptorhynchus]

Also missing from the list the Complete Piano Music on Athena (Raymond Clarke), from 1997.

[John Whitmore]

Thanks, John!

P.S. In your Tigers review you mention the 'harp and celesta' in Green Pastures. I think you spotted the extremely close-miked vibraphone, which Brian possibly was the first to employ in a symphony orchestra...

....but sadly not the last!! It's a good CD though. I'll take another listen.

[John Whitmore]

This seems to be missing from the list:
https://youtu.be/jOaF_slpyhE
Also, returning to the Cameo piano music CD by Peter Hill just for a moment. The one on the market now (released in 2014) is far superior to the original Cameo transfer onto CD which was crude - there was no attempt to remove clicks and pops from the LP. The master tapes have long since been destroyed.

[hbswebmaster]

Thanks all for the gap-fillers; I shall update the chronology when I get back to Blighty.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Splendid, hbswebmaster!

Isn't it remarkable - HB has been dead for almost 45 years, and people still care for him and his works...

[Mirror Image]

To the Brianites: what's your favorite performance of The Gothic and why?