Havergal Brian.

Started by Harry, June 09, 2007, 04:36:53 AM

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J.Z. Herrenberg

Quote from: springrite on November 10, 2008, 04:36:06 AM
I know nothing about Polish music post 1950 other than Luto and Pendi! So I rely on your judgment.

Karlowicz is late Romantic, btw, and quite wonderful. You could have all of his symphonic poems, if you like. Re post 1950 Polish composers - Maciek is the absolute authority there, he could advise you best. But I do have a few works (thanks to him). I'll see what I'll do.
Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything. -- Plato

Dundonnell

Quote from: springrite on November 10, 2008, 04:36:06 AM
I know nothing about Polish music post 1950 other than Luto and Pendi! So I rely on your judgment.

"Luto and Pendi" ::) ::)

A week ago or so it was "Arnie" Bax >:(

What IS this forum coming too?

J.Z. Herrenberg

Quote from: Dundonnell on November 10, 2008, 04:42:26 AM
"Luto and Pendi" ::) ::)

A week ago or so it was "Arnie" Bax >:(

What IS this forum coming too?

I think this Forie is cute.
Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything. -- Plato

Tapio Dimitriyevich Shostakovich


springrite

Quote from: Wurstwasser on November 10, 2008, 05:35:36 AM
Eddie, the Elgar ...

Or, as John Cleese would call him: Eddie Baby!

Dundonnell

#285
Can you not sense my utter outrage radiating across the cosmos?

If anyone calls Wagner or Strauss a 'Dick' I shall do a passable imitation of Krakatoa in its death throes ;D ;D

The new erato

Quote from: Dundonnell on November 10, 2008, 05:56:16 AM
Can you not sense my utter outrage radiating across the cosmos?

If anyone calls Wagner or Strauss a 'Dick' I shall ido a passable imitation of Krakatoa in its death throes ;D ;D
Only Arnell is a Dick.

Dundonnell

Remind me of your first name ;) ;D

springrite

Quote from: erato on November 10, 2008, 09:38:32 AM
Only Arnell is a Dick.

For those of us who knows him well, he's Dickie.

Dundonnell

#289
Quote from: springrite on November 10, 2008, 10:21:29 AM
For those of us who knows him well, he's Dickie.

:o >:( >:D $:)

J.Z. Herrenberg

Found this on Usenet. Jeffrey Anderson from CBC and Robert Simpson (representing the BBC) interview Havergal Brian. It was recorded in 1969. (Taken from reel-to-reel tapes, hence the sound quality.)

http://www.mediafire.com/?2nmmhklof2f
Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything. -- Plato

Renfield


John Copeland

#292
Quote from: Jezetha on January 07, 2009, 02:58:51 PM
Found this on Usenet. Jeffrey Anderson from CBC and Robert Simpson (representing the BBC) interview Havergal Brian. It was recorded in 1969. (Taken from reel-to-reel tapes, hence the sound quality.)

http://www.mediafire.com/?2nmmhklof2f

Thank you so much for that interview, which is downloading now and I haven't even heard yet!  Had a blast of his mighty first yesterday and it hit the mark again, stunning.  Also listened again to his 5th and 12th, both of which do something to me in an irregularly happy way.

Well, I have now heard it, and what a revealing interview, especially towards the end where Brian revealed his methods of composition.  This audio snippet (40+ mins) of Brian is a real treasure, he discusses his association with Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Bax, and other luminaries of British Musical History.  He explains his compositional habits and 'influences' (really only one, Elgar, but the influence did not affect his own work.)  Havergal Brian was a completely individual composer, unaffected by what everyone else was doing.  His output was spectacular in its own right and I AM STILL ANNOYED AND TROUBLED THAT HIS WORK HAS NOT YET BEEN SIEZED UPON AND PERFORMED WORLDWIDE ON A SCALE AS LARGE AS HIS GOTHIC...

schweitzeralan

Quote from: Bonehelm on June 09, 2007, 10:32:13 AM
His gothic symphony is quite possibly the only work in the repertoire that can stand up to Mahler's eighth in terms of scale and mass...

Quite an involved work, massive.  A reviwer in Amazon compared it with Scriabin's "Mysterium."  Not in musical language, but in scope and cosmic, even mystic persuasions.

Dundonnell

Quote from: schweitzeralan on March 08, 2009, 01:45:17 PM
Quite an involved work, massive.  A reviwer in Amazon compared it with Scriabin's "Mysterium."  Not in musical language, but in scope and cosmic, even mystic persuasions.

Except that Havergal Brian actually wrote and finished the 'Gothic'. Scriabin left only sketches for 'Mysterium'.

schweitzeralan

Quote from: Dundonnell on March 08, 2009, 03:01:21 PM
Except that Havergal Brian actually wrote and finished the 'Gothic'. Scriabin left only sketches for 'Mysterium'.

Right.  Scriabin/Nemptin.  Some reviewers believe the most of "Mysterium"  was conceived and elaborated by Nemptin.  I can only go by what the experts write.  I personally think that "Mysterium" is a complex work and transcendental work; as is, The 1st Symphony of Havergal Brian.  Am pleased that both are available on CD's; although I did see on Amazon that the "manufacturer" may not release any further recordings, at least for now.

Mark G. Simon

Quote from: schweitzeralan on March 08, 2009, 07:08:37 PM
Some reviewers believe the most of "Mysterium"  was conceived and elaborated by Nemptin. 

They are correct. Scriabin left nothing more than a bundle of sketches. Nemtin somehow turned them into 2 1/2 hours of music. Part I, "Universe", is, as you say, complex and transcendent, and the opening chord is one of the most astonishing sounds I've ever heard from an orchestra. Pts. 2-3 just rehash the same material to no good end.

Lethevich

#297
I have a question regarding the Lenard performance of the first symphony. An Amazon reviewer swears blind that the Naxos reissue of the Marco Polo recording sounds a lot better (ie. remastered in some way). This seems a little unexpected, given Naxos' usual policies, but I suppose this symphony is a rather "special" case, so they may have made the effort. Can anyone confirm whether this is true?

I ask because while I prefer the Boult live recording, I feel I should own a proper copy of it - and I don't want the crap one, even if the Marco Polo version is cheaper.
Peanut butter, flour and sugar do not make cookies. They make FIRE.

Dundonnell

Quote from: Lethe on May 13, 2009, 03:07:51 PM
I have a question regarding the Lenard performance of the first symphony. An Amazon reviewer swears blind that the Naxos reissue of the Marco Polo recording sounds a lot better (ie. remastered in some way). This seems a little unexpected, given Naxos' usual policies, but I suppose this symphony is a rather "special" case, so they may have made the effort. Can anyone confirm whether this is true?

I ask because while I prefer the Boult live recording, I feel I should own a proper copy of it - and I don't want the crap one, even if the Marco Polo version is cheaper.

The Marco Polo version is not "crap" :) It is not perfect... but then I find it hard to imagine that any performance of the Gothic will ever approach perfection! It was an amazing achievement for these Slovak forces to put the Gothic onto disc and I think that they deserve huge plaudits for their efforts.
If we get another recorded Gothic I will be surprised!

Here is an extremely interesting and illuminating article by David J. Brown about the recording sessions in Bratislava-

http://www.havergalbrian.org/recordinggothic.htm

As Brown points out, whatever else might be said about the performance, the choral Part II is wonderfully well done

You have probably already read the Musicweb reviews-

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2004/jun04/Brian_Gothic.htm

There is nothing in these reviews to suggest 're-mastering' but I know no more about that.

Lethevich

Oh, of course. Considering the difficulty it sounds quite fine - better, perhaps, than some recordings of Brian's later "easier" symphonies. Boult I only prefer on grounds of tempo and slightly improved instrumental and choral forces. The difference is not that great, though. Marco Polo's achivement is even greater given that since then, even a live performance of the thing has proven almost impossible to attempt, let alone a recording. That it doesn't look like there will be any rival recording around any time soon is further testiment to the great achivement of them finally getting it done.

'Crap' was a deliberate over-statement, it would simply have been a gnawing pain to know that I may have had an inferior version of the recording. The Amazon review was the first I had heard about any supposed remaster, and as you have also not heard of anything along these lines, I will just consider it nonsense for the time being.
Peanut butter, flour and sugar do not make cookies. They make FIRE.