Havergal Brian.

[Klaatu]

Hi Albion.

As far as Brian 21 and 22 are concerned, check Youtube - someone has posted both symphonies there (although No 21 is split into four sections.)

Also on Youtube is the 1970s documentary "The Unknown Warrior" which first introduced me to Brian's music in my teenage years. Essential viewing!

[Albion]

Hi Albion.

As far as Brian 21 and 22 are concerned, check Youtube - someone has posted both symphonies there (although No 21 is split into four sections.)

Also on Youtube is the 1970s documentary "The Unknown Warrior" which first introduced me to Brian's music in my teenage years. Essential viewing!

Thanks again for all these helpful links - I'm planning to have a Havergal Brian Christmas (well, there'll be nothing on the television worth watching), working through as much as I can chronologically, aided by Malcolm Macdonald's three-volume survey. To put out the begging-bowl again, please could anybody help with a recording of the 'Symphonic Poem' Elegy (1954)? It was performed by the BBC Northern SO under Brian Wright in December 1978.

[vandermolen]

What we need is a recording of Symphony No 10 by a professional orchestra. The Unicorn CD, which I have is great but I'd love to hear this work done by one of the big London orchestras for example, or the RLPO.

[Sergeant Rock]

Thanks again for all these helpful links - I'm planning to have a Havergal Brian Christmas (well, there'll be nothing on the television worth watching), working through as much as I can chronologically, aided by Malcolm Macdonald's three-volume survey. To put out the begging-bowl again, please could anybody help with a recording of the 'Symphonic Poem' Elegy (1954)? It was performed by the BBC Northern SO under Brian Wright in December 1978.

I'll upload Elegy for you. Not immediately though: Mrs.Rock is currently hogging all our bandwidth. I'll try later tonight.

Sarge

[Klaatu]

What we need is a recording of Symphony No 10 by a professional orchestra. The Unicorn CD, which I have is great but I'd love to hear this work done by one of the big London orchestras for example, or the RLPO.

Couldn't agree more! The question is, who would conduct? Myer Fredman made a great job of 6 and 16; he'd be a great choice.

Perhaps Dutton Vocalion could be persuaded to produce another of their excellent discs, with a professionally-played Brian 10 alongside 3 or 4 other shortish works by neglected Britons?

[Sergeant Rock]

Here's the link to Elegy

http://rapidshare.com/files/437157389/Brian_Elegy.mp3


Sarge

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Hello, everyone! It's been a very long time... I'm glad to see people are finding my Brian folder useful. It's strange 'Elegy' has disappeared from the list, because I'm quite sure I uploaded it. Oh well, Sergeant Rock has stepped into the breach... I'm excited at the prospect of the Gothic performance in Brisbane. And I can't wait to see the DVD about the whole saga of getting this piece performed at all.

[Sergeant Rock]

Hello, everyone! It's been a very long time... I'm glad to see people are finding my Brian folder useful. It's strange 'Elegy' has disappeared from the list, because I'm quite sure I uploaded it. Oh well, Sergeant Rock has stepped into the breach... I'm excited at the prospect of the Gothic performance in Brisbane. And I can't wait to see the DVD about the whole saga of getting this piece performed at all.

Hey, dude! Great to see you here again. It's been too long. How is the book coming?

Sarge

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Hi, Sarge! Well, the book's the reason I've disappeared off the radar... What can I tell you - last Saturday was the presentation, in Amsterdam, of a collection of short stories to which I have contributed: my first book publication. The big novel I'm finishing (around 800 pages at the moment) I'm going to publish in two parts. Part 1 will appear next year, part 2 a year later. Several publishers have shown interest. Here is a nice link, where you can see me written about and photographed... http://www.rnw.nl/suriname/article/surinaamse-schrijver-van-nu-durft-meer There is also an interview (around 4:51 - me).

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Re Brian's Tenth - there will be a new recording, coupled with the Concerto for Orchestra, to be released by Dutton somewhere in the near future. I'll have to look through my HBS Newsletters to see which orchestra and conductor... Here it is:

"Four three-hour recording sessions for the forthcoming
Dutton disc of Brian's Symphonies 10 and 30, Concerto
for orchestra and English suite 3 took place at 1000 and
1430 each day on Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16
September.  Martyn Brabbins was conducting the Royal
Scottish National Orchestra."


The recording will be issued first quarter 2011.

[Lethevich]

Wow, what wonderful news. A few years ago all seemed gloomy on the Brian front, and now suddenly a Gothic reissue, a Gothic performance, various interesting discs appearing or soon to!

Also, welcome back Jezetha, and well done on the book - so many people enjoy the idea of writing, but never get around to finishing anything. I see that you have the killer instinct!

[Albion]

Here's the link to Elegy

http://rapidshare.com/files/437157389/Brian_Elegy.mp3


Sarge

Sarge, many thanks for this!

Re Brian's Tenth - there will be a new recording, coupled with the Concerto for Orchestra, to be released by Dutton [...] first quarter 2011.

This is fantastic news - can't wait to hear the Concerto. Dutton has advanced in leaps and bounds over the past few years to become the company for interesting British repertoire - as with Lyrita in days of old, it is always exciting to anticipate what will be included in their next set of releases.

[vandermolen]

I am celebrating the return of Jezetha (great news about the book - how exciting!) as as  much as the forthcoming CD of Havergal Brian Symphony No 10 on Dutton. 

[Luke]

Jezetha's return has vastly cheered up a pretty dismal few days! What a sight for sore eyes 

[karlhenning]

Hi, Sarge! Well, the book's the reason I've disappeared off the radar... What can I tell you - last Saturday was the presentation, in Amsterdam, of a collection of short stories to which I have contributed: my first book publication. The big novel I'm finishing (around 800 pages at the moment) I'm going to publish in two parts. Part 1 will appear next year, part 2 a year later. Several publishers have shown interest. Here is a nice link, where you can see me written about and photographed... http://www.rnw.nl/suriname/article/surinaamse-schrijver-van-nu-durft-meer There is also an interview (around 4:51 - me).

Wait! Why is this buried in the Havergal Brian thread? Are only Brianiacs entitled to the news!? ; )

[Sergeant Rock]

Wait! Why is this buried in the Havergal Brian thread? Are only Brianiacs entitled to the news!? ; )

It's a very select club...you have to prove that you've listened to the entire Gothic at least 12 times before allowed news of Jezetha.

Sarge

[karlhenning]

Don't know if I'm ready for that Rite of Passage . . . .

[Scarpia]

It has never seriously occurred to me to listen to a Brian symphony, and I think the reason is simply that there are too many of them.  It seems impossible that the man had enough to say to fill dozens of symphonies, so I am confronted with the task of separating the wheat from the chaff, and it has to be mostly chaff.  I can't summon the enthusiasm for it.  Similar problem with Weinberg. When you read notes to a Weinberg piece it often includes a statement to the effect that "it is unknown if the work was ever performed."  But since I ended up hearing a Weinberg piece more or less by accident and liked it I am over the barrier.

[karlhenning]

It has never seriously occurred to me to listen to a Brian symphony, and I think the reason is simply that there are too many of them.  It seems impossible that the man had enough to say to fill dozens of symphonies . . . .

Of course you do say seems . . . it's something we could not know without giving it a listen.  And neither have I summoned the will to investigate Brian.  (I'm still feeling a bit disappointed in [relatively] recent sallies into the symphony cycles of Milhaud and Pettersson.)

[Sergeant Rock]

It has never seriously occurred to me to listen to a Brian symphony, and I think the reason is simply that there are too many of them.  It seems impossible that the man had enough to say to fill dozens of symphonies, so I am confronted with the task of separating the wheat from the chaff, and it has to be mostly chaff.  I can't summon the enthusiasm for it.

You apply the same argument to avoid listening to Mozart (41 symphonies) or Haydn (104)?

Sarge