Havergal Brian.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Thanks for your fascinating elephantine information, Philip!


As for the Fourth: I hope for a performance that will do it full justice. Again, if a conductor (Brabbins?!) can mould the final movement so that it sounds completely inevitable, my doubts will have been quelled. I now think that the 'dipping foot in enemies' blood' passage goes on too long and that both the recapitulation of the final movement's opening material and the return of the opening theme of the work as a whole are more mechanical than I am used to in Brian. Compared with the structural adventurousness of the final movement of 'The Gothic', that counts as a minus (for me).

[cilgwyn]

By dinasman at 2011-09-08

[cilgwyn]

Handels Tamerlano. That's the Blue elephant. They could use one like that in The Tiger's,perhaps,but not blue!!! Trying to work out how to do that took allot of trouble. Why is my user name for image shack visible,if it is,though? And can't I just upload directly from my Picture or Documents folder.
Quite a nice elephant,though!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Handels Tamerlano. That's the Blue elephant. They could use one like that in The Tiger's,perhaps,but not blue!!! Trying to work out how to do that took allot of trouble. Why is my user name for image shack visible,if it is,though? And can't I just upload directly from my Picture or Documents folder.
Quite a nice elephant,though!

Nice pic!


Only when you're a paying member of GMG can you upload from your computer...

[cilgwyn]

Oh,I see,some of you are subscribers? I'll have to look more closely at the small print!
This photo proves that the elephant problem could be solved. Times have changed for Jumbo since Dufay & Handels,day. Of course,if you could actually ask one? A showbiz inclined Elephant might possibly give his consent!

[cilgwyn]

All this talk of Das Siegeslied is getting to me,so it's going on,now! After a couple of hours of Hovhaness (and I DO like him at his best) the pounding march rhythms and loud decibels may actually come as light relief!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Nothing like a good Nuremberg rally to cleanse the system. 

[cilgwyn]

A couple of hours of tam tams,gongs and gamelans & you can't wait to sign up!
(NB No offence intended!!!!)

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

None taken. Game(lan) on!

[cilgwyn]

Send me the the cassette if you like.

Thanks,but I think it would be a good idea if I tried to do this myself.

[Hattoff]

cilgwyn,
Use Audacity: here http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Just connect your cassette player's headphone socket, by cable (you might have to buy one), to the line in socket on your computer and use Audacity to record your files in real time. Then you can edit them at your leisure and export them as mp3s or whatever.

[cilgwyn]

Thank you. I think I have Audacity on pc somewhere. I don't have a headphone socket on it,but I could use the one on my hi fi,I presume,which I already use for listening,of course.
  Regarding Das Siegeslied. I quite enjoyed it this time,although the last movement was  a bit of a problem,but worth it for that final surge ('a full throated cadence of naked force."Gelobt sei Gott!" MM Marco Polo booklet notes).
It strikes me as one of Marco Polo's better Brian recordings,actually. I even quite liked the gutsy soloist,Jana Valaskova,this time around. She certainly gives it her all!
Having said that,I have to admit that the best symphony on the cd is No 12. Despite,the rather grim inspiration behind it,this strikes me as one of Brian's best later symphonies. Full of atmosphere & menace,it certainly packs allot into  eleven minutes.
But with all it's inherent or observed problems,Das Siegeslied certainly has an odd,unseetling atmosphere (it certainly unsettles John!). Yet,so different from another work,with which it has been compared,Walton's,celebrated, Belshazzar's Feast. In it's grim way it is probably closer to Lambert's 'Summers Last will & Testament',but again wholly different & thankfully,despite the subject matter, the effect/impact is,somehow,less bleak!

Verdict : A Brian Marco Polo/Naxos cd I actually 'enjoyed'!!!!!!!!!

[springrite]

I will put Das Zigi-sled in my car CD player tomorrow and play that CD several times since I will be driving much of the day. I have only listened to it once and, admittedly not paying full attention at the time. I will give it its due and see how it goes!

[cilgwyn]

When you do,make sure it's on full blast,on Mega Beat,with the window rolled down. Oh,and drive around town several times,just to make sure everyone in the street,gets to hear it!
Preferably honking your horn!

[springrite]

When you do,make sure it's on full blast,on Mega Beat,with the window rolled down. Oh,and drive around town several times,just to make sure everyone in the street,gets to hear it!
Preferably honking your horn!

OK, I plan to drive around the Communist Party Headquarters at least once doing just that. Let's see if I get a ticket for that. Ha!

[cilgwyn]

I like you're spelling of Das Siegeslied. You make it sound like a lost Bowie album. Ziggy Brian!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Verdict : A Brian Marco Polo/Naxos cd I actually 'enjoyed'!!!!!!!!!

Will wonders never cease? "We`ll keep a welcome in the hillside" for the Naxos 'Siegeslied' and 12th!

OK, I plan to drive around the Communist Party Headquarters at least once doing just that. Let's see if I get a ticket for that. Ha!

[cilgwyn]

OK, I plan to drive around the Communist Party Headquarters at least once doing just that. Let's see if I get a ticket for that. Ha!

They might even get another member if they're lucky.
Just don't goose step in!

[John Whitmore]

cilgwyn,
Use Audacity: here http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Just connect your cassette player's headphone socket, by cable (you might have to buy one), to the line in socket on your computer and use Audacity to record your files in real time. Then you can edit them at your leisure and export them as mp3s or whatever.

Did you say part of it was not good - messing with the aerial in the 10th or something? If so you can replace this section with an mp3 or wav taken from the actual Unicorn disc. If you are using Audacity make sure to mute the CDROM drive via the volume control otherwise you will get unwanted extraneous noise. Offer still stands - I have Nakamichi/Linn set up and lots of repair software to de-hiss it etc. Happy to do it and it's dead easy - I do it all the time as part of my job.

[cilgwyn]

Thank you for your offer John,but I think I need to have a go at this myself & I will have other cassettes to do!  (Although,it won't happen,just yet). The conversations between MM & CM are the main interest,of course,but it is helpful to hear them in context. It's a pity I didn't record all five programmes. I had a thing about recording 'entire' programmes for a while,but for some reason I 'missed' these,although I do have a fragment of another one,somewhere,I believe,which included a performance of the Wine of Summer & the studio conversation about it.
Actually,I remember why I recorded this now. I had lost my tapes of 'The Tigers & this was a way of having some of it,at least. Of course,these days you can download!