Havergal Brian.

[cilgwyn]

I was just trying to be philosophical,of course. I wonder who the 'few',she's referring to,are? Us? HBS Members? Village idiots?!!!
How do they manage to assimilate such a vast work in one go? They're brains must go like lightning? A bit like David Bowie's alien in 'The Man who fell to earth',watching about fifteen televisions at once!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I was just trying to be philosophical,of course. I wonder who the 'few',she's referring to,are? Us? HBS Members? Village idiots?!!!

'Few' is just a trick word. She hasn't done any research to substantiate it, she just trusts on Brian's relative obscurity.

How do they manage to assimilate such a vast work in one go? They're brains must go like lightning? A bit like David Bowie's alien in 'The Man who fell to earth',watching about fifteen televisions at once!

Beats me. Clever girl.

[Dundonnell]

Hm! Not bad really,for a mainstream newspaper. It's almost as if she quite liked it,but doesn 't want to say it 'out loud!'
I prefer Fiona Maddocks to Andrew Clements. She can be amusing at times;although this is not one of her best (it's so short). I remember her being very sarcastic about Brian once,but at least she was funny (well,my father laughed! But he doesn't like music!!! ).
I'd feel pretty happy about THAT review if I was you,Johan;but then of course,I'm not!!!

I can't believe what I have just read

The review is a disgrace to any pretence at serious journalism.

As Albion put it so well on another forum:

"Nothing of any great insight here, then -

Of his symphonies most of them never played ...

  hmm, the BBC in the 1950s-1970s, Lyrita, EMI, Marco Polo ... ?

a thrilling and bizarre BBC Proms performance ...

  hmm, meaningless, lazy adjectives ... ?

but it is just as well then that Few regard it as a masterpiece ...

  hmm, that dreaded word 'masterpiece' - who gives a flying flip whether it is or it isn't and what does the word mean beyond subjective prosletysing anyway?

Saints preserve us from 'music critics' - what a load of old cobblers."

[Lethevich]

Another review that didn't require listening to the CD. I wish life were always so easy

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Just to be clear - the reason I can live with the review is not because it's any good, but because it is there. And it says a few things about the Gothic that might pique someone's interest. Furthermore - John Grimshaw added a comment to set matters straight.

[cilgwyn]

I get a feeling my review of Fiona Maddock's review was too kind! Anyway,it seems everyone's having a go at reviewing the Hyperion release: (if the link works,of course! ):

http://entartetemusik.blogspot.com/2011/11/striving-with-all-its-might.html

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I get a feeling my review of Fiona Maddock's review was too kind! Anyway,it seems everyone's having a go at reviewing the Hyperion release: (if the link works,of course! ):

http://entartetemusik.blogspot.com/2011/11/striving-with-all-its-might.html

"Hyperion has done the champions and the detractors of this work a great service: for the former, they finally have a recording they can cherish; for the latter, confirmation that the symphony isn't worth the effort. Click here to order a copy."


Well, that's that.

[John Whitmore]

"Hyperion has done the champions and the detractors of this work a great service: for the former, they finally have a recording they can cherish; for the latter, confirmation that the symphony isn't worth the effort. Click here to order a copy."
Well, that's that.

It's not worth the effort so I will click and order a copy. Unusual approach to marketing.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

'Balance' is a wondrous thing, indeed.

[cilgwyn]

I love the way they end their reviews with,"click here to order a copy!"
A total waste of time! Click here to order a copy.
Shapeless,devoid of thematic interest! Click here to order a copy!
Bland,derivative,hit and miss! Click here to order a copy!
For staunch admirers and completists,only. Click here to order a copy!
Bl**** awful. Click here to order a copy!
zzzzzzzzzzzz!  Click here to order a copy!

(etc,etc...)

[cilgwyn]

Des O' Connor Now. Click here to order a copy!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Nice riff, cilgwyn. That's hwyl...

[Hattoff]

Here's a review from Presto Classical:
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/news.php?date=2011-11-28

At least he has listened to it a few times, a couple more times and it may click.

[John Whitmore]

Des O' Connor Now. Click here to order a copy!

Dreadful white wine that's only fit to put on your chips. Click here to buy a bottle.
Visit your local NHS. Click here for an MRSA infection.
Send your kids to the local comprehensive and fail to be educated properly. Click here to enrol.
Fatty food kills. Click here for a tub of lard.
The marketing possibilities are endless

[John Whitmore]

Here's a review from Presto Classical:
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/news.php?date=2011-11-28

At least he has listened tu it a few times, a couple more times and it may click. The poor man could end up like me

Not a bad review to be fair. Falls down, ultimately, by not having a "click here to order a copy" link. Unbelievable oversight.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Not a bad review to be fair. Falls down, ultimately, by not having a "click here to order a copy" link. Unbelievable oversight.

In mitigation, below the article it does say Listen - sound samples available for this item, which brings you to a page where you can order, too. 

[John Whitmore]

In mitigation, below the article it does say Listen - sound samples available for this item, which brings you to a page where you can order, too. 

Too complicated. I don't want to go via a "listen to a sample" page. I want the good old fashioned, well tried and trusted "click here to order a copy" link. Anything else is a cop out. Anyway, must go and get the tea ready. Click here to enter kitchen.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Too complicated. I don't want to go via a "listen to a sample" page. I want the good old fashioned, well tried and trusted "click here to order a copy" link. Anything else is a cop out. Anyway, must go and get the tea ready. Click here to enter kitchen.

[cilgwyn]

'One click' on Amazon & if you're not too savvy on the internet,you could get a copy of a strange symphony involving hundreds of performers & an even stranger black cover design,popping through you're front door!

With respect to masterpieces,(whatever they are,but probably not anything by Des O' Connor). I have thoroughly enjoyed the following over the last couple of days,none of which I would regard as masterpieces:

Berners: The Triumph of Neptune (NOT a masterpiece,but not bad for a British ballet & full of good tunes!

Henry Kimball Hadley: orchestral works (Naxos) Someone on another forum described him as 'watered down Bax',but I thoroughly enjoyed his music. Fun,escapist,well orchestrated & he does have his own profile there,somewhere. I'm going to brave George Templeton's Strong's hour long Second Symphony next!

Malcolm Arnold: Symphonies. No masterpieces of shattering import,I suppose,but Arnolds use of the orchestra & particularly his assimilation of popular & classical idioms is masterly. In fact,I don't think anyone else has ever done it as convincingly,with the exception of Gershwin,Grant Still & maybe,Frederic Devreese.The frankly,uneven,Morton Gould comes close in his 3rd symphony & Latin American Symphonette (his long deleted Varese Sarabande recording with the LSO was sensational) Arnold's fifth symphony, is in my opinion, a minor masterpiece, I remember hearing it as a teenager & thinking,'Wow!' It blew my adolescent socks off! Anyway,I DEFINATELY digress!

And if you enjoy Leroy Anderson's 'Typewriter',what the hell? He was good at what he did!

Plink! Plank! Plunk!

[cilgwyn]

If that's not digressing ,what is? Masterpiece or not,here's to the next 'bad' or 'indifferent' review. Bring it on! Either we 'Brianites' really are a bunch of delusionals who can't sort the 'chaff from the wheat',or WE know something THEY don't know! I just pray it's the latter! On the other hand,there's always a possibility it could be a global conspiracy of some kind? Like the 'Illuminati' or that old b/w movie with Glen Ford,'The Brotherhood of the Bell'.
  Mind you,talk like this reminds me of that fellow,who walked up to Neil Armstrong & asked him to swear on the bible that he actually HAD walked on the moon. Armstrong punched him!
  And then there's William Glock,of course,around whom 'conspiracy' theories have revolved,for more years than I can remember. Incidentally,talking of Glock,I was very suprised to read in Naxos's programme notes, that Arnold's extremely tonal & tuneful Fourth symphony was actually commissioned by Glock (and the Beeb). Maybe,he wasn't so bad after all?
Howell's 'Hymnus Paradisi' on the cd player,at the moment. Is it a masterpiece or not? Personally,I couldn't care less. It sounds pretty good to me!