Havergal Brian.

[cilgwyn]

So that's what it was!

[John Whitmore]

By dinasman at 2011-12-02

Merry Xmas,John!

Thankyou so much. I am truly touched. Some of it is perfectly decent to be fair. It's when the violins are out of their depth that the trouble starts. All youth orchestras suffer from this to different degrees. I will treasure this splendid gift

[John Whitmore]

Cilgwyn, I've made CD inserts for my Hull download CD case using your scans. Looks lovely. Will try the discs later to see if the playing has been improved

[cilgwyn]

By dinasman at 2011-12-03

Without the jewel case around it & a little contrast!

[cilgwyn]

By dinasman at 2011-12-03

[cilgwyn]

By dinasman at 2011-12-03

[cilgwyn]

By dinasman at 2011-12-03

For your instant Havergal Brian cd,print image on card,cut round with scissors & insert in cd drawer to play!

PS Just received Brian Orchestral Works Vol 2 from Toccata,today. More to follow!

[John Whitmore]

By dinasman at 2011-12-03

For your instant Havergal Brian cd,print image on card,cut round with scissors & insert in cd drawer to play!

PS Just received Brian Orchestral Works Vol 2 from Toccata,today. More to follow!

For some reason neither my CD drive or CD player recognise the CD. Maybe I'm using analogue cardboard.

[cilgwyn]

It's a hard life.isn't it?

[cilgwyn]

So bang goes my deal with Kellogs cornflakes!

In the meantime,first impressions of Brian Vol 2 from Toccata,are late Brian (bar the Variations,of course) at his best. This is one of the best Brian cds I have heard in terms of content & planning. Also,as someone has pointed out,the sound quality is much better than on Vol 1. There is more of a feeling of spaciousness. I hate to say it,but the 'dry' sound on Vol 1 reminded me a little too much of some of those Naxos cds,except that the playing was much better. Brian's use of brass comes to the forefront in some of those operatic fragments & there are those tremendous moments of 'stillness' which Brian is so good at. The extract from Faust has to be Brian at his most riveting. But the whole cd was on repeat,it was that good. I only wish that we could hear more of the actual opera's themselves.
Marvellous,and well worth the wait!

Hopefully,it won't be too long before we're 'reviewing' the Stone songs cd!!!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I had the same positive experience with Vol. 2, as you know. A really essential addition to our knowledge of Brian. I think the second Turandot Suite, the Tigers Variations and the Cenci Prologue are my personal favourites.

[Dundonnell]

Don't you like Delius? His scoring is just miraculous. The concertos are sublime. He was a craftsman who knew how to write for the orchestra. I certainly don't compare Delius with HB. There simply is no comparison. I just read a thread about HB liking Delius on here, hence the banter.

As Johan knows only too well, Delius and I are not on terms

Very early Delius I can just about handle-I quite like the Florida Suite, Paris, Appalachia and Brigg Fair- but once he got stuck in his b***** summer garden or drifting down some endless river somewhere, snoozing in the summer sunshine I get bored to tears.

Sorry...but that's just the way it is I can't stand Rachmaninov after he left Russia and I happen to think that, with the exceptions of his First, Second and Eight Symphonies, Mahler is grossly over-rated......but DON'T TELL ANYBODY ELSE THIS

[cilgwyn]

I need to listen to the cd allot more,of course. That was just an initial impression. I didn't have that much time to listen to it very carefully. I was just doing things with the old Sennheiser cordless headphones,which,incidentally.isn't the best way to check out sound quality,but they are good for cordless jobs & I can definately hear a big difference between volumes 1 & 2. But the wonderful sonorities Brian gets out of his orchestra. I played the Moeran Violin Concerto the other night. A lovely work (Moeran seems closer to Bax than VW,to my ears). I played Brian Vol 1 after the Moeran & it struck me that while the Moeran was music for the emotions,the Brian was music for the mind. I could say intellect,but the use of the word intellect seems a little to dry for a composer like Brian. Simpson,but not Brian!

Incidentally,my personal favourite on Vol 1 is the 'Elegy'!

Regarding Delius. My favourite Delius for years was the 'North Country Sketches'. Recently,I found out that this was regarded by some as music for 'people who think they don't like Delius!' For years,the only Delius cd I had was the Groves emi  of the above mentioned,'Life's Dance','Eventyr', the Dance Rhapsody No 1 & 'Song of Summer'. These remain my favourite Delius works & the cd that 'enjoys' the most visits to my cd player. I also had a cfp cd of short tone poems conducted by Handley (very well chosen) and the original Argo release of 'A Village Romeo & Juliet' conducted by Mackerras,which I bought after watching the 'film' of the production,on Channel 4,when it came out, & thinking it was wonderful. I later sold the Argo cd set (regrettably) & now have the Decca reissue,which doesn't look as nice & has no libretto! Silly me! I still think that with all it's faults,'A Village Romeo & Juliet' is one of the best English opera's before 'Peter Grimes'. Having said that,I have to admit that a good deal of Delius does have the same effect on me as it does on Dundonnell,even if,I can't say I dislike it. The Violin Concerto,for example, got taken off only the other night. The Moeran VC may be rhapsodic,but at least it's got some bracingly good tunes. 

Incidentally,Dundonnell,I'm unfamiliar with Delius's "In a Bl**** summer garden"? Is this a recently rediscovered work? It doesn't sound like his usual stuff!!!!

[Lethevich]

The North Country Sketches did that trick for me too, and I am still not particularly involved with Delius's other works for orchestra. His chamber music provided a slightly more rigorous and easy to enjoy medium for me.

[cilgwyn]

Not so familiar with his chamber music. I shall have to investigate! Cyril Scott is the same. His chamber music is a pleasant suprise after the rhapsodic,chromatic meanderings of (most of)his orchestral output. It seemed to focus his mind.

Regarding Rachmaninov. Can't say I dislike his music,but I don't play it very much. Personally,I prefer the underrated Rheinhold Gliere,any day. So much more subtle. For once,Rob Barnett's enthusiasm isn't too way over the top. Although,saying he is a better composer than Tchaikovsky IS a bit OTT!
Gliere's three symphonies are,in my humble opinion,some of the best Russian symphonies of their era. No's 1 & 2,my favourites,are absolute peaches & deserve far more performances. The Red Poppy is fun too!  I wonder if I shall ever get to hear one of his opera's?

As to Mahler. I like him,although,not the pretentious way some people drone on about him.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

The only part of Delius' output I still have to investigate is his chamber music, and that's because I love Delius' handling of the orchestra so much. As I said earlier, to Colin's utter amazement, Brian and Delius are my two personal favourite composers. Beethoven and Wagner are my 'impersonal' favourites, meaning: I can't imagine being them... I think Delius is underrated. He's got more 'Northern grit' than people think, who only see the invalid nature poet. The point with Delius is - go with the flow, don't analyse, experience! I don't think that, apart from Chopin, anyone has created so much pure beauty in music. But it's not for everyone, apparently!

[cilgwyn]

Of course,like Brian,he was a bit of a maverick,really. If it hadn't been for Beecham I wonder what would have happened.
Speaking of Cyril Scott,I quite like SOME of his music,but you only have to look at Delius's best music,say Brigg Fair,to see just how focused & disciplined Delius's music actually is. I'm not to so keen on his concerto's though! Actually,there is something 'gritty' about A Village Romeo & Juliet'. When you think of the plot lines of allot of contemporary English opera's it's pretty bold for it's time. No hey nonny no's or Wizard potions there (albeit,a few la la's at the fair).It's not quite 'kitchen sink',but it's a pretty grim story.

Incidentally,I thought Langgaard was one of you're 'big' favourites?

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Incidentally,I thought Langgaard was one of you're 'big' favourites?

I love uncompromising mavericks (but not all, of course; has to do with temperament). You may add Magnard, too.

[Lethevich]

I love uncompromising mavericks (but not all, of course; has to do with temperament). You may add Magnard, too.

Magnard doesn't even have a trendy cult following - a truly esoteric pick

Closest to me is... Haydn, Schumann and Schubert. Credentials... slipping...

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I think the choice of favourite composers says a lot about a person. Haydn, Schumann, Schubert to me signal 'joyful intellect' (Haydn), 'intensity' (Schumann) and 'melancholy and movement' (Schubert)...


Re Magnard -  I can't be exoteric all the time.