Havergal Brian.

[The new erato]

Volume 2 of the Toccata releases of Brian's music extracted from the operas gets an enthusiastic 2 column review in the new issue of IRR.

So too does the Dutton release of the Bate/Reizenstein piano concertos. Again, the review(written by Malcolm MacDonald) extends to 2 closely printed columns occupying half a page.
Similar treatment is provided in a review by Martin Anderson of the Kinsella Symphonies Nos. 6 and 7 and this new release is awarded an 'IRR Outstanding' classification and is described as "a knock-out cd" by Anderson.

These are reviews which consider the music concerned in real depth and-once again-point out the contrast with the minimal coverage offered by what now only purport to be 'reviews' published by The Gramophone magazine.

If you want to read in-depth, detailed analyses of the music being reviewed the best place to go now for British readers at least is IRR......and NO I am not on a retainer from the publishers

A superb magazine and well worth anybodys money, as I've pointed out a number of times. Interesting to note that Julian Haylock, a quite recent editor of the substandard Gramophone IIRC, now writes for IRR.

[cilgwyn]

In this age of 'dumbing down',IRR Magazine is a rare example of a Magazine intellectualising it's content!
Mine's still in the post!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Quote from: John Whitmore on 10-02-2012, 13:43:54

Just listened to it. If it wasn't so wretchedly slow it would be the best performance. Great technical playing, hangs together superbly BUT it sounds like a rehearsal. It clocks in at 20'30'' compared to the LSSO at 18'. That's 14% longer for a short work lasting less than 20 minutes. You would just about get away with a 14% difference on a work lasting for a couple of hours but this is ridiculous. I've enjoyed hearing it but there is a disastrous lack of drive and momentum about it. Maybe if I tweak it back to 18 mins it would sound fabulous and take pride of place. No, that's taking cheating way too far............



I think you're right, but only for the first half. In the second half the performance loses its character of a rather tentative-sounding playthrough and really takes off. Still, this is a recording of prime importance.

[John Whitmore]

Quote from: John Whitmore on 10-02-2012, 13:43:54

Just listened to it. If it wasn't so wretchedly slow it would be the best performance. Great technical playing, hangs together superbly BUT it sounds like a rehearsal. It clocks in at 20'30'' compared to the LSSO at 18'. That's 14% longer for a short work lasting less than 20 minutes. You would just about get away with a 14% difference on a work lasting for a couple of hours but this is ridiculous. I've enjoyed hearing it but there is a disastrous lack of drive and momentum about it. Maybe if I tweak it back to 18 mins it would sound fabulous and take pride of place. No, that's taking cheating way too far............



>I think you're right, but only for the first half. In the second half the performance loses its character of a rather tentative-sounding playthrough and really takes off. Still, this is a recording of prime importance.

Sounds like a typical home performance by my beloved Leicester City.

[John Whitmore]

A short but very fair review of the Gothic in the BBC Music Magazine. I agree with what the reviewer, Malcolm Hayes, has to say. Great sound, great sense of atmosphere, great playing. The work has it's poorer patches but loads of good patches. Choral entries a bit approximate at times in Judex. His summary: Memorable listening indeed. Recording 5 stars, performance 4 stars (singing lost a star, how bloody typical).

[John Whitmore]

Good to see your undying love for Anton...    And yes, do listen, and see for yourself how Pope's reading compares with Loughran's and Brabbins'.

I've just received an email from Martyn. He will send me the original FLAC of the flat sounding HB 10, I will make the appropriate changes and reupload it as a high quality MP3. Martyn will then replace the old one on the HBS website. Should be early next week sometime. I'll keep you posted.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Excellent! Long live Leicester City.

[John Whitmore]

Excellent! Long live Leicester City.

City 2 Cardiff 1 

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Don't tell cilgwyn. 

[Dundonnell]

Away from the football and listen to some really great and truly awe-inspiring music: Miloslav Kabelac's Passacaglia for large symphony orchestra "The Mystery of Time"(posted in my new Kabelac thread)

I reckon old Havergal would have appreciated it Janacek certainly would

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Quote from: Dundonnell on Today at 20:44:19

Away from the football and listen to some really great and truly awe-inspiring music:

Miloslav Kabelac's Passacaglia for large symphony orchestra "The Mystery of Time"(posted in my new Kabelac thread)

I reckon old Havergal would have appreciated it Janacek certainly would



I like the passacaglia form... I'll have a look. (Did you listen to the Pope Tenth?!)

[Dundonnell]

I shall try

So much new music....so little time to listen to it all

[John Whitmore]

I shall try

So much new music....so little time to listen to it all

Use this link. At least it's in C minor rather than B and three quarters minor.
http://www.mediafire.com/?u9snf2f9yh97992

[Dundonnell]

Thanks, John

[John Whitmore]

Thanks, John

You are very welcome. Here's my comparative review. It may, of course, be a spoof and it may, of course, have been written with tongue firmly in both cheeks but you should decide:
"The LSSO version is the best by far. It has a sense of discovery and manace about it and in general the orchestral playing is good enough to pull it off. It has that edge of the seat quality usually only present in live performances. Brabbins secures wonderful playing at a higher level, of course, but there is a lack of atmosphere, thrust and danger about many parts of the work, especially the very tame storm section. This may be partly due to the warm acoustic which places the brass section too far back. The finest technical playing of the three available versions is by the Philharmonia at it's peak but the slow tempi are debilitating  - much of the performance sounds like a tentative rehearsal run through - so this is really only for aficionados with an interest in historic performances. The recording in the unusual key of B and three quarters minor adds a very strange twist to a somewhat eccentric reading of the score. The highlight is Hugh Bean's beautifully crafted violin solo which is superb."
Should I work for The Gramophone? I'm good enough aren't I?.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

It's IRR material.

[John Whitmore]

It's IRR material.

High praise indeed from the Netherlands. Next contestant please.

[cilgwyn]

You are very welcome. Here's my comparative review. It may, of course, be a spoof and it may, of course, have been written with tongue firmly in both cheeks but you should decide:
"The LSSO version is the best by far. It has a sense of discovery and manace about it and in general the orchestral playing is good enough to pull it off. It has that edge of the seat quality usually only present in live performances. Brabbins secures wonderful playing at a higher level, of course, but there is a lack of atmosphere, thrust and danger about many parts of the work, especially the very tame storm section. This may be partly due to the warm acoustic which places the brass section too far back. The finest technical playing of the three available versions is by the Philharmonia at it's peak but the slow tempi are debilitating  - much of the performance sounds like a tentative rehearsal run through - so this is really only for aficionados with an interest in historic performances. The recording in the unusual key of B and three quarters minor adds a very strange twist to a somewhat eccentric reading of the score. The highlight is Hugh Bean's beautifully crafted violin solo which is superb."
Should I work for The Gramophone? I'm good enough aren't I?.

I think you'd frighten the life out of them!
More,please!

[Dundonnell]

You are very welcome. Here's my comparative review. It may, of course, be a spoof and it may, of course, have been written with tongue firmly in both cheeks but you should decide:
"The LSSO version is the best by far. It has a sense of discovery and manace about it and in general the orchestral playing is good enough to pull it off. It has that edge of the seat quality usually only present in live performances. Brabbins secures wonderful playing at a higher level, of course, but there is a lack of atmosphere, thrust and danger about many parts of the work, especially the very tame storm section. This may be partly due to the warm acoustic which places the brass section too far back. The finest technical playing of the three available versions is by the Philharmonia at it's peak but the slow tempi are debilitating  - much of the performance sounds like a tentative rehearsal run through - so this is really only for aficionados with an interest in historic performances. The recording in the unusual key of B and three quarters minor adds a very strange twist to a somewhat eccentric reading of the score. The highlight is Hugh Bean's beautifully crafted violin solo which is superb."
Should I work for The Gramophone? I'm good enough aren't I?.

Excellent review..........but I am puzzled by the reference to "a sense of discovery and manace"   Obviously I need to look harder to discover the hidden "manace"-a quality in Brian's music which had totally escaped me

[John Whitmore]

Excellent review..........but I am puzzled by the reference to "a sense of discovery and manace"   Obviously I need to look harder to discover the hidden "manace"-a quality in Brian's music which had totally escaped me

That's what we reviewers do you see. I've whetted your appetite to dig deeper. Brian is a very menacing chap. I should have done this sort of stuff years ago.