Havergal Brian.

[calyptorhynchus]

Sorry John, I must have listened to too much Bruckner and got my brian addled, but I cant find the Holst disk you mentioned on www.klassichaus.us

I love the idea of these restorations, and I'll certainly get the Tippett and couple of others (already bought the Brians).

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

http://www.klassichaus.us/index.php


It's called "Holst at St Paul's". You can find it on the page I linked to... When you click on the picture, you get a sample.

[John Whitmore]

Sorry John, I must have listened to too much Bruckner and got my brian addled, but I cant find the Holst disk you mentioned on www.klassichaus.us

I love the idea of these restorations, and I'll certainly get the Tippett and couple of others (already bought the Brians).

Your brian addled - very Freudian. When you go to the site, open the vocal/choral tab at the top and you will find the Holst at St Paul's disc at the bottom of the list of titles. In fact - here you go:
http://www.klassichaus.us/Choral-Vocal.php
I'm delighted with the Tippett and very proud of the Shires Suite performance. Electic atmosphere.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I must alert Brianites to the fact that there have been uploads of Brian symphonies at the Unsung Composers site of quite exceptional quality. Just as Colin (Dundonnell) did a few months ago, a member has dusted off his reel-to-reels. He has so far made available recordings of symphonies 2 (Mackerras), 3 (Pope), 4 (Poole) and 7 (Newstone). It is as if all the varnish has disappeared, the amount of detail that comes to life is astonishing, especially in those filled-to-bursting early works. Anyone joining UC will have access to these riches...

[John Whitmore]

I must alert Brianites to the fact that there have been uploads of Brian symphonies at the Unsung Composers site of quite exceptional quality. Just as Colin (Dundonnell) did a few months ago, a member has dusted off his reel-to-reels. He has so far made available recordings of symphonies 2 (Mackerras), 3 (Pope), 4 (Poole) and 7 (Newstone). It is as if all the varnish has disappeared, the amount of detail that comes to life is astonishing, especially in those filled-to-bursting early works. Anyone joining UC will have access to these riches...

I'll take a listen. Many thanks!

[John Whitmore]

Just listened very briefly to this new download of No.3. QUALITY!!!!!!!!!

[calyptorhynchus]

The Mackerras No.2 Scherzo is one of the most electrifying performances of any piece of music I know, a must listen, and now better quality!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I must say the Second has risen in my estimation, the Scherzo included. And the opening of the Fourth impresses me more than it ever did. Is every composer so dependant on a good recording, I wonder. One part of an answer may be - Brian's music is an intense aural experience,  when you hear it live. A recording that captures that excitement, brings the music immediately to life.

[John Whitmore]

A couple of weeks ago Curt Timmons at Klassic Haus bought the Aries LP of the Violin Concerto/Symphony No.28 from Ebay. I've just heard a short extract of his initial transfer and I must say it's a great success. I've never heard an Aries LP and had fairly low expectations. I was wrong. It sounds terrific and I will be buying the download when it's available next month. Colin did us all a great service with his cassette transfer and I'm thankful for his efforts - it introduced me to this wonderful performance of the concerto. The Aries transfer promises to be a substantial sonic improvement.   

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

The member at Unsung Composers, Mark, who recently uploaded symphonies 2, 3, 4 and 7 has now added two very interesting recordings - 1) the first (broadcast) performance of 'Das Siegeslied', from 3 July 1967, with the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maurice Handford and 2) the first (broadcast) performance of Symphony No. 21, with the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Edward Downes. The sound of these latest additions isn't as good the earlier ones, but that doesn't matter, they are of huge historic interest.


Many passages go rather disastrously wrong in 'Das Siegeslied', because Handford often seems to be in quite a hurry, so that the choirs can hardly keep up. It is very instructive, though, and it shows you how excellent Poole is. Even in a flawed performance, details stand out you didn't notice before. As for No. 21, the LSO play this very well, I think. Downes follows the score quite faithfully, although he completely forgets the Allargando at the end of the third movement. The way he shapes the final pages of the work as a whole are, however, masterly, and those chords ending the work are much more imposing than in the LSSO performance. But, again, the LSSO did a more than creditable job in 1972, and the performances are evenly-matched.

[John Whitmore]

The member at Unsung Composers, Mark, who recently uploaded symphonies 2, 3, 4 and 7 has now added two very interesting recordings - 1) the first (broadcast) performance of 'Das Siegeslied', from 3 July 1967, with the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maurice Handford and 2) the first (broadcast) performance of Symphony No. 21, with the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Edward Downes. The sound of these latest additions isn't as good the earlier ones, but that doesn't matter, they are of huge historic interest.


Many passages go rather disastrously wrong in 'Das Siegeslied', because Handford often seems to be in quite a hurry, so that the choirs can hardly keep up. It is very instructive, though, and it shows you how excellent Poole is. Even in a flawed performance, details stand out you didn't notice before. As for No. 21, the LSO play this very well, I think. Downes follows the score quite faithfully, although he completely forgets the Allargando at the end of the third movement. The way he shapes the final pages of the work as a whole are, however, masterly, and those chords ending the work are much more imposing than in the LSSO performance. But, again, the LSSO did a more than creditable job in 1972, and the performances are evenly-matched.

I agree but I'm amazed to hear the timps being so horribly sharp though. Very peculiar.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

You didn't see my findings at UC, I think (http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,1169.msg35191.html#msg35191


1st movement: between a major second and a minor third too sharp
2nd movement: minor second too sharp
3rd movement: idem
4th movement: major second too sharp


It's a fault of the recording. Mark will address this next week. He has a score (like me).

[John Whitmore]

You didn't see my findings at UC, I think (http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,1169.msg35191.html#msg35191


1st movement: between a major second and a minor third too sharp
2nd movement: minor second too sharp
3rd movement: idem
4th movement: major second too sharp


It's a fault of the recording. Mark will address this next week. He has a score (like me).

I will take another proper listen later. Pitch correction is easy to do but it's important to change the pitch AND the overall timings because the inherent fault is the tape speed. The thing is full of wow and flutter (as I mentioned earlier) so I never really listened to it. Will do, though.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Quote from: John Whitmore on Today at 18:34:13

I will take another proper listen later. Pitch correction is easy to do but it's important to change the pitch AND the overall timings because

the inherent fault is the tape speed. The thing is full of wow and flutter (as I mentioned earlier) so I never really listened to it. Will do, though.



You're right. The Downes performance, by the way, also lacks the opening E flat pizzicato chord....

[John Whitmore]

You didn't see my findings at UC, I think (http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,1169.msg35191.html#msg35191


1st movement: between a major second and a minor third too sharp
2nd movement: minor second too sharp
3rd movement: idem
4th movement: major second too sharp


It's a fault of the recording. Mark will address this next week. He has a score (like me).

I only wish it were as straight forward as this. I've just been listening and trying to sort it out. The problem is that the tape speed changes throughout each movement. I corrected the opening of the first movement into E flat and all was well but by the middle of the movement the pitch had dropped and by the end it had dropped still further. The tape is slowing down from beginning to end. If I correct the pitch by using the last few notes as markers the opening is no longer in E flat. Is this from a cassette? I wonder if the uploader can rewind the tape a few times to free it up and then have another go at the transfer. It's not possible to pitch correct this as I did for the upload of the 10th which started in the key of B and three quarters minor and at least had the common decency to be equally inaccurate throughout the full length of the piece. It could be the tired old belt on the cassette player of course. I've got a Nakamichi that's still in great nick. If it comes to it I could try to make a transfer.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Thanks for that, John. Yes, I too got the feeling that the pitch was wobbly during the movements themselves... You should post the same information at the UC site, too. Mark, the uploader, said he would look into it next week. This would be a great help.

[John Whitmore]

Thanks for that, John. Yes, I too got the feeling that the pitch was wobbly during the movements themselves... You should post the same information at the UC site, too. Mark, the uploader, said he would look into it next week. This would be a great help.

I just referred to it on the UC site literally 1 minute ago so I hope Mark will see this comment I made on the HB forum. I assume he looks at both.

[hbswebmaster]

Johan,

The performance did indeed have the pizz opening; this recording misses it - and also the first bass clarinet note that follows. Yes, the LSO does play it all well; Brian and Robert Simpson had been at the BBC recording in Maida Vale, following which Brian declared it to be the best day of his life. At the end of the second movement, Brian had said to Simpson that 'this is lovely orchestral playing', to which Simpson had replied 'yes, it's lovely music'. And so it is; this slow movement and the opening movement of the 11th are amongst Brian's most serene.

[John Whitmore]

Curt at Klassic Haus has finished the refurb on the Aries Violin Concerto LP. Luckily the pressing was immaculate. I've only heard a sample as of this morning but hopefully the CD will be available in July. Here's an appetiser for you:
http://www.4shared.com/mp3/pJsmqDz-/Aries_fiddle_concerto_sample.html

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Thanks, Martyn, for that piece of information about Brian's 'best day of his life'. I had forgotten about it (as you do). That second movement is, indeed, among Brian's serenest, though it has its one wilder moment... Apart from the opening movement of No. 11, the finale of No. 24 is another very peaceful creation, with a great peroration. Any news about the current recording of the new Brian CD for Dutton?!