Havergal Brian.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

There is something wrong with the coding on the page - the apostrophe s comes out as ? and so does the en-dash (-). A bit disconcerting, but I managed to read around it.


My answer to your question I have already given. I don't agree with Rob Barnett's verdict about symphonies 1 to 22!

[Karl Henning]

. . . "the single most numerous aspect of his production" is a vile phrase.

Well, maybe not vile (couldn't resist channeling Polonius), but gawd it's clunky.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Agreed, Karl. It struck me too as not wholly felicitous...

[Karl Henning]

And I'm not the man to reject a moderate verbal roundabout untried . . . .

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Who am I to deny the undeniable?

[John Whitmore]

There is something wrong with the coding on the page - the apostrophe s comes out as ? and so does the en-dash (-). A bit disconcerting, but I managed to read around it.


My answer to your question I have already given. I don't agree with Rob Barnett's verdict about symphonies 1 to 22!

Just had a word with Rob. He will sort out the coding issue.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Thanks, John.

[cilgwyn]

Whether one agrees with Rob Barnett,or not,I couldn't resist programming in just the 22nd,after hearing this. I can see why RB nearly wore out his Lp! It really is a fantastic listen. HB certainly packs allot into a short span,the momentum never stops......and the way it ends! Wow!! I'm impressed! I think this could be a favourite,now!

With performances as good as the ones on this cd,I can only hope (and the rest of us Brianites) that Alexander Walker & his team will give us a give us some more of these late symphonies. Imho,this is one of the best Brian cds I have ever heard. I honestly think this cd is very exciting!  It seems unbelievable,that I was grouching at the prospect of more Brian from Naxos,at the AMF,only a couple of weeks ago!

[cilgwyn]

This mercurial symphony seems to take in a bit of everything. There's every Brian mode or mood you can think of,yet it's all over in a couple of minutes. I think I've lost count of how many times I've listened to over the course of the last hour,or so. I can't get enough of it!

Curiously,this Symphony brings to mind another very short symphony some of us,at the GMG,had a listen to,a while ago. Langgaards Symphony No 11 'Ixion'! Of course,there is no comparison. It's just interesting how two composers condense a symphonic argument into such a small time span. Langgaard's effort,unlike Brian's,is a bit like a very loud,angry rant;but unlike some,I actually rather admire what he does. Like it,or hate it,there is nothing else quite like it. Some may say,thank goodness! But for me they are both products of the imagination of two one of a kind,mavericks. And even if Langgaard doesn't pack as much variety into his 11th,he certainly makes up for it with one of the most astonishingly varied symphonic cycle I have ever encountered.
End of comparison!

[cilgwyn]

Having said all that,no surprises as to which Symphony I will be returning to more often!

[cilgwyn]

Having said all that,no surprises as to which Symphony I will be returning to more often!

Famous last words! The Dacapo cd of the 11th is preceded by No's 9 & 10. So much variety here & RD's orchestration always has such a distinctive sound,and so much variety here.I'm hooked! Better revive the Langgaard thread,I suppose! I notice audiences were quite positive towards the Ixion! It's just having the chance to hear these things. I wonder how they will react to Bantock?

I'll pop the Brian Newstone 7 on later. I was going to listen to No 26,but unfortunately,it was one of my early attempts at cd-r making & the track listings were pretty basic. It doesn't help! Time to burn a new cd'r,I think?!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Langgaard's 9th and 10th are wonderful and firm favourites of mine! I like the fullness and warmth of Langgaard's music. And - thanks for your infectiously enthusiastic posts last night, cilgwyn!

[Karl Henning]

Okay, the Wikipedia page has (peculiarly, as I see it) a chart of dates for the recordings of the symphonies, but not for their composition. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, people!

Who here is going to do something about it??!!

[calyptorhynchus]

The HB Wikipedia page is in need of some work. I have tried to put information on there from time to time. For example I put in a link to the radio recordings (though this was to Unsung Composers before its dumbing down, so I guess that link would need to be revised) and to klassichaus.

The trouble with Wikipedia is that you can put a lot of work on in supplying material, all accurate, non-contentious, and referenced.... and it just disappears!

I guess the problem is with little known areas, like HB, the editors won't know anything about it, and if they don't like something they just remove it.

[Karl Henning]

I feel your pain.

[hbswebmaster]

Karl,,

Does this help?

http://www.havergalbrian.org/all-works-by-type.php

[cilgwyn]

It certainly does.....help me,anyway! That's the information I needed when I was trying to listen to Havergal Brian's 'weakest' symphony (supposedly?). This was one of my first cd-r's. The only tracks were for the individual symphonies;no other information! Now,I can see that the symphony is in two movements,how long it lasts (approximately) and the instrumentation used. It doesn't half help!!

Rued Langgaard's still on the cd player here. Like HB this music is so engrossing. Marvellous!

I had the old emi recording of Brian's thirty first on,the other day. This must be one of his most approachable late offerings,with it's deep bass (growly) Brian sonorities and 'spacey' sounds. The Lp friendly duration aside,it shares some of the Seventh symphonies enigmatic qualities.
Incidentally,the artwork for the original emi release seems far more appropriate than the 'British composer' reissue. However,I don't have that cd,so I can't identify the illustration,or painting,on the cover? There may well be,and presumably is a connection,otherwise they wouldn't have chosen it?! Does anyone here have that cd? If so,would they be so kind as to tell me what the picture is & who it is by? It's usually in the booklets small print,somewhere.
The emi 'twofer' reinstates the original artwork,but reduces it to a 'detail'. This is an improvement,and of course the set includes the Grove eighth & ninth,but I still prefer the Lp cover,in a way. Not that it matters,of course!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I have that CD of 31 & 7, the first-ever CD I bought and for which I even invested in a CD player! On the front cover: 'Lucifer and his Angels' on the tower of Strasbourg Cathedral: illustration by Sidney H. Meteyard for an edition of The Golden Legend by Longfellow (Hodder and Stoughton, before 1910)....

[cilgwyn]

Yes,it certainly caught the eye! It looked even better as an Lp sleeve,really;but it still looks good. Not that I particularly love the picture;but it is odd,and strangely effective. It catches the eye,a bit like that Hyperion release of the Gothic. I can imagine someone picking it up & going," Oh no,it's not AC DC's 'Back in Black'!!
However,the one I was referring to was the one on the front of the emi British composer reissue. The artwork used doesn't seem anywhere near as effective,or appropriate,but then again,I don't know who it is by,or what it signifies. The blurry image on Amazon shows a man in a top hat,or stove pipe,amongst others,sitting on the ground. Presumably the painting has some kind of connection with the music,which led to it's inclusion?!!
Just wondering?!!
Regarding the Lp of the Groves eighth & ninth. You still can't beat that dramatic photo of Brian,with just his facial features picked out in the light. Almost planet like. A genuinely arresting image. It grabs hold of your attention. Superb,I call it! A truly classic record sleeve. I seem to recall that it was used in conjunction with the article in The Times,which first brought Brian to my attention. The photo was reproduced,along with the heading 'Brian's Gothic Mountain looms'! The combination of the photo & the heading drew my eye immediately. Of course,the article referred to the upcoming Ole Schmidt performance.
The emi studio cd release of Groves 8 & 9 has a photo of trees silhouetted against the sky. It's inoffensive,quite pleasant,I suppose,but a bit bland & anonymous,as if they just picked up the first photo they could get hold of. Somehow,it seems a bit wrong for Brian.
One more original Brian Lp! The abstract design for the original Lyrita Lp,of No's 6 & 16, always seemed (at least for me) more appropriate than the landscape on the cd reissue. For some strange reason,the abstraction of all those fragmented blocks of shapes & colours seemed to gel with the music I was hearing. It was almost as if the author of the Lp artwork was trying to create a visual equivalent of those brilliant,sometimes almost mosaic like,blocs of sound. I used to prop it up in front of me while the Lp was playing. A pity they coudn't use it again,but it wouldn't go with the Arnold Cooke!

Another fantastic Lyrita Lp sleeve,imho,was the Bax one of Tintagel (etc) with those waves. Wow!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I don't know that reissue, nor can I find it online...


Here is the Lyrita: