British Composers' Catalogues: Orchestral and Choral Music

Started by Dundonnell, March 22, 2012, 04:27:49 PM

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Recently I bought Naxos 8.570417 containing music by Finzi:


[asin]B0015DM3AG[/asin]

Dies natalis, Prelude for String Orchestra, The Fall of the Leaf (Elegy), Two Sonnets for Tenor and Orchestra, Nocturne (New Year Music)  and Farewell to Arms - James Gilchrist, Tenor - Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra - David Hill


I have been enjoying this CD a lot. A remainder to me how much Finzi's music is for my taste.
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Dundonnell

Quote from: Mirror Image on October 18, 2012, 09:33:06 AM
I'm not a fan of atonal music either but I do enjoy many works of the Second Viennese School (Schoenberg, Berg, Webern, and many of the composers that come from this school of composition). For me, this is about the only atonal music I can tolerate. I do have to be in the right mindset for it though. This isn't music that screams out "Play me! Play me!" :) But, like Colin, I believe I have accumulated many of the atonal 'masterpieces' to consider them an important aspect of my collection. Some people, who haven't done any research about this music, will buy a CD and sell it immediately because they don't like what they hear. Not me. I keep it around, especially if it was historically an important work. There was one composer, however, that I could not tolerate and that was Schnittke, but I did enjoy one of his works: Peer Gynt.

Completely agree with you about not getting rid of cds of music that does not, at first, appeal. I could not imagine doing that ;D I once bought a Naxos cd of concertos by Jose Luis Turina by mistake (obviously confusing him with Joaquin Turina). The music turned out to be by a Spanish serialist. It is still on my shelves......as are ALL Schnittke's orchestral output :) :)

Who knows....one day a certain composer's music may click with me :)  After all....one of my oldest and best friends wrote a book about Schoenberg :) We are STILL friends ;D ;D ;D

North Star

Quote from: Dundonnell on October 19, 2012, 06:52:52 AM
Completely agree with you about not getting rid of cds of music that does not, at first, appeal. I could not imagine doing that ;D I once bought a Naxos cd of concertos by Jose Luis Turina by mistake (obviously confusing him with Joaquin Turina). The music turned out to be by a Spanish serialist. It is still on my shelves......as are ALL Schnittke's orchestral output :) :)

Who knows....one day a certain composer's music may click with me :)  After all....one of my oldest and best friends wrote a book about Schoenberg :) We are STILL friends ;D ;D ;D

Do you like even the earlier Schönberg of the 5 Orchestral pieces, Gurre-Lieder, or Verklärte Nacht?
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Mirror Image

Quote from: Dundonnell on October 19, 2012, 06:52:52 AM
Completely agree with you about not getting rid of cds of music that does not, at first, appeal. I could not imagine doing that ;D I once bought a Naxos cd of concertos by Jose Luis Turina by mistake (obviously confusing him with Joaquin Turina). The music turned out to be by a Spanish serialist. It is still on my shelves......as are ALL Schnittke's orchestral output :) :)

Who knows....one day a certain composer's music may click with me :)  After all....one of my oldest and best friends wrote a book about Schoenberg :) We are STILL friends ;D ;D ;D

Many months ago I bought a set of symphonies by Egon Wellesz. I listened to the whole cycle once and it's stayed on the shelf since then. :) The music just hasn't clicked for me yet. This also applies to most of the Second Viennese School, although Berg is a favorite of mine. I do like Schoenberg's early works and I can get on well with his early atonal works, but I don't like much else. Webern wrote two pieces I like: Passacaglia and his Strauss-inspired Im Sommerwind. That's about it. I have, however, come to appreciate and like Ligeti a lot. I can't get on well with most of his contemporaries though like Boulez, Xenakis (this guy is brutality pounded into the your ears and skull over and over again), Stockhausen, etc., you know, that Darmstadt crowd.

Anyway, life's too short to not listen to music that gives you pleasure and joy, but I'm always interested in finding lesser-known composers.

Dundonnell

#24
Quote from: North Star on October 19, 2012, 06:55:18 AM
Do you like even the earlier Schönberg of the 5 Orchestral pieces, Gurre-Lieder, or Verklärte Nacht?

Oh....Gurrelieder is an absolute masterpiece :) :) I love the Riccardo Chailly/Decca version. The opening is pure magic, a glorious mixture of Wagner and Debussy :) And the final chorus is pure splendour ;D
Karajan and Boulez in  'Pelleas und Melisande' as well :)

Let me return to Robert Craft's account of the Five Orchestral Pieces.

Dundonnell

Give Egon Wellesz another go, John :)

The first four symphonies at least are in the Brucknerian tradition :)

North Star

Quote from: Dundonnell on October 20, 2012, 02:48:31 PM
Oh....Gurrelieder is an absolute masterpiece :) :) I love the Riccardo Chailly/Decca version. The opening is pure magic, a glorious mixture of Wagner and Debussy :) And the final chorus is pure splendour ;D
Karajan and Boulez in  'Pelleas und Melisande' as well :)

Let me return to Robert Craft's account of the Five Orchestral Pieces.

Excellent! I should probably get Chailly's Gurre-Lieder, especially since it comes with Verklärte Nacht, of which I don't possess a recording.  ::)
Craft is excellent, I've got all of his Schönberg recordings on Naxos (Koch).
"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." - Confucius

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