sir Malcolm Arnold

Started by Thom, April 12, 2007, 10:28:13 AM

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Roasted Swan

I think that the old van Beinum/Decca/LPO 1st recording of Beckus the Dandipratt features Arnold....... I think!!  Recorded December 16th 1947 at the Kingsway Hall London....... I think

vandermolen

#361
Quote from: Roasted Swan on March 07, 2019, 11:33:49 AM
Tam O'Shanter was my first "favourite" piece of CM on the 1st LP I ever bought from Rushworths & Draper in Liverpool.  Part of the Decca "World of Classics" series - this one was called "Dance Macabre".  I still think the version on that recording is the best there has ever been - Sir Alexander Gibson and the New Symphony Orchestra of London (re-released on a Decca Eloquence disc now - witches brew or somesuch).  Brilliantly boozy trombone solo and thunderous storm and ride!  Love it.  The piece that makes you realise that Arnold DID in fact ghost write most of Walton's "Battle in the Air" for the film "Battle of Britain" - all of the Arnold tricks are in both pieces
Thanks for this information RS. I've been looking for that performance for decades and without your post would have remained unaware of it. I really look forward to hearing Gibson's version of 'Tam O'Shanter' and as a fan of 'Jonathan Creek' I'm also looking forward to the Saint-Saens as well! Just ordered this. It didn't cost me £200 either!  :)
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

SymphonicAddict

Quote from: Carshot on September 28, 2019, 08:56:43 AM
I  am currently discovering the music of Sir Malcolm (beyond some film music and the dances) and love it. This forum has been a great guide regarding where to start etc, (many thanks!) and I am currently reading the Meredith/Harris "Rogue Genius". Are there any recordings available of Sir Malcolm playing the trumpet ? He seems to have been very highly valued as a player but I can't find any recordings...

Arnold is a hell of a composer. Almost everything by him is sheer brilliance. I don't know any recording where he plays the trumpet, but I do know his brass pieces are exhilarating.

André

And a very special conductor, too. His own recordings are markedly more accented (slower tempi, rythmic accenting) than those of any other conductor who recorded his music (the symphonies of course, but also the Dances and the Overtures).

Alek Hidell

Quote from: Carshot on September 28, 2019, 08:56:43 AM
I  am currently discovering the music of Sir Malcolm (beyond some film music and the dances) and love it. This forum has been a great guide regarding where to start etc, (many thanks!) and I am currently reading the Meredith/Harris "Rogue Genius". Are there any recordings available of Sir Malcolm playing the trumpet ? He seems to have been very highly valued as a player but I can't find any recordings...

Dunno the answer to your question, Carshot, but welcome to the forum!
"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist." - Hélder Pessoa Câmara

vandermolen

Quote from: André on September 29, 2019, 04:07:56 PM
And a very special conductor, too. His own recordings are markedly more accented (slower tempi, rythmic accenting) than those of any other conductor who recorded his music (the symphonies of course, but also the Dances and the Overtures).

Yes. His own recording of his First Symphony is extraordinary compared with other recordings. Much slower - but I prefer it.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

relm1

Quote from: vandermolen on September 30, 2019, 12:12:29 AM
Yes. His own recording of his First Symphony is extraordinary compared with other recordings. Much slower - but I prefer it.

Have you heard his version of No. 7?  It's extremely slow and like you, I prefer his conducting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TaAOT0RMmU

vandermolen

Quote from: relm1 on September 30, 2019, 06:33:07 AM
Have you heard his version of No. 7?  It's extremely slow and like you, I prefer his conducting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TaAOT0RMmU

No, never heard it but will listen later. Thank you  :)
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Roasted Swan

#368
For those interested in "Arnold conducts Arnold" this 2-CD set is one of the gems of the defunct BBC Radio Classsics series



Some excellent performances of familiar(ish) repertoire but also real rarities/only available versions of "Song of Simeon" for example.  Arnld had a happy knack of being able to write music for younger performers that embodied all the best facets of his style.  Song of Simeon may not be top drawer/vintage Arnold but still worth a lesson.  Another piece along these lines that I had on LP but as far as I know has never made it to CD is "Song of Freedom Op.109" for choir and brass band.  Again simple/populist in style but none the worse for that.

Of course there are then several interesting "Arnold conducts NOT Arnold".... again BBC archive recordings are the source here (BBC Music Magazine - Arnold conducts Elgar Froissart) / (BBC Radio Classics - Arnold conducts Purcell Abdelazer Suite)



or


thankyou for the advice on how to post the images!

André

None of the pictures show...  :(

Roasted Swan

Quote from: André on October 01, 2019, 09:17:26 AM
None of the pictures show...  :(

any advice on posting images / not relying on Amazon-US for album artwork gratefully received.....!

vandermolen

#371
Quote from: Roasted Swan on October 01, 2019, 09:40:59 AM
any advice on posting images / not relying on Amazon-US for album artwork gratefully received.....!

A case of the blind leading the blind here I fear, but I'll do my best.

On my iPad I click on the CD or LP image I want and then click on 'save image'

Then on the forum after I've written my post I click on 'Attachments and other options'

Than I click on 'attach-choose file'

Then I click on the image I want (from my saved images) to post which should attach it to the post.

Then I click 'post' and it should magically appear with the message.

Hope this helps
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

JBS

Open the image as a separate tab in your browser.
Copy the URL
Then in the GMG post you are writing, hit the BBS image button, the one with Mona Lisa
So you get this
[img  ]....[/img  ]
Insert the image URL where I put the ...
You can add a height function to the opening img bracket for any pixel value up to 480.

Hollywood Beach Broadwalk

kyjo

#373
Lately I discovered a quite extraordinary and substantial Arnold work, the Fantasy on a theme of John Field for piano and orchestra [1975]. It opens startlingly with Arnold in his best "nightmare" mode before the Field nocturne is stated in its (more or less) unadorned simplicity. The theme is subjugated to variety of kaleidoscopic and phantasmagorical transformations before the piece comes to a thrilling finish. Utterly mind-blowing stuff! It's undoubtedly now one of my favorite Arnold works and further confirmation of his genius. The Donohoe/Yates performance on the CD below in excellent in all regards:

[asin]B00S4U3STS[/asin]

https://youtu.be/h1qaekhBl0s (different performance)
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

SymphonicAddict

Quote from: kyjo on October 01, 2019, 03:58:42 PM
Lately I discovered a quite extraordinary and substantial Arnold work, the Fantasy on a theme of John Field for piano and orchestra [1975]. It opens startlingly with Arnold in his best "nightmare" mode before the Field nocturne is stated in its (more or less) unadorned simplicity. The theme is subjugated to variety of kaleidoscopic and phantasmagorical transformations before the piece comes to a thrilling finish. Utterly mind-blowing stuff! It's undoubtedly now one of my favorite Arnold works and further confirmation of his genius. The Donohoe/Yates performance on the CD below in excellent in all regards:

[asin]B00S4U3STS[/asin]

https://youtu.be/h1qaekhBl0s (different performance)

Sounds fantastic, Kyle. I do remember hearing that work, but somehow I don't remember it very well. Thanks for the heads up.

kyjo

Quote from: SymphonicAddict on October 01, 2019, 04:44:12 PM
Sounds fantastic, Kyle. I do remember hearing that work, but somehow I don't remember it very well. Thanks for the heads up.

I'm sure you'll enjoy it, Cesar! I'm not sure why the CD cover isn't appearing in my above post; anyway, it's a Dutton CD containing the Fantasy, the 7th Symphony, and the Philharmonic Concerto. The performers are the RSNO under Martin Yates and pianist Peter Donohoe. (The work has also been recorded by Naxos and Conifer.)
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

Carshot

I have just bought the Philharmonic Concerto & Symphony No.7 and Fantasy on a theme of John Field recoding Kyjo discusses. It is on sale at the Dutton site – currently £2.99 USD: $3.72 approx EUR: €3.31 401 JPY plus postage.

https://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=CDLX7318

Roasted Swan

Quote from: Carshot on October 02, 2019, 12:24:35 AM
I have just bought the Philharmonic Concerto & Symphony No.7 and Fantasy on a theme of John Field recoding Kyjo discusses. It is on sale at the Dutton site – currently £2.99 USD: $3.72 approx EUR: €3.31 401 JPY plus postage.

https://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=CDLX7318

Good spot Carshot - I've ordered a copy.  There are other good bargains to be had on the Dutton website.  Not the easiest to navigate but some big discounts across their back catalogue - some right down to 99p (plus p&p).  I was quite surprised to see how many of their discs are marked out of print - so I guess with these offers.... "once they're gone they're gone"

vandermolen

#378
Quote from: Carshot on October 02, 2019, 12:24:35 AM
I have just bought the Philharmonic Concerto & Symphony No.7 and Fantasy on a theme of John Field recoding Kyjo discusses. It is on sale at the Dutton site – currently £2.99 USD: $3.72 approx EUR: €3.31 401 JPY plus postage.

https://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=CDLX7318
Yes, it's a fine disc. This is one of my very favourite Arnold CDs (actually two CDs):

Fabulous in all respects.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

vandermolen

Thoroughly enjoying this marvellous performance of 'Tam O'Shanter' - great fun!
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).