EJ Moeran

[Mirror Image]

I recall being the most impressed by the Symphony, Sinfonietta and Serenade in G major. I listened to some of his chamber music and didn't really connect with them, but I did enjoy one of the SQs --- I forget which one at the moment.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

The 'so-called' Braga Santos Experts ride again!  (Vandermolen, Christo)

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I once found that the very first chords of Moeran's Sinfonietta (1945) are echoed almost exactly in the opening chords of the scherzo from Braga Santos' Third Symphony, composed three years later (depends a bit on the performance of the Sinfonietta, I took the one by the Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Adrian Boult, BBC Radio Classics 15656 91632).

Of course you can compare for yourselves now, with Youtube, Braga Santos' scherzo starting at 22:00 exactly:
https://www.youtube.com/v/gEsSJEPiwFM https://www.youtube.com/v/JQxBKV9rs2c

It's even the same tonality....

[J]

Just in passing, don't get why my posts (at least 2) have been deleted here.  Not that posterity needed them.

[Roasted Swan]

Just in passing, don't get why my posts (at least 2) have been deleted here.  Not that posterity needed them.

The site crashed and the backup was from a couple of days before that - so anything posted in that gap from backup to crash is lost.  Sadly I posted a large series of wholly insightful, profoundly intelligent and deeply meaningful posts during that time... Gone all gone...... that's my story and I'm sticking to it

[Symphonic Addict]

The site crashed and the backup was from a couple of days before that - so anything posted in that gap from backup to crash is lost.  Sadly I posted a large series of wholly insightful, profoundly intelligent and deeply meaningful posts during that time... Gone all gone...... that's my story and I'm sticking to it

How humble!   

[vandermolen]

The 'so-called' Braga Santos Experts ride again!  (Vandermolen, Christo)

Yes Christo and I have returned Phoenix-like from the ashes.

[Roasted Swan]

Yes Christo and I have returned Phoenix-like from the ashes.

are they good likenesses?  Which one is you?(!)

[vandermolen]

are they good likenesses?  Which one is you?(!)

Lower one 

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Lower one 

I can vouch for that.

[vandermolen]

I can vouch for that.

Indeed!

[kyjo]

I once found that the very first chords of Moeran's Sinfonietta (1945) are echoed almost exactly in the opening chords of the scherzo from Braga Santos' Third Symphony, composed three years later (depends a bit on the performance of the Sinfonietta, I took the one by the Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Adrian Boult, BBC Radio Classics 15656 91632).

Of course you can compare for yourselves now, with Youtube, Braga Santos' scherzo starting at 22:00 exactly:
https://www.youtube.com/v/gEsSJEPiwFM https://www.youtube.com/v/JQxBKV9rs2c

Indeed, the resemblance is quite uncanny!

[vandermolen]

Just in passing, don't get why my posts (at least 2) have been deleted here.  Not that posterity needed them.

But at least the Durham thesis on Moeran is still there.

[vandermolen]

Been greatly enjoying this - a bit of a patchwork but sounds authentically like the voice of Moeran. Such a pity that he never completed the work himself:

[Symphonic Addict]

Been greatly enjoying this - a bit of a patchwork but sounds authentically like the voice of Moeran. Such a pity that he never completed the work himself:

Good to know you changed your mind about this symphony, Jeffrey. Despite it wasn't completed by the Moeran, it sounds very close to his style as you say.

[vandermolen]

Yes Cesar, I have enjoyed it much more now than first time round.

[J]

Been greatly enjoying this - a bit of a patchwork but sounds authentically like the voice of Moeran. Such a pity that he never completed the work himself:

The alternative performance you can download at AMF is much better IMO.

Despite some very attractive themes I don't find the work hangs together well (as you suggest).

[Roasted Swan]

The alternative performance you can download at AMF is much better IMO.

Despite some very attractive themes I don't find the work hangs together well (as you suggest).

I'm with you on this.  Read/check out the detailed description of the surviving sketches.  They are not coherent in the way Elgar 3/Bruckner 9/Mahler 10 are - and consider the controversy surrounding those works!  This Moeran 2 is a very good pastiche on fragmentary themes by Moeran.  If you enjoy it on that basis - fine, no problem - but for me calling it "Moeran 2" is simply not true.

[vandermolen]

I'm with you on this.  Read/check out the detailed description of the surviving sketches.  They are not coherent in the way Elgar 3/Bruckner 9/Mahler 10 are - and consider the controversy surrounding those works!  This Moeran 2 is a very good pastiche on fragmentary themes by Moeran.  If you enjoy it on that basis - fine, no problem - but for me calling it "Moeran 2" is simply not true.

I don't disagree with this at all. I just liked it more this time round.

[Roasted Swan]

I don't disagree with this at all. I just liked it more this time round.

We rarely disagree!  I happened to relisten to this disc a couple of months ago for the simple reason that my early/first reaction had been dismissive and given the generally positive response I wondered if I'd over-reacted.  In fact I think I enjoyed it even less the second time!  And the icing on the cake are the accompanying Ireland orchestrations which sound nothing like Ireland would have ever scored for orchestra.  For me a rare Dutton-dud.