Sir Arnold Bax

Started by tjguitar, April 15, 2007, 06:12:44 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 5 Guests are viewing this topic.

vandermolen

Quote from: PerfectWagnerite on January 22, 2017, 03:28:57 PM
Yes there is a flexibility of tempo, great brass playing, excellent wind details, and a warmth you almost never hear with this music.
I really liked the opening. I'd love to hear it live. I've heard symphonies 5 and 2 in concert.
"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).

cilgwyn

A lovely Violin Concerto!

I like the music of Arnold Bax....but,at his worst I can actually find myself agreeing with the dreaded Hurwitz! ::) Case in point! Nympholept! The title is bad enough, Nympho-lept!! ??? ::) I've had to turn it off twice this week. Another example is Into the Twilight!! This was the second item on the Chandos cd Tone Poems Vol 2. At this point I couldn't take any more. Off it went! At times like this I can see Hurwitz's point about,"not enough contrast". They just seem to noodle relentlessly on,one after the other!! Phew!! But,each to his own. If you enjoy it,good for you.
And then suddenly,Bax will surprise me. I put the Violin Concerto on. This is regarded as one of his weaker works. But what a lovely melody in the first movement. I keep on listening through the entire work. I'm entranced! What a lovely concerto!! :) Even more surprisingly I enjoyed 'A Legend' and his 'Romantic Overture'. I love the use of that piano. And the Incidental music to 'golden Eagle' is nice. Yet,these are all supposed to be Bax at his worst!! ??? ;D



vandermolen

Quote from: cilgwyn on January 24, 2017, 02:28:11 AM
A lovely Violin Concerto!

I like the music of Arnold Bax....but,at his worst I can actually find myself agreeing with the dreaded Hurwitz! ::) Case in point! Nympholept! The title is bad enough, Nympho-lept!! ??? ::) I've had to turn it off twice this week. Another example is Into the Twilight!! This was the second item on the Chandos cd Tone Poems Vol 2. At this point I couldn't take any more. Off it went! At times like this I can see Hurwitz's point about,"not enough contrast". They just seem to noodle relentlessly on,one after the other!! Phew!! But,each to his own. If you enjoy it,good for you.
And then suddenly,Bax will surprise me. I put the Violin Concerto on. This is regarded as one of his weaker works. But what a lovely melody in the first movement. I keep on listening through the entire work. I'm entranced! What a lovely concerto!! :) Even more surprisingly I enjoyed 'A Legend' and his 'Romantic Overture'. I love the use of that piano. And the Incidental music to 'golden Eagle' is nice. Yet,these are all supposed to be Bax at his worst!! ??? ;D


Oh, I like Nympholept - the Bryden Thomson version is the best. I first heard it as atmospheric background music for a TV documentary about J.R.R. Tolkien years ago.
"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).

Sergeant Rock

#663
Quote from: cilgwyn on January 24, 2017, 02:28:11 AM
I like the music of Arnold Bax....but,at his worst I can actually find myself agreeing with the dreaded Hurwitz! ::) Case in point! Nympholept! The title is bad enough, Nympho-lept!! ??? ::) I've had to turn it off twice this week.

Quote from: vandermolen on January 24, 2017, 03:50:49 AM
Oh, I like Nympholept

I like it too, especially what sounds like a seascape, the tide rolling in, starting around 2:50 in the Thomson recording. Then we're off, chasing nymphs though the woodlands. What's not to like?  ;D

...Away she scampered, feigning fear
And her bare shoulder as my guide
I chased all day the elfin bride

And ere the dusk had dimmed the skies
I trapped her fast and learned this thing
That demon birth of wanton spring
With pointed ears and slanted eyes
Had surer wisdom than the wise.

                               --Arnold Bax, "Nympholept"
the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

cilgwyn

The off button?!! ;D It would be fun to force David Hurwitz to listen ALL the way through it. But I mustn't condone violence! ;D

I really am enjoying the Cello Concerto,though! And I'm not usually that keen on Cello Concertos! Another great cover photo,too!!



To coin a phrase. What not to like?!! 8)


cilgwyn

I suppose I'm biased towards Bryden Thomson (I'm a bit of a fan of the late conductor) but I think I prefer this recording of the 'Northern Ballad No 3' to the one conducted by Vernon Handley? Downes is good,too!

Handley: 8:16
Downes: 7:41
Thomson: 8:35

(Timings taken from cd booklets)

vandermolen

#666
Following Ghost Sonata's choosing it as one of the five works that have meant the most to him I have been listening to 'The Tale the Pine Trees Knew' with much enjoyment. It is much better than I thought. I'm listening to the Thomson recording but there are several recordings including one on Naxos with the epic Symphony 5:
[asin]B0000DIXS0[/asin]
This CD is dirt cheap on the U.S. Amazon site.
"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).

Sergeant Rock

Quote from: vandermolen on January 24, 2017, 05:38:19 AM
Following Ghost Sonata's choosing it as one of the five works that have meant the most to him I have been listening to 'The Tale the Pine Trees Knew' with much enjoyment. It is much better than I thought. I'm listening to the Thomson recording but there are several recordings including one on Naxos with the epic Symphony 5.

I'm about to listen to "Pine Trees", having already heard today the other three works on this CD:




I confess I liked "Twilight" more than the Hurwitzer and the Cilg  :D

Sarge
the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

Sergeant Rock

Quote from: cilgwyn on January 24, 2017, 05:11:26 AM
The off button?!! ;D It would be fun to force David Hurwitz to listen ALL the way through it. But I mustn't condone violence! ;D]

;D :D ;D


Quote from: cilgwyn on January 24, 2017, 05:11:26 AM
I really am enjoying the Cello Concerto,though! And I'm not usually that keen on Cello Concertos! Another great cover photo,too!!

I don't have that. Must see if it's on YouTube. Don't have any of the Northern Ballads either (you mentioned the Second the other day) but I just ordered 2 & 3 coupled with Spring Fire.

Sarge
the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

vandermolen

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on January 24, 2017, 05:45:34 AM
I'm about to listen to "Pine Trees", having already heard today the other three works on this CD:




I confess I liked "Twilight" more than the Hurwitzer and the Cilg  :D

Sarge
That's the CD I have Sarge with a great cover photo. The very bright green CD I posted above is basically the same CD that you have (now very expensive) plus 'On the Sea Shore' which I'm about to explore and 'A Legend'. Let us know what you find amongst the pine trees!
"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).

cilgwyn

Sarge,I'll listen to them again at the weekend with can in hand. I may be in the right mood for a Nympholept,then?!! ::) ;D
I DO like 'The Tale the Pine Trees Knew'. (I like pine trees for a start!) I like that steely,more austere sound.

vandermolen

Quote from: cilgwyn on January 24, 2017, 06:00:05 AM
Sarge,I'll listen to them again at the weekend with can in hand. I may be in the right mood for a Nympholept,then?!! ::) ;D
I DO like 'The Tale the Pine Trees Knew'. (I like pine trees for a start!) I like that steely,more austere sound.
Me too  :)
"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).

cilgwyn

Sarge,I'd get the one with that nice photo (if I didn't have it already! :P)! Your decision,but I know from bitter experience the way cover art comes back to haunt you!! ??? :(

Sergeant Rock

Quote from: cilgwyn on January 24, 2017, 06:15:38 AM
Sarge,I'd get the one with that nice photo (if I didn't have it already! :P)! Your decision,but I know from bitter experience the way cover art comes back to haunt you!! ??? :(

Are you talking about the Chandos Spring Fire/Ballads? Normally I prefer the Chandos originals but in this case the lowest price at Amazon DE for a new CD with the "orgy" cover is nearly four times what this version costs:

[asin]B0000C83YW[/asin] 

The original also has less music (e.g., only one of the Ballads). So I ordered the newer, cheaper, longer version.

Sarge
the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

Sergeant Rock

Quote from: vandermolen on January 24, 2017, 05:53:42 AMLet us know what you find amongst the pine trees!

Despite its cool title, it's remains one of the harder Baxian nuts for me to crack. I'm repeating it now, hoping something about it will grab me.

Sarge
the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

Karl Henning

"Turned out, the pine trees didn't know all that much!"  (Just kidding!)
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Sergeant Rock

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on January 24, 2017, 06:53:54 AMI'm repeating it now, hoping something about it will grab me.

Well, it does have a haunting ending (the last minute or so).

Sarge
the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

cilgwyn

Actually,I'm going to have to listen to it again. I certainly like the title. I like that later,leaner,steelier Bax sound and I like the way it ends.  I wouldn't put it up there with the Northern Ballads,November Woods,though...and certainly not The Garden of Fand ....or,well you know the one?!! ;D I don't think it has such memorable ideas.
I'm going to take the Moeran Rhapsodies off now & pop it on!

cilgwyn

This might put you in the mood,Sarge?! ;D I Don't think this performance has ever made it to cd,has it? A nice photo. This would have really put me in the right mood.



cilgwyn

Yes,I like this. That Northern ,wintry atmosphere. Legends.Mysterious! :)
What's not to like,Sarge?!! ;D