Sir Arthur Bliss

[Klaze]

Nope, no texts.

[Obradovic]

Nope, no texts.

[madaboutmahler]

My first proper listen to any Bliss and I am reallly enjoying it!
[asin]B000001491[/asin]

The Colour Symphony is brilliant, and I'm really enjoying the Adam Zero ballet, it's just so lyrical and gorgeous. The melodic inspiration is beyond what I expected I must admit.. Keen to listen to more now, any other Bliss works that can be recommended please?

[vandermolen]

My first proper listen to any Bliss and I am reallly enjoying it!
[asin]B000001491[/asin]

The Colour Symphony is brilliant, and I'm really enjoying the Adam Zero ballet, it's just so lyrical and gorgeous. The melodic inspiration is beyond what I expected I must admit.. Keen to listen to more now, any other Bliss works that can be recommended please?

My suggestions Daniel:

'Morning Heroes' (written in an attempt to come to terms with nightmares of the First World War in which Bliss had served and his brother Kennard had been killed).

Meditations on a Theme by Jon Blow.

Checkmate

Oboe Quintet (lovely work)

Music for Strings

Miracle in the Gorbals

Metamorphic Variations

Piano Concerto.

[madaboutmahler]

Thank you very much, Jeffrey, will take a listen to those and will feedback. Happy New Year!

[John Whitmore]

Having played under Bliss as a teenager (lucky boy) I'm a huge fan of his music. Checkmate is just about the most exciting,atmospheric piece imaginable. His Piano Concerto is well worth getting to know but it's the Introduction and Allegro that does it for me. Here it is, in 2 parts, under Sir Arthur's direction on Argo. Wonderful work.
http://youtu.be/PR8TGyyyoZo
http://youtu.be/9YG15HZYYU4

[vandermolen]

Having played under Bliss as a teenager (lucky boy) I'm a huge fan of his music. Checkmate is just about the most exciting,atmospheric piece imaginable. His Piano Concerto is well worth getting to know but it's the Introduction and Allegro that does it for me. Here it is, in 2 parts, under Sir Arthur's direction on Argo. Wonderful work.
http://youtu.be/PR8TGyyyoZo
http://youtu.be/9YG15HZYYU4

How interesting! What was Bliss like to work with? He seems to be a rather genial character. My uncle met him through his work at the Performing Rights Society. He asked for Bliss's autograph when they were standing alongside each other using a urinal: 'Just as soon as I get my hands free old boy!' was Bliss's reply.

[Mirror Image]

How interesting! What was Bliss like to work with? He seems to be a rather genial character. My uncle met him through his work at the Performing Rights Society. He asked for Bliss's autograph when they were standing alongside each other using a urinal: 'Just as soon as I get my hands free old boy!' was Bliss's reply.

Ha! That's a great anecdote, Jeffrey. Thanks for sharing.

[vandermolen]

Ha! That's a great anecdote, Jeffrey. Thanks for sharing.

[John Whitmore]

How interesting! What was Bliss like to work with? He seems to be a rather genial character. My uncle met him through his work at the Performing Rights Society. He asked for Bliss's autograph when they were standing alongside each other using a urinal: 'Just as soon as I get my hands free old boy!' was Bliss's reply.

Bliss was wonderful.Very professional, no nonsense, supportive, a real gentleman. Clear beat and understood the orchestra inside out. We (i.e.the LSSO) did his piano concerto with Frank Wibaut as soloist at the 1970 Cheltenham Festival (does anyone have a tape off the radio? I lost mine). Bliss was the conductor and Tippett did the rest of the programme. We then went into the studio later that year to record the Intro and Allegro. One take and a few patches. Like shelling peas. He died just as the LSSO was rehearsing for the Haymarket ballet production of Lady of Shallot. Lady Bliss attended. It's on Youtube called Girl in a Broken Mirror. I've also got a couple of letters from her that shh sent to me in 1999.Happy times.

[vandermolen]

Bliss was wonderful.Very professional, no nonsense, supportive, a real gentleman. Clear beat and understood the orchestra inside out. We (i.e.the LSSO) did his piano concerto with Frank Wibaut as soloist at the 1970 Cheltenham Festival (does anyone have a tape off the radio? I lost mine). Bliss was the conductor and Tippett did the rest of the programme. We then went into the studio later that year to record the Intro and Allegro. One take and a few patches. Like shelling peas. He died just as the LSSO was rehearsing for the Haymarket ballet production of Lady of Shallot. Lady Bliss attended. It's on Youtube called Girl in a Broken Mirror. I've also got a couple of letters from her that shh sent to me in 1999.Happy times.

Many thanks for sharing this interesting insight into Bliss. Your description of him fits what I had imagined. I enjoyed his autobiography 'As I remember' and I like the underrated Piano Concerto very much as well as the short Concerto for Two Pianos. He was the visiting composer attached to Lancaster University when I studied there in the 1970s. Sadly I never met him but I wrote his obituary for the university magazine.

[John Whitmore]

Many thanks for sharing this interesting insight into Bliss. Your description of him fits what I had imagined. I enjoyed his autobiography 'As I remember' and I like the underrated Piano Concerto very much as well as the short Concerto for Two Pianos. He was the visiting composer attached to Lancaster University when I studied there in the 1970s. Sadly I never met him but I wrote his obituary for the university magazine.

Depending on which edition you have of As I Remember there is a section in there talking about his work with the LSSO. He was  a friend of Tippett, our patron and regular conductor, and Michael introduced Sir Arthur to us because of that connection, hence the Cheltenham concert and the Argo record. Much more interesting stuff than the Havergal Brian projects the orchestra got sucked into but that's another story.

[vandermolen]

Depending on which edition you have of As I Remember there is a section in there talking about his work with the LSSO. He was  a friend of Tippett, our patron and regular conductor, and Michael introduced Sir Arthur to us because of that connection, hence the Cheltenham concert and the Argo record. Much more interesting stuff than the Havergal Brian projects the orchestra got sucked into but that's another story.

Many thanks again for your interesting reminiscences.

[vandermolen]

Released later this month. Bliss's masterpiece I think:
[asin]B014JJBA2Y[/asin]

[cilgwyn]

I've been enjoying some Bliss this week! I especially enjoyed my newly acquired s'h emi cd of his "Pastoral: Lie strewn the white flocks','A knot of Riddles' and 'Music for Strings'. The vocal works conducted by a fellow countryman,Wyn Morris,who was once dubbed "the Welsh Furtwangler". His career ruined by his foul temper and argumentative nature. I have some of his recordings of the Beethoven symphonies and I find them very satisfying. Unsurprising that his best readings are of the more blustery symphonies. His Mahler Fifth is a fantastic,searing interpretation,to my ears. (The s/h cd,covered in scratches and scuffs,plays perfectly!! ) I think he's a bit underrated. On the downside,he recorded that Copland piece with a well known erstwhile Prime Minister;but I mustn't get into politics here!!
Back to Bliss. I thought the aforementioned choral work 'Pastoral' was a lovely piece of music. I was new to that work and I think it is absolutely gorgeous. I would like to acquire that Chandos Bliss 'twofer' before long and hear it in their sumptuous sound. I also have the same work on the Hyperion Helios label,but the cd makes a loud ticking noise in my cd player and I had to make a cd-r!! The only other recording I have in my collection that exhibits this problem is a 2cd DG set of Berlioz's 'Damnation of Faust' conducted by Markevitch. Has anyone else here experienced this problem? I have a theory that the hole is ever so slightly off-centre?!!
I have also enjoyed the fantastic Hyperion cd of 'Rout','Rhapsody',Conversations','Madam Noy','The Women of Yueh' and 'Quintet'. A superb cd of fascinating,inventive,quirky music. All underrated,I think! I also enjoyed the Nimbus cd of his 'Colour Symphony';and am I really alone in liking his 'Metamorphic Variations'?!! I find some of the scoring in this work quite magical.
Other Bliss enjoyed...........the ASV recording of the 'complete' Checkmate ballet,and Bliss's own recordings of the suite from 'Checkmate' and the 'introduction and Allegro'. Old recordings,but still fantastic to listen to. I went through a period of wondering whether some of his music was a trifle bland.but find his spicy,alluring harmonies and sound world growing on me! I like allot of Britten's music,but Bliss,at his best, doesn't deserve to play second fiddle. Interestingly his music seems to attract more posts at this forum.

[vandermolen]

The 'Pastoral' is a fine lyrical work. It features in the fine boxed set below. Bliss may not be in the front rank of British composers but I listen to his music more than composers like Britten or Elgar. I especially like the Oboe Quintet.
[asin]B0056H0R3C[/asin]
One of my first encounters with his music was on a 'HMV Concert Classics' LP with 'Checkmate' conducted by the composer. Heritage have recently reissued this on CD with the fine 'Things to Come' film music. Bliss has been done no favours by the damned-with-feint-praise suggestion that the March from Things to Come was the most memorable thing he wrote.

[Scion7]

His Sonata for Viola and Piano [Op.52] from 1933 is a stupendous piece of chamber music writing.

Strongly recommended: 

[Scion7]

This appears to be an un-recorded work.  I can find little information about it - its composition date is listed as 1919 and it has an assigned opus number of 22.
I cannot find a commercial offering of the score.
This notice of a performance of the piece in the 20th century from Musical America, Volume 31, dated Dec 27, 1919:

" The Philharmonic String Quartet from London has just given the conspicuous success in the Salle Gaveau a concert of exclusively British compositions. Quartets by Elgar and Cyril Scott were heard and a very interesting Piano Quintet by Arthur Bliss, which, although still in manuscript, will doubtless be widely played. "

The Cambridge University Library lists it as unpublished.  I hope the MS has not been lost.   

[Christo]

am I really alone in liking his 'Metamorphic Variations'?!! I find some of the scoring in this work quite magical.

No. You aren't.

[vandermolen]

No. You aren't.

+1 😀