The British Composers Thread

[vandermolen]

I'll have to find that Bliss piece online (I don't know it).  Good thought about JM!

PD

Here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHT1E2bTups

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHT1E2bTups

Thanks, I'll check it out after morning coffee (Yawn....streeeetttttccchhh). 

PD

[Roasted Swan]

I've mentioned ClassicSelect World's free monthly downloads before.  The bit-rates are not amazing but these "boxes" often offer very good to excellent performances well recorded - the Vox/Vanguard and Tring back catalogues are regular sources of the original recordings.  A case in point is this month's "Big English Music Box" for the princely sum of NOTHING(!!)

https://www.classicselectworld.com/collections/free-downloads/products/big-english-music-box

Over 6 hours of music including COMPLETE Enigma, In the South (Menuhin/RPO - VERY good indeed), complete Planets (Handley/RPO - also excellent),  Delius songs and orchestral works, Frank Bridge String music, Lark ascending/Tallis (Seaman/RPO - very decent).  All works are offered complete or if they are excerpts (Hassan etc) they are legit/recognised excerpts.

Even if you have other versions there is enough here of real quality at no cost that it is madness not to download - unless downloading sends you into anaphylatic shock!

EDIT:  you do have to leave contact ifo - email/home address etc when completing the "purchase" but NO card numbers etc - it just goes through the nomal online purchase process but then comes up with a zero total.  ClassicSelect offer a different free download every month or couple of weeks and they are always interesting and worth it to fill out a collection......

[Irons]

I've mentioned ClassicSelect World's free monthly downloads before.  The bit-rates are not amazing but these "boxes" often offer very good to excellent performances well recorded - the Vox/Vanguard and Tring back catalogues are regular sources of the original recordings.  A case in point is this month's "Big English Music Box" for the princely sum of NOTHING(!!)

https://www.classicselectworld.com/collections/free-downloads/products/big-english-music-box

Over 6 hours of music including COMPLETE Enigma, In the South (Menuhin/RPO - VERY good indeed), complete Planets (Handley/RPO - also excellent),  Delius songs and orchestral works, Frank Bridge String music, Lark ascending/Tallis (Seaman/RPO - very decent).  All works are offered complete or if they are excerpts (Hassan etc) they are legit/recognised excerpts.

Even if you have other versions there is enough here of real quality at no cost that it is madness not to download - unless downloading sends you into anaphylatic shock!

Many thanks. Ideal listening for upcoming holiday.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I've mentioned ClassicSelect World's free monthly downloads before.  The bit-rates are not amazing but these "boxes" often offer very good to excellent performances well recorded - the Vox/Vanguard and Tring back catalogues are regular sources of the original recordings.  A case in point is this month's "Big English Music Box" for the princely sum of NOTHING(!!)

https://www.classicselectworld.com/collections/free-downloads/products/big-english-music-box

Over 6 hours of music including COMPLETE Enigma, In the South (Menuhin/RPO - VERY good indeed), complete Planets (Handley/RPO - also excellent),  Delius songs and orchestral works, Frank Bridge String music, Lark ascending/Tallis (Seaman/RPO - very decent).  All works are offered complete or if they are excerpts (Hassan etc) they are legit/recognised excerpts.

Even if you have other versions there is enough here of real quality at no cost that it is madness not to download - unless downloading sends you into anaphylatic shock!

EDIT:  you do have to leave contact ifo - email/home address etc when completing the "purchase" but NO card numbers etc - it just goes through the nomal online purchase process but then comes up with a zero total.  ClassicSelect offer a different free download every month or couple of weeks and they are always interesting and worth it to fill out a collection......

Thanks for the heads up!  I've purchased a few of those "Big Box"es before.  Amazon has (or sometimes used to have) some of those on sale from time to time.  I have two of Haydn and a Debussy one.    For $.99 each.  Looks like ClassicSelect has some on sale now too for that price.

PD

[Roy Bland]

[Papy Oli]

Seen on twitter, something that might be of interest to some:

[Roasted Swan]

Seen on twitter, something that might be of interest to some:

That's a title to prompt debate!  Not quite sure how they "changed the musical world".  Perhaps they deserved to or should have done but not sure they actually did.....  Cleary 4 fine composers - Howell did not write that much as far as I am aware and for sure Carwithen was eclipsed by her relationship with Alwyn - quite probably unfairly.  Clarke was good at what she did and Smyth was simply 2nd division regardless of gender compared to her exact contemporaries.

[Roasted Swan]

Just been listening to this disc;



This is VERY VERY good indeed.  I enjoyed Vol.1 a lot but if anything this might be even better.  The Oboe Concerto is lovely and superbly played and the Symphony No.3 is a gem.  For sure its quite conservative for 1965 but if you like Alwyn/Rawsthorne/Arnell etc this is the equal of any of those.  Excellent Chandos engineering and Gamba (who sometimes leaves me indifferent) seems right on the money.

Gipps WAS promoted and respected in her youth by the likes of Wood but a variety of circumstances led to her marginalisation.  Hopefully a true reappraisal of her work will now occur.

[vandermolen]

Just been listening to this disc;



This is VERY VERY good indeed.  I enjoyed Vol.1 a lot but if anything this might be even better.  The Oboe Concerto is lovely and superbly played and the Symphony No.3 is a gem.  For sure its quite conservative for 1965 but if you like Alwyn/Rawsthorne/Arnell etc this is the equal of any of those.  Excellent Chandos engineering and Gamba (who sometimes leaves me indifferent) seems right on the money.

Gipps WAS promoted and respected in her youth by the likes of Wood but a variety of circumstances led to her marginalisation.  Hopefully a true reappraisal of her work will now occur.

Great news RS - can't wait to receive my copy.

[Roasted Swan]

Great news RS - can't wait to receive my copy.

this is one of my highlight discs of the year I'd say

[vandermolen]

this is one of my highlight discs of the year I'd say

Mine too I suspect.
I've just ordered the Pristine re-mastered VW symphonies 6 and 9 (LPO/Boult) with speeches. Really looking forward to receiving that CD, Ruth Gipps, VW symphonies 6 and 8 (Brabbins) and Kabelac's 'Mystery of Time' this month. I think that I'll ask my daughter to get me the Weinberg 3rd Symphony (DGG) for Christmas. Awfully greedy, isn't it 

[Roasted Swan]

Mine too I suspect.
I've just ordered the Pristine re-mastered VW symphonies 6 and 9 (LPO/Boult) with speeches. Really looking forward to receiving that CD, Ruth Gipps, VW symphonies 6 and 8 (Brabbins) and Kabelac's 'Mystery of Time' this month. I think that I'll ask my daughter to get me the Weinberg 3rd Symphony (DGG) for Christmas. Awfully greedy, isn't it 

I've been listening to the Brabbins 6&8 today.  Not reached 8 but 6 is very good.  I still think the Boult/Decca 6 (the one you've also ordered) is one of the truly great performances - except for a slightly leaden scherzo.  The couplings on this disc are very slight and don't relate to the other works in the way that some of the other Hyperion cycle fillers have.  But that doesn't detract from a fine No.6.  A LOT better than Elder's 6 that I was listening to fairly recently which is a nailed on dud.

[vandermolen]

I've been listening to the Brabbins 6&8 today.  Not reached 8 but 6 is very good.  I still think the Boult/Decca 6 (the one you've also ordered) is one of the truly great performances - except for a slightly leaden scherzo.  The couplings on this disc are very slight and don't relate to the other works in the way that some of the other Hyperion cycle fillers have.  But that doesn't detract from a fine No.6.  A LOT better than Elder's 6 that I was listening to fairly recently which is a nailed on dud.

Haven't received the Brabbins yet but I listened to the samples yesterday and was most impressed. The opening (Symphony No.6) had that objective, searching and cataclysmic quality which I associate with my favourite recording (yes, LPO Boult with VW in the studio).

[calyptorhynchus]

Enjoying very much the new Ruth Gipps disk. Her 3rd Symphony sounds wonderful in this new recording, such beautiful orchestration. I think her symphonies are her best works, we now have good recordings of 2, 3 and 4. We just need a premiere recording of 1 and decent recording of 5 (there's a terrible-quality recording of 5 on Youtube).

[VonStupp]

Going through, and enjoying, a recording called Colourise that has some new arrangements of British chestnuts:

Five Mystical Songs for voice, chorus, strings, and piano
Arranged by VW himself; I enjoy this version, greatly buoyed by Roderick Williams' contributions.

The Lark Ascending for violin, chorus, and string orchestra
Arranged by Paul Drayton; I am not sure how I feel about this one, having heard the original for so long.

Capriol Suite for string orchestra
It is always a celebration when there is a new recording of Peter Warlock's work.

I have this on CD, but it can also be perused on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy2rkjmfZ50&list=OLAK5uy_ndxmoaO3vkukBfNoA7mFQ_p0RcM3rPs7U



VS

[vandermolen]

Hurwitz reviews the new Boult set (including his first VW cycle)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks-ylFIFEN4

[vandermolen]

This great-looking boxed set arrived today but I'm going to ask my wife to give it to me for Christmas so that I have something to look forward to:

[Roasted Swan]

Over the last few days I've been enjoying this;



Williams sings these very well indeed - but the novelty is he is also the arranger of all of the songs included.  As arranger he is pretty good - nothing vastly imaginative and in fact he does tend to too much going on and quite a bit of unecessary harmonic "filling out".  But nothing bad - and much very good.  The discoveries for me were Ruth Gipps "The Pulley" and even more so Rebecca Clarke's "The Seal man".  Two stunning songs but the latter is top notch.  Poignant to hear two songs by composers (other than Butterworth) who were lost in WW1 - Farrar and Browne - both genuine talents....

[Christo]

Enjoying very much the new Ruth Gipps disk. Her 3rd Symphony sounds wonderful in this new recording, such beautiful orchestration. I think her symphonies are her best works, we now have good recordings of 2, 3 and 4. We just need a premiere recording of 1 and decent recording of 5 (there's a terrible-quality recording of 5 on Youtube).

Thanks for the tip, missed the news so far. I love both her Second and Fourth symphonies very much and look forward to the other three.