The British Composers Thread

[Montpellier]

I see that the Lyrita November releases have appeared at last.   They seem a little late.   I was hoping for more adventurous fare than the December lot.   I await the Bax 2 and 5 and the Robert Still Symphonies.   Never mind.   

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I have a radio recording of the Gothic from around 1980, on tapes and I transferred it to CD (the orchestra wasn't noted but I suspect it's the BBCSO + a few choirs and extras).  It does have something that the Marco Polo doesn't - at least, the sound doesn't feel so constricted.     

That has to be the Ole Schmidt performance. More about this (if you're interested) here:

http://www.havergalbrian.org/choirworks.htm

[drogulus]

     Re Brian recordings:

     Isn't there a Boult recording of the Gothic somewhere? Perhaps unreleased....or was it a radio performance? This would have been the late '60s, I think.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

There was a pirated (Aries) recording of the 1966 Boult performance. I still regard that as the best there is.

I have it on cassette, but found it (as flac files) on Usenet a few months ago...

[Thom]

@ XXXPawn: what is it you don't like about the Gothic? The first three, purely instrumental, movements are surely in the same league as the Third?!

Yes you're absolutely right. I forgot. I was probably preoccupied by the immense choraL/vocal remainder of this work.

[Mark]

Just a reminder to anyone who plans to record the John Foulds 'A World Requiem' performance on Radio 3 from 6:30pm to 8pm on Sunday, November 11th: don't forget to set your PVR's timer.

Oh, and those who have freeview may not have noticed but Radios 1-4 have moved frequency, so you'll first need to re-scan for channels (TV and radio - can't do any harm), then delete any links to the old frequencies for each station - supposing your PVR holds on to such information. I had a panic earlier, when I switched on to discover Radio 3 wasn't working! It is now, because I remembered that there was announcement recently explaining in more detail what I've just outlined above.

Enjoy.


Oh, and vandermolen: we expect a report from the event itself, seeing as you'll be there.

[Dundonnell]

I see that the Lyrita November releases have appeared at last.   They seem a little late.   I was hoping for more adventurous fare than the December lot.   I await the Bax 2 and 5 and the Robert Still Symphonies.   Never mind.   

There are not that many of the original Lyrita LPs still awaiting release on CD.

The current schedule (courtesy of vandermolen) appears to be-

January 2008: Bax Symphony No.2 and Symphony No.5

February 2008: Brian Symphony No.6, Symphony No.16 and Arnold Cooke Symphony No.3

March 2008: David Morgan Violin Concerto + Peter Racine Fricker Violin Concerto
                 Elgar Enigma Variations + Falstaff

April or May 2008: Moeran Cello Concerto

May 2008: Still Symphony No.3 and Symphony No.4

There are also the first two Searle symphonies to be released plus some chamber and instrumental music. One wonders whether there are any more works which were never released on LP. That would certainly be good news!

It will be kind of sad when the releases stop! All these years of waiting!!

[tjguitar]

Has anyone picked up the William Busch Piano & Cello Concertos from Lyrita?

[Montpellier]

Noticed it.   I'm probably joining this emusic service so I'll try it though that.   

I'm waiting for the Robert Still, Symphonies 3 & 4 (I have a CD transcript of the LP at the mo) and the Ian Parrott/Harries Quartets - absent from my LP source though I had something taped of Parrott's.   Lyrita must have pushed those to the very end.  They told me that they were looking for a filler for the Still disc so I'm hoping they go for the Decca Elegie and Concerto for String Orchestra (SXL 6281).

[Dundonnell]

Has anyone picked up the William Busch Piano & Cello Concertos from Lyrita?

Just received my copy of this CD. Will let you know what I think!

[Dundonnell]

I have now listened to the William Busch Piano and Cello Concertos referred to above. Interesting works! The Cello Concerto is slow to give up its secrets and I shall have to listen to it more often. There is a gentle, pastoral melancholy which does, at times, remind of some of the music of Gerald Finzi. It is, however, the Piano Concerto which impresses me more. After what seems a somewhat inconsequential beginning the work grows in force and impact to a quite splendid final movement of real power and drama. I am struggling for influences-certainly not Stravinsky(as the late Hugh Ottaway claimed), clearly Alan Bush(Busch's teacher-that must have been confusing! Apparently they even dressed similarly!!). Tentatively, I might suggest some Prokofiev, some Busoni, certainly a bravura cascade of piano writing against a powerful orchestral accompaniment.

I would definitely say that the Piano Concerto at least is well worth reviving and stands comparison with the other fine British Piano Concertos written in the 1930s-Alwyn 1st(1930), Ireland(1930), Vaughan Williams(1931), Alan Bush(1937), and the Bliss and Britten(both 1938). (The 1930s also had Bax 'Winter Legends'(1930) and Rubbra's Sinfonia Concertante(1934) plus Rubbra's withdrawn Piano Concerto of 1930).

It would be interesting to hear other opinions??

[vandermolen]

EMI British Composers series has some interesting issues, connected with Armistice Day, this month. Bliss's "Morning Heroes" conducted by Charles Groves (his greatest recording I think) makes a long awaited return. It is a great performance of a fine work, narrated here by the late John Westbrook, who is, by far, the best of the narrators in the three vesrions I have heard. It is couled with Simon Rattle's version of Britten's War Requiem. Also issued is a lovely CD of choral and orchestral music by Cyril Rootham (whose fine 1st Symphony was recently issued on Lyrita). Frank Bridge's haunting, troubled and deeply moving "Oration" (Isserlis/Hickox) is back with Britten's Cello Symphony as is Michael Berkeley's oratorio "Or Shall We Die" with choral music from Paul Patterson. An interesting selection of reissues.

[Dundonnell]

Just a reminder to anyone who plans to record the John Foulds 'A World Requiem' performance on Radio 3 from 6:30pm to 8pm on Sunday, November 11th: don't forget to set your PVR's timer.

Oh, and those who have freeview may not have noticed but Radios 1-4 have moved frequency, so you'll first need to re-scan for channels (TV and radio - can't do any harm), then delete any links to the old frequencies for each station - supposing your PVR holds on to such information. I had a panic earlier, when I switched on to discover Radio 3 wasn't working! It is now, because I remembered that there was announcement recently explaining in more detail what I've just outlined above.

Enjoy.


Oh, and vandermolen: we expect a report from the event itself, seeing as you'll be there.

So.....what about the Foulds 'World Requiem' then? Not having been able to listen to the radio broadcast I am anxious to know what the work was actually like! Chandos appears to be rushing out the CD of the performance in January!

Oh and any one else got any comments on the Busch concerti CD from Lyrita?

[Thom]

So.....what about the Foulds 'World Requiem' then? Not having been able to listen to the radio broadcast I am anxious to know what the work was actually like! Chandos appears to be rushing out the CD of the performance in January!

Oh and any one else got any comments on the Busch concerti CD from Lyrita?

If you care you can dowload the concert. I uploaded it to mediafire and rapidshare. Look
http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,3505.msg108244.html#msg108244

[Dundonnell]

Thanks for that info'.

[vandermolen]

So.....what about the Foulds 'World Requiem' then? Not having been able to listen to the radio broadcast I am anxious to know what the work was actually like! Chandos appears to be rushing out the CD of the performance in January!

Oh and any one else got any comments on the Busch concerti CD from Lyrita?

There's a separate thread for the Foulds "World Requiem" under General Classical Music Discussion.

[Dundonnell]

There's a separate thread for the Foulds "World Requiem" under General Classical Music Discussion.

...scurries off to the General Classical Music Discussion section where he should have been looking a week ago

[Guido]

Has anyone picked up the William Busch Piano & Cello Concertos from Lyrita?

Yes! I just recieved today. An absolutely fantastic disc. The cello concerto is the closest in style to the Finzi concerto that I have ever heard - so anyone who likes that masterpiece should certainly get this CD (even if the piece doesn't quite live up to the mastery of the Finzi). The writing is just beautiful throughout - That Florence hootn had a knack of premiering superb works! (She also premiered the Bridge Oration, his orchestral greatest masterpiece).

The piano concerto is equally beguiling, a little lighter in tone, but another major conribution to the English piano concerto repertoire.

The music is suffused with that typical yearning melancholy that is so attractive in English music. I have no idea why the liner notes keep referring to his music as sparse and craggy.

The recordings are absolutely first class, with both soloists at their best. I have expressed reservation about some of Wallfisch's previous recordings but I can say that he is at his best here.

[JoshLilly]

I'm certainly glad that I got my latest CD! It just arrived last week, and I've spent more than a little time with it. It is in the Hyperion "Romantic Violin Concerto" series, and contains the violin concerti of English composers Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Arthur Somervell.

Coleridge-Taylor's Violin Concerto is definitely worth more than a single runthrough. Now, listening to two pieces of his and liking both, makes me interested in finding something else, such as Hiawatha, which I've never even heard. This violin concerto doesn't rank among my very favourites, but it's definitely something I'll come back to in the future. Coleridge-Taylor had a real gift for flowing, lyrical music, at least as far as I can gather from 2 pieces.

I don't like the Somervell nearly as much, but I do like it. I'm amazed and pleasantly surprised that this was written in the 1930s! I only wish more 20th century orchestral music sounded like this. This is probably the most chronologically recent concerto that I've found that I can tolerate, at least so far. It has its moments that I find unpleasant, but I suppose I'm not surprised. The first movement is a little overlong to me. But all told, it's a nice, enjoyable work. Would be delighted to find more in a similar vein.

[karlhenning]

I only wish more 20th century orchestral music sounded like this.

Oh, dear.

I mean, I think I understand the sentiment.

But . . . oh, dear.  That is all.  0:)