The British Composers Thread

Started by Mark, October 25, 2007, 12:26:56 PM

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vandermolen

"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

And don't forget Lionel Bart!
Particularly his hit numbers,"Please Sir can I have some more Daniel Jones?!'
and,'Chandos releases 'aint wot they used to be!' :(
Great stuff!!

vandermolen

Quote from: cilgwyn on July 14, 2016, 02:51:49 AM
And don't forget Lionel Bart!
Particularly his hit numbers,"Please Sir can I have some more Daniel Jones?!'
and,'Chandos releases 'aint wot they used to be!' :(
Great stuff!!
:)
"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).

ComposerOfAvantGarde

Quote from: Christo on July 13, 2016, 11:44:37 PM
Sure:
Brian
Vaughan Williams
Bliss
Bantock
Holst
Ireland
Bridge
Berkeley
Jacob
Rubbra
Finzi
Goossens
Walton
Rawsthorne
Alwyn
Tippett
Howells
Moeran
Arnold
Gipps
Simpson
Wordsworth
Maconchy
Bate
Cooke
Arnell &c.  :)


All truly remarkable in their own way. Never 'one sound' for British music, always variety, and I love variety.

cilgwyn

I read your earlier post. I think I will stock up with a little Birtwistle,before long. I bought the Collins single of Earth Dances when it came out. I also had Gawains Journey;but when I went to play them they were gone! I think they must have gone to the charity shop! :( :( :(
I've always fancied buying a copy of his opera Punch and Judy! I was always attracted to those now,apparently,politically incorrect puppets. I even wanted to be a Punch and Judy man when I was a youngster!! I couldn't get a swazzle,though! I remember scouring the pages of Exchange and Mart for one!! Presumably in this age of the internet I could order one on ebay or Amazon?!!
I'll look now. I'm not sure I want to be a Punch and Judy man anymore,though!! ::) ;D

ComposerOfAvantGarde

Quote from: cilgwyn on July 14, 2016, 02:33:30 PM
I read your earlier post. I think I will stock up with a little Birtwistle,before long. I bought the Collins single of Earth Dances when it came out. I also had Gawains Journey;but when I went to play them they were gone! I think they must have gone to the charity shop! :( :( :(
I've always fancied buying a copy of his opera Punch and Judy! I was always attracted to those now,apparently,politically incorrect puppets. I even wanted to be a Punch and Judy man when I was a youngster!! I couldn't get a swazzle,though! I remember scouring the pages of Exchange and Mart for one!! Presumably in this age of the internet I could order one on ebay or Amazon?!!
I'll look now. I'm not sure I want to be a Punch and Judy man anymore,though!! ::) ;D

Birtwistle's operatic treatment of Punch and Judy really brings to light how shocking the traditional puppet story is when the characters aren't stiff, wooden, comical hand puppets....

If you are interested, here is a link to a live performance on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjjswYcmjQU

and I know there is a CD recording you can get on Amazon as well https://www.amazon.co.uk/Birtwistle-Punch-Judy-Harrison/dp/B000PHVXXQ

Birtwistle's violently rhythmic style is suited well to the story imo.

cilgwyn

Thanks: ComposerOfAvantGarde. I'll have a look (and listen) to that a bit later! :)

ComposerOfAvantGarde

Interview with Rebecca Saunders, including an interesting answer to a question about silence, slow tempo and timbre...........and also she watches Sherlock (which is pretty cool to know) http://riotensemble.com/a-few-moments-with-rebecca-saunders/

vandermolen

#328
A brief word of praise for the much maligned Symphony in D, Op.32 by Sir Donald Tovey (1913). Rather like the later case of Gordon Jacob his music is invariably seen as 'academic' (he was a musicologist) and of not much interest but, as is the case with Gordon Jacob I think that that there is a slumbering power under the academic surface and, in fact, I find the slow movement of Tovey's Symphony ''Canzona Dorica' to be both memorable and moving - as if there is a soul and spirit breaking through the academic surface. I daren't start a Tovey thread (I'll check in a minute if I did already  ::)) as I know in two years time it would still say 'last post by vandermolen'  8)
Anyway, I suspect that cilgwyn may be my only hope for a response here but here it is anyway:
[asin]B000E3LIIG[/asin]
All praise for the Malmo Opera orchestra and George Vass for recording this work.

I think that it has a slight Elgarian/Brucknerian quality to it.
And here's a review of the CD:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2006/May06/Tovey_tocc0033.htm
"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).

Maestro267

I've heard about Tovey's Symphony, quite a substantial work. I've got the Hyperion recording of his Piano Concerto in A (c/w Mackenzie), and the fact he wrote one of the longest cello concerti ever recorded is also of interest to me.

vandermolen

#330
Quote from: Maestro267 on April 10, 2017, 10:35:10 AM
I've heard about Tovey's Symphony, quite a substantial work. I've got the Hyperion recording of his Piano Concerto in A (c/w Mackenzie), and the fact he wrote one of the longest cello concerti ever recorded is also of interest to me.
Thanks so much for the response.  :)
I've heard good things about the Piano Concerto and Cello Concerto, neither of which I've heard. At the moment I'm really enjoying the Symphony. I think that the comparison with Franz Schmidt is also helpful.
The Symphony sounds a bit like it was composed on the organ initially but I have no evidence for this. Sections remind me of Bruckner, especially in the finale.
"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).

calyptorhynchus

I have the recordings of the Cello Concerto and the Symphony and I like them. Brahmsian, with lots of tunes!

The Cello Concerto's problem is that its first movement is 25 minutes long and, however good it is, it completely overshadows the other movements. The problem with the symphony is more subtle... When I first listened to it I got the impression that somehow the first movement and the finale had got switched because the first movement ends like a finale, all triumphantly, and it sounds as if the symphony should end there, by contrast the finale is far less definitive and sounds like a first movement. Now whenever I play the symphony I program the CD player to play 4, 2, 3, 1 and it sounds great.

:D
'Many men are melancholy by hearing music, but it is a pleasing melancholy that it causeth.' Robert Burton

Sergeant Rock

Quote from: vandermolen on April 10, 2017, 10:02:10 AM
I think that it has a slight Elgarian/Brucknerian quality to it.

Sold! I've ordered the last copy available from Amazon DE. I'll let you know what I think of it as soon as I've had a listen or two.

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"

relm1

#333
I like Graham Whettam.  Especially his Symphony No. 2 "Sinfonia Intrepida" of 1976.

https://www.youtube.com/ZnXLznS4g6U

How do you get the youtube clip to be embedded in the post?

EDIT: Thanks Mirror Image!

Mirror Image

#334
Quote from: relm1 on April 10, 2017, 04:41:47 PM
I like Graham Whettam.  Especially his Symphony No. 2 "Sinfonia Intrepida" of 1976.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnXLznS4g6U

How do you get the youtube clip to be embedded in the post?

Basically, when you have this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fqblxg0E-Cw

You need to remove the '=' and replace with a '/'. You also will need to remove 'watch?'. Once you've added/subtracted those characters, you will need to use the flash icon (the 'f' with a red circle around it that's right next to the 'insert image' icon). So now your video should look like this:

https://www.youtube.com/v/Fqblxg0E-Cw

vandermolen

Quote from: calyptorhynchus on April 10, 2017, 01:15:20 PM
I have the recordings of the Cello Concerto and the Symphony and I like them. Brahmsian, with lots of tunes!

The Cello Concerto's problem is that its first movement is 25 minutes long and, however good it is, it completely overshadows the other movements. The problem with the symphony is more subtle... When I first listened to it I got the impression that somehow the first movement and the finale had got switched because the first movement ends like a finale, all triumphantly, and it sounds as if the symphony should end there, by contrast the finale is far less definitive and sounds like a first movement. Now whenever I play the symphony I program the CD player to play 4, 2, 3, 1 and it sounds great.

:D
I see exactly what you mean - a very insightful comment I think.
"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).

vandermolen

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on April 10, 2017, 01:37:43 PM
Sold! I've ordered the last copy available from Amazon DE. I'll let you know what I think of it as soon as I've had a listen or two.

Sarge
Well, I really hope that you enjoy it Sarge. I've just been communicating with a friend about it and he agreed that the music may well reflect an anguished soul beneath the academic facade. The notes are quite informative about Tovey's not-too-happy life. It was the slow movement which did it for me. Over the last couple of days I've listened to the work four times with increasing enjoyment. The 'Dionysus Prelude' is a nice curtain raiser.
"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

#337
Quote from: relm1 on April 10, 2017, 04:41:47 PM
I like Graham Whettam.  Especially his Symphony No. 2 "Sinfonia Intrepida" of 1976.

https://www.youtube.com/ZnXLznS4g6U


Thanks to your post, I've discovered another obscure British composer of symphonies. I'm hearing the "Intrepida" for the first time, and yes, I like it very much. Wiki says he's composed a dozen symphonies  :o

Quote from: relm1 on April 10, 2017, 04:41:47 PM
How do you get the youtube clip to be embedded in the post?

EDIT: Thanks Mirror Image!

You're getting closer but no cigar. The v/ is missing. Here is the embedded clip:

https://www.youtube.com/v/ZnXLznS4g6U


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"

relm1

I just finished listening to the new BIS recording of John Pickard's Symphony No. 5, Sixteen Sunrises, Concertante Variations, and Toccata. 

http://bis.se/label/bis/pickard-symphony-no5

This is such a fine release of new music.  I love the structure of the Symphony No. 5 and its tempestuous nature.  I found it gripping from the start to the end and loved how the various ideas culminated in the final movement.  The rest of the works are equally substantial.  I have purchased each of BIS's Pickard cd's and have never been disappointed.  For those who are unaware of this composer, how to describe...let me think.  I think if you find something to like with late Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, James Macmillan, Colin Matthews, Kalevi Aho, and Alun Hoddinott, you will find this music comfortable.  The music is dynamic, inventive, colorful, challenging but then there are great breakthrough moments of melodies that puts the difficult music in context.  I look forward to each new release in this series and hope for many more to come.

vandermolen

Quote from: relm1 on July 09, 2017, 03:52:27 PM
I just finished listening to the new BIS recording of John Pickard's Symphony No. 5, Sixteen Sunrises, Concertante Variations, and Toccata. 

http://bis.se/label/bis/pickard-symphony-no5

This is such a fine release of new music.  I love the structure of the Symphony No. 5 and its tempestuous nature.  I found it gripping from the start to the end and loved how the various ideas culminated in the final movement.  The rest of the works are equally substantial.  I have purchased each of BIS's Pickard cd's and have never been disappointed.  For those who are unaware of this composer, how to describe...let me think.  I think if you find something to like with late Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, James Macmillan, Colin Matthews, Kalevi Aho, and Alun Hoddinott, you will find this music comfortable.  The music is dynamic, inventive, colorful, challenging but then there are great breakthrough moments of melodies that puts the difficult music in context.  I look forward to each new release in this series and hope for many more to come.
Thanks for that. I have the CD with 'The Flight of Icarus' on - which I enjoyed. Must listen again.
"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).