The British Composers Thread

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

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Robert101

I have the 4th Gaia Symphony which I really love. The music is quite mercurial with some beautiful passages in the middle movements. Also the recording contains Eden, which I'd call modern-ironic with its humorous orchestral passages...a exciting piece! The 5th will be my next purchase. He reminds me of some of the Finnish composers.

vandermolen

Quote from: Robert101 on July 18, 2017, 05:35:59 AM
I have the 4th Gaia Symphony which I really love. The music is quite mercurial with some beautiful passages in the middle movements. Also the recording contains Eden, which I'd call modern-ironic with its humorous orchestral passages...a exciting piece! The 5th will be my next purchase. He reminds me of some of the Finnish composers.
Have just pre-ordered Symphony 5 having read some positive reviews online.
"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

Now, don't all respond at once! (Are we allowed to use sarcasm on GMG Forum? - as a teacher I was banned from doing so (not personally) so maybe I'm making up for lost time.)
Anyway, I was under instructions to clear my CDs out of my daughter's room before she returns after a year+ in Ukraine and I thought that I'd use the opportunity to rationalise (hahaha) my CD collection by giving some away to charity shops (mainly those I'd purchased two or three times without realising it). Anyway, I came across a CD of music by Philip Spratley (great name for largely unknown living British composer). I assumed that I'd impulse bought it and not enjoyed it and put it in the charity box - and then I thought maybe I should just listen to a bit of it again and, to my amazement, I thought that the music was excellent! Especially Symphony 3 'Sinfonia Pascale' inspired by three modern stained glass windows that the composer came across on the visit to a rebuilt church in Jerusalem. All I can say is that I've played it, with increasing enjoyment, about five times over the past two days. In fact I've put together a mini 'CD Concert' for myself, beginning with Atterberg's 'The River' - another recent discovery, through this forum, and then playing Philip Spratley's 'Sinfonia Pascale'. It is 'modern' though tonal and reminded me a bit of Daniel Jones (cilgwyn - are you there?) but maybe with greater urgency. It also, at times reminded me of Scandinavian composers whose music I admire like Englund. It has a very exciting and inspiriting ending which had me on the end of my seat:
[asin]B00GIZY3KO[/asin]
"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).

Karl Henning

Quote from: vandermolen on February 14, 2018, 10:09:35 AM
(mainly those I'd purchased two or three times without realising it)

Oh, I dare not cast a stone . . . .
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

vandermolen

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on February 15, 2018, 05:26:51 AM
Oh, I dare not cast a stone . . . .

Hehe - thank you Karl.
At least my Spratley post was still there. I thought that maybe it was the one to cause the whole Forum to crash, thus ushering in 'The Great GMG Forum Meltdown'  :o

Phew!
"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).

Baron Scarpia

Quote from: vandermolen on February 15, 2018, 12:03:07 PM
Hehe - thank you Karl.
At least my Spratley post was still there. I thought that maybe it was the one to cause the whole Forum to crash, thus ushering in 'The Great GMG Forum Meltdown'  :o

Phew!

I was composing a post on the Trump thread and when I hit post I got the database error message. Maybe I'm the guilty party. :(

vandermolen

Quote from: Baron Scarpia on February 15, 2018, 12:05:15 PM
I was composing a post on the Trump thread and when I hit post I got the database error message. Maybe I'm the guilty party. :(
I'm sure that they'll be a full public enquiry!
8)
"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: San Antone on February 15, 2018, 12:15:12 PM


The Charles Villiers Stanford Requiem, op. 63, is one of his mature works that has only received the one recording (also available on Marco Polo).  Wonderful work.
How interesting! I like symphonies 3 and 5 and the Irish Rhapsody 4 but here is clearly another work to investigate.
"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

#348
I like the CD of orchestral music by Robin Walker (born 1953). It is monolithic/granatic, powerful and approachable. The only composer whose music I was reminded of was the Icelandic composer Jon Leifs:
[asin]B01DEACH2Q[/asin]
I have a number of the Toccata releases of lesser known British composers but this, together with the Spratley CD (above) is my favourite.
"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).

relm1

Quote from: vandermolen on April 17, 2018, 02:57:02 PM
I like the CD of orchestral music by Robin Walker (born 1953). It is monolithic/granatic, powerful and approachable. The only composer whose music I was reminded of was the Icelandic composer Jon Leifs:
[asin]B01DEACH2Q[/asin]
I have a number of the Toccata releases of lesser known British composers but this, together with the Spratley CD (above) is my favourite.

I very much enjoy this release as well but find the association closer to Bruckner though a modern version.  An excellent CD.

vandermolen

Quote from: relm1 on April 17, 2018, 04:11:03 PM
I very much enjoy this release as well but find the association closer to Bruckner though a modern version.  An excellent CD.

Good to hear!

I sent him a fan email and had a very nice reply.

I think Sibelius is probably another influence but his style is original.
"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

Quote from: Baron Scarpia on February 15, 2018, 12:05:15 PM
I was composing a post on the Trump thread and when I hit post I got the database error message. Maybe I'm the guilty party. :(
It was the cuss-words that did it! :D
'Many men are melancholy by hearing music, but it is a pleasing melancholy that it causeth.' Robert Burton

ComposerOfAvantGarde

Any James Dillon fans on here?

I recently got a hold of a score of his incredible piano concerto to find some of the most ghastly score engraving I have ever seen come from a professional music publishing house. It's a real shame, quality score engraving will impact whether musicians want to perform a composer's music!

Here is what it sounds like, at least:

https://www.youtube.com/v/CEbC72drbuA

It has a certain neo-romantic flair to it, more so than some of his other music. Perhaps owing to the fact that it is an orchestral work and he wanted to play it safe[r] to at least ensure a good performance? Interesting question to consider........personally I wouldn't want to make a compromise like that for professional musicians but it would be perfectly understandable if it were composed for a high school or youth orchestra.

Here's another orchestral work. Very attractive:

https://www.youtube.com/v/37R-hSSMxL0

Irons

The Savoy Operas have always enjoyed a strong following but listening to his "Irish" Symphony I wonder where his talent as a composer would have taken Arthur Sullivan if he had not met Mr Gilbert. His symphony is excellent and original in so many ways. It is obvious even to my untrained ear that Sullivan is a master of orchestration, I was particularly struck by the use of solo instruments to create colour. I can only think the reason this fine symphony is not taken seriously is the association with the Savoy Opera.

 
You must have a very good opinion of yourself to write a symphony - John Ireland.

I opened the door people rushed through and I was left holding the knob - Bo Diddley.

André

Quote from: vandermolen on February 15, 2018, 12:18:09 PM
How interesting! I like symphonies 3 and 5 and the Irish Rhapsody 4 but here is clearly another work to investigate.

The Irish Rhapsody no 4 is a beauty. It should be programmed in concert houses. It would make a great impression on the general public if they had a chance to hear it.

I listened to it this week in this version:


vandermolen

Quote from: André on November 22, 2018, 04:39:32 AM
The Irish Rhapsody no 4 is a beauty. It should be programmed in concert houses. It would make a great impression on the general public if they had a chance to hear it.

I listened to it this week in this version:



That's a really nice CD. Yes, that Irish Rhapsody No.4 is perhaps my favourite work by Stanford.
"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

Quote from: vandermolen on February 14, 2018, 10:09:35 AM
Now, don't all respond at once! (Are we allowed to use sarcasm on GMG Forum? - as a teacher I was banned from doing so (not personally) so maybe I'm making up for lost time.)
Anyway, I was under instructions to clear my CDs out of my daughter's room before she returns after a year+ in Ukraine and I thought that I'd use the opportunity to rationalise (hahaha) my CD collection by giving some away to charity shops (mainly those I'd purchased two or three times without realising it). Anyway, I came across a CD of music by Philip Spratley (great name for largely unknown living British composer). I assumed that I'd impulse bought it and not enjoyed it and put it in the charity box - and then I thought maybe I should just listen to a bit of it again and, to my amazement, I thought that the music was excellent! Especially Symphony 3 'Sinfonia Pascale' inspired by three modern stained glass windows that the composer came across on the visit to a rebuilt church in Jerusalem. All I can say is that I've played it, with increasing enjoyment, about five times over the past two days. In fact I've put together a mini 'CD Concert' for myself, beginning with Atterberg's 'The River' - another recent discovery, through this forum, and then playing Philip Spratley's 'Sinfonia Pascale'. It is 'modern' though tonal and reminded me a bit of Daniel Jones (cilgwyn - are you there?) but maybe with greater urgency. It also, at times reminded me of Scandinavian composers whose music I admire like Englund. It has a very exciting and inspiriting ending which had me on the end of my seat:
[asin]B00GIZY3KO[/asin]
Interesting! Poetry is one branch of the arts that has always left me baffled,and  strangely,cold! I like a few poems,though;and I've always rather liked that John Masefield poem. It used to be rather popular years ago. Well,maybe not popular? But,I think you hear more of his children's novels,these days. The Midnight Folk and The Box of Delights. Which I loved,incidentally! And a work inspired by the poem?!! Hm?!! ??? ;D I looked at the cd on Amazon,and the back of the cd states that the Symphony had it's "initial impulses" (an odd choice of words?) in trips to North Wales and Jerusalem. The first volume appears to be of String music,I note!

vandermolen

Quote from: cilgwyn on November 22, 2018, 06:40:17 AM
Interesting! Poetry is one branch of the arts that has always left me baffled,and  strangely,cold! I like a few poems,though;and I've always rather liked that John Masefield poem. It used to be rather popular years ago. Well,maybe not popular? But,I think you hear more of his children's novels,these days. The Midnight Folk and The Box of Delights. Which I loved,incidentally! And a work inspired by the poem?!! Hm?!! ??? ;D I looked at the cd on Amazon,and the back of the cd states that the Symphony had it's "initial impulses" (an odd choice of words?) in trips to North Wales and Jerusalem. The first volume appears to be of String music,I note!

I suspect that you'd like Spratley's symphony cilgwyn.
"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).

André

Thanks for the hat tip on Spratley. I've put it on my wish list. It's strange that we should thank the Siberians for that release... ::)

André

Listening to this after many years of fallow. So many, actually, that I had totally forgotten how it sounded. The answer: superb ! The music is complex, inventive and ingenious - yet entirely listenable. Strongly recommended.