The British Composers Thread

[Christo]

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.

Great to read, it is! Three years ago, I decided to try the other Kinsella symphonies: all of them recorded except for No. 8 (and Nos. 1 and 2 only available in radio recordings, also on Youtube). My conclusion, the others are equally superb, especially the disc combining Nos. 6 and 7:

[André]

Thanks for the tip, I put 6 and 7 in my cart. I didn't see nos 5 or 10 anywhere.

No 9 can be found here, but it's not exactly cheap:

[SymphonicAddict]

Kinsella certainly sounds quite interesting. I've played some excerpts on Spotify and I liked very very much what I heard.

[Christo]

Kinsella certainly sounds quite interesting. I've played some excerpts on Spotify and I liked very very much what I heard.

Agreed, you would love it. The Marco Polo disc with symphonies 3 & 4 is a great place to start. 

[SymphonicAddict]

Agreed, you would love it. The Marco Polo disc with symphonies 3 & 4 is a great place to start. 

It was precisely the CD I played. Wow, this is terrific indeed! Both symphonies sound so fresh, with some important climaxes. I perceive some ideas mostly from Tubin and Sibelius in the No. 3 and also from Simpson in the No. 4. The No. 3 was substantial but I liked the No. 4 the most: it's a symphony of the first order IMHO, widely atmospheric, with appealing themes and development. This is a composer I'll investigate more deeply for sure.

[André]

I'm listening to it again as I write and am just as impressed. This is great stuff indeed. Kinsella's ideas - themes, orchestration, structure - are original and his treatment of the material is masterly. The program notes, although brief, are very helpful. Definitely a disc to have.

[vandermolen]

That Marco Polo CD with symphonies 3 and 4 made a huge impression on me. The Gramophone review linked them to the symphonies by Tubin and Lilburn (although they are quite different) which immediately appealed to me. No 3 is my favourite but I find the return of the 'prevailing wind' motto theme at the end of Symphony 4 to be overwhelming. The CD with 6 and 7 on is, I agree, great too. He sent a charming letter to me after I wrote to him care of RTE Dublin and arranged for a couple of sampler CDs featuring some of his music to be sent to me which was very kind. My brother met someone who knew Kinsella and who referred to him as 'a lovely man'.

PS I'm not too sure how pleased Kinsella would be to be referred to as 'British' as he is Irish!

[Daverz]

Would Kinsella, born in Dublin, identify as British?

[André]

Blame the thread's initiator and his original list, then. It includes some irish composers...

[JBS]

Emend the Title to
The British Isles Composers Thread

[JBS]

Thanks for the tip, I put 6 and 7 in my cart. I didn't see nos 5 or 10 anywhere.

No 9 can be found here, but it's not exactly cheap:

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[André]

Hey, thanks (again) !

[vandermolen]

Would Kinsella, born in Dublin, identify as British?

No but with Brexit it hardly matters.

[cilgwyn]

Is everyone aware of Nimbus' Black Friday Sale (50% of their entire catalogue;Lyrita included!)?! You just put the code supplied in the email (if you subscribe to their "mail shots") at the checkout! The offer is Valid until 23:59 tonight. I just bought the 3cd box set of Iris Loveridge playing Bax's piano music & the 3cd set of Alan Rowland's playing the complete piano music of John Ireland for a total of £19.99,for both sets (Normally £39.99). As a fan of these composers piano compositions I've always fancied acquiring these pioneering sets,but the outlay was a bit much........so I grabbed my chance!!

[vandermolen]

Is everyone aware of Nimbus' Black Friday Sale (50% of their entire catalogue;Lyrita included!)?! You just put the code supplied in the email (if you subscribe to their "mail shots") at the checkout! The offer is Valid until 23:59 tonight. I just bought the 3cd box set of Iris Loveridge playing Bax's piano music & the 3cd set of Alan Rowland's playing the complete piano music of John Ireland for a total of £19.99,for both sets (Normally £39.99). As a fan of these composers piano compositions I've always fancied acquiring these pioneering sets,but the outlay was a bit much........so I grabbed my chance!!

Thanks for alerting us to this cilgwyn.

[André]

Another "British Isles Composer"  . Frank Corcoran was born in Tipperary, Ireland. He studied in Dublin, Rome and  Berlin, where he was taught by Boris Blacher. He developed a musical language based on macro-counterpoint. Never heard of that before ? Me neither. Whatever the theory behind it (it's explained in the wiki article on the composer), it sounds off-putting and grates the ear. Nonetheless, as the music unfolds, there seems to be a logic of sorts at work. The 2nd and 4th symphonies are short one movement works. The 3rd, which I found the most interesting, is in 2 movements titled 'soli' and 'tutti'.

[Maestro267]

I'm always excited when I discover new-to-me British composers, and I've recently discovered another one in Richard Arnell. I've previewed the epic-scale Symphony No. 3, and I'm a big fan.

[André]

+1

Vandermolen introduced me to Arnell a few years ago  . A wonderful composer indeed !

[vandermolen]

+1

Vandermolen introduced me to Arnell a few years ago  . A wonderful composer indeed !

Arnell was a great discovery for me and am so glad that others here appreciate his music as well . Other than the wartime epic No.3 I'd recommend No.5, in memory of his father. No.3 was I think related to his mother's death in the Blitz on London. I ended up writing to him at the Musician's Benevolent Home in Bromley, London. He sent me two lovely cards from there and it means a lot to me that I communicated my love of his music to him. All his symphonic music is of great interest.

[Christo]

+1
Vandermolen introduced me to Arnell a few years ago  . A wonderful composer indeed !

Another admirer here.