The British Composers Thread

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

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vandermolen

Quote from: Irons on February 14, 2020, 06:07:19 AM
Suffering PC problems  >:( so unable to post pic or link but completely taken by surprise by "Improvisations on a Theme by Constant Lambert" by Alan Rawsthorne with the Ulster Orchestra directed by Takuo Yusska on Naxos. Just over 12 minutes in length and used as a filler for the two PCs expectations were not particularly high. How wrong is that! A terrific piece dedicated to Rawsthorne's wife who happened to be Lambert's widow. Highly recommended with an excellent atmospheric performance from all concerned.
Must look that one out Lol, especially as I have the CD. Thanks for drawing our attention to it. PC No.2 is a great favourite of mine.
"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).

Christo

Quote from: Roasted Swan on February 06, 2020, 03:47:43 AM
Total tangent..... .

Very funny to watch your polite, very British responses here, mostly silently obliging: almost as solemn as Germans politely condemning some aspect of German responsibility for WW II.  :D
(As if smaller & happier nations, yet not even that small, would still feel the burden of some 17th Century conflict of two overtly competing commercial interests as a personal affront. Very funny indeed.  ;D 8)
... music is not only an 'entertainment', nor a mere luxury, but a necessity of the spiritual if not of the physical life, an opening of those magic casements through which we can catch a glimpse of that country where ultimate reality will be found.    RVW, 1948

Roasted Swan

Quote from: Christo on February 14, 2020, 09:05:54 AM
Very funny to watch your polite, very British responses here, mostly silently obliging: almost as solemn as Germans politely condemning some aspect of German responsibility for WW II.  :D
(As if smaller & happier nations, yet not even that small, would still feel the burden of some 17th Century conflict of two overtly competing commercial interests as a personal affront. Very funny indeed.  ;D 8)
In my solemn very polite British way I have not got a clue what you are talking about....

Christo

Quote from: Roasted Swan on February 14, 2020, 02:36:10 PM
In my solemn very polite British way I have not got a clue what you are talking about....

Actually this:
Quote from: Roasted Swan on February 06, 2020, 03:47:43 AM
which covers the 2nd Anglo-Dutch War in the midst of the Plague and the Fire of London.  In my ignorance I knew nothing about it but was fascinated how in the great spirit of "Fake News" the British government declared our defeat a major victory because they so feared civil unrest even Revolution if such a military set-back was announced on the back of the other 2 catastrophes...... everything old is new again......
... music is not only an 'entertainment', nor a mere luxury, but a necessity of the spiritual if not of the physical life, an opening of those magic casements through which we can catch a glimpse of that country where ultimate reality will be found.    RVW, 1948

Papy Oli

Just logging my appreciation for this book "Boult on Music". If you are already fully familiar with Boult and his history, you may not learn anything much new, but for where I am in my exploration of this man's music, this is a nifty accompaniment and a nice insight into a classical world of yesteryear. I have yet to start his own book "My Own Trumpet", i'll see how I get on with this one.

That "Boult on Music" was part of a Toccata Press series of Musicians on Music. I have one of the 2 volumes with Havergal Brian in the listening pile. There are also volumes with Dallapiccola and Holmboe. According to the inner cover, there's meant to be a volume with Rubbra as well but I can not find any trace of it on the Toccata website or elsewhere online. Does anybody know of it please ?


 
Olivier

vandermolen

#585
Quote from: Papy Oli on February 24, 2020, 09:58:17 AM
Just logging my appreciation for this book "Boult on Music". If you are already fully familiar with Boult and his history, you may not learn anything much new, but for where I am in my exploration of this man's music, this is a nifty accompaniment and a nice insight into a classical world of yesteryear. I have yet to start his own book "My Own Trumpet", i'll see how I get on with this one.

That "Boult on Music" was part of a Toccata Press series of Musicians on Music. I have one of the 2 volumes with Havergal Brian in the listening pile. There are also volumes with Dallapiccola and Holmboe. According to the inner cover, there's meant to be a volume with Rubbra as well but I can not find any trace of it on the Toccata website or elsewhere online. Does anybody know of it please ?


 
The only book I know about Rubbra is pictured below. I don't have it as it was too expensive. However, thanks to a very kind GMG forum member I do have 'Ordeal by Music' the earliest monograph on HB as far as I'm aware. I wonder if the book about Vagn Holmboe features a photo of one of his many cocktail parties with Christo of this forum  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).

relm1

Quote from: Roasted Swan on February 14, 2020, 02:36:10 PM
In my solemn very polite British way I have not got a clue what you are talking about....

American translation: He's full of shit.

Christo

Quote from: vandermolen on February 24, 2020, 01:00:32 PM
I wonder if the book about Vagn Holmboe features a photo of one of his many cocktail parties with Christo of this forum  8).

I had brougth some pot with me from Amsterdam, it explains much of his transparant later style.
... music is not only an 'entertainment', nor a mere luxury, but a necessity of the spiritual if not of the physical life, an opening of those magic casements through which we can catch a glimpse of that country where ultimate reality will be found.    RVW, 1948

vandermolen

Quote from: Christo on February 24, 2020, 10:27:37 PM
I had brougth some pot with me from Amsterdam, it explains much of his transparant later style.
Excellent! That explains a lot.  ;D
"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).

Papy Oli

Quote from: vandermolen on February 24, 2020, 01:00:32 PM
The only book I know about Rubbra is pictured below. I don't have it as it was too expensive. However, thanks to a very kind GMG forum member I do have 'Ordeal by Music' the earliest monograph on HB as far as I'm aware. I wonder if the book about Vagn Holmboe features a photo of one of his many cocktail parties with Christo of this forum  8).


;D

I'll keep an eye out for the Rubbra Symphonist, if any cheap copies fly around...

PS: I have never heard any Dallapicccola or Holmboe  ??? :blank:
Olivier

Roasted Swan

Quote from: relm1 on February 24, 2020, 04:27:27 PM
American translation: He's full of shit.

How did a very mild comment about a 300 year old war (and how it was contemporaneously reported in the British press which I happened to find interesting and with a resonance for our own time) suddenly end up with me being "full of shit"?  That's the bit I don't understand........

relm1

Quote from: Roasted Swan on February 25, 2020, 06:08:19 AM
How did a very mild comment about a 300 year old war (and how it was contemporaneously reported in the British press which I happened to find interesting and with a resonance for our own time) suddenly end up with me being "full of shit"?  That's the bit I don't understand........

"I have not got a clue what you are talking about...." = "someone is full of it".  Never mind, it was a bad joke.

aukhawk

Quote from: vandermolen on February 24, 2020, 01:00:32 PM
The only book I know about Rubbra is pictured below. I don't have it as it was too expensive.

I dimly remember Leo Black the author of that book.  Our paths crossed regularly back in the early '70s but I'm struggling to remember the context.  Unlikely as it may sound, it think it must have been because we both played at the same table-tennis club in central London.  Like me he was a BBC staffer I think, probably a R3 producer, and he was well-named with a very black mane of hair and a Rubbra-esque goatee.

vandermolen

Quote from: aukhawk on March 01, 2020, 12:28:24 AM
I dimly remember Leo Black the author of that book.  Our paths crossed regularly back in the early '70s but I'm struggling to remember the context.  Unlikely as it may sound, it think it must have been because we both played at the same table-tennis club in central London.  Like me he was a BBC staffer I think, probably a R3 producer, and he was well-named with a very black mane of hair and a Rubbra-esque goatee.
Nice story! I hope that you discussed Rubbra whilst playing table-tennis (I was going to say 'ping-pong' but that, I suspect would be frowned upon)  :)
"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).

Irons

Dorothy Howell: Violin Sonata, Rosalind for Violin & Piano, Sonata for Piano, Humoresque for Piano, Five Studies for Piano, The Moorings for Violin & Piano and Phantasy for Violin & Piano.

An outstanding in every way CD that I enjoyed immensely. The Violin Sonata, a strong work of flowing lines with a whimsical middle movement (something Howell is good at). Works with violin are a personal interest but the strongest work here is undoubtedly the Piano Sonata - what a piece! Howell never married and although she didn't have any she loved children. The second movement is in the form of a gentle cradle song with a rhythmic pattern - I found this music deeply moving. Jeffrey alerted me to this CD (and composer) through The Moorings, again a whimsical piece with an evocation of water. Yet another Cobbet prize winner, Phantasy is in contrast to The Moorings a more assertive piece. But it is Howell in a melancholy mood I like best.
A fabulous CD which will be back in the tray this evening - can't wait!   
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.

vandermolen

Quote from: Irons on March 12, 2020, 04:41:59 AM
Dorothy Howell: Violin Sonata, Rosalind for Violin & Piano, Sonata for Piano, Humoresque for Piano, Five Studies for Piano, The Moorings for Violin & Piano and Phantasy for Violin & Piano.

An outstanding in every way CD that I enjoyed immensely. The Violin Sonata, a strong work of flowing lines with a whimsical middle movement (something Howell is good at). Works with violin are a personal interest but the strongest work here is undoubtedly the Piano Sonata - what a piece! Howell never married and although she didn't have any she loved children. The second movement is in the form of a gentle cradle song with a rhythmic pattern - I found this music deeply moving. Jeffrey alerted me to this CD (and composer) through The Moorings, again a whimsical piece with an evocation of water. Yet another Cobbet prize winner, Phantasy is in contrast to The Moorings a more assertive piece. But it is Howell in a melancholy mood I like best.
A fabulous CD which will be back in the tray this evening - can't wait!   
Right! I have to order this. A victim of my own recommendation. The Moorings was very nice and your comments on the rest of the CD are enough for me. I liked 'Lamia' very much at the Proms and even have two CD recordings of it.
"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).

Roasted Swan

#596
Quote from: Irons on March 12, 2020, 04:41:59 AM
Dorothy Howell: Violin Sonata, Rosalind for Violin & Piano, Sonata for Piano, Humoresque for Piano, Five Studies for Piano, The Moorings for Violin & Piano and Phantasy for Violin & Piano.

An outstanding in every way CD that I enjoyed immensely. The Violin Sonata, a strong work of flowing lines with a whimsical middle movement (something Howell is good at). Works with violin are a personal interest but the strongest work here is undoubtedly the Piano Sonata - what a piece! Howell never married and although she didn't have any she loved children. The second movement is in the form of a gentle cradle song with a rhythmic pattern - I found this music deeply moving. Jeffrey alerted me to this CD (and composer) through The Moorings, again a whimsical piece with an evocation of water. Yet another Cobbet prize winner, Phantasy is in contrast to The Moorings a more assertive piece. But it is Howell in a melancholy mood I like best.
A fabulous CD which will be back in the tray this evening - can't wait!   

I first discovered Howell through playing a really charming "Minuet" for String Quartet.  This was published as part of "Cramers Library of String Music" series of which it was No.3.  This was a series of string ensemble miniatures mainly aimed at the domestic/student market.  But in fact the series contains some fascinating riches and rarities of which this Howell is one.  The interest is in the slightly subversive side slipping of harmony and rhythm so a simple dainty Minuet.

Here's a link to an image of this Cramer Series front page - I'd love to track down the C Darbishire Jones or the Paul Edmonds scores and parts!
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1HsK7nIiCHeenz8_ouvVKhuK6t8PTpDdd

For more detailed reading try this Doctoral thesis from 2015;

https://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/eprint/6296/1/Byrne15MA.pdf


EDIT three days later......... Now is this odd or what.  Having written about the Darbishire Jones/Edmonds scores above (with other pieces in mind too) - and having tried to track down the sheet music for YEARS they appeared yesterday in the latest catalogue of an online music seller I use.... and I got them.... all of them!  I know this is a tiny niche market of a tiny niche but I am disproportionately thrilled..........


Irons

Quote from: vandermolen on March 12, 2020, 07:45:45 AM
Right! I have to order this. A victim of my own recommendation. The Moorings was very nice and your comments on the rest of the CD are enough for me. I liked 'Lamia' very much at the Proms and even have two CD recordings of it.

Must get "Lamia". Hyperion also issued her piano concerto but reading descriptions of the work they do not tally with what attracts me to her as a composer.
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.

Augustus

There is a new CD of seven of John Pickard's chamber pieces played by the Nash Ensemble, no less, coming on BIS in May, just announced on the composer's website, here: http://johnpickard.co.uk/2020/nash-ensemble-recording-to-be-issued-in-may/

vandermolen

Quote from: Irons on March 12, 2020, 08:02:43 AM
Must get "Lamia". Hyperion also issued her piano concerto but reading descriptions of the work they do not tally with what attracts me to her as a composer.

I agree Lol. I expect that you'll enjoy Lamia.
"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).