The British Composers Thread

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

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vandermolen

Quote from: Roasted Swan on April 18, 2021, 11:26:56 PM
Enjoy!
It's a very fine Symphony but unfortunately the CD kept sticking in the last movement (on two different CD players) so, I'm having to return it - a pity, as this was the only reasonably priced copy that I could find online (c.£14) - the others are all about £50.00 - so, I will not be buying one of them. Back to You Tube!
Although quite different it reminded me a bit of the Symphony by Finn Mortensen and the No.2 by William Wordsworth:
"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).

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: vandermolen on April 19, 2021, 04:40:00 AM
It's a very fine Symphony but unfortunately the CD kept sticking in the last movement (on two different CD players) so, I'm having to return it - a pity, as this was the only reasonably priced copy that I could find online (c.£14) - the others are all about £50.00 - so, I will not be buying one of them. Back to You Tube!
Although quite different it reminded me a bit of the Symphony by Finn Mortensen and the No.2 by William Wordsworth:

Perhaps stating the obvious, but did you look at the CD under a bright light to see if perhaps something was stuck to it that could be carefully cleaned off or if there were any deep gouges to it, etc.

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

vandermolen

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on April 19, 2021, 04:44:42 AM
Perhaps stating the obvious, but did you look at the CD under a bright light to see if perhaps something was stuck to it that could be carefully cleaned off or if there were any deep gouges to it, etc.

PD

Thanks PD. I couldn't obviously see anything on the surface but perhaps I'll have another look.
"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: ultralinear on April 19, 2021, 05:12:27 AM
I may have mentioned before that occasionally I have had recourse to this:



Available from Halfords and all good car spares outlets.  It will clean up and polish out surface defects - though sadly it can't do anything about bronzing or clouding or pinholes or other defects beneath the surface.
V. interesting! Thank you.
"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).

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: ultralinear on April 19, 2021, 05:12:27 AM
I may have mentioned before that occasionally I have had recourse to this:



Available from Halfords and all good car spares outlets.  It will clean up and polish out surface defects - though sadly it can't do anything about bronzing or clouding or pinholes or other defects beneath the surface.
Interesting.  I haven't heard of using 'stuff' like that before on CDs.  Do you then need to rinse it off or....???

Normally, I'll use either a half water and half rubbing alcohol (in a small sprayer bottle) or sometimes straight (high quality) rubbing alcohol (like photographic quality)...a couple of spritzes on the shiny side only (so don't dissolve the label!) and then use a good eyeglass-wipe kind of cloth on it.  It cleans off sticky stuff and fingerprints, etc. without harming the CD.

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

relm1

Enough on the CD polishing topic please. 

vandermolen

Quote from: relm1 on April 19, 2021, 04:01:24 PM
Enough on the CD polishing topic please.
Yes, but I'm grateful for the thoughtful comments of PD and ultralinear.
As a final note, I have sent the CD back and should get a refund soon.
I'll keep my eyes open for another copy.
"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 19, 2021, 10:16:28 PM
Yes, but I'm grateful for the thoughtful comments of PD and ultralinear.
As a final note, I have sent the CD back and should get a refund soon.
I'll keep my eyes open for another copy.

So you missed the mighty ending of the Whettam?   :(

vandermolen

Quote from: relm1 on April 20, 2021, 06:11:16 AM
So you missed the mighty ending of the Whettam?   :(
No, I didn't as I 'fast forwarded' through the damaged bit! The ending is, indeed, terrific. At first I thought it most interesting the way in which Whettam repeated the same section over and over again, assuming  that it had some existential cosmic significance, until I realised that the CD was stuck  ::)
"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 20, 2021, 08:07:41 AM
No, I didn't as I 'fast forwarded' through the damaged bit! The ending is, indeed, terrific. At first I thought it most interesting the way in which Whettam repeated the same section over and over again, assuming  that it had some existential cosmic significance, until I realised that the CD was stuck  ::)

Have you heard his other symphonies?

vandermolen

Quote from: relm1 on April 20, 2021, 04:04:19 PM
Have you heard his other symphonies?
No I haven't. I've just had an apologetic message from the person that I bought the CD from and he has another copy of the 'Intrepida' Symphony at the same price that he is going to send me. So, I'm very pleased about that.
"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).

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: vandermolen on April 20, 2021, 09:53:42 PM
No I haven't. I've just had an apologetic message from the person that I bought the CD from and he has another copy of the 'Intrepida' Symphony at the same price that he is going to send me. So, I'm very pleased about that.
Yeah!  :)

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

aukhawk

Quote from: DaveF on March 22, 2021, 05:43:22 AM
Karl Jenkins, once of Soft Machine and now composer of rather New-Agey choral and orchestral works, was born near Swansea, and has certainly worked in the US.

Quote from: steve ridgway on March 22, 2021, 05:56:21 AM
I didn't know he was in Soft Machine - when was that? I like the 3rd - 6th albums.

Quote from: DaveF on March 22, 2021, 06:04:07 AM
Apparently, Six was the first he was involved with.  Bit of a change of direction after his arrival, possibly.

Very belatedly to add - he was part of the British jazz scene in the 60s-70s.  Featured on this album:


Down Another Road - Graham Collier Sextet

calyptorhynchus

So, today being St George's Day I decided to listen only to English music.

And first I listened to that quintessentially English composer Robert Simpson  ;). I had just received the Lyrita disc of the premieres of the 5th and 6th Symphonies, recorded by Richard Itter from the BBC broadcasts. The 5th, conducted by Andrew Davis, I had heard before, but in a poor recording that had a sound level cut off so every time there was a sudden increase in volume it was muted temporarily (a bit of  a problem in this symphony!) Well, what an experience, the word incandescent comes to mind! Definitely a must-have recording despite the occasional bronchial noises in quiet bits.

The premiere of the 6th Symphony, conducted by Charles Groves, I had not heard before. It is certainly superior to the Handley recording on Hyperion (as is the Davis' 5th). The 6th is the Symphony of Simpson's I had had most difficulty appreciating before, but Groves makes it flow far better than Handley does. Simpson apparently was unhappy with the premiere (and also unhappy with the Hadley recording of this and other of his symphonies), but he may have been a bit of fuss-pot—Groves' 6th sounds fine to me, though I have my doubts about some of the Handley recordings.

I hope that Lyrita issues the BBC recording of the 4th which has the original adagio tempo in the slow movement, which Simpson later changed to andante.

And then I tuned in to pieces from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book. I can't believe you can get a download of Pieter-Jan Belder's recording of the complete book on Brilliant for around $10US (about 15 hours long). What a bargain! He plays the pieces very well, using different instruments and occasionally an organ. You don't want to listen to this for hours at a stretch, but playing a few pieces at a time is always very enjoyable.

And now I'm about to go off to dinner consisting of two typical English dishes: butter chicken curry and pizza.
'Many men are melancholy by hearing music, but it is a pleasing melancholy that it causeth.' Robert Burton

vandermolen

Quote from: calyptorhynchus on April 22, 2021, 08:51:09 PM
So, today being St George's Day I decided to listen only to English music.

And first I listened to that quintessentially English composer Robert Simpson  ;). I had just received the Lyrita disc of the premieres of the 5th and 6th Symphonies, recorded by Richard Itter from the BBC broadcasts. The 5th, conducted by Andrew Davis, I had heard before, but in a poor recording that had a sound level cut off so every time there was a sudden increase in volume it was muted temporarily (a bit of  a problem in this symphony!) Well, what an experience, the word incandescent comes to mind! Definitely a must-have recording despite the occasional bronchial noises in quiet bits.

The premiere of the 6th Symphony, conducted by Charles Groves, I had not heard before. It is certainly superior to the Handley recording on Hyperion (as is the Davis' 5th). The 6th is the Symphony of Simpson's I had had most difficulty appreciating before, but Groves makes it flow far better than Handley does. Simpson apparently was unhappy with the premiere (and also unhappy with the Hadley recording of this and other of his symphonies), but he may have been a bit of fuss-pot—Groves' 6th sounds fine to me, though I have my doubts about some of the Handley recordings.

I hope that Lyrita issues the BBC recording of the 4th which has the original adagio tempo in the slow movement, which Simpson later changed to andante.

And then I tuned in to pieces from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book. I can't believe you can get a download of Pieter-Jan Belder's recording of the complete book on Brilliant for around $10US (about 15 hours long). What a bargain! He plays the pieces very well, using different instruments and occasionally an organ. You don't want to listen to this for hours at a stretch, but playing a few pieces at a time is always very enjoyable.

And now I'm about to go off to dinner consisting of two typical English dishes: butter chicken curry and pizza.
Interesting and I didn't know it was St George's Day today. Yesterday I played Walton's Henry V music (Chandos), so, I hope that was sufficiently patriotic! I've never got on with the Simpson symphonies (other than 1 and 3) but I've left the CD of symphonies 2 and 4 to play later as I've heard that No.2 is amongst the most approachable. Others will disagree, but for me the problem is often with the music itself rather than the performances 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).

calyptorhynchus

Quote from: vandermolen on April 22, 2021, 10:49:24 PM
Interesting and I didn't know it was St George's Day today. Yesterday I played Walton's Henry V music (Chandos), so, I hope that was sufficiently patriotic! I've never got on with the Simpson symphonies (other than 1 and 3) but I've left the CD of symphonies 2 and 4 to play later as I've heard that No.2 is amongst the most approachable. Others will disagree, but for me the problem is often with the music itself rather than the performances of it.

Your tomorrow is St George's Day (23rd).

Well as you know I'm a big fan of RS. I think the problem with his symphonies is that they are ferociously difficult to play AND you can tell when they're not played well  :)
'Many men are melancholy by hearing music, but it is a pleasing melancholy that it causeth.' Robert Burton

André




Listening to this disc of Arnell quartets for the second time today. As original and surprising as his orchestral works. Highly recommended !.

Irons

Quote from: André on April 23, 2021, 05:48:33 PM



Listening to this disc of Arnell quartets for the second time today. As original and surprising as his orchestral works. Highly recommended !.

Thanks for heads up. I have ordered a copy.
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: Irons on April 25, 2021, 05:12:58 AM
Thanks for heads up. I have ordered a copy.

Hope you like it. Let us know your thoughts!

vandermolen

I think that I need that Arnell SQ CD as well  ::)
I can thoroughly recommend this CD:
"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).