Frank Bridge

[Sean]

I can't seem to find that on Amazon.  Is it OOP?TJ

Sorry, I can't help- I bought in during a serious Bax phase about 18 years ago.

[Guido]

Not sure how this passed me by, but Bridge's superb piano sonata is finally available on Naxos.

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.557921#

The other two recordings have been out of print for ages, so this is really good news. Couplings good too - I especially like the Lament and the Left Hand piano pieces.

[vandermolen]

Not sure how this passed me by, but Bridge's superb piano sonata is finally available on Naxos.

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.557921#

The other two recordings have been out of print for ages, so this is really good news. Couplings good too - I especially like the Lament and the Left Hand piano pieces.

Thanks for this info. I'll investigate in due course. Bridge was a fine, albeit sometimes 'demanding' composer. But I suspect that Oration, Enter Spring and The Sea will remain my favourites.

[tjguitar]

Oration to be released by Lyrita Feb 2008.

I have finally ordered this one. I will comment when it arrives. I love the sound clips. I'm already familiar with Phantasm on Conifer, but it should be nice to hear another performance, but I'm most looking forward to the Oration piece.

[Dundonnell]

I have two performances of Bridge's 'Oration' on disc. The Alban Gerhardt on Chandos is one but the other is a quite superb but possibly now unobtainable performance by Alexander Baillie with the Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra(as then was) conducted by John Carewe, coupled with 'Enter Spring' on the Pearl label.

Baillie is a fine cellist(he recorded the Rawsthorne for Naxos) of whom we should hear more! Guido...opinion?

[Guido]

I have two performances of Bridge's 'Oration' on disc. The Alban Gerhardt on Chandos is one but the other is a quite superb but possibly now unobtainable performance by Alexander Baillie with the Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra(as then was) conducted by John Carewe, coupled with 'Enter Spring' on the Pearl label.

Baillie is a fine cellist(he recorded the Rawsthorne for Naxos) of whom we should hear more! Guido...opinion?

Yes he is great - I haven't heard his Oration, but have him playing the Rawsthorne, Bernard Stevens, Matthews no.1, Stanford, Keal and Crosse concertos. His technical facility is truly remarkable, and his sound very beautiful. He's completely mad though! Maybe I'll search out his Oration. I too have Gerhardt in this piece, who plays it splendidly, and also Isserlis who's account is wonderful as far as I can remember - haven't heard it for a while. Isserlis is the only person who couples it very logically with Britten's cello symphony - the comparison of these two tough masterpieces is very illuminating, both the finest purely instrumental work in their respective composer's oevre, and not enough has been said I think of the link between the earlier work to the latter. Wallfisch's recent account of Oration is also meant to be quite fine, though I haven't heard it.

[Dundonnell]

Baillie is "completely mad"?

Come on...you can't leave it like that    Explain

[Guido]

Baillie is "completely mad"?

Come on...you can't leave it like that    Explain

It's sort of difficult to explain without seeing him, but he is a true british eccentric.

[schweitzeralan]

Although I realize there was a thread on Bridge, I was advised to give a new posting on this British composer given that the thread conceived a while ago.  Several, indeed, many postings praised Bridge's work.  I was listenng today several of bridge's orchestral and pianistic works; and, I was absorbed within the complex orchestral nuances of several works; viz, "The Sea," ""Summer," "Dance Rhapsody," the "Piano Sonata" plus several other pieces.  They are all wonderful works.  Previous postings emphasized that "Enter Spring" is an absolute masterpiece. I totally agree. Much could be written about this superb composer.  What prompted me to post this was my reaction to one of the pieces; namely, the first of the two "Poems for Orchestra."  Not the glittering virtuosity of "The Sea," or "enter Spring," perhaps; however, this one achievement is a wonderful colored, nuanced, even Debussyian, impressionistic dream work. I am unfamiliar with "Oration," a later composition of Bridge (1930).  Bridge apparently had undergone three "periods;" not unlike Stravinsky,  or the painter Picasso (any others?)
Although perhaps not as prevalent as VW, Bax, Scott, Howells, or Britten, Bridge is a significant and poweful voice in English music.

[vandermolen]

Oration is a wonderful work - perhaps Bridge's masterpiece. It is a memorial to the fallen of World War One and the twilight epilogue (an afterthought apparently) is one of my favourite moments in 20th century music - very moving.  There are a number of good performances. The recently reissued EMI version conducted by Richard Hickox  and with Stephen Isserlis on the cello is my favourite (City of London Sinfonia).  The Lyrita version (Lloyd-Weber/Braithwaite) is first rate too. Hickox's later version on Chandos is also excellent; the work is well served on disc. The version below is also the least expensive.

[springrite]

Certainly one of the most underrated "known" composers in history. I remember posting on the old Bridge thread. His relative neglect during his lifetime is understandable, if only because he lived in Britain. But his subsequent neglect until now is somewhat buffling. Oration is indeed his masterpiece. Both his orchestral works and chamber music are beautiful works. I have just recently gotten into his piano works as well. The problem seems to be that he is "known" already. So the revivals of neglected composers nowadays, which mainly focus on composers "unjustly neglected" does not include him. Known but not fully appreciated, marginalised but not completely forgotten, neglected but not dismissed, Bridge is thus forever placed in the never-never-land of music.

[schweitzeralan]

Oration is a wonderful work - perhaps Bridge's masterpiece. It is a memorial to the fallen of World War One and the twilight epilogue (an afterthought apparently) is one of my favourite moments in 20th century music - very moving.  There are a number of good performances. The recently reissued EMI version conducted by Richard Hickox  and with Stephen Isserlis on the cello is my favourite (City of London Sinfonia).  The Lyrita version (Lloyd-Weber/Braithwaite) is first rate too. Hickox's later version on Chandos is also excellent; the work is well served on disc. The version below is also the least expensive.

I shall indeed try to get his "Oration"  I didn't even know of it until I saw the work mentioned in the various postings. Thanks.

[Dundonnell]

Certainly one of the most underrated "known" composers in history. I remember posting on the old Bridge thread. His relative neglect during his lifetime is understandable, if only because he lived in Britain. But his subsequent neglect until now is somewhat buffling. Oration is indeed his masterpiece. Both his orchestral works and chamber music are beautiful works. I have just recently gotten into his piano works as well. The problem seems to be that he is "known" already. So the revivals of neglected composers nowadays, which mainly focus on composers "unjustly neglected" does not include him. Known but not fully appreciated, marginalised but not completely forgotten, neglected but not dismissed, Bridge is thus forever placed in the never-never-land of music.

This is an extremely perceptive post!

[DavidRoss]

A fave:

Oration is now in my shopping cart.  Thank you.

[schweitzeralan]

Certainly one of the most underrated "known" composers in history. I remember posting on the old Bridge thread. His relative neglect during his lifetime is understandable, if only because he lived in Britain. But his subsequent neglect until now is somewhat buffling. Oration is indeed his masterpiece. Both his orchestral works and chamber music are beautiful works. I have just recently gotten into his piano works as well. The problem seems to be that he is "known" already. So the revivals of neglected composers nowadays, which mainly focus on composers "unjustly neglected" does not include him. Known but not fully appreciated, marginalised but not completely forgotten, neglected but not dismissed, Bridge is thus forever placed in the never-never-land of music.

It is indeed a pity he is not given more attention.  Fortunately there are the recordings; but he is certainly no "household word" for the given or even the reasonably "informed" public.

[bhodges]

My first experience with Bridge was on an old English Chamber Orchestra recording, IIRC, with a dashing performance of Sir Roger de Coverley, his "Christmas dance."  Since then I've heard some of his string quartets but not much else, so I'm looking at this thread with interest.

(PS, I took the liberty of merging this with the old Bridge thread...please continue.  )

--Bruce

[SonicMan46]

Thanks for reactivating this post - I would like to join the thread to supplement my meager collection of Bridge's works; just have five discs, and this afternoon listened to the chamber recordings shown below (a post made earlier to the 'listening thread') - excellent!  Now have the EMI disc playing of some of the orchestral pieces (The Sea, Summer, etc.), which was also discussed; but, I do not own, the Oration, so will also put that one on my 'want list' - 

Bridge, Frank (1879-1941) - stimulated by the 'new' thread on this composer, I decided to listen to the handful of CDs in my collection - think that I need more! 

String Sextet & Quintet w/ the Raphael Ensemble - love this group, and excellent in this repertoire!

Piano Trio No. 1 & 2; Piano Quartet w/ the Dartington Piano Trio + Patrick Ireland - listening to this disc @ the moment - 

 

[Bulldog]

Thanks for reactivating this post - I would like to join the thread to supplement my meager collection of Bridge's works; just have five discs, and this afternoon listened to the chamber recordings shown below (a post made earlier to the 'listening thread') - excellent!  Now have the EMI disc playing of some of the orchestral pieces (The Sea, Summer, etc.), which was also discussed; but, I do not own, the Oration, so will also put that one on my 'want list' - 

Bridge, Frank (1879-1941) - stimulated by the 'new' thread on this composer, I decided to listen to the handful of CDs in my collection - think that I need more! 

String Sextet & Quintet w/ the Raphael Ensemble - love this group, and excellent in this repertoire!

Piano Trio No. 1 & 2; Piano Quartet w/ the Dartington Piano Trio + Patrick Ireland - listening to this disc @ the moment - 

 

Dave:

And I thought my Bridge collection of 20 recordings was on the light side.  You need to step it up.  Get the string quartets and the Chandos orchestral series.

[schweitzeralan]

For years I've realized that I need to look into this composer more completely, but just never have done so. The only work I've ever heard by him was a piece for piano and orchestra titled Phantasm; more tone poem than concerto, it was a wonderful thing. But, as I said, I just haven't followed it up...not sure why, maybe because I don't have unlimited funds and I'm always finding other things to look into. The curse of the eclectic music lover.

Phantsm is a wonderful work.

[SonicMan46]

Dave:

And I thought my Bridge collection of 20 recordings was on the light side.  You need to step it up.  Get the string quartets and the Chandos orchestral series.

Don - your right!    Just own 2 other discs of Bridge's works, including a couple of SQs - need to pick up Oration first, though.  Now I have a lot of English composers in my collection, but somehow Bridge has been off my radar screen - must correct immediately! Dave