Frank Bridge

[Karl Henning]

Hm, well I see there is a disc I must investigate . . . .

[Leo K.]

I just acquired the entire Bridge series on Chandos with Hickox, needless to say I'm excited!

[Mirror Image]

I own Hickox's Bridge series as well, but Bridge is a tough sell for me. He's another composer that I just can't connect with no matter what work I listen to.

[Leo K.]

I own Hickox's Bridge series as well, but Bridge is a tough sell for me. He's another composer that I just can't connect with no matter what work I listen to.

I'm a total Bridge newbie, only heard of him by listening to Britten's variation piece on a Bridge theme.

Earlier I went through the first disk and was very pleased. LOVE those long tone poems. Will take more listens to put together thoughts, but so far it's good.

[Mirror Image]

I'm a total Bridge newbie, only heard of him by listening to Britten's variation piece on a Bridge theme.

Earlier I went through the first disk and was very pleased. LOVE those long tone poems. Will take more listens to put together thoughts, but so far it's good.

Once you examine the series, then don't hesitate to give me your favorites from the each disc. I'm always willing to lend an ear to Bridge in hopes of connecting somehow to his music.

[Leo K.]

Once you examine the series, then don't hesitate to give me your favorites from the each disc. I'm always willing to lend an ear to Bridge in hopes of connecting somehow to his music.

I certainly will John. I'm still on the 1st CD. Bridge's 18 minute tone poem Isabella (a Keats text) that dates from 1907 certainly deserves plenty of live outings in the concert hall. It's a vivid telling of the dreadful tale complete with lovely lyrical invention.

I'm also impressed with Mid of the Night, Bridge is certainly ambitious at 24 years old here, this amazes me. Great orchestral writing. I know I'm going to grow to love this work.

[Mirror Image]

I certainly will John. I'm still on the 1st CD. Bridge's 18 minute tone poem Isabella (a Keats text) that dates from 1907 certainly deserves plenty of live outings in the concert hall. It's a vivid telling of the dreadful tale complete with lovely lyrical invention.

I'm also impressed with Mid of the Night, Bridge is certainly ambitious at 24 years old here, this amazes me. Great orchestral writing. I know I'm going to grow to love this work.

Excellent, Leo. Thanks for the feedback. I'll give Isabella a spin soon.

[Karl Henning]

I just acquired the entire Bridge series on Chandos with Hickox, needless to say I'm excited!

One word: Oration.

[Leo K.]

One word: Oration.

Have yet to hear it, will listen very soon!


And John, I'll give Isabella another listen today too.

[Madiel]

Also bought the Hickox set, and decided to go through the works chronologically.

And while I definitely enjoyed the earlier works, the Dance Poem (H.111) really impressed me. From what I'm read, plenty of other people seem to think it's a landmark in Bridge's stylistic evolution as well.

Quite excited on that basis for the works of World War I and afterwards.

[vandermolen]

BBC Music Magazine this month features a great CD with the best performance of 'The Sea' that I have heard (I have five other recordings). The flute solo in the third movement and the movement as a whole is more affecting than any of the others. Martyn Brabbins conducts the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. It is coupled with a classic performance of Vaughan Williams's Symphony No 6 (1972 London Proms) BBC SO, Boult (who conducted the first performance of the work).

[Madiel]

Still navigating the Hickox set... I just found A Prayer to be very effective.  Which, given that I'm not much of an aficionado of choral works, was a nice moment.

[lescamil]

No love for Frank Bridge's Piano Sonata? This has to be one of the best overlooked piano works of the early 20th century. It has quite an unmatched atmosphere that comes from the skilled use of bitonality. Take a listen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aiWXBNioxE

[Madiel]

I still haven't finished with the Hickox set (hey, I was away for ages), but I've become curious about finding out what else is out there. The chamber music seems well represented, the songs have all been recorded (there's a comprehensive Hyperion set for starters), the piano music is covered as well...

But the choral works seem at first glance to be missing in action other than A Prayer.

From what I can gather, there are 19 other works out there and I'm not sure whether any of them have been recorded.  My list includes 8 a capella pieces, 10 with piano and 1 with organ. Of the ones with piano accompaniment, half have also have an orchestral/strings version.

[snyprrr]

PIANO TRIO No.2

[Madiel]

Putting together a proper list also made me realise something else I should have noticed from the Hickox set. There is a large mid-career gap in Bridge's orchestral output.

There are quite a few pieces from that period that he subsequently orchestrated, but most of those orchestrations weren't contemperaneous: there's a big surge around 1938 as he needed orchestral pieces for performance.  In terms of pieces conceived as orchestral, it appears that there's several around 1914/15, followed by the choral work A Prayer (around 1916-18), the song Blow Out You Bugles (1918) and then... nothing until 1926/27.

In terms of my Hickox listening it's actually a very interesting moment for me, because I've just crossed over into the 'late' period after the Piano Sonata and I'll soon be reaching the small number of late works conceived for orchestra.  The heavy hitters are approaching: Enter Spring, There Is A Willow Grows Aslant A Brook, Oration and Phantasm.  By the accounts of many people here, these are the Bridge classics.

[Klaze]

I received that Hickox set very recently and have been exploring it in the last two weeks. Yeah, you are definitely in for the best pieces now, although I was pleasantly surprised by some of the earlier works. Phantasm and Oration I especially like, but knew them already from other recordings.

Will explore the chamber works now, SQ 4 and the Piano Quintet should be coming in the mail soon. Next up will be the Trios.

[Madiel]

I just heard Phantasm for the first time. Great stuff!

My brain immediately decided to propose a concert or CD program of Phantasm, Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand and Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. All single movement works for piano and orchestra that I like very much and written in a span of just a few years. I'm definitely going to try that combination.

(edit: and by expanding the timeframe slightly I could throw in Rhapsody in Blue as well. Ooh I'm liking this notion!)

[kyjo]

I just heard Phantasm for the first time. Great stuff!

Thumbs up! Is this your first exposure to Bridge's music?

[The new erato]

I just heard Phantasm for the first time. Great stuff!

My brain immediately decided to propose a concert or CD program of Phantasm, Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand and Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. All single movement works for piano and orchestra that I like very much and written in a span of just a few years. I'm definitely going to try that combination.

(edit: and by expanding the timeframe slightly I could throw in Rhapsody in Blue as well. Ooh I'm liking this notion!)

Then go to Oraion, his even better cello "concerto".