Frank Bridge

[Madiel]

Thanks, Jeffrey. I also bought three Bridge chamber discs on Hyperion. Really looking forward to hearing this music as I remember reading that Bridge's chamber music was the strongest part of his oeuvre. Would you agree with this opinion?

I don't know about Jeffrey, but I'm strongly inclining to that view myself. Though of course I'm a chamber fan generally.

I do think it's worth noting that there is a considerable difference between Bridge's early and late works. There aren't many composers who've undergone such a marked shift in musical language. A lot of the early work has the air of the salon about it (though I think the larger-scale chamber works are more substantial than that). But by the time you get to later works like Oration and Phantasm, Bridge's language is darker, tougher and more complex.

EDIT: On the Hyperion discs you bought, you'll get a fair few early works (there are more 'early' works anyway), but then you'll probably find later things like the Violin Sonata and String Quartet No.4 to be noticeably different.

[Mirror Image]

I don't know about Jeffrey, but I'm strongly inclining to that view myself. Though of course I'm a chamber fan generally.

I do think it's worth noting that there is a considerable difference between Bridge's early and late works. There aren't many composers who've undergone such a marked shift in musical language. A lot of the early work has the air of the salon about it (though I think the larger-scale chamber works are more substantial than that). But by the time you get to later works like Oration and Phantasm, Bridge's language is darker, tougher and more complex.

Thanks, orfeo. I look forward to hearing that progression. What work, in your opinion, should I listen to first?

[Madiel]

Thanks, orfeo. I look forward to hearing that progression. What work, in your opinion, should I listen to first?

You know me, I always like chronologies. But in the case of Bridge it depends on whether you want to leave the most impressive stuff until last.

[Mirror Image]

You know me, I always like chronologies. But in the case of Bridge it depends on whether you want to leave the most impressive stuff until last.

Alright, well, allow me to rephrase my previous question: what work from Bridge would you say is the work that best encapsulates everything that is great about his music?

[Madiel]

Alright, well, allow me to rephrase my previous question: what work from Bridge would you say is the work that best encapsulates everything that is great about his music?

Oh gosh. It's not as if I know half of them well enough yet. I only bought all my chamber music less than a year ago...

But out of the things that you're getting, I would rate Phantasm and the Piano Trio No.2 very highly.

[Mirror Image]

Oh gosh. It's not as if I know half of them well enough yet. I only bought all my chamber music less than a year ago...

But out of the things that you're getting, I would rate Phantasm and the Piano Trio No.2 very highly.

Ah okay, thanks a lot!

[Mirror Image]

Interesting article:

https://goodmorningbritten.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/foundations-britten-and-frank-bridge

[Mirror Image]

Never heard of this guy

Seriously? That's a bit surprising given how versed you are in the 20th Century.

[Mirror Image]

English, early century, romantic, is that right? please don't kill me......sorry

You got the English part right, but I'm not so sure about the Romantic part. I'll leave that up to someone else. I remember hearing one of the later works from Bridge and it sounded like early Modernism to me.

[Madiel]

Yeah, just from a brief read and listen, I can sort of see why...........


English, early century, romantic, is that right? please don't kill me......sorry

I would have thought the preceding conversation made it pretty clear that the impression you will get will depend a LOT on exactly what you 'briefly listened' to.

[vandermolen]

Thanks, Jeffrey. I also bought three Bridge chamber discs on Hyperion. Really looking forward to hearing this music as I remember reading that Bridge's chamber music was the strongest part of his oeuvre. Would you agree with this opinion?

Well John, I really like the orchestral works, 'Enter Spring', 'Oration', 'The Sea' and 'Phatasm' so I would not say that I prefer the chamber music but maybe that is because I am less familiar with it. Having said that I think that the Sonata for Cello and Piano is a marvellous and, in places, very moving work. I'm really enjoying this inexpensive CD (if the picture appears) at the moment.
[asin]B00005OB1H[/asin]
Bridge is actually much less well known that he should be. Vaughan Williams was critical of Bridge's later, more 'modern' music but I think that VW was wrong. Of course Britten had a very high regard for the music of Bridge - his former teacher and I have a very nice CD of Britten conducting 'The Sea' and 'Enter Spring' (possibly Bridge's masterpiece, although I rate 'Oration' very highly as well) as well as some of his own music and music by Holst.
[asin]B00000JWIQ[/asin]

[Mirror Image]

Well John, I really like the orchestral works, 'Enter Spring', 'Oration', 'The Sea' and 'Phatasm' so I would not say that I prefer the chamber music but maybe that is because I am less familiar with it. Having said that I think that the Sonata for Cello and Piano is a marvellous and, in places, very moving work. I'm really enjoying this inexpensive CD (if the picture appears) at the moment.
[asin]B00005OB1H[/asin]
Bridge is actually much less well known that he should be. Vaughan Williams was critical of Bridge's later, more 'modern' music but I think that VW was wrong. Of course Britten had a very high regard for the music of Bridge - his former teacher and I have a very nice CD of Britten conducting 'The Sea' and 'Enter Spring' (possibly Bridge's masterpiece, although I rate 'Oration' very highly as well) as well as some of his own music and music by Holst.
[asin]B00000JWIQ[/asin]

Thanks for the recommendations, Jeffrey. Of course, I have four recordings of Bridge's chamber music coming (and not to mention the Lloyd-Weber recording of Oration) that should keep me busy for quite awhile. I never paid much attention to composers criticizing other composers, because they do not speak for the listener.

[vandermolen]

Thanks for the recommendations, Jeffrey. Of course, I have four recordings of Bridge's chamber music coming (and not to mention the Lloyd-Weber recording of Oration) that should keep me busy for quite awhile. I never paid much attention to composers criticizing other composers, because they do not speak for the listener.

I'm sure you'll really like Oration John - a very stormy and turbulent work with a beautiful, redemptive ending. 'Undeservedly neglected' is often an overused expression (not least by me  ) but, in the case of Bridge, it is true.

[Turbot nouveaux]

You got the English part right, but I'm not so sure about the Romantic part. I'll leave that up to someone else. I remember hearing one of the later works from Bridge and it sounded like early Modernism to me.

Bridge certainly started out writing in a post-romantic idiom - Brahms, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky and Elgar are often named as early influences, but he also became interested early on in the work of contemporary modernists such as Delius, Debussy and Ravel as well as Schoenberg, Zemlinsky and maybe especially Berg. His dwindling popularity as a composer in the UK seems to have followed his move towards Continental modernism and expressionism. One UK critic is said to have accused him of deliberately 'uglifying' his music so to do.

I like some of his early works a good deal - the 2nd string quartet stands out, the 'Four English Folk Songs' and the 'Phantasy' piano quartet amongst his chamber music, and 'Summer' amongst his orchestral compositions.

But his greatest music starts for me with the Cello Sonata completed in 1917. The piano sonata and the Hour Glass suite, and the 2nd violin sonata of 1932 are certainly modernist works. His 3rd (a thorny work, in my view) and 4th string quartets are really quite dissonant works, as is the 2nd piano trio.

Amongst his late orchestral works Enter Spring, Oration and Phantasm (which have already been mentioned) and the overture Rebus are very fine works.

I'm not sure why Bridge's work isn't more popular and hasn't garnered more interest - but he's certainly one of my favourite 'minor' composers.

[kyjo]

I think that the Sonata for Cello and Piano is a marvellous and, in places, very moving work.

+1 One of the finest cello sonatas of the 20th century IMO. Interestingly enough, just like the ending of Oration put me in mind of the ending of Honegger's Liturgique, Bridge's Cello Sonata reminds me of Honegger's equally dark and emotional Cello Sonata written around the same time.

[vandermolen]

+1 One of the finest cello sonatas of the 20th century IMO. Interestingly enough, just like the ending of Oration put me in mind of the ending of Honegger's Liturgique, Bridge's Cello Sonata reminds me of Honegger's equally dark and emotional Cello Sonata written around the same time.

Interesting Kyle. I need to track down the Honegger - another of my favourite composers.

[kyjo]

Interesting Kyle. I need to track down the Honegger - another of my favourite composers.

I think you'll enjoy it, Jeffrey. I highly recommend this disc:

[asin]B000W9ER7Q[/asin]

I digress...

[vandermolen]

I think you'll enjoy it, Jeffrey. I highly recommend this disc:

[asin]B000W9ER7Q[/asin]

I digress...

OT

I'd just spotted that one Kyle - looks very good.

[Mirror Image]

Bridge certainly started out writing in a post-romantic idiom - Brahms, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky and Elgar are often named as early influences, but he also became interested early on in the work of contemporary modernists such as Delius, Debussy and Ravel as well as Schoenberg, Zemlinsky and maybe especially Berg. His dwindling popularity as a composer in the UK seems to have followed his move towards Continental modernism and expressionism. One UK critic is said to have accused him of deliberately 'uglifying' his music so to do.

I like some of his early works a good deal - the 2nd string quartet stands out, the 'Four English Folk Songs' and the 'Phantasy' piano quartet amongst his chamber music, and 'Summer' amongst his orchestral compositions.

But his greatest music starts for me with the Cello Sonata completed in 1917. The piano sonata and the Hour Glass suite, and the 2nd violin sonata of 1932 are certainly modernist works. His 3rd (a thorny work, in my view) and 4th string quartets are really quite dissonant works, as is the 2nd piano trio.

Amongst his late orchestral works Enter Spring, Oration and Phantasm (which have already been mentioned) and the overture Rebus are very fine works.

I'm not sure why Bridge's work isn't more popular and hasn't garnered more interest - but he's certainly one of my favourite 'minor' composers.

Thanks for this informative post. Most illuminating indeed.

[vandermolen]

I must re listen to 'Rebus' mentioned by Turbot Nouveaux above.