Alan Rawsthorne

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

I read that he also studied architecture, so it's obvious that a certain sense of structure would be present in his music. & dentists do detailed work, so that sense of detail isn't missing from his music either (at least of what I've heard so far, which is the Naxos string quartets disc)...

That's true about architecture; but we shouldn't impute too much significance to this. ALL good composers have a "sense of structure" and a "sense of detail." (And apparently he never finished either his dental or his architecture degree, which doesn't say much for his study habits.)

I have found, when listening to Rawsthorne, that local anaesthetic and a glass of water never came amiss.

I will try to get hold of one of those tubes that sucks the saliva right out of your mouth, so I don't have to spit all the time.

[Kontrapunctus]

tjguitar: Have you heard Rawsthorne's Elegy for Guitar? It's a wonderful piece. He was writing it for Julian Bream but died before he finished it. Bream completed it based on sketches and some opening material. Amazon has a copy:

[Mirror Image]

tjguitar: Have you heard Rawsthorne's Elegy for Guitar? It's a wonderful piece. He was writing it for Julian Bream but died before he finished it. Bream completed it based on sketches and some opening material. Amazon has a copy:

tjguitar hasn't posted here in quite some time or at least he/she hasn't since I've been a member of this forum since June 2010.

[Kontrapunctus]

tjguitar hasn't posted here in quite some time or at least he/she hasn't since I've been a member of this forum since June 2010.

OK, well, then that was for anyone who might be interested! 

[calyptorhynchus]

I've managed to avoid the music of Rawsthorne up till now, but recently I've been listening to the symphonies and the string quartets.

Can't get to like them, I don't mind the harshness, it's just that he never seems to relax or smile, can't work it out. Was he very angry or hurt about something?

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I don't know a lot about his life... I think that if Humphrey Bogart had composed, it would have sounded like Hawsthorne. And the prickliness is in the name.

[cilgwyn]

I have the old emi recordings with Moura Lympany and Denis Mathews.They performances have a certain  atmosphere and commitment. I think they make the music sound a bit more rewarding than it is. His Practical Cats is on the same cd. Robert Donat is the speaker. I quite like this. Again,it has a certain atmosphere and Donat brings an element of clipped nostalgia. I wouldn't want to listen to it that often,though! Nice for an occasional listen,though and preferable to Webber!!

[vandermolen]

I especially like Symphonic Studies - a very powerful work despite the academic title and the film music for 'The Cruel Sea'.

[tjguitar]

tjguitar: Have you heard Rawsthorne's Elegy for Guitar? It's a wonderful piece. He was writing it for Julian Bream but died before he finished it. Bream completed it based on sketches and some opening material. Amazon has a copy:

I am not familiar with this, but I will check it out. Thanks for the tip.

Edit: there is also a Naxos recording.

[snyprrr]

I am not familiar with this, but I will check it out. Thanks for the tip.

Edit: there is also a Naxos recording.

great bream disc

[snyprrr]

String Quartets 1-3

I can enjoy Rawsthorne's cragginess, bitterness, and thorniness here, as long as I'm in the mood. Yes, there can only be joy here if you're ready for the sour dour, but, if you've just come off an avant-garde binge, something like 'Thorny may be a good tonic. These SQs fall much behind Arnold and Dyson i terms of memorability, but they aren't as maudlin as the younger generation's aggressive, violent bitterness (the 70s).

I wouldn't recommend these to anyone  who can't handle their discord. "Thorny" IS the word here!!!

[aligreto]

The first CD of Rawsthorne's music that I bought was one containing chamber music which I liked....





That was followed by some orchestral music....





I found his musical language to be a bit on the stark side and I never pursued him any further. I must revisit his music as I have not listened to it in some time.

[Klaze]

I wanted to like his music more than I actually did and kept trying with some pieces via Naxos now and then, but ultimately I decided to let somebody else enjoy my Rawsthorne CDs. It was all a bit too forgettable for me, and with so much other music to listen to, etc.
That being said, if you want to explore further, I think the Piano concertos and Symphonic studies are easy to enjoy. And perhaps the violin and oboe concerti.

[Maestro267]

I bought the Naxos recording of the three Symphonies. All great works, but No. 1 is my favourite. Dramatic attention-grabbing intro that sounds slightly dissonant.

[aligreto]

I will add the Symphonic Studies and the Symphonies 1-3 to my List.

[vandermolen]

I will add the Symphonic Studies and the Symphonies 1-3 to my List.

The best performance of the Symphonic Studies, considered Rawsthorne's masterpiece by many, is on Lyrita:
[asin]B000N8UVS0[/asin]

[aligreto]

The best performance of the Symphonic Studies, considered Rawsthorne's masterpiece by many, is on Lyrita:
[asin]B000N8UVS0[/asin]

Thank you for that.

[vandermolen]

Thank you for that.

My pleasure. 

[Christo]

The best performance of the Symphonic Studies, considered Rawsthorne's masterpiece by many, is on Lyrita: [asin]B000N8UVS0[/asin]

Fully seconded. Nicholas Braithwaite is often superb, in this kind of repertoire.

[tjguitar]

Regarding the Lyrita album - If your local public library subscribes to the Freegal music database (primarily Sony), it also has the entire Lyrita catalog. I got 5 free tracks to download per week and 3 hours of streaming per day.