Alan Rawsthorne

[vandermolen]

Which recordings of the symphonies have the edge,I wonder? Lyrita or Naxos? Or are they both equally good?!! The Naxos can be downloaded quite cheaply,I note!

Both good in my opinion.

[cilgwyn]

That HMV 20 series was very good. I took a number out of them out of a record library in London. In this way I discovered some fine works including Rubbra's Symphony 5 (Barbirolli) coupled with Vaughan Williams's Five Variants on Dives and Lazarus (first time I'd heard this wonderful work) and the Oboe Concerto (Barbirolli and wife). Also Robert Simpson's First Symphony (Boult) which remains my favourite of Simpson's symphonies. I've never seen the Rawsthorne LP before but have it on its CD manifestation. Thanks for posting.

That's odd,regarding your record sleeve shot of the Piano Concertos! (It says they are in mono) My emi cd says on the back that the recordings of the Piano Concertos are stereo! Practical Cats and the Bagatelles are in mono. Some early Lps were released in mono versions though,weren't they.....even if they were recorded in stereo,or as well as in mono? I know with remastered pop albums from the sixties you get those ones with mono tracks,as well. The worst ones were those electronically reprocessed stereo ones. Decca eclipse,I think? I can remember some VW symphonies in that format,Ackermann operettas with Schwarzkopf and Sarah Vaughan sounding as if she was singing at the bottom of a well? (Perhaps she was?!!).
Of course it could be a mistake on the inlay. I'll put the emi cd on in a minute and find out!! I though it was stereo? Perhaps it's these headphones?!! Of course if you play a stereo lp or tape on a record player  you just mono (although maybe via headphones?)
Okay,here goes.........(switching Felix Draeseke off,temporarily!).........

[vandermolen]

With Christo, we all know the drill.

Another clever play on words for those quick enough to spot it (I've only just got it  ).

[cilgwyn]

Yes,the Piano Concertos on the emi cd are in stereo despite the word mono on that Lp in your photo,Vandermolen. Perhaps a stereo Lp was released later? A pity Practical Cats is in mono;but then again,perhaps it gives it a nostagic edge! Simon Callow on the new recording! Yuk! That's how bad things have got!! Surely,they could find someone better? He seems be running quite an industry these days with all these walk-on narrations,and audio books,no doubt (?)! I suppose Brian Blessed would have been more apt? He actually performed in the better known version of Cats! GET THE COTTON WOOL BUDS OUT.....IT'S OLD DEUTERONOMY!!!

[vandermolen]

Yes,the Piano Concertos on the emi cd are in stereo despite the word mono on that Lp in your photo,Vandermolen. Perhaps a stereo Lp was released later? A pity Practical Cats is in mono;but then again,perhaps it gives it a nostagic edge! Simon Callow on the new recording! Yuk! That's how bad things have got!! Surely,they could find someone better? He seems be running quite an industry these days with all these walk-on narrations,and audio books,no doubt (?)! I suppose Brian Blessed would have been more apt? He actually performed in the better known version of Cats! GET THE COTTON WOOL BUDS OUT.....IT'S OLD DEUTERONOMY!!!

It was Scion 7 who posted the LP covers originally.

[cilgwyn]

I'm listening to the Second Piano Concerto now,with Denis Mathews playing. I love the atmosphere of this music. Who needs tunes,anyway! Well,sometimes!! Thanks for bringing me back to this music. I'll play the Chandos cd,next. The only other Rawsthorne I have on cd at the moment are historic recordings of Street Corner and Madame Chrysantheme (Ballet suite) on a rather fascinating emi compilation cd entitled.'The Composer Conducts',which includes Arnell conducting a suite from his ballet,The Great Detective,amongst other gems.I have the Symphonic Studies and Street Corner.....the Lyrita recordings,I think? All I need are some dr-s,but I will try and listen via the pc.

[cilgwyn]

It was Scion 7 who posted the LP covers originally.

Of course! I was making food and trying to reason with npower on the phone.This is the curse of cordless headphones!!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

By the way. Please stop bringing up the name Bogart,Johann,if you don't mind!! I've been fighting off an urge to buy a dvd of the film Key Largo for the last few days ..........with some success,so far!!

Sorry.

This will be the start of a beautiful friendship.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Another clever play on words for those quick enough to spot it (I've only just got it  ).

[cilgwyn]

I have a hunch you're a Bogart fan,Johann! I like those old film noirs.
Listening to the Chandos cd of Rawsthorne Piano Concertos. There ARE tunes here,actually! The opening of the First Piano Concerto,for example.Of course! You would sound funny singing it in a bath,though! (And probably anywhere else for that matter!) I can remember it,though. It seems to lurch up and down. I find it really grabs my ears. I suppose this is a terrible thing to say;but I would honestly rather listen to these concertos than Rachmaninov's third or Tchaikovsky's,any day. Not that I think Rawsthorne's are better,I hasten to add. I merely prefer them.Which is different. Some of the reflective moments of the Rawsthorne concertos have that haunting quality that really gets into the corners of your mind. Other parts have a deamy,reflective quality. Particularly effective in the evening with the lights turned down. And of course theres that tune in the final movement of No 2!

[vandermolen]

I have a hunch you're a Bogart fan,Johann! I like those old film noirs.
Listening to the Chandos cd of Rawsthorne Piano Concertos. There ARE tunes here,actually! The opening of the First Piano Concerto,for example.Of course! You would sound funny singing it in a bath,though! (And probably anywhere else for that matter!) I can remember it,though. It seems to lurch up and down. I find it really grabs my ears. I suppose this is a terrible thing to say;but I would honestly rather listen to these concertos than Rachmaninov's third or Tchaikovsky's,any day. Not that I think Rawsthorne's are better,I hasten to add. I merely prefer them.Which is different. Some of the reflective moments of the Rawsthorne concertos have that haunting quality that really gets into the corners of your mind. Other parts have a deamy,reflective quality. Particularly effective in the evening with the lights turned down. And of course theres that tune in the final movement of No 2!

Nice analysis which I very much agree with. I have a soft spot for Rachmaninov's Third PC as, together with his Second Symphony, it was one of my mother's favourite pieces of music.  I like the Rawsthorne film music CD on Chandos too. I first saw his name in the titles to 'The Cruel Sea' - a great film to which Rawsthorne's music contributes enormously.

[Scion7]

That's odd,regarding your record sleeve shot of the Piano Concertos! (It says they are in mono) My emi cd says on the back that the recordings of the Piano Concertos are stereo!

You may be too young to have been around back then.
For quite a while, new LP's were issued in mono and stereo - due to there being a lot of monophonic "hi-fi's" out there.
Besides Classical music, you might have mono albums by the Beatles, the Stones and the Kinks and the Who until 1967 or thereabouts.
Eventually, everyone woke up to the fact that stereo records would play back on mono cartridges, and the practice of issuing mono LP's ceased. (Of course, some mono legacy recordings were still put out for collectors.)

[cilgwyn]

Yes,I was thinking that. And you have those remastered cds of pop/band albums with stereo and the original mono tracks. Yes,I suppose I am a bit too young. Thanks!


Not so into Rachmaninov these days,Vandermolen! I like his Seconds though!! TheSecond Piano Concerto,and his Second Symphony is my favourite of the three. I find myself leaning more to Stravinsky,Prokofiev,,Kabalevsky and Khatchaturian. Shostakovich,yes. I only have symphonies 4-7 currently,though. There are so many,and he can be gloomy. For good reason,too!! It's the same with Scraibin. I used to blast the walls with Scriabin's 'Symphonies'. Now I find them a bit too ott! I prefer his solo piano music,now. Scriabin's Second Symphony was my big favourite,by the way. I loved the big tune in that one. The way he way he brings it back at the end. I expect you know the one I mean?
Of course,maybe I'll start to really love those composers again,like I used to? Quite frankly,I never thought I would get back into Khatchaturian in such a big way. While I'm at it,I wish Melodiya would release that 'complete' recording of Gayaneh that people always post about,when you mention the supposedly 'complete' Tjeknavorian RCA recording. The prices sellers ask for it are usually pretty horrific! And RCA,or whatever they're called now,that Tjeknavorian First Symphony. A very annoying omission from their cataloge! Incidentally,remember they took years to issue the Tjeknavorian Gayaneh on cd. All you could get for a long time was a highlights cd. I waited....and waited!!! But at least it came out eventually!!
Anyway......back to Rawsthorne! The Chandos recording of the Piano Concertos sounds pretty good to me;although I gather the Lyrita is the favoured one here. It also has better fillings................I mean fill-ups ;so I wish I'd bought it now (I think it was cheaper?!)

[cilgwyn]

Listening to the emi 'The Composer Conducts' cd. The Rawsthorne recordings of Street Corner and Madame Chrysanthème are,of course,in very good sound for the time! I'm really enjoying these,too! Lighter music,I know;but it's atmospheric. Very much of the period. A very interesting compilation,actually. It ends with Malcolm Arnold's A Grand Grand Overture. This one is in mono,and really did need to be in stereo. Oh,well!!

Owners of the emi Rawsthorne cd are probably aware,of course,of the artwork on the front. A cat piano! I remember seeing this picture reproduced in Gramophone. The tunes are played via cats being made to 'sing' notes via a keyboard connected to a spike I think?!! The emi artwork obscures the graphic detail;but includes a note advising the purchaser that" no cats suffered in the production of this cover."I seem to remember Gramophone showed the spike or hammer? Emi obviously chickened out! It is an old engraving I should point out,and I don't condone cruelty to animals!!

[Scion7]

Rawsthorne's second wife, the controversial artist Isobel Nicholas: 

[vandermolen]

Rawsthorne's second wife, the controversial artist Isobel Nicholas: 

...who was formerly married to the composer/conductor Contant Lambert. Lambert and Rawsthorne were both cat lovers by the way. 

[Scion7]

Their progeny, Kit Lambert, was in the music biz as the manager for The Who until his death. (non-classical)

Rawsthorne's first wife was a violinist, Jessie Hinchliffe.  She was a member of the Philharmonia Orchestra, but have no idea which recordings she may be on.

[Scion7]

Rawsthorne - Chamber music
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sonatina, flute, oboe, piano, 1936
String Quartet no.1 'Theme and Variations', 1939
Clarinet Quartet, 1948
String Quartet no.2, 1954
Concerto., 10 insts, 1961
piano Trio, 1962
Quintet, piano, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, 1962–3
String Quartet no.3, 1964
piano Quintet, 1968
Suite, flute, viola, harp, 1968
Oboe Quartet, 1970
Quintet, clarinet, horn, violin, cello, piano, 1970
Concertante, violin, piano, 1934
Sonata, viola, piano, 1935
Theme and Variations, 2 violins, 1937
Suite, recorder, piano, 1939
Sonata, cello, piano, 1948
Sonata, violin, piano, 1958
Elegy, guitar, 1971

A good chunk of these pieces is on this Naxos release, which is very good:

[asin]B000026CWO[/asin]

booklet/notes -->   http://www.chandos.net/chanimages/Booklets/NA4352.pdf

[vandermolen]

Rawsthorne - Chamber music
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sonatina, flute, oboe, piano, 1936
String Quartet no.1 'Theme and Variations', 1939
Clarinet Quartet, 1948
String Quartet no.2, 1954
Concerto., 10 insts, 1961
piano Trio, 1962
Quintet, piano, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, 1962–3
String Quartet no.3, 1964
piano Quintet, 1968
Suite, flute, viola, harp, 1968
Oboe Quartet, 1970
Quintet, clarinet, horn, violin, cello, piano, 1970
Concertante, violin, piano, 1934
Sonata, viola, piano, 1935
Theme and Variations, 2 violins, 1937
Suite, recorder, piano, 1939
Sonata, cello, piano, 1948
Sonata, violin, piano, 1958
Elegy, guitar, 1971

A good chunk of these pieces is on this Naxos release, which is very good:

[asin]B000026CWO[/asin]

booklet/notes -->   http://www.chandos.net/chanimages/Booklets/NA4352.pdf

I've just ordered that Naxos CD.

[aligreto]

Rawsthorne - Chamber music
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sonatina, flute, oboe, piano, 1936
String Quartet no.1 'Theme and Variations', 1939
Clarinet Quartet, 1948
String Quartet no.2, 1954
Concerto., 10 insts, 1961
piano Trio, 1962
Quintet, piano, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, 1962–3
String Quartet no.3, 1964
piano Quintet, 1968
Suite, flute, viola, harp, 1968
Oboe Quartet, 1970
Quintet, clarinet, horn, violin, cello, piano, 1970
Concertante, violin, piano, 1934
Sonata, viola, piano, 1935
Theme and Variations, 2 violins, 1937
Suite, recorder, piano, 1939
Sonata, cello, piano, 1948
Sonata, violin, piano, 1958
Elegy, guitar, 1971

A good chunk of these pieces is on this Naxos release, which is very good:

[asin]B000026CWO[/asin]

booklet/notes -->   http://www.chandos.net/chanimages/Booklets/NA4352.pdf

I have that CD and it is definitely worth a listen.