Topic: Benjamin Britten

[vandermolen]

There is an earlier recording too, although mono I prefer the ACL. The Danish orchestra of the period were outstanding.

I have that fine performance here Lol:

[Irons]

I have that fine performance here Lol:

An excellent CD Jeffrey of classic performances. Unlike Diversions and Sinfonia which are Decca the piano concerto is an EMI recording. I have it on LP coupled coincidently with the Rubbra Concerto which you mention with a later recording on another thread today. I would add another recording from the same vintage, Goossens recording of the Serenade. Dennis Brain's playing literally makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up!
 

[vandermolen]

An excellent CD Jeffrey of classic performances. Unlike Diversions and Sinfonia which are Decca the piano concerto is an EMI recording. I have it on LP coupled coincidently with the Rubbra Concerto which you mention with a later recording on another thread today. I would add another recording from the same vintage, Goossens recording of the Serenade. Dennis Brain's playing literally makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up!

Thanks Lol. I hadn't realised that the Sinfonia da Requiem was EMI. That old HMV 20 Series was invaluable and I made many excellent discoveries after taking some of the releases out of my local record library in London. These included Rubbra's 5th Symphony (Barbirolli) on the LP which also featured VW's 'Five Variants on Dives and Lazarus' (my first encounter with that moving work as well) and the Oboe Concerto and also Robert Simpson's 1st Symphony (Boult) with Fricker's 2nd Symphony. The Rubbra/VW disc, in particular, had a great influence on me and I remember playing that LP over and over again.

[Irons]

Thanks Lol. I hadn't realised that the Sinfonia da Requiem was EMI. That old HMV 20 Series was invaluable and I made many excellent discoveries after taking some of the releases out of my local record library in London. These included Rubbra's 5th Symphony (Barbirolli) on the LP which also featured VW's 'Five Variants on Dives and Lazarus' (my first encounter with that moving work as well) and the Oboe Concerto and also Robert Simpson's 1st Symphony (Boult) with Fricker's 2nd Symphony. The Rubbra/VW disc, in particular, had a great influence on me and I remember playing that LP over and over again.

 PC is EMI Jeffrey, the Sinfonia da Requiem is indeed Decca.
As you say the HMV 20 series is invaluable and I pick them up when available. I would like to collect the complete (20?) set but hit the buffers as they don't seem to turn up anymore. But like the rest of the world not getting out much.

I do have the following on my shelves -

4: Bliss, Music for Strings/Miracle of the Gorbals.
5: Fricker/Simpson, 2nd & 1st Symphonies.
6: Rubba/RVW, 5th Symphony/ Dives and Oboe Concerto.
7: Rawsthorne, 1&2 Piano Concertos.
11: Lambert/Bliss/Gordon, The Rio Grande Horoscope/Adam Zero Dance of Summer/ Rake's Progress Sarabande & Orgy.
12: Britten/Rubbra, Piano Concertos.
Without number: Walton Facade/ Johannesburg Festival/ Portsmouth Point/ Crown Imperial/ Orb and Sceptre. 
ditto: Ireland/Berkeley, Piano Concerto/Trio for Violin, Horn and Piano.

[vandermolen]

PC is EMI Jeffrey, the Sinfonia da Requiem is indeed Decca.
As you say the HMV 20 series is invaluable and I pick them up when available. I would like to collect the complete (20?) set but hit the buffers as they don't seem to turn up anymore. But like the rest of the world not getting out much.

I do have the following on my shelves -

4: Bliss, Music for Strings/Miracle of the Gorbals.
5: Fricker/Simpson, 2nd & 1st Symphonies.
6: Rubba/RVW, 5th Symphony/ Dives and Oboe Concerto.
7: Rawsthorne, 1&2 Piano Concertos.
11: Lambert/Bliss/Gordon, The Rio Grande Horoscope/Adam Zero Dance of Summer/ Rake's Progress Sarabande & Orgy.
12: Britten/Rubbra, Piano Concertos.
Without number: Walton Facade/ Johannesburg Festival/ Portsmouth Point/ Crown Imperial/ Orb and Sceptre. 
ditto: Ireland/Berkeley, Piano Concerto/Trio for Violin, Horn and Piano.

Ah, right. Thanks Lol. The Rawsthorne disc and the Britten/Rubbra PCs were fine performances - I have then in their CD reappearances:

[pjme]

The "cat piano" - what a strange choice! 



Read more about it at :
http://imaginaryinstruments.org/the-cat-piano-katzenklavier-piano-de-chats/

"For I will consider my cat Jeoffry" - Benjamin Britten

https://poets.org/poem/jubilate-agno-fragment-b-i-will-consider-my-cat-jeoffry

https://youtu.be/JURSCBY5g3k

[vandermolen]

The "cat piano" - what a strange choice! 



Read more about it at :
http://imaginaryinstruments.org/the-cat-piano-katzenklavier-piano-de-chats/

"For I will consider my cat Jeoffry" - Benjamin Britten

https://poets.org/poem/jubilate-agno-fragment-b-i-will-consider-my-cat-jeoffry

https://youtu.be/JURSCBY5g3k

Great name for a cat 

[Roasted Swan]

Jeffrey has mentioned elsewhere that he is currently enjoying the Violin Concerto and Piano Concerto too (I think).  My sense has always been that I engage more with Britten's earlier works and certainly that includes those two concerti.  In a neat bit of synchronicity, I've been revisiting the discography of Stanislaw Skrowaczewki recently.  His 90th birthday box from Oehms is superb and includes cycles of Beethoven/Brahms/Schumann etc but very little of the 20th Century music he also performed.  I had missed his Arte Nova disc of Elgar and Britten;



As it was available cheaply in the online marketplace I rectified that omission.  I've not listened to the disc in full yet - more of a dipping in and what I've heard so far I like.  The Piano Concerto doesn't sound as dynamic as some other versions which might be a recording style but the Elgar sounds good.  Always pleasing to hear the notion that "Elgar doesn't travel well" disproved!

[vandermolen]

Jeffrey has mentioned elsewhere that he is currently enjoying the Violin Concerto and Piano Concerto too (I think).  My sense has always been that I engage more with Britten's earlier works and certainly that includes those two concerti.  In a neat bit of synchronicity, I've been revisiting the discography of Stanislaw Skrowaczewki recently.  His 90th birthday box from Oehms is superb and includes cycles of Beethoven/Brahms/Schumann etc but very little of the 20th Century music he also performed.  I had missed his Arte Nova disc of Elgar and Britten;



As it was available cheaply in the online marketplace I rectified that omission.  I've not listened to the disc in full yet - more of a dipping in and what I've heard so far I like.  The Piano Concerto doesn't sound as dynamic as some other versions which might be a recording style but the Elgar sounds good.  Always pleasing to hear the notion that "Elgar doesn't travel well" disproved!

That looks like a nice disc and yes, I do like the Piano Concerto as well (John/MI said that he preferred it to the VC which made me listen to it again). I prefer the VC but really like my, newly acquired, CD featuring both works conducted by the composer who was an excellent conductor of his own music. I also engage more with Britten's earlier works, composed before he was more associated with Opera. The War Requiem, however, remains a towering masterpiece: