Sir Arnold Bax

[vandermolen]

I'm SO glad to see that Naxos have stuck to their original 7-disc format with one symphony per disc and all the coupling works intact. This makes it easy to go through the symphonies chronologically, whereas with both Thomson and Handley Chandos chopped around with the ordering purely for considerations of timing (and Thomson's 4th was ridiculously split between 2 CDs when they were reissued as a box). So Bravo to Naxos and I've already got my pre-order in so I'll be able to reassess this cycle...



...who knows, this may spur Chandos into a Bax repackaging frenzy!

 

I've got my pre-order in too. 

[Albion]

I've got my pre-order in too. 

I just looked at the recording dates, originally 1997-2003. Was it really so long ago? How can twenty years have passed by so quickly...



...ah, well at least we will have THREE compact boxes of the entire Bax symphonic cycle so there is absolutely NO excuse for this music not to be heard by the widest audience (many collectors are Naxos-philes and quite rightly so as it's a truly wondrous label and consistently turns out excellent recordings of less-than-well-known repertoire). In the 1970s who would have thought that virtually everything significant that Bax scribbled would now be available (often in multiple interpretations) - is there anything of importance now left unrecorded? I don't usually go in for duplication of repertoire on disc (working on the principal that I'll probably never listen to around 75% of the stuff again) as I simply have neither the space nor the money, but my main exceptions (which prove the rule) are Bax and Arnold.

[Roasted Swan]

I just looked at the recording dates, originally 1997-2003. Was it really so long ago? How can twenty years have passed by so quickly...



...ah, well at least we will have THREE compact boxes of the entire Bax symphonic cycle so there is absolutely NO excuse for this music not to be heard by the widest audience (many collectors are Naxos-philes and quite rightly so as it's a truly wondrous label and consistently turns out excellent recordings of less-than-well-known repertoire). In the 1970s who would have thought that virtually everything significant that Bax scribbled would now be available (often in multiple interpretations) - is there anything of importance now left unrecorded? I don't usually go in for duplication of repertoire on disc (working on the principal that I'll probably never listen to around 75% of the stuff again) as I simply have neither the space nor the money, but my main exceptions (which prove the rule) are Bax and Arnold.

Completely with you re the bolded text - to which I personally would add Walton as well.......  HOWEVER ( ) even I draw the line at buying duplicates of discs when no remastering has happened so even though the box for this new set is quite pretty(!) I won't be buying these.  Are you sure they are not going to do what they have in the past and just stick 7 jewel cases in a new cardboard slip case?

[vandermolen]

Completely with you re the bolded text - to which I personally would add Walton as well.......  HOWEVER ( ) even I draw the line at buying duplicates of discs when no remastering has happened so even though the box for this new set is quite pretty(!) I won't be buying these.  Are you sure they are not going to do what they have in the past and just stick 7 jewel cases in a new cardboard slip case?

I see your point RS as I have all the individual releases as well. However, it's useful to have all the CDs together in one place, as I spend most of my life looking for CDs. I can then give the individual releases to the local Mind or Oxfam charity shops where there is a market for classical CDs. I expect that your collection is much better organised than mine. Of course I could then lose the box set - but let's not go there!

PS I would add Walton (and VW) as well.

[Roasted Swan]

Yes actually RVW does need to be in that group too!

I do try to have all my CD's well/properly catalogued and most of the time the system works.  But then all of a sudden - you go to "box D" (or whatever) looking for something specific and its not there.....  A case in point recently, following on another thread discussion I went looking for the Ogden/Herrmann/Cyril Scott and its not where its meant to be.  I have taught myself to not spend fruitless hours specifically looking for the missing disc - I just add it to a list of misplaced music and it will eventually appear but NOT when I'm actually looking for it!

[vandermolen]

Yes actually RVW does need to be in that group too!

I do try to have all my CD's well/properly catalogued and most of the time the system works.  But then all of a sudden - you go to "box D" (or whatever) looking for something specific and its not there.....  A case in point recently, following on another thread discussion I went looking for the Ogden/Herrmann/Cyril Scott and its not where its meant to be.  I have taught myself to not spend fruitless hours specifically looking for the missing disc - I just add it to a list of misplaced music and it will eventually appear but NOT when I'm actually looking for it!

That's a very good strategy which I will try to adopt as a New Year's Resolution. As things stand I tend to default to the panicky search mode. I hope that the Ogden/Herrmann/Scott disc turns up - it is one of my favourite Lyrita CDs. The LP introduced me to the music of Cyril Scott.

[Albion]

Completely with you re the bolded text - to which I personally would add Walton as well.......  HOWEVER ( ) even I draw the line at buying duplicates of discs when no remastering has happened so even though the box for this new set is quite pretty(!) I won't be buying these.  Are you sure they are not going to do what they have in the past and just stick 7 jewel cases in a new cardboard slip case?

Looks like a total repackage to me, hoping for a very nice card box along the lines of the recent re-release of the Arnold symphonies and dances. It's attractive and I wouldn't be surprised if each of the CD covers inside has been given a new design...

 

[Albion]

I do try to have all my CD's well/properly catalogued and most of the time the system works.  But then all of a sudden - you go to "box D" (or whatever) looking for something specific and its not there.....  A case in point recently, following on another thread discussion I went looking for the Ogden/Herrmann/Cyril Scott and its not where its meant to be.  I have taught myself to not spend fruitless hours specifically looking for the missing disc - I just add it to a list of misplaced music and it will eventually appear but NOT when I'm actually looking for it!

I generally adopt the same approach, but the other day I simply HAD to find the Andrew Davis Bax disc. When I moved six years ago I spent a long time getting all my CDs in alphabetical order, followed by compilations and then all the boxes, but in those six years the system has gone somewhat awry so it's now serendipity if I actually locate anything specific...

[vandermolen]

I generally adopt the same approach, but the other day I simply HAD to find the Andrew Davis Bax disc. When I moved six years ago I spent a long time getting all my CDs in alphabetical order, followed by compilations and then all the boxes, but in those six years the system has gone somewhat awry so it's now serendipity if I actually locate anything specific...

Which Andrew Davis Bax disc?

[regor]

Here's some info on the Naxos box
https://youtu.be/lWL9allcHUY

[Roasted Swan]

Which Andrew Davis Bax disc?

[Albion]

That one! It proves that Davis is a fine Bax conductor and the performances are splendid in excellent Chandos sound. Let's face it, none of this will EVER be played in concert which is why we owe, Lyrita, Chandos and Naxos an everlasting debt of gratitude for effectively restoring an internationally-important composer's reputation within a couple of decades (and covering virtually his entire output)  - no mean feat...

 

[vandermolen]

Right.Thanks. I think that I have that disc (somewhere)

[Karl Henning]

Right.Thanks. I think that I have that disc (somewhere)

(* chortle *)

[JBS]

Looks like a total repackage to me, hoping for a very nice card box along the lines of the recent re-release of the Arnold symphonies and dances. It's attractive and I wouldn't be surprised if each of the CD covers inside has been given a new design...

 

If it's like the Alfven box they just released, it will be a cardboard box, cardboard sleeves, artwork for the sleeves the same as that of the box. So we'll probably lose the original cover images. They did however put all the original liner notes.

[Albion]

Right.Thanks. I think that I have that disc (somewhere)

Good luck with that: if your shelves are anything like mine it's probably with Monteverdi or Mrs Mills. That looks like one hell of a party, booze and empty fag packets litter the piano. She's probably just treated them to her stride-piano transcription of Tintagel...

[vandermolen]

Good luck with that: if your shelves are anything like mine it's probably with Monteverdi or Mrs Mills. That looks like one hell of a party, booze and empty fag packets litter the piano. She's probably just treated them to her stride-piano transcription of Tintagel...

Probably Mrs Mills - whom I remember well 

Or maybe with Sergio Mendes and Brazil 66.

[Albion]

Probably Mrs Mills - whom I remember well 

Or maybe with Sergio Mendes and Brazil 66.

 

At the moment the Naxos set is up for pre-order at £34.58 on Amazon, but if you google it some idiot on ebay has it at nearly £96! Honestly, is he or she selling (or rather pre-selling) their wares from the interior of a bloody asylum?

 

[Albion]

If it's like the Alfven box they just released, it will be a cardboard box, cardboard sleeves, artwork for the sleeves the same as that of the box. So we'll probably lose the original cover images. They did however put all the original liner notes.

Yep, it's a nice and compact cardboard box...



...the original cover images weren't anything special so I hope that they've been a bit more imaginative. After all, as well as selling the music it's selling a product.

[vandermolen]

It's true that the Naxos Bax covers were nothing special (I liked nos 4 and 6 however). Nevertheless they were incomparably better that the dreary Lyrita LP sleeves (identical but with different colour scheme)