The British Composers Thread

[Roasted Swan]

It's available here

https://archive.org/details/resonancesofraji0000ghum

which might not be ideal reading conditions but at least gives you an idea of contents etc

found a reasonably priced copy via Abe Books!

[Luke]

Well done! You'll enjoy it, I'm sure.

[relm1]

I quite enjoyed discovering the composer, Geoffrey Bush.  His style reminded me of William Alwyn with some Walton and Vaughan Williams thrown in. 

[Irons]

I quite enjoyed discovering the composer, Geoffrey Bush.  His style reminded me of William Alwyn with some Walton and Vaughan Williams thrown in. 

Not to be confused with Alan Bush! Which I'm predisposed to do.

Like the 1st Symphony and Music for Orchestra very much. Not familiar with other pieces on CD.

[Maestro267]

Thoroughly enjoying Arnold Cooke's 3rd Symphony. I sense the Waltonian in it.

[Roasted Swan]

So I bought a copy of this disc recently and got round to listening to it just the other day;



By rights this should be right up my street; unfamiliar British 20th century repertoire.  Very well played too by all concerned with special laurels to soloist Sarah-Jane Bradley who has made it her mission to record this kind of repertoire.  And it is far from easy for her too - a lot of notes to learn!

But at the end of the day its all a tad underwhelming.  The Clarke "Concerto" is in fact just a (well) orchestrated version - don't recently(ish) of her Sonata.  A fine work for sure but does it deserve the "elevation" to concerto status?  The other 3 works are all well crafted but to be brutally honest lacking in much tpo make you sit up and take notice.  Forgotten muisic that probably doesn't  deserve much more than this one-off outing.  I was particularly disappointed that the Waldo-Warner did not make more of an impact.  I have a few of his scores/works and they look more interesting on paper than this one here sounds in the 'flesh'........

[vandermolen]

So I bought a copy of this disc recently and got round to listening to it just the other day;



By rights this should be right up my street; unfamiliar British 20th century repertoire.  Very well played too by all concerned with special laurels to soloist Sarah-Jane Bradley who has made it her mission to record this kind of repertoire.  And it is far from easy for her too - a lot of notes to learn!

But at the end of the day its all a tad underwhelming.  The Clarke "Concerto" is in fact just a (well) orchestrated version - don't recently(ish) of her Sonata.  A fine work for sure but does it deserve the "elevation" to concerto status?  The other 3 works are all well crafted but to be brutally honest lacking in much tpo make you sit up and take notice.  Forgotten muisic that probably doesn't  deserve much more than this one-off outing.  I was particularly disappointed that the Waldo-Warner did not make more of an impact.  I have a few of his scores/works and they look more interesting on paper than this one here sounds in the 'flesh'........

Thanks. Well, I shan't be rushing out to buy this one!

[Maestro267]

Glad it's not just me that's underwhelmed at the knowledge that a work is just a rearrangement of what's done before. Especially when it gets given the grandiose title of Concerto.

[Roasted Swan]

Glad it's not just me that's underwhelmed at the knowledge that a work is just a rearrangement of what's done before. Especially when it gets given the grandiose title of Concerto.

Yes - somehow that does rather feel like "mis-selling"!  Of course there are many other solo chamber works that have been "promoted" to orchestral status effectively - think of the Poulenc/Berkeley Flute Sonata for one.  I also rather like Christopher Palmer's brilliant arrangement of the Walton Violin Sonata.  But at least he still calls it a Violin Sonata!

[Maestro267]

Nah, all of them. Even if they're from the composer themselves. I'd rather hear the works for the instruments they were originally intended for.

[calyptorhynchus]

Yes - somehow that does rather feel like "mis-selling"!  Of course there are many other solo chamber works that have been "promoted" to orchestral status effectively - think of the Poulenc/Berkeley Flute Sonata for one.  I also rather like Christopher Palmer's brilliant arrangement of the Walton Violin Sonata.  But at least he still calls it a Violin Sonata!

The promotion of Howells' Oboe Sonata to Concerto works well.

[Roasted Swan]

The promotion of Howells' Oboe Sonata to Concerto works well.

Don't know that one!  But I like Howells - who did the orchestration?

[calyptorhynchus]

Benjamin Wallfisch

[Roasted Swan]

Classic Select World tend to cycle through their fortnightly free downloads so I think I've listed this one before - their current offering

https://www.classicselectworld.com/collections/free-downloads



Mainly pretty standard rep; Enigma/The Planets/Delius Orchestral Music/RVW Tallis-Lark-Wasps etc but sourced from Tring and Koch these are genuinely fine performances and well recorded - lot bit rates in this "box" not withstanding.  But alongside the obvious choices there are some lovely unexpected things too;

Bridge Suite for String Orchestra
Warlock - Songs
RVW & Delius Songs

Apart from anything else I find it quite convenient to have all this repertoire collected together so well worth downloading for precisely 0 pennies!

[Irons]

Thomas Pitfield.



Piano Trio No.1
Piano Trio No.2
Epigraph for violin, cello and piano
Sonatina for Cello and Piano
Sonata for Cello and Piano

Searching GMG I note this is not the first appearance of Thomas Pitfield on the forum. His music has a strong rhythmic pulse with brilliant writing (and playing here) for piano. The first Piano Trio is of the English pastoral school, but I didn't notice this so much in the other pieces featured here. His second Trio is march-like in the two outer movements which I love but puzzled by the title 'Lyric'. Epigraph is slight at under two minutes. The two works featuring cello and piano are completely unalike with Sonatina being neo-classical and Sonata perhaps the most substantial work on this CD. However, the two Trios I enjoyed the most. Recommended.   

[Symphonic Addict]

Interesting. Pitfield also wrote concertante music as shown on this Naxos CD:

[Maestro267]

I have that Pitfield Piano Concertos set but I haven't listened much. Interestingly it also includes a very brief sonata for xylophone.

[Luke]

There seems to be no composer thread for him, so I will post here the sad news that the composer Sandy Goehr died today. I was lucky enough to study under him a little. He was intense, shrewd, witty, insightful - unforgettable.

[DaveF]

There seems to be no composer thread for him, so I will post here the sad news that the composer Sandy Goehr died today. I was lucky enough to study under him a little. He was intense, shrewd, witty, insightful - unforgettable.

Ah, the last of the Manchester School.  A friend of mine, also a former student, placed him alongside Davies and Birtwistle as a composer.  I must do some listening...

[calyptorhynchus]

Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this on youtube

I hadn't heard of the composer before, and there doesn't seem to be much in the catalogue by him. Pity.