Musical greetings from Delft, The Netherlands

[lukeottevanger]

So did I. It was in December 1997, I flew in specially... MacDonald's books were what triggered my Brian enthusiasm, btw. I borrowed the first two in a music library in Amsterdam, in 1997, and was hooked. I simply knew at once that this was music I would like. And so I did, after the same library suddenly possessed the recording of symphonies 8 & 9...

Ah, another one grabbed by 8 & 9! Like Simpson himself, IIRC - no 8 in his case, wasn't it? I think I heard one or two other symphonies before these two, but certainly, no 8 is the one I return to most frequently, the most 'Brianic' of all of them in a way, and with such a clear formal imperative, such an affecting combination of imagery and structure, and such memorable ideas from start to finish that it can't fail to persuade, surely!

Edit - that's right, The Cenci was at the end of 1997, so my membership must have lapsed before then, not in 98.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Correction: I discovered Brian in 1977. And the Eighth is what MacDonald calls 'the quintessential Brian symphony'. It's a wonderful work. It has lost none of its power.

[Hollywood]

Greetings from Vienna, Austria Jez. Welcome to the forum. 

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Thanks, Hollywood! And I blush to say that I forgot to mention BEETHOVEN among my favourite symphonists, the greatest of them all (to me)! He is so near, I overlooked him...

[Harry]

Thanks, Hollywood! And I blush to say that I forgot to mention BEETHOVEN among my favourite symphonists, the greatest of them all (to me)! He is so near, I overlooked him...

That is 20 hail Mary's my friend! 0:)

[Maciek]

Hello and welcome, Jezetha!

Somehow I managed to overlook your introductory thread until today - I was searching to see if a Karlowicz thread had already been started by anyone, and I landed here!

Cheers,
Maciek

[Catison]

Hello, all!

I decided to join this forum after I found Karlowicz' wonderful Violin Concerto here. I'd never heard it before, although I'm very familiar with his symphonic poems (for insiders - I like the Noseda performances less than the old cycle from the 'eighties (I'd love to hear that again). I just wanted to express my gratitude - what a lovely work! Somewhere a fanfare-like theme crops up, that seems to have obsessed him...

I'm Dutch, and male (my nickname is the result of my initials, JZH). It's difficult to tell you my preferences, because my tastes range widely. Suffice it to say, symphonic music takes pride of place, and then opera (mainly Wagner). My most-loved symphonists? Mahler, Brian, Bruckner, Brahms, Sibelius, Langgaard, Nielsen, Schumann, Vaughan-Williams, Bax, Elgar et cetera et cetera. But I also like piano music and chamber music and Lieder.

Ah well, I'd better stop...

Good to be here!

Jez

Welcome!!  I hope we get to meet in person some day.

[Christo]

Welcome!!  I hope we get to meet in person some day.

seconded   

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Welcome!!  I hope we get to meet in person some day.

Haha!