First post

[Darwin]

Hallo, everybody! I have been on the lookout for a good music forum for some time – after a bit of lurking, this appears to be the one.

I am about to retire, and anticipate having more mental energy for music, something that has been a bit hard to come by in recent years... as well as more physical energy for my other pursuits of sociable cycling and long-distance walking.

I was lucky enough to grow up in Norwich, a city which in the 1970s had a wonderful schools music setup, with peripatetic teachers for all instruments and a Student's Orchestra which gave me the happiest memories of my formative years. I started out playing the cello, but realised after several years' struggle that it was just too difficult for me, so I switched to timpani and percussion, and never looked back. When I grew too old for the Student's Orchestra I moved up to the Norwich Philharmonic, and played percussion there, and in other local bands when needed, until I moved away from Norwich. Playing the second timpani parts in The Planets and the Symphonie Fantastique were the biggest highlights, but there were lots of other memorable moments – xylophone in the Young Person's Guide (I practiced for weeks, and then a fire engine went past during my moment of glory), triangle in the Liszt concerto for that instrument (with piano), slung mugs in Noye's Fludde in the cathedral... I have not played for decades now, yet I still hear in my head the timpani line of lots of big works.

My musical practice now is limited to the pianola (an instrument capable of more subtlety than it usually gets credit for). I have always been a listener, though, ever since the age of 7 when my father acquired the first two records of his small but eclectic collection: the Milstein recording of Tchaikovsky's violin concerto, and that seminal work "Sun Arise" by the Australian composer Harris.

My taste revolves around the "big" music that I came to love when I played in orchestras, even though it was mostly too demanding for the orchestras I played in: Bruckner is firmly established as the composer who means most to me. I also feel particular affinities with Schubert and Debussy, and for slightly more obscure - but tuneful - 20th-century composers like Foulds, Sallinen, Schmitt, Lilburn, Farr, Gurney, Bloch, Busoni...

[bhodges]

Hello, Darwin, and welcome. So you're a percussionist! I'm a huge percussion fan (hard not to be if you enjoy music from the 20th and 21st centuries), and also have enormous admiration for Bruckner.

Lots of people here with whom you'll identify, I'm sure. Enjoy yourself!

--Bruce

[mc ukrneal]

Welcome and enjoy! We have lots of Bruckner fans. I only recently got my first Foulds disc, and have long been considering Schmitt, but cannot seem to figure out where to start. Perhaps you have an idea?

[Lisztianwagner]

Welcome Darwin, I hope you will enjoy the forum! I really love percussion as well, I can play the glockenspiel, although my main instrument is the piano.

Ilaria

[Karl Henning]

Welcome!

[classicalgeek]

Welcome Darwin!  I've been active here for about three weeks, and I also lurked here and on other forums before settling here.  I can honestly say I think you'll like GMG a lot!

[Darwin]

Welcome and enjoy! We have lots of Bruckner fans. I only recently got my first Foulds disc, and have long been considering Schmitt, but cannot seem to figure out where to start. Perhaps you have an idea?

Thank you, everybody - I feel quite at home already. And having finished my last day at the coal face I am now properly Retired 

Schmitt... the two works with which I would start would be the colourful, exciting ballet La Tragedie de Salome (which I have on a fine CD conducted by Jean Martinon, coupled with the equally arresting Psalm 47) and the rather weird piece for wind band, Dionysiaques. You can hardly go wrong with a recording of Dionysiaques, but the one on Chandos with Clark Rundell directing the wind band of the Royal Northern College of Music is, I think, terrific - and a demonstration quality recording, too.

My favourite Foulds works are probably "April, England" and the two Pasquinades Symphoniques. The recent recording of his cello concerto is winging its way to me as I type...

[mc ukrneal]

Thank you, everybody - I feel quite at home already. And having finished my last day at the coal face I am now properly Retired 

Schmitt... the two works with which I would start would be the colourful, exciting ballet La Tragedie de Salome (which I have on a fine CD conducted by Jean Martinon, coupled with the equally arresting Psalm 47) and the rather weird piece for wind band, Dionysiaques. You can hardly go wrong with a recording of Dionysiaques, but the one on Chandos with Clark Rundell directing the wind band of the Royal Northern College of Music is, I think, terrific - and a demonstration quality recording, too.

My favourite Foulds works are probably "April, England" and the two Pasquinades Symphoniques. The recent recording of his cello concerto is winging its way to me as I type...

Congratulations!

It looks like the Martinon may be hard to find, but I'll need to search around. Thanks for the recommendations!

[Darwin]

It looks like the Martinon may be hard to find...

In such colourful music, most recordings get the message across - you may find this recording of the same pair of works just as satisfying as the one I have:

http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/tw.asp?w=W10058

[Mirror Image]

In such colourful music, most recordings get the message across - you may find this recording of the same pair of works just as satisfying as the one I have:

http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/tw.asp?w=W10058

Let's not forget about the Janowski and Tortelier recordings either. I haven't heard the Janowski, but the Tortelier is quite good. I haven't heard this Fischer Hyperion recording yet.

By the way, welcome aboard!

[Hollywood]

Howdy there Darwin. Greetings from Schubert's Vienna. Welcome to the forum.

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

Welcome Darwin to the forum, no doubt you will find kindred souls here:)

[Papy Oli]

Hello and welcome !! 

[sheffmark]

Hi and welcome from a fellow newcomer too!
Everybody here is so friendly and advice is only a new thread away!

[TheGSMoeller]

Greetings! 

[madaboutmahler]

Welcome! I do hope you like Mahler!

I believe we will get along anyway though, as I am also a massive fan of orchestral percussion. It is a hobby of mine, I have been teaching myself for a while. Now, I am the first percussionist for the Watford Youth Orchestra, and have also played percussion in the Speen Festival Orchestra and Misbourne Symphony Orchestra. My highlights include the tam tam/bells in Mussorgsky's Bare Night which was great fun, and multi-tasking all the parts (tambourine, triangle and cymbal) in the Debussy Rapsodie for Saxophone and Orchestra, which is the most recent concert the WYO did, such fun! Next, we are doing Scheherezade, which I can't wait for!!!!!

I seem to taking this welcome post as an oppurtunity to go into detail over my percussionist life!

Hope you enjoy yourself here!

Daniel

[cjvinthechair]

Hi, Darwin ! Glad to find someone who also seems to like the 'bigger picture' in 19/20th Century music. Busoni quite a favourite, along with Dohnanyi, Menotti( and of course Daniel's Mahler!) + many unsung, not least the Russians & Scandinavians.
Much to learn & be inspired by here, so welcome from another English 'lurker'.