The Art-Music, Literature and Linguistics Forum

A number of us were expecting another batch of Dutton releases before the end of the year. But, so far, no news.

Anyone.....?

Tapiola was always the news source here for Dutton's plans and release schedule, - but he seems to have disappeared.

What has happened to Dutton? All has gone very quiet.

I have heard ominous rumours that they are in difficulties, and am waiting to hear from a reliable source if that is the case. Guild recently got bought up, so it doesn't look too rosy for any of these smaller labels atm.

Hope it's not true  :-\ there seemed to be so much in the can, already recorded........

Yes  I noticed a shortage of Guild CDs on the market.. in fact, the one I want is available for $100 USD  and its a recent (2015) release....ugggghhh  ;(

I think the upcoming recording of The Mountebanks (Gilbert and Cellier) is coming from Dutton and was recently recorded. Not sure of a date, but it suggested that they are still doing things. But yes, it's been ages since the last release.

same here...they haven't shipped anything in a few months and have stopped answering the phone....  :(

stopped answering the telephone..

even Naxos's offerings were very light....this month (April 2017)

You,hope?!! ??? ::) ;D

This should be a new release:
https://www.facebook.com/Dutton-Vocalion-Records-323992334279930/

Interesting and promising. Hope this Antarctica offers a different approach, we've already Gamba's recording on Chandos.

A glance on the Dutton website today shows six long-awaited new releases, so I am happy that my misgivings were unfounded!

Actually, I think that should be five new releases, as the Mendelssohn/Chopin one is not new?

Anyhow, enough to look forward to with anticipation: https://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk

The absence of Maximilian Steinberg's last three symphonies from the cd catalogues has long been a mystery to me so it is splendid to see this recording of the Fourth. Perhaps one day we might get Nos. 3 and 5?

I have also ordered the Clifford cd. The other new Duttons do not excite me. I can understand people being interested in original versions of works like the Walton Violin Concerto or indeed in alternative and new interpretations but I would personally prefer previously unrecorded repertoire and there are a number of fine but unrecorded British violin concertos. If however it is all about sales then presumably Dutton knows what it is doing and I recognise the imperative.

I feel much as Colin does. I am very pleased about the Clifford, hope there's something in there as inspiring as his wonderful Symphony. I'm toying with the idea of the other British ones: I'm not really a film person, but I do like VW and can I ever have too many recordings of Walton's Violin Concerto? On the other hand Heifetz probably said the best there is to be said about that work.

Having looked again, I've realised I don't actually have a recording of the Bliss Violin Concerto, so that's something to look forward to; the Chaminade will be interesting too, as I have heard little of hers; and maybe I'll enjoy that film score somehow, in lovely Dutton sound, rather than the scratchy old recording of a few bits that the composer made.

Just for reference (there are of course many others but this is a selection):

UNRECORDED BRITISH VIOLIN CONCERTOS:

Sir Charles Villiers Stanford:(1852-1924):Violin Concerto in D major(1875)
               
Sir Eugene Goossens(1893-1962):Phantasy Concerto(1948)

Gordon Jacob(1895-1984):   Violin Concerto(1953)

Grace Williams(1906-77):   Violin Concerto(1950)

Arnold Cooke(1906-2005):   Violin Concerto(1958)

William Wordsworth(1908-88): Violin Concerto(1955)

Robert Still(1910-71):      Violin Concerto(1969)

Franz Reizenstein(1911-68):   Violin Concerto(1952)

Stanley Bate(1911-59):      Violin Concerto No.1(1936-37)
                                                  Violin Concerto No.2(1943)
                                                  Violin Concerto No.3(1947-50)

Daniel Jones(1912-93):      Violin Concerto(1966)

Peter Racine Fricker(1920-90): Violin Concerto No.2(Rhapsodia Concertante) (1953-54)

Ruth Gipps(1921-99):           Violin Concerto(1943)

Robert Simpson(1921-97):   Violin Concerto(1959)

Iain Hamilton(1922-2000):   Violin Concerto No.2 “Amphion”(1972)

Arthur Butterworth(1923-2014):Violin Concerto(1978)

Wilfred Josephs(1927-97):   Violin Concerto(1992)

Ronald Stevenson(1928-2015):Violin Concerto “The Gypsy”(1977-79)

Alun Hoddinott(1929-2008):    Violin Concerto No.1(1960)
                                                        Violin Concerto No.2 “Mistral”(1995)

Kenneth Leighton(1929-88):    Violin Concerto(1952)

Hugh Wood(1932-):                 Violin Concerto No.2(2003-04)

Sir Peter Maxwell Davies(1934-2016):Violin Concerto No.2 “Fiddler on the Shore”(2009)

William Mathias(1934-92):   Violin Concerto(1992)

John McCabe(1939-2015):   Violin Concerto No.1 “Sinfonia Concertante”(1959)
                                                   Violin Concerto No.2(1980)
 (27)

Certain releases are Gilbert and Cellier's comic opera 'The Mountebanks' (1891) and Sullivan's monumental 1873 oratorio 'The Light of the World', which was recorded 22nd-25th April, both with BBC forces. Other than those, I know not...

Robin Orr's and Ruth Gipps Symphonies ,Norman Demuth and Inglis Gundry or Cedric Thorpe-Davie works.On russian field i will pray a modern recording of The Soviet East, suite, Op. 75 by Vasilenko

Hi Toby - has Soviet East been recorded? Do you have it?

its on an old 1960s 10" LP   I bought a copy back in the 1990s

Dear Mr Hibbard
Surely i listened it (was uploaded on UC or Van Rijen) but more so IMHO a new stereo and digital recording would be a great improvement
Best

P.S.
It's a great loss that Kabalevsky's film music hasn't been recorded it could be well compared to Prokofiev and Shostakovich,i tell because Dutton release also soundtracks

One of the reasons that more Soviet era music has not been re-recorded with modern technology, is that the reorganized Melodiya still owns and has reasserted its copyrights or may be in the process of reasserting its copyrights in the future.. leading some record executives to shy away from any new projects... i.e.  Vasilenko, Peiko, Alexandrov, Popov....  I was told that by Klaus Heymann back a few years ago.

Christopher, have a look at our Russian and Soviet Downloads. I once posted it right there and the link should still be active.

In July the chorus and orchestra of English National Opera under Martyn Brabbins will record four pieces by Havergal Brian:

Overture "For Valour" (1902/06)
Fantastic Variations on an Old Rhyme (1907)
Cantata "The Vision of Cleopatra" for soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto, tenor, chorus and orchestra(1908) (realised by John Pickard)
Two Choral Pieces for female voices and orchestra (formerly known as Two Herrick Songs) (1912)

The two purely orchestral works featured on Naxos cds originally issued in the 1990s and both together with the work previously known as the Two Herrick Songs on old Cameo Classics cds in amateur performances by the City of Hull Youth Orchestra.

This will be a very well-stocked cd with over 70 minutes of music. Personally I would have liked a new recording of Psalm 23 and, perhaps, "In Memoriam" but no doubt these will follow in time.

More proof that Dutton seem to be alive and kicking :)

Great news indeed!

Now,now.....mustn't gwumble!! ::) ;D I do understand,though. For Valour is very probably one of my least favourite Brian pieces. Best leave that sort of thing to Elgar!! On the other hand,In Memorian is early Brian at his best. But it's stll a great program. This will be something to look forward to! :) :) :)

Funnily enough, I have a soft spot for For Valour. It's brash and in-your-face, but Brian was a very young man, then. I find it endearing. ..

Yes,a fair point. I was a bit harsh on it. Elgar was one of his idols,after all. I think that a really good recording by Brabbins will probably alter my perception of this piece. Parts of it are certainly quite stirring. I also need to give it another listen!

What fantastic news! I've long wanted to hear Brian's early cantata but, because of the complete loss of orchestral material, despaired of ever doing so! Judging from the vocal score published by Bosworth it's certainly a piece full of musical complexities which must have been both fascinating and frustrating to untangle and re-score for a large orchestra.....

 :)

I have a soft spot for 'For Valour', for purely personal reasons. Way back in the eighties when I was a teenager, the Havergal Brian Society had a sort of lottery called the Opus Club and each member was assigned a work (each month if your work came up you won a small prize: I never did), and my work was 'For Valour'. It really is very early Brian, much less assured even than, say "Merryheart", but it's got a kick to it.

A Havergal Brian lottery! What a fun idea!! I'm actually really looking forward to what Brabbins will do with it. The whole cd program strikes me as a very interesting selection. And there I was banging on about them doing No 3,or 7,next? I didn't think of anything like this?!! :o

I have been a member of the HBS since December 1983: I remember the Opus Club. I think it was run by the current editor of the Newsletter, Martyn Becker. This brings back memories...

I certainly have no problem with a new recording of "For Valour".
It fully merits the fresh insights which Martyn Brabbins will doubtless bring to the work. No doubt at some future time Brabbins will get an opportunity to record "In Memoriam".

I had decided not to buy any of the new Dutton releases.  However, having just read the posts on the Vaughan Williams' Scott of the Antartica film score on the Film Score Monthly site (see:  http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?forumID=1&pageID=1&threadID=119812&archive=0 ), given it represents the complete film score (including music not heard in the film) and is about double in length than the previous Chandos version, I have ordered it.

Having done so, I decided to order the Walton and Bliss Concertos as well.  I doubt the new Dutton version of the Bliss will replace the Campoli version in my affections.  The Chandos version did not. However, it will be interesting to hear it .

If the Vaughan Williams sells well, perhaps there is chance we might get a recording of Dominic Sewell's reconstructed score for Walton's Henry V.  That would be a delightful prospect.   ;D
 

Yes, I think it was Martyn Becker who ran the Opus Club. Glad someone else remembers it! In those days only symphonies 6, 16, 7 and 8 had been professionally recorded. How times have changed. My school music teacher hated me liking Brian.

At least your music teacher had heard of him! :) ;D

My Dutton CDs arrived in the post today. Looking forward to a weekend's listening!!

waiting on mine... coming directly from Dutton... ordered them on Amazon.

Oh good, they are actually out (sometimes there's a gap between them appearing on the website and being physically available)! Hope mine reach Japan in the next few days.

I see that Hyperion are issuing a new recording of the Walton Violin Concerto. This will go into direct competition with the new Dutton release. Fortunate indeed for those who wish and can afford multiple copies of the same work. Commercial sense? I don't know but I am sceptical.

I have only listened to the Clifford disc-attractive enough light music but no mote than that (and not intended to be of course) and the Steinberg Violin Concerto. The Steinberg is very old-fashioned, it could have been written in 1910, and I can understand why it made no real impression in post 1945 Russia.

The Steinberg Symphony No.4 "Turksib" is a jolly, epic piece though and thoroughly enjoyable in a "let's write music thoroughly acceptable to Uncle Joe" sort of way. Trying to forget the poor folk who must have frozen to death building the railway may be difficult for some but the music is certainly rousingly patriotic. Although not mentioned anywhere in Guy Rickard's notes was it the fact that Steinberg was Jewish that led to his eclipse?

Dear Mr Hibbard
I've asked it to Melodiya.They answered that this is jurisdiction of 
http://rao.ru/en/
Best

Interesting.... assuming that would apply to those Soviet era composers who are now long gone??

My understanding was that in the USSR copyright was regarded as an insidious capitalist thing, and Melodiya recordings were issued without copyright. Certainly it was never mentioned on the LP labels or sleeves.

Of course, that is also the reason the Soviets pirated Western recordings regularly. Toscanini and many others never received a penny in royalties from Moscow.

also there are Melodiya versions of the Beatles LPs out there... esp. on Ebay.. I'm sure they didn't pay anything for Back in the USSR..

With hindsight, one of the few virtues of the Soviets.  ;)