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Assorted items => General musical discussion => Topic started by: Dundonnell on June 11, 2018, 01:50:12 pm



Title: (Some) Twentieth Century British Symphonies not yet on cd: an update
Post by: Dundonnell on June 11, 2018, 01:50:12 pm
(Please note that this is of course a personal selection. I have excluded those symphonies known to have been withdrawn by their composer, eg Alun Hoddinott's Symphony No.1.
An * indicates that an off-air recording is available for download from this site or You Tube.))

ALAN BUSH (1900-96): Symphony No.3 “Byron”-baritone, chorus + orch. (1959-60)*

ARNOLD COOKE (1906-2005): Symphony No.2 (1963)     
                                                      Symphony No.6 (1983-84)*

WILLIAM WORDSWORTH (1908-88): Symphony No.6 “Elegiaca”-soprano, mezzo-
                                                                           soprano, baritone, chorus + orch. (1977)
                                                                   Symphony No.7 “Cosmos” (1980)*
                                                                           (may be recorded by Toccata Classics)

ROBIN ORR (1909-2006): Symphony No.2 (1970-71)*
                                              Symphony No.3 (1978)*

ROBERT STILL (1910-71): Symphony No.1 (1954)
                                               Symphony No.2 (1956)

STANLEY BATE (1911-59): Symphony No.2 (1937-39)

DANIEL JONES (1912-93); Symphony No.3 (1951)*
                                                Symphony No.5 (1958)*
                                                Symphony No.12 (1985)*
                                                Symphony “In Memoriam John Fussell” (1992)*
                                                 (all are promised from Lyrita)

RUTH GIPPS (1921-199): Symphony No.1 (1942)
                                  Symphony No.3 (1965) *
                                  Symphony No.5 (1982) *

IAIN HAMILTON (1922-2000): Symphony No.1 “Cyrano de Bergerac” (1949)*
                                                       Symphony No.2 (1950-51)*
                                                       Symphony No.3 “Spring” (1979-80)*
                                                       Symphony No.4 (1981)*

JOHN VEALE (1922-2006): Symphony No.1 (1946-47/51)*
                                                 Symphony No.3 (2003)*

ARTHUR BUTTERWORTH (1923-2014):   Symphony No.3 “Sinfonia Borealis” (1979)*
                                                                       Symphony No.6 (2006)*
                                                                       Symphony No.7 (2010)

ANTHONY MILNER (1925-2002): Symphony No.2-soprano, tenor, chorus + orch.
                                                                              (1977-78)*
                                                           Symphony No.3 (1986)


THOMAS WILSON (1927-2001): Symphony No.2 (1965)*
                                                          Symphony No.5 (1998)*
                                                              (recording planned by Linn)

ALUN HODDINOTT (1929-2008):   Symphony No.4 (1970)*
                                                             Symphony No.7-organ + orch. (1989)*
                                                             Symphony No.8- brass + percussion (1989)*
                                                             Symphony No.9 “A Vision of Eternity”-soprano +
                                                                                        orch. (1992)*
                                                             Symphony No.10 (1999)*

SIR PETER MAXWELL DAVIES (1934-2016): Symphony No.7 (2000)*
                                                                                Symphony No.9 (2011-12)*

SIR RICHARD RODNEY BENNETT (1936-2012): Symphony No.1 (1965)*
                                                                                           (will probably be recorded by
                                                                                                    Chandos)

JOHN McCABE (1939-2015): Symphony No.3 “Hommages” (1978)*
                                                    Symphony No.5 “Edward II” (1998)*
                                                    Symphony No.6 “Symphony on a Pavane” (2006)
                                                    Symphony No.7 “Labyrinth” (2007)*

DAVID MATTHEWS (1943-): Symphony No.9 (2016)

JOHN PICKARD (1963-): Symphony No.2 (1985-87)*
                                            Symphony No.3 (1995-96)*



CD recordings for imminent release:

William Wordsworth: Symphony No.4 (1953) and Symphony No.8 “Pax Hominibus”
           (1986) from Toccata Classics

Thomas Wilson: Symphony No.3 (1979) and Symphony No.4 “Passeleth Tapestry”
          (1988) from Linn Records

Sir Richard Rodney Bennett: Symphony No.2 (1968) from Chandos

David Matthews: Symphony No.8 (2014) from Chandos


Title: Re: (Some) Twentith Century British Symphonies not yet on cd: an update
Post by: Vandermolen on June 11, 2018, 02:06:48 pm
An interesting update Colin.
I would especially like to hear the Robin Orr symphonies as I like his 'Symphony in One Movement' very much.
I wish that Ruth Gipps's 4th had been released on CD.


Title: Re: (Some) Twentith Century British Symphonies not yet on cd: an update
Post by: Dundonnell on June 11, 2018, 03:02:53 pm
An interesting update Colin.
I would especially like to hear the Robin Orr symphonies as I like his 'Symphony in One Movement' very much.
I wish that Ruth Gipps's 4th had been released on CD.

Oh damn and double damn....I have yet again left poor old Ruth Gipps off my list ??? Will be remied forthwith :)


Title: Re: (Some) Twentith Century British Symphonies not yet on cd: an update
Post by: Grandenorm on June 11, 2018, 09:30:35 pm
Most unfortunately, all the performance material of York Bowen's 3rd symphony was destroyed in a flood at the publishers. So a new score, were one ever to be produced, would have to be reconstructed from the recordings - I believe there are two. Quite a task!


Title: Re: (Some) Twentith Century British Symphonies not yet on cd: an update
Post by: Dundonnell on June 11, 2018, 09:53:35 pm
Is this not exactly the exercise which Martin Yates delights in doing?

....but I accept that it almost certainly should not have been included in the original list.


Title: Re: (Some) Twentieth Century British Symphonies not yet on cd: an update
Post by: Grandenorm on June 12, 2018, 04:28:08 pm
I wish Martin could be persuaded, but it really is a major undertaking, and rather different from orchestrating a piano score. Not that he wouldn't be eminently capable, but it would involve a lot of time.


Title: Re: (Some) Twentieth Century British Symphonies not yet on cd: an update
Post by: Dundonnell on June 12, 2018, 04:36:19 pm
Yes, I fully understand and accept that. I have removed the symphony from my list above.

I am a little surprised that you have not castigated me for including the unrecorded Holbrooke symphonies, Gareth, but I am never quite sure which still are extant and-equally important and more difficult-how to number them


Title: Re: (Some) Twentieth Century British Symphonies not yet on cd: an update
Post by: cilgwyn on June 12, 2018, 04:49:45 pm
Yes, I fully understand and accept that. I have removed the symphony from my list above.

I am a little surprised that you have not castigated me for including the unrecorded Holbrooke symphonies, Gareth, but I am never quite sure which still are extant and-equally important and more difficult-how to number them
Indeed! And here I am,impatiently waiting,for the next release in the Cpo series,which,apparently,includes his Symphony No 3 "Ships"! ;D Can't wait to cross that one off my "list"! :)


Title: Re: (Some) Twentieth Century British Symphonies not yet on cd: an update
Post by: Grandenorm on June 13, 2018, 12:35:05 pm
Well, I don't want to castigate anyone, but the unrecorded extant symphonies of Holbrooke are:
Dramatic Choral Symphony, Homage (sic) to E.A. Poe (unnumbered, but effectively No. 1)
Symphony No. 1 "Les Hommages" (a version for very large orchestra of the earlier Bohemian Suite for strings - the difference lies only in the instrumentation)
Symphony No. 2 "Apollo and the Seaman"
Symphony No. 5 "Wild Wales", for brass band
Symphony No. 6 "Old England", for military band
Symphony No. 7 "Al Aaraaf", for strings (an arrangement of the String Sextet, Op. 43)
Symphony No. 8, "Dance Symphony" for piano and orchestra (also known as Piano Concerto No. 3, and really a piano concerto - the full score is missing; only the two piano score exists, but I am hoping to interest someone in orchestrating it)

So there we are. Plenty to be going on with!

I would also like to see Stanley Wilson's two symphonies recorded:
A Skye Symphony (a Carnegie Medal winner, score & parts published Stainer & Bell)
Symphony No. 2 for chorus and orchestra (unpublished; MS at RCM)


Title: Re: (Some) Twentieth Century British Symphonies not yet on cd: an update
Post by: Dundonnell on June 13, 2018, 01:45:34 pm
Thanks for your detailed reply, Gareth.

Given that it obviously costs much more to record a work employing a chorus then I would have thought that Symphony No.1 "Les Hommages" might be a starter or perhaps including Symphony No.7 "Al Aaraaf" along with other works for strings?

Have you gained any impression when CPO will unleash their recording of Symphony No.3 etc on the world? I would have thought that Howard Griffiths himself would not want his efforts to lie around on CPO's (obviously almost endless) shelves when we could actually get to hear the music he had conducted!!


Title: Re: (Some) Twentieth Century British Symphonies not yet on cd: an update
Post by: cilgwyn on June 13, 2018, 02:11:52 pm
I read somewhere that Howard Griffiths was stepping down this year,from his post as conductor of the Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester. If this is true it might not bode well for any further recordings of Holbrooke,I fear?! :(


Title: Re: (Some) Twentieth Century British Symphonies not yet on cd: an update
Post by: Grandenorm on June 13, 2018, 03:11:34 pm
My contact at CPO tells me the Holbrooke disk should be released this year. Let us hope so.
Howard may be working with some  British orchestras in future and there is a possibility that some of Holbrooke's choral music may be recorded with a British orchestra and chorus under Howard Griffiths' baton. However, none of this is confirmed. So we must just all hope and pray.


Title: Re: (Some) Twentieth Century British Symphonies not yet on cd: an update
Post by: cilgwyn on June 13, 2018, 03:59:31 pm
Thank you,Gareth! :) I hope so and look forward to it's release. I thought the last Cpo release was,very possibly,the finest Holbrooke cd ever?! Although,I like all the Holbrooke cd's I've heard! I hope that the latter comes to fruition. I'd love a chance to hear his choral music. I may be in a minority,but I love his music.


Title: Re: (Some) Twentieth Century British Symphonies not yet on cd: an update
Post by: Dundonnell on July 18, 2018, 05:37:40 pm
Amended to take account of the forthcoming Ruth Gipps's Symphony No.4 from Chandos :)


Title: Re: (Some) Twentieth Century British Symphonies not yet on cd: an update
Post by: Vandermolen on July 22, 2018, 08:46:46 am
Amended to take account of the forthcoming Ruth Gipps's Symphony No.4 from Chandos :)
Yes, that's great news Colin!


Title: Re: (Some) Twentieth Century British Symphonies not yet on cd: an update
Post by: relm1 on January 13, 2019, 12:42:43 am
Did David Matthews Symphony No. 9 get recorded?  It's been several years since it was composed so I would imagine it's out?


Title: Re: (Some) Twentieth Century British Symphonies not yet on cd: an update
Post by: Dundonnell on January 13, 2019, 04:54:25 pm
Recorded yes. Issued no. Don't know when Nimbus will release the disc.

We are still waiting for the Chandos recording of No.8.


Title: Re: (Some) Twentieth Century British Symphonies not yet on cd: an update
Post by: Dundonnell on January 13, 2019, 06:25:57 pm
To expand on my post above:

Nimbus have recorded the Symphony No.9, op.140 (2016) along with the Double Concerto for Violin, Viola and strings, op.122 (2013) and the Variations on Bach's Chorale "Die Nacht ist Kommen" for strings, op.40 (1986) with the English Symphony Orchestra under Kenneth Woods. The release is planned for "early 2019" (although one has learned to be cautious about such statements!).

Chandos recorded the Symphony No.8, op.131 (2014), "A Vision of the Sea" for orchestra, op. 125 (2013) and "Toward Sunrise" for orchestra, op. 117 (2011-12) in November 2017 with the B.B.C. Philharmonic Orchestra under Jac van Steen.

The first performance of the new Concerto for Orchestra, op.151 is planned for May.

There are only a very few, short orchestral works of David Matthews-mostly for small orchestra or for strings-which have not been recorded :)


Title: Re: (Some) Twentieth Century British Symphonies not yet on cd: an update
Post by: relm1 on January 14, 2019, 01:38:03 am
To expand on my post above:

Nimbus have recorded the Symphony No.9, op.140 (2016) along with the Double Concerto for Violin, Viola and strings, op.122 (2013) and the Variations on Bach's Chorale "Die Nacht ist Kommen" for strings, op.40 (1986) with the English Symphony Orchestra under Kenneth Woods. The release is planned for "early 2019" (although one has learned to be cautious about such statements!).

Chandos recorded the Symphony No.8, op.131 (2014), "A Vision of the Sea" for orchestra, op. 125 (2013) and "Toward Sunrise" for orchestra, op. 117 (2011-12) in November 2017 with the B.B.C. Philharmonic Orchestra under Jac van Steen.

The first performance of the new Concerto for Orchestra, op.151 is planned for May.

There are only a very few, short orchestral works of David Matthews-mostly for small orchestra or for strings-which have not been recorded :)

Fascinating.  It seems as though the industry records but waits until the maximum opportunity to release the recording.  So we need patience. 


Title: Re: (Some) Twentieth Century British Symphonies not yet on cd: an update
Post by: guest128 on January 14, 2019, 04:49:50 pm
"Maximum opportunity" meaning exactly what?



Title: Re: (Some) Twentieth Century British Symphonies not yet on cd: an update
Post by: relm1 on January 15, 2019, 01:05:47 am
"Maximum opportunity" meaning exactly what?


Well, they have a recording and are holding it.  I don't think I can answer when they will release it but I assume they are holding it to release when it is most beneficial to them.  Ask them.


Title: Re: (Some) Twentieth Century British Symphonies not yet on cd: an update
Post by: Jolly Roger on January 17, 2019, 08:54:43 am
While many of these symphonies may be well known, there are a surprising number of unrecorded and/or rare British Symphonies here.
https://atuneadayblogdotcom.wordpress.com/british-symphonies/
https://atuneadayblogdotcom.wordpress.com/british-symphonies-1900-2000/
https://atuneadayblogdotcom.wordpress.com/british-symphonies-1950-1999/
https://atuneadayblogdotcom.wordpress.com/british-symphonies-2000/
Each of these sections contain interesting composer bios which can be accessedvia hyperlinks at the beginning of each of the above.

Here are the composer bios:
https://atuneadayblogdotcom.wordpress.com/composers/


Title: Re: (Some) Twentieth Century British Symphonies not yet on cd: an update
Post by: Grandenorm on January 17, 2019, 04:49:41 pm
Unfortunately, the music to a great many of those listed before 1900 is lost. These lists are not very useful unless they tell us where the performance materials can be found - a little extra work on the part of the compilers would have added greatly to their value.
One wonders about the quality of some of the late 19th century British symphonies (certainly Joseph Street's, the scores of which are in BL and which I have seen, are pretty uninspired), but there may be some gold among the dross and I particularly wish that the MSS of Algernon Ashton's symphonies and concertos, which were never published, had not been destroyed in the blitz. I suspect they were better than good.


Title: Re: (Some) Twentieth Century British Symphonies not yet on cd: an update
Post by: cilgwyn on March 25, 2019, 12:16:10 am
I might be the only one here?! ;D But I wouldn't mind a cd of a symphony by Walter Thomas Gaze Cooper! I don't want to sound ungrateful;but I don't feel it's quite fair to judge his music on the basis of the files posted here. And I've always been a little curious about him,since I first read about him in a Havergal Brian newsletter (years ago) featuring excerpts from his music criticism.  I think I'd like to hear his Symphony no 4, ‘The west wind’ for soprano, chorus & small orchestra op 41,the most;because it's got a nice name and a "humming" chorus! He's also got a nice website! ;D :)

Also,a cd of a symphony by David Wynne;because he's a Welsh composer. I must admit I wasn't too excited by the music I've heard here,and on Youtube;but he was a prolific composer,and a bit of a missing link,in the recorded history of Welsh music. I think there's some chamber music on a Lyrita cd;and that's about it!

I'd also be curious to hear the sole symphony of Joseph Parry. I have no idea whether it would be any good;but it may be (probably?) the first ever symphony by a Welsh composer;who is a bit of an icon here,in Wales,for the hymn,Myfanwy,and his opera,Blodwen. This was the first opera by a Welshman,and the first to be performed in Welsh. Excerpts of it are often heard on the Welsh language tv channel,S4C!


Title: Re: (Some) Twentieth Century British Symphonies not yet on cd: an update
Post by: guest774 on March 31, 2019, 11:30:03 am
I read your post this is nice and helpful post.
Thanks


Title: Re: (Some) Twentieth Century British Symphonies not yet on cd: an update
Post by: Dundonnell on April 04, 2019, 02:54:23 pm
Two of the symphonies on my original list will be recorded next January. I am not in a position to reveal which but if I say that the same orchestra and conductor involved in the earlier, recent project are engaged to record the two remaining extant symphonies that may be enough of a clue ;D (and, no, it is not William Wordsworth, although Toccata may well be planning to record at least that composer's 7th.)