When the Chandos Noseda series was first announced, Pizzetti was promised.  So far nothing.  The Naxos CD is great to have but, it seems to me, there is still certain orchestral detail (e.g. certain pianissimo counterpoint by the strings in the first movement) that might get greater clarity in a different version.  It took 77 years to get the Naxos CD following the release of the original 1940s 78 discs.  I would welcome a second version if I live long enough to see it released!

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
 

Now available in downloadable format from Chandos:   https://www.chandos.net/products/catalogue/NX%20361

On a short holiday in Taipei I have now listened to the Symphony in A about 20 times whilst visiting historical sites, parks and night markets.

In my view, Pizzetti's very best orchestral work.  Of far greater depth and emotional impact than the four concertante works and the Concerto dell'estate - all of which I like and some of which (the Cello and Violin Concertos) I am enthusiastic about. The Symphony joins Fedra and Debora e Jaele as my favourite Pizzetti!

The orchestral detail can now be heard in its full glory as can harmonies obscured in the poor sound of the 1940 version.  Well worth the wait. An excellent performance and, for me, fabulous stuff!  ;D  :D 

My last holy grail in Italian music which, when I was a teenager, contained a plethora of holy grails.

Physical release due on 12th May.

Extracts of both the Symphony and the Harp Concerto can be heard on iTunes and Amazon.  The former (90 seconds from each movement) are longer than the latter (30 seconds from each movement).

The extracts, as anticipated, disclose the Naxos version, certainly in sound quality, as vastly superior to the 1940 Japanese recording of the Symphony and better than the 1960s RAI recording of the Harp Concerto.

The link to Amazon UK is:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pizzetti-Symphony-Major-Concerto-E-Flat/dp/B06ZYBJSS3/ref=tmm_msc_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

I listened to the Concerto on Wednesday and made a recording which I listened to again on my iPod whilst going for a 5 mile walk.

I have gone off romantic piano concertos, after an initial enthusiasm with Hyperion's RPC series, except for the ones that - in my view - really stand out as musically memorable.

I thought the Coke 4th to be very professional sounding - well written for the piano and quite well orchestrated.  In terms of style, it was not at all distinctive.  Lots of influences - Scriabin came to mind.  In terms of memorability, it was a theme in the third movement that stuck in my mind.

A couple of listens is insufficient to form a considered view, so I will need to give it more of a chance.

However, an initial assessment is: better than expected but not one I am likely to return to often.  Nonetheless, I will certainly buy the CD when it is released (October I have heard).

If you like Pizzetti's music don't hesitate to purchase the CD!

The closing moments of the Symphony (just over 2 minutes), when the motto theme of the superb first movement reappears in a tranquil and more lyrical form, have remained firmly etched in my memory since I first heard the Symphony in 2011/12 (I think). In my opinion it is beautiful music, right up there with the lyrical effusiveness of the lengthy closing scena in Fedra - one of my favourite moments in Italian opera.   

The Symphony can be heard on You Tube albeit in poor 1940's sound from a Japanese recording.  I am aware of 3 uploads.  Avoid the Naxos improved sound version for the final-fourth movement as it lacks the final moments.  I have read that the performance is somewhat wayward in its tempo.

If you like Fedra, the Summer Concerto and the Piano Concerto you may not like the Symphony.  It is more akin, in my mind, to the Cello Concerto and Violin Concerto and altogether more somber.

The new Naxos release holds the prospect of hearing some of the rhythmic and orchestral textures that are lost in the 1940 recording.

This for me is a long awaited release and the one I had most hoped for in 2017.  ;D

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.573613

That is what I understood the position to be.  It was the Hyperion front CD cover art that surprised me.  I thought it would have said 2nd movement but it did not.  Thanks for the confirmation.

I have compiled a music folder A.C. Mackenzie - Composer of the Week (BBC Radio 3 - 6/10 February 2017) – which comprises 19 (principally (15) vocal music) files of non-commercially available music plus a word and pdf document with details of the recordings. 

As the Radio programme(s) from which this compilation has been made is/are still available online for about 25 to 29 days I do not consider it appropriate to make the MediaFire link publicly available just yet.  If you would like the link then please send me a personal message and I will send it to you by personal message.

Please note, the excerpt of ‘The Lord is my Shepherd’ from ‘The Rose of Sharon’ is only an excerpt of an excerpt broadcast originally in John Purser’s ‘Scottish Romantics’ (Mackenzie, MacCunn and Wallace) as Composer(s) of the Week in 1996.  The complete excerpt is available in the British and Irish Music catalogue of Albion.  There is also an excerpt of the Britannia Overture conducted by Mackenzie.  As it was recorded in 1925 the sound quality is poor.

The folder was put together using iTunes.  Consequently, if you upload them to iTunes they should appear as files, with pictures of Mackenzie, composer name, file names, album names, artists’ names and other details.  This will also be the case for certain other digitally based music players,

Sounds interesting but the extracts are not sufficient to form a considered opinion.

Having lost interest in the RPC series in the late volume 20s my purchases since 2005 have been the Rubinstein Fourth/Scharwenka First, the York Bowen Third and Fourth and the Somervell/Cowen.  The Coke is my first intended purchase since the latter.

It looks from the CD cover that the Fifth Concerto may be complete.  I had read somewhere that only one movement existed.  However, three Concertos on one CD seems a lot unless they are relatively short.

My expectations are modest but I hope I am wrong.  Certainly Coke seems to write effectively for the piano.  If his music matches his skill then.......

Alexander Mackenzie is currently Composer of the Week on BBC Radio 3.

I have just discovered an amateur performance of his first of three Scottish Rhapsodies - the Rhapsodie Ecossaise, Op.21 from 1879 - on You Tube.  David Burchell conducts the Dunedin Youth Orchestra.

It comes in at two and a half minutes longer than the performance by Ian Whyte and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra which, I presume, is still available in the British and Irish music archive.

If you are interested in hearing it go into You Tube and type in: Rhapsody Ecossaise - Dunedin Youth Orchestra 2015

I had already earmarked the piano pieces for recording as I wasn't aware of previous recordings.  So I will do.

Today's works - not previously available as per Albion's post above - now recorded.  I will upload them at the end of the week after all other mentioned works have been recorded.

The last time Mackenzie featured on Radio 3 Composer of the week it was John Purser's 'Scottish Romantics' - Mackenzie, Hamish MacCunn and William Wallace (not McEwen).  This was, if I recall correctly, in 1997 (possibly 1996).  It was just prior to Hyperion releasing the disc of William Wallace's 'Symphonic Poems' and prior the Hyperion releases of the Violin Concerto, Pibroch Suite and Scottish Concerto (all 3 released in 1998 on 2 CDs).  Hyperion had, however, released the disc of orchestral music and 'Britannia Overture'. The 1997 (1996) 'Composer of the Week' gave us the Scottish Concerto with Steven Osborne and Sir Alexander Gibson (Scottish Chamber Orchestra???) from the Edinburgh Festival and three extracts from 'The Rose Of Sharon' (one of which is being broadcast later this week).  Disappointing that only the 'Canadian Rhapsody' is new this time (apart from smaller scale works).  It is, I think, a potpourri of traditional music including the French song 'alouette'.  I am looking forward to hearing it but my expectations are limited.  I'd love to hear 'The Rose Of Sharon', the Op.68 'Suite for Violin and Orchestra' and the complete 'Six Pieces for Violin and Piano' (of which two were available on a Bank of Scotland CD!!!).  From my perspective any Mackenzie is welcome.  Hopefully, Chandos in their British Tone Poem series may give us Mackenzie's 'London Day by Day' Suite assuming that qualifies as a tone poem.

BBC iPlayer has each of the broadcasts available for 29 days.

Today's broadcast is available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08ch1js

In 2015 I was able to access BBC iPlayer from the Philippines to record Chisholm's Violin Concerto. So presumably it can be accessed from outside the UK.

I will be recording what is not commercially available.  I will try to upload them.