British Night

Too many dream concerts to think of under this heading but here's one:

Bliss: Meditations on a theme of John Blow
Moeran: Violin Concerto
Simpson: Symphony No 9

Scandinavian Night

Holmboe: Symphony No 8
Sinding: Violin Concerto
Aho: Symphonic Dances
Rautavaara: Symphony No 3

American Night
Again so many I can think of but here's an example

Harris:Symphony No 7
Piston: Violin Concerto No 1
Hanson: Elegy for Serge Koussevitsky
Diamond: Symphony No 3

That's three for starters!

The iconoclastic British film director Ken Russell has died, aged 84.

The Guardian presented an overview of his work connected with classical music.

Off-topic, I know, but what are your impressions of Lajtha's music, Jeffrey? I enthused about his music quite a bit in another thread. :)

Another comment I feel I must add: the Boult performance of Symphony no. 1 (available on EMI coupled with symphonies by Fricker and Orr) is absolutely unmissable, thrilling music-making that blows Handley's performance out of the water. If only Boult had recorded more Simpson.....

It does feel like one of those announcements you hear of remakes of classic Hollywood movies! ??? :(
 Yesterday,I had a listen to that wonderful Chandos cd of symphonies by Bainton & Clifford. Marvellous stuff! The Bainton Second is a bit like a Bax symphony with a bit of Moeran thrown into the mix. I paricularly love that majestic,'stamping' theme which pounds in now & again. The Clifford Symphony 1940 is exhilarating. It just sweeps you along! (And the short Gough piece is not bad,either!) The booklet includes a poignant note by Hugh Clifford's daughter Sue Hawkes,describing how it had been her brothers great wish to have their fathers music,and particularly the symphony,recorded. Sadly,he died before that happened!
My point is,these were two composers who,unlike Bax or Moeran,for example,were completely forgotten,and who composed concert music of quality;not a note of which,as far as I am aware,had ever been recorded commercially. This is the kind of release that would send me rifling excitedly through the pages of Gramophone to the ad page of a small recording label like Chandos! And this is only one example! Now,when I look through the forthcoming release schedules of cd labels,the cynic in me is asking,what new recording of a reconstruction of a score by a composer whose major works have all been recorded already,awaits me? In fact,it has now got to the stage where the thought of someone unearthing yet another immature,incomplete or sock drawer style cast off by Elgar,VW,Moeran,Bax et al,fills me with dread! Everytime I hear about a premiere recording of a reconstruction or completion (or whatever) I feel like one of those hapless characters in those awful tv soaps,who when presented with a particularly harrowing piece of bad news,bawl," Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!" I even feel an urge to go down on my hands and knees and beg these people not to look.........just in case another incomplete 'nugget' pops up from some long forgotten nook!! :o :(

Milford isn't quite in that category,of course;and the Bax Symphony does sound very intriguing.....and moaning aside, it may even be the subject of a pre-order,from yours truly,shock horror!!  Having said that,I do shudder to think just how many reconstructions and incomplete scores we have to endure before something by a composer who is completely ignored,like Daniel Jones,Fricker,Wordsworth,Gaze Cooper,perhaps or something from the vast output of Joseph Holbrooke (I was enjoying that lovely 'Aucassin and Nicolette' cd the other night!) finally appears from the recording sessions of one of those small cd labels?!


Moaning aside;your announcement is obviously extremely good news for admirers of Robin Milford and I hope the recording of the VC is a great success! Thank you very much for telling us about it,tapiola.

And,meanwhile, I'm going to have sort out this keyboard! (There are two more in the back room!!) I thought this would be better. No excuse for my hopeless typing,of course. Blame the tool,eh?!! (I'm much happier with old fashioned pen & paper,to be honest!)

Yes, there is a symphony. Reconstruction is under way. Score is a real mess!

I know that this thread is about Freitas Branco ;D....but this whole issue about Braga Santos's first four symphonies being derivative ??? I remain to be convinced about how many of the composers who are supposed to have influenced his music Braga Santos HAD actually heard :)

Yesterday I heard of the untimely death of Steve Martland (my exact contemporary). He was born in Liverpool, and when John McCabe celebrated his 60th at Philharmonic Hall with an interview and recital, I recall Martland sending a bunch of flowers when he could not attend. Certainly an interesting composer who followed his own path.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2013/may/08/steve-martland