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British Symphonists on CD: The Winners and the Losers

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Author Topic: British Symphonists on CD: The Winners and the Losers  (Read 3695 times)
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Albion
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« Reply #30 on: January 17, 2013, 04:31:10 pm »

Albion will know more than I about whether the scores of the nine Macfarren symphonies are still extant.

Macfarren's holograph scores, and those of later works transcribed by his hard-working amenuensis Oliviera Prescott, are held at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge - including (as far as I'm aware) all nine symphonies.

 :)
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"A piece is worth your attention, and is itself for you praiseworthy, if it makes you feel you have not wasted your time over it." (Sydney Grew, 1922)
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« Reply #31 on: January 17, 2013, 07:13:45 pm »

Thanks for that, I wonder if there is a possibility of having a look at them, will have to make enquiries of the Fitzwilliam when I'm next in Cambridge. A music teacher of mine, was undertaking some research on Macfarren nearly 20 years ago, I must see if it was ever published.
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« Reply #32 on: February 12, 2013, 03:20:40 am »

Looking again over my lengthy initial list posted back in November I would like to reiterate my profound conviction that the British symphonists most in need of a recorded integral set are:

Joseph Holbrooke
Arnold Cooke
William Wordsworth
Daniel Jones
Arthur Butterworth
Alun Hoddinott
John McCabe


I am omitting my personal conviction that the symphonies of Peter Racine Fricker and Iain Hamilton also deserve to be recorded. I would, probably, accept that in the current musical climate not even Dutton (let alone Naxos) would regard them as commercially viable.

The case for those I have listed is, I believe, stronger. Only Hoddinott might "frighten the horses"; the others are perfectly "accessible". Dutton have recorded some McCabe already and the composer will be 75 next year. Butterworth celebrates his 90th birthday this year, so, how better to celebrate than by Dutton giving him a proper birthday present and recording the rest of his symphonies. Cooke, Wordsworth and Jones each wrote a superb cycle of symphonies and each deserves proper recognition.
The case for Holbrooke has been made already, many times.

I am getting fed up waiting for these composers to be given their just deserts. I am going to write in the terms above to Lewis Foreman (Dutton's repertoire guru) and see what sort of response I get :)
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« Reply #33 on: February 12, 2013, 03:29:30 am »

I am getting fed up waiting for these composers to be given their just deserts. I am going to write in the terms above to Lewis Foreman (Dutton's repertoire guru) and see what sort of response I get :)

Please do report back when he responds!
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« Reply #34 on: February 13, 2013, 10:34:20 am »

One composer unmentioned so far is John White (b1936) who has composed 25 symphonies, none of which, however, is for conventional orchestra. Most since no 7 are for electronic media and include 18 The Alpine ( dedicated to the people of Holland) and 21 The Sea (dedicated to the people of Austria). Three were released on cassette in the 1980s. Nos 3-6 (all instrumental) were recorded but not released. No 2 (1965) for organ and 6 tubas will be released soon. The 5 movement no 1 for solo piano (1961), dedicated to the memory of Alkan, will be given the occasional outing by Jonathan Powell alongside Alkan's Concerto for solo piano during 2013.
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« Reply #35 on: February 21, 2013, 05:56:22 pm »

Listening again to the old Lyrita cd of William Wordsworth's Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3 recorded by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Nicholas Braithwaite.

Superb works both of them.....true symphonies :)

Reminds me that the Symphony No.2 was rejected by the BBC Listening Panel (which included William Alwyn-all of whose five symphonies have been recorded THREE times: Lyrita, Chandos and Naxos) on the grounds that the score had been written in pencil rather than pen ::) ::)

Wordsworth then submitted the symphony to the Edinburgh Festival competition for a new symphonic composition in which it proceeded to win first prize (one of the judges was Sir Arthur Bliss). This guaranteed it a first performance in Edinburgh conducted by Sir Adrian Boult. The BBC refused to broadcast the performance ::) >:(
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« Reply #36 on: February 21, 2013, 06:59:21 pm »

include 18 The Alpine (dedicated to the people of Holland) and 21 The Sea (dedicated to the people of Austria).

A humorist. No doubt.  ;)

Listening again to the old Lyrita cd of William Wordsworth's Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3 recorded by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Nicholas Braithwaite.  Superb works both of them.....true symphonies :)

Have been playing them again, recently, and I absolutely agree. We should have all of them.  >:(
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« Reply #37 on: March 10, 2013, 11:34:00 am »

include 18 The Alpine (dedicated to the people of Holland) and 21 The Sea (dedicated to the people of Austria).

A humorist. No doubt.  ;)


Oh yes - note that White's piano sonatas are all tiny pieces, whereas his sonatinas are massive works. I have heard some of the sonatas, but I don't know anything about performances of the sonatinas.
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erato
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« Reply #38 on: March 10, 2013, 11:53:03 am »



Listening again to the old Lyrita cd of William Wordsworth's Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3 recorded by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Nicholas Braithwaite.  Superb works both of them.....true symphonies :)

Have been playing them again, recently, and I absolutely agree. We should have all of them.  >:(
I'm a  fan too. The slow movmenet of one of them from this disc was included as a sampler in a Gramophone issue back in the days and made me a convert.
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Gauk
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« Reply #39 on: March 10, 2013, 08:23:30 pm »

I'm really surprised at the lack of a Jones set, given that his complete string quartets have been issued. I think they have all been broadcast as well.

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« Reply #40 on: March 10, 2013, 11:47:37 pm »

I'm really surprised at the lack of a Jones set, given that his complete string quartets have been issued. I think they have all been broadcast as well.



Tell me about it ::) ::) >:( :(
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« Reply #41 on: March 11, 2013, 12:32:10 am »

Then, 30 years ago, never did I think that in my lifetime I would hear the complete symphonies of Richard Arnell ... we have come a long way.
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« Reply #42 on: March 11, 2013, 12:39:40 am »

Then, 30 years ago, never did I think that in my lifetime I would hear the complete symphonies of Richard Arnell ... we have come a long way.

That is perfectly true-and immensely welcome (obviously ;D).....but the more of such treasures we get the more glaringly obvious the gaps appear, simply because the number of such gaps in the recorded symphonic repertoire has diminished so much.

When there were dozens of composers(British or otherwise) whose symphonies had been still unrecorded the situation in an oddly perverse way was different. Now-when the composers we still need can be counted more easily-their neglect seems more obvious and, therefore, more unacceptable.

......if that makes sense ;D
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Gauk
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« Reply #43 on: March 11, 2013, 08:55:01 am »

It ought to make sense to the record companies - if people are going to buy Arnell, the same people are going to buy Jones, you would think.
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autoharp
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« Reply #44 on: March 11, 2013, 11:08:14 am »

Oh yes - note that White's piano sonatas are all tiny pieces, whereas his sonatinas are massive works. I have heard some of the sonatas, but I don't know anything about performances of the sonatinas.

Not true. Many of the sonatas are indeed less than 5 minutes long but others, particularly the early ones, are longer. Nos 14 and 135 for instance are single movements of about 20 minutes duration.
All the sonatinas are brief apart from the last one, no 8 (1961) which consists of a number of movements lasting somewhere in the region of 90 minutes.
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