guest603
Guest
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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. ..
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cilgwyn
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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!
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Albion
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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) 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..... :)
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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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jimfin
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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.
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cilgwyn
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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
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guest603
Guest
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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.
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...
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Dundonnell
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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".
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patmos.beje
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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
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jimfin
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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.
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cilgwyn
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At least your music teacher had heard of him! :) ;D
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guest251
Guest
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My Dutton CDs arrived in the post today. Looking forward to a weekend's listening!!
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guest377
Guest
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waiting on mine... coming directly from Dutton... ordered them on Amazon.
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jimfin
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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.
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Dundonnell
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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.
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Dundonnell
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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.
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