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Lyrita futures

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Grandenorm
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« Reply #15 on: June 30, 2017, 04:45:48 pm »

Yes. There are lots of Itter recordings I should like to see sooner: e.g. Holbrooke's "The Bells" and the extracts from the Cauldron Trilogy that were broadcast in "Fairest Isle" year (1995); the Arthur Butterworth symphonies, John Tavener's "Ultimos Ritos". One could go on, but...
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cilgwyn
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« Reply #16 on: June 30, 2017, 07:49:43 pm »

Definitely Holbrooke! ;D I listened to those recording recently,and I did enjoy them!
And I feel I must add,Holst's opera,"The Perfect Fool". I find this opera very entertaining. The libretto might be a problem,but I don't really bother with it. I just listen to the singing and the music,which is very colourful and imaginative. I think it's quite fascinating to hear how the ballet music fit's into the original score. I actually prefer this opera to "At the Boars Head" or "The Wandering Scholar". I remember I used to keep pestering chandos to record it! I remember they said they would suggest it to Andrew Davis;but nothing came of it.....or the Holbrooke,they kept on telling me they were interested in recording!! And now look at what's happened to them!! ::) :(
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Grandenorm
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« Reply #17 on: June 30, 2017, 10:43:26 pm »

Indeed! As regards Chandos the glory days are well and truly over. Sic transit gloria mundi.

Oh, and I agree re. The Perfect Fool. There's some really lovely music in it.
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Dundonnell
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« Reply #18 on: June 30, 2017, 10:55:39 pm »

None of us knows what is contained in the Richard Itter Broadcast Archive. The contents are a closely guarded secret. Those who do know what Itter recorded (and, by definition, what he did not record) during the period between the mid 1950s and the mid 1990s are not going to tell us.

What we do know, or can find out, is what was broadcast by the BBC during these decades. I recorded a vast amount between the early 1970s and the early 1980s. Some of the huge number of orchestral works recorded by me are in our own Archive on this site. Unfortunately I did not possess the sort of equipment that Richard Itter used and for that reason alone my recordings are of very considerably inferior quality, some better than others but none even approaching Itter's standard. Other people made such recordings over the years and have been generous enough to share these with us. Some duplicate and are of better quality to mine and have therefore, quite rightly, replaced mine in the Archive. James Stuart has shared his stupendous collection of BBC recordings on You Tube and most are in excellent quality.

Now. Lyrita has been remastering Itter recordings and issuing these on cd. This wonderful project has only been made possible with the agreement of the BBC and the Musicians' Union. In addition Lyrita have issued and will be issuing further BBC broadcasts made long after Itter stopped and indeed after his death. The recent broadcast of the Grace Williams "Missa Cambrensis" will shortly be released by Lyrita in agreement with the BBC.

Clearly Lyrita or the Trust involved with the Itter Archive could have adopted a policy of releasing only those broadcast recordings of music which was not otherwise available on cd. Many (indeed most) of the releases to date fall into such a category. Lyrita had issued recordings of five of the Daniel Jones symphonies many years ago. The company is now embarked on adding the remaining symphonies as broadcast by the BBC in Wales in the early 1990s.

However Lyrita has also decided to issue broadcast recordings of works which are available in modern stereo versions from other labels. Examples of this have included the Arthur Butterworth Symphonies Nos. 1 (Classico and Dutton) and 4 (Dutton) and the Humphrey Searle Symphonies Nos. 3 and 5 (both on CPO). They are about to issue a disc containing Edmund Rubbra's Violin Concerto (Naxos) and Sinfonia Concertante for piano and orchestra (Chandos) and the Lloyd Symphonies Nos. 6 and 7.

Turning to George Lloyd. Lyrita issued Lloyd's Symphonies Nos. 4, 5 and 8 in the early 1980s in studio recordings made by the composer's champion Sir Edward Downes with the Philharmonia Orchestra. These were originally issued on LP between 1982 and 1984 and reissued on cd in 2007. In the interim the composer himself embarked on a complete series of his symphonies. No.4 was recorded with the Albany Symphony Orchestra in December 1987, No.5 with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra in March 1989, No.6 with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra in May 1988, No.7 with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra in May 1988 and No.8 with the Philharmonia Orchestra in August 1996. All of these recordings are on cd on the Albany label.

The Lyrita/Downes recordings and the Albany/composer recordings received praise for the performances and the recording quality. All are in stereo soumd. I have the Downes versions of Nos. 4 and 5 on LP and all of the composer's versions on cd.

What we are now being offered are, presumably, off-air recordings conducted by Downes of Nos. 6 and 7 (No.6 will be from the broadcast made in 1981).

I can understand what Lyrita is doing. If you are a huge fan of the music of George Lloyd (as many are) you will probably welcome the opportunity to hear what Downes made of these symphonies in what were their first ever broadcasts. Whether they deserve to be reissued is a matter of both commercial and artistic decision. From a commercial point of view....I cannot see myself investing in them for the simple reason that I am happy with the composer's own versions. I would rather save my money to spend on music which was not already on my shelves. I did buy the recent Searle disc but that was because it contained also two of Searle's other orchestral pieces ("Labyrinth" and the "Zodiac Variations").

It is no secret that I would prefer to see Lyrita issuing music which was not otherwise available. Others will disagree and I fully respect that.
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Clambert
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« Reply #19 on: July 01, 2017, 08:34:01 am »

Agree, it seems another odd choice given the wealth of otherwise unavailable music that presumably lies waiting? (I'll probably still buy it, though, out of sheer brand loyalty!)
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Clambert
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« Reply #20 on: July 05, 2017, 01:17:26 pm »

BTW, speaking of Lloyd 7, I seem to recall there was a broadcast performance conducted by Rumon Gamba...I do wonder if anyone on this board made a recording of it???

(And I believe Neeme Jarvi also performed it, presumably in about 25 minutes?)
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Albion
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« Reply #21 on: July 14, 2017, 11:29:55 am »

Coming in October, a two-disc set of Fricker's Symphonies 1-4:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B073LWJWS9/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1500027996&sr=1-1&keywords=lyrita
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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)
Dundonnell
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« Reply #22 on: July 14, 2017, 01:31:05 pm »

Admiration, respect and support for a record label and its programme of releases should not preclude comments which, for time to time, include some criticisms. I have been critical of some of Lyrita's releases over the past year. These criticisms are, obviously, from my own personal perspective and I shall continue to make them when I consider them appropriate.

However....any mildly negative comments pale into insignificance when weighed against the acclaim, applause and immense gratitude owed to Lyrita when one reads news of a forthcoming release like this. I must have been begging for the Fricker symphonies on cd on various music forums for about eight years or more and hoping to have them on cd for decades of my life.

This therefore, along with Lyrita's commitment to issue all of the Daniel Jones symphonies, is the most wonderful news! I don't know if I really expected to ever see the day when all these symphonies would be on cd. That they all soon will be makes all those begging posts worthwhile

Sensationally good news 
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« Reply #23 on: July 14, 2017, 02:01:34 pm »

Hooray! Yeeeeee-hoooo!! As they say! ::) :o This is extremely good news,indeed. Perhaps they're reading your posts,Dundonell? (I believe they have responded to some posts,before?) I received the Daniel Jones cd of Symphonies 1 & 10,today! Unfortunately,I had to resist for a while. Needless to say;after the off air tapes here,for which I am very grateful;hearing Jones' Symphonies 1 & 10 in such excellent sound has been a revelation. I also feel compelled to say what impressive,satisfying symphonies they are. They really are that good. You just sit there listening to them and think,"Why,oh why,hasn't this been recorded before?!". I think the BBC NOW should be performing them,regularly. Indeed,they are part of our heritage here,in Wales! As to the Fricker symphonies. I have become more and more impressed by his music. I made a cd of some of the shorter orchestral pieces recently,and I think some of them would make a very worthwhile follow up cd. The symphonies,though,are impressive edifices. Very absorbing;and not without colourful orchestation. Some of them use the piano and harps as part of the orchestra. The finale of the Second is viscerally very exciting. I could go on!! ::) ;D These are very satisfying and absorbing symphonies;and,actually,not that difficult to listen to. Look,even I can handle 'em!! :o ;D
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Clambert
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« Reply #24 on: July 14, 2017, 02:52:29 pm »

Agreed - that's much more like it!
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Grandenorm
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« Reply #25 on: July 14, 2017, 05:10:22 pm »

I endorse the enthusiasm expressed here for Fricker's symphonies. They are marvellous pieces and I am thrilled that Lyrita are going to issue all four of them.
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M. Yaskovsky
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« Reply #26 on: July 14, 2017, 06:42:08 pm »

Very good news although I've never heard a note by Fricker... What are his symphonies like?
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Dundonnell
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« Reply #27 on: July 14, 2017, 06:55:40 pm »

There are various off-air recordings in our archive on this site and on You Tube.
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cilgwyn
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« Reply #28 on: July 15, 2017, 12:31:47 am »

After several unanswered posts on the 'Fricker' thread,at the GMG,I have to assume that,with the homourable exception of vandermolen,who likes about two of his symphonies,there is absolutely zero interest amongs all the members there! :( Oh well,more fool them!! ;D I can see a pre-order for a 2 cd set in the offing! :) :) :)
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calyptorhynchus
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« Reply #29 on: July 15, 2017, 07:56:57 am »

I quite like the Fricker Symphony No.1, which sounds like an early Robert Simpson symphony... but after that they get less interesting IMO.
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