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John Maxwell Geddes(1941-2017): R.I.P.

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Author Topic: John Maxwell Geddes(1941-2017): R.I.P.  (Read 562 times)
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relm1
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« on: September 10, 2017, 12:31:27 am »

I consider Robin Holloway's Concerti for Orchestra to be symphonies.  Just look at the reviews: https://www.boosey.com/cr/news/Holloway-reviews-of-Fourth-Concerto-in-San-Francisco/11438

"A virtuoso showpiece... his command of the orchestra is astonishing... Holloway writes as though all the harmonic fluidity and orchestral virtuosity of Strauss, Mahler, Debussy and Rimsky-Korsakov were at his fingertips – as no doubt they are – and he uses those resources to craft a narrative journey that is endlessly compelling and always accessible... That journey is based on the medieval English epic Piers Plowman, but the plot is no more necessary for a listener’s enjoyment than it is in the case of Strauss’s literary tone poems... Holloway’s dramatic skill and extravagant inventiveness are all that matters. The concerto grabs the listener right from the opening pages – a gloriously evocative ‘once upon a time’ with muted horn calls rising through the string-laden mists – and never lets go...” San Francisco Chronicle

 “...the Fourth Concerto for Orchestra may be the British composer’s most ambitious, intricately structured work to date... Holloway, it seems, is less interested in painterly effects than sonic possibilities. Using clusters of instruments within each section – shimmering woodwinds, rumbling brass, crisp pizzicato strings – he evokes a marvellous sound world. Tilson Thomas conducted a dynamic, enveloping first performance.” Contra Costa Times

The work was so “huge and splendiferous” (San Francisco Chronicle) that the orchestra had to, reluctantly, drop a movement to fit the work into the planned programme. As the reviewer wrote, “the Fourth Concerto is obviously a major addition to the orchestral repertoire, and one can only hope that the Symphony brings it back again soon, in full this time.”


I wish someone would record the full version with the movement SFSO dropped. 

This is a complex problem.  I don't think the root cause is the BBC reluctance to record/produce rare rep.  There are many noteworthy conductors who are programming rare repertoire.  The problem isn't box office poison either because studies have shown audiences are not afraid of unknown rep as long as the program makes sense.  For example one concert program I thought was very innovative was the orchestra performed four new works but asked the composer to choose a classical pairing that inspired them creatively in that new work.  So you had the Firebird Suite next to something new the context being the composer was inspired to write something new in part from something old and the audience responded very favorably with many first time concert attendees (young people).  I think it is important to include popular music somewhere in a season.  Don't kick me out for saying this but the San Diego Symphony Orchestra had a 16% growth in audience attendance this year compared to last year and the reason was two of their highest selling programs included "Raiders of the Lost Ark live to picture" and a video games live concert.  It is my opinion that music like this introduces an audience to classical music for the first time and I personally know some people who are now life long fans of classical music because their introduction came from a pops concert like that.  One could argue I am in that category since I am a professional musician and my earliest musical memory was seeing Star Wars in the theaters when I was five years old and it had a profound impact on me BECAUSE of the music.  I am curious about how record companies choose there projects.  Surely Robin Holloway's Concerto No. 4 would do as well as Bax's Symphony in F, no?  I am glad I had the opportunity to hear that Bax work but will never want to hear it again.  The only reason I wanted to hear it is because I loved the composer and was already well acquainted with him based on his music being so easily available.  Holloway has had many commercial releases of his works and is frequently championed by orchestras (SFSO/MTT commissions him every few years - probably more than they've done with their home town kid, John Adams who is extremely bankable).  I believe he's been in the Proms as well so why doesn't that translate to more CD releases?  or is it possible that he has fared better than we perceive because we are completists who want the work we can't hear?
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