Yes,who knows what treasure is out there?!! Imagine Holbrooke's Apollo and the Seaman in such glorious sound and in such a fine performance! It's just waiting to be recorded!!
Until such things are recorded, broadcast or at least given a modern performance, hardly anybody knows anything about them. Thinking of the Cyril Scott series on Chandos, the John Foulds series on Dutton, the Bantock series on Hyperion and the Daniel Jones series on Lyrita (just four examples) I doubt whether we'd have them without the informed enthusiasm of Martyn Brabbins, Ronald Corp, Vernon Handley and Bryden Thomson. Many listeners who don't read music or have access to specialist libraries are effectively cut-off from obscure repertoire until it pops up on the radio or is issued commercially and publicised. Reading a score or poking around a dusty archive is obviously no substitute for a great rendition by top-flight performers with a passion for their work. There are still wonderfully enterprising releases that burst forth, such as the recent Havergal Brian
Faust from Dutton and the Cipriani Potter disc from CPO, but we all no doubt have our wish-lists. The issue of "when is enough enough?" is sometimes raised, but to my mind enough is never enough...
unless it's another bloody Beethoven symphony cycle.
...
from which heaven preserve us!I somehow doubt that Heaven will. At least 2022 is largely bereft of big-name anniversaries, excepting the well-merited celebration of RVW's 150th...
...oh, and then there's that Joachim chappy at 200, bless 'im: no doubt the ginger ale will be flowing in carefully-measured abundance over at another place.
Proms 2022, "Ralph and Raff", c'mon BBC get it sorted!
