British and Irish Music

[Lionel Harrison]

*Mediafire link removed and relevant file transferred to the BIMA.

Oops, sorry. My mistake.

BAH!

 

[Lionel Harrison]

And here is

Alice Mary Smith
Overture: The Masque of Pandora
BBC Concert Orchestra
Barry Wordsworth, conductor

Broadcast on BBC Radio 3 2 June 2021

Thanks to calyptorhynchus for posting this which gives me cause to remember that, early in my association with the late Patrick Meadows, we worked on preparing printed editions of three of Alice Mary Smith's Piano Quartets. I am compelled to say that while they were pleasant enough, I didn't find them memorable. The same may be said of the two symphonies (recorded by Howard Shelley and the London Mozart Players for Chandos) which I found interestingly dull. I will listen to The Masque of Pandora with, I hope, an unprejudicial ear.   

*Mediafire link removed and relevant file transferred to the BIMA.

I just listened to this and I have to confess it's really rather good - quite dramatic and melodious. Maybe this kind of descriptive stuff was more her forte than was the large-scale, sonata form stucture. It's not very individual, possibly, but it did hold my attention.

[Albion]

Today's broadcast of Coleridge-Taylor's Nonet (1894) is now in the archive. Not bad for an Op.2!

 

[Albion]

Last night's Proms broadcasts of Coleridge-Taylor are now in the archive:

Symphony in A minor, Op.8 (1896)
Overture to The Song of Hiawatha, Op.30 No.3 (1899)
Chineke! Orchestra/ Kalena Bovell

 

[Lionel Harrison]

Last night's Proms broadcasts of Coleridge-Taylor are now in the archive:

Symphony in A minor, Op.8 (1896)
Overture to The Song of Hiawatha, Op.30 No.3 (1899)
Chineke! Orchestra/ Kalena Bovell

 

Yay!! Thank you.

[Albion]

Last night's Proms broadcasts of Coleridge-Taylor are now in the archive:

Symphony in A minor, Op.8 (1896)
Overture to The Song of Hiawatha, Op.30 No.3 (1899)
Chineke! Orchestra/ Kalena Bovell

 

Yay!! Thank you.

Mon plaisir, monsieur!

 

[ttle]

Moeran Sonata for Two Violins (1930)

https://www.mediafire.com/file/i0nh3kxqtnp10yz/Moeran_sonata_for_2_vlns.zip/file

There used to be a site dedicated to Moeran's music with a biography, list of works &c. Moeran.net or something. About ten years ago I downloaded these files from it and now that I understand that that site is no longer in existence I thought I'd better upload them here, as I believe there is no other recording available.

Can't remember the performance details or who the performers were, but I think the site said that the recording was taken from an Australian radio broadcast in the 1990s.

Three movements in a zip file

1. Allegro non troppo
2. Presto
3. Passacaglia

If my records are right, the performance may be Donald Scotts and Mary Nemet (ABC Australia recording from June 1982).

[Black]

Last night's Proms broadcasts of Coleridge-Taylor are now in the archive:

Symphony in A minor, Op.8 (1896)
Overture to The Song of Hiawatha, Op.30 No.3 (1899)
Chineke! Orchestra/ Kalena Bovell

 

Which archive are you referring to?
I can't find it in the Downloads section.

[Albion]

Last night's Proms broadcasts of Coleridge-Taylor are now in the archive:

Symphony in A minor, Op.8 (1896)
Overture to The Song of Hiawatha, Op.30 No.3 (1899)
Chineke! Orchestra/ Kalena Bovell

 

Which archive are you referring to?
I can't find it in the Downloads section.

Please PM me for links to specific recordings - https://www.mediafire.com/folder/7o5xxgqk4d75t/Archive_of_British_and_Irish_Music_-_Catalogue_2021

[Albion]

I have added the Youtube American premiere of Ethel Smyth's The Wreckers (Bard School 2015) in the form of an MP3 file to BIMA, and amplified it by several decibels. I have updated the catalogue accordingly.

 

https://cdn.fc.bard.edu/documents/2020/06/2015%20Opera%20Program%206-29.pdf

[Albion]

Prompted by Lionel, I have added an MP3 of this broadcast to BIMA:

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

Four Novelletten, Op.51 (1903)
BBC NOW/ Ryan Bancroft (br. 26/11/2020)

[Lionel Harrison]

Prompted by Lionel, I have added an MP3 of this broadcast to BIMA:

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

Four Novelletten, Op.51 (1903)
BBC NOW/ Ryan Bancroft (br. 26/11/2020)

Thank you, John.

I greatly admire these pieces; while on the surface they appear to be cut from similar cloth to the Petite Suite de Concert of 1911, they seem to me to have, in parts, considerable profundity. There are certainly hints of Tchaikovsky in the first movement but, more significantly I think, there's an Elgarian wistfulness about the opening of the third movement Valse which later rises to a really impassioned climax. In the 'What are you currently listening to?' thread, Albion describes the string orchestra genre as 'difficult' and so it is but SC-T, as a violinist and as a conductor of string ensembles knew exactly how to write for the medium to maximum effect. As Albion also wrote, "Parry's writing for strings is second to none, neither Dvorak nor Tchaikovsky". I'd put SC-T's writing for strings in the same class. But then I would, wouldn't I? 

[Albion]

Albion describes the string orchestra genre as 'difficult' and so it is but SC-T, as a violinist and as a conductor of string ensembles knew exactly how to write for the medium to maximum effect. As Albion also wrote, "Parry's writing for strings is second to none, neither Dvorak nor Tchaikovsky". I'd put SC-T's writing for strings in the same class. But then I would, wouldn't I? 

Indeed you would! And bless you for championing such a magnificent composer as S C-T. I hope you enjoy the recording...

 

He's got a good showing in BIMA. The archive is nearly up to mediafire capacity now, so there'd better be no more bloody broadcasts of wonderful music (as if)...



...ever.

BAH!!!

[Lionel Harrison]

Albion describes the string orchestra genre as 'difficult' and so it is but SC-T, as a violinist and as a conductor of string ensembles knew exactly how to write for the medium to maximum effect. As Albion also wrote, "Parry's writing for strings is second to none, neither Dvorak nor Tchaikovsky". I'd put SC-T's writing for strings in the same class. But then I would, wouldn't I? 

Indeed you would! And bless you for championing such a magnificent composer as S C-T. I hope you enjoy the recording...

 

He's got a good showing in BIMA. The archive is nearly up to mediafire capacity now, so there'd better be no more bloody broadcasts of wonderful music (as if)...



...ever.

BAH!!!

Championing the music of SC-T has been one of the great joys of my life. He is, as you so rightly say, a magnifcent composer who seems finally to be regaining his rightful place in the Pantheon.

I suppose an exploding orange makes a change from a burst fillet!

[Albion]

I suppose an exploding orange makes a change from a burst fillet!

I simply cannot think to what you refer...



...Hark - thunders from his throne. Told 'im to keep off the vindaloo.