Song of Summer

He (Ken Russell) put in a word for Havergal Brian,I recall! I'm,kind of,glad he didn't make a movie about him,though!! I suppose he draws attention to these composers,but I often wonder whether it actually has (with the notable exception of Song of Summer) a positive effect! Ken Russell likes Havergal brian? Oh dear,the nay sayer's go! (Rolling their eyes!) I do like some of the music of Delius. My favourite recordings are almost always those made by Sir Thomas Beecham! He seems to have some innate understanding of his music which others lack. The "Beecham magic" as they refer to it! And the glorious Rpo! A pity he didn't get to record more of the music in stereo. I'm not so keen on some of the shorter pieces and choral music he did record in stereo. But then again,the old mono recording's merely add that layer of nostalgia for a man in my age group ( Okay,I'm not that old! ;D)! And I don't think parts of North Country Sketches (my favourite score by Delius) would sound quite as bleak & atmospheric in stereo! Eventyr wouldn't sound quite so spooky & mysterious (another favourite) and the same goes for In a Summer Garden,which might even get switched off in an SACD digital recording with all the bells & whistles of modern recording technolgy! It sounds wonderfully mysterious in Beecham's old recordings! That said,not even Beecham can induce me to endure that Cuckoo!! ::) ;D Barbirolli comes closest (if not,just as good!) with his recording of Appalachia & Brigg Fair! His recording of Appalachia is at least the equal of Beecham's recording & in stereo! Some might say the finer! I like both! But Appalachia goes on a bit for my liking! (I quite like it,now and again! I only wish Barbirolli had been able to record North Country Sketches & Eventyr! I quite like A Village Romeo & Juliet,too! I don't listen to it that often (it goes on a bit!) but it has an odd atmosphere unlike any other English opera I can think of & there is some lovely music in there! Beecham's recording with it's quaint mannered vocals (all those rolled 'r's'!) is not for the faint hearted! :o ::) ;D ( Meredith Davies (emi) is the best & Mackerras is very good! The old Argo set has a nice booklet! I sold it at the market,though!! ::) :( ;D)

I haven't seen the film (and I'm not sure I want to!) but I do remember enjoying the original short novel,The Lair of the White Worm by Bram Stoker,when I was a youngster. I actually preferred it to Dracula,which my mother bought for me for my birthday (or Xmas?) knowing I had been enjoying The Bram Stoker bedside companion (edited by Peter Haining) from our local library! I remember her saying that she was embarassed because there was a photo of Bela Lugosi baring his fangs on the front cover! :o ;D (My Oxford edition of She by Rider Haggard has Ursula Andress! :o I remember my dismay at finding the novel was in the form of diaries and letters! (It begins well,with a trip to Dracula's castle in Transylvania). The Lair of the White Worm (his final novel,I believe?) has been written off by some critics as the product of failing creative powers!

On a positive note! Thanks to our local library my mother didn't have to queue at the counter with Fu Manchu novels (Sax Rohmer)! :o