Bowen's first to-day

[rauschwerk]

I am afraid I think this 4th concerto were better left dust gathering in a drawer.

I agree. I listened to the first movement, feeling increasingly somnolent as the sun shone through the window. When I discovered that the slowish first movement would be followed by an even slower one, I gave up.

There have been quite a few very dull 20th century British works on the radio recently, whilst many fine pieces by Stravinsky and other great masters hardly get broadcast at all.

[salymap]

I feel I should try harder with York Bowen's music as I was one of the last people to see him alive and feel sad about his sudden death.
My boss sent me to see him in West London, after work, with the proof copy of a little leaflet about Piano Technique he had written. I, for my sins, had to tidy it up.I saw him on the Friday evening. His wife reminded him to pack as he was going somewhere for the weekend. This was Friday, on the Monday his obit was
in the Telegraph. My boss greeted me with "What did you do to York Bowen"? He seemed full of life, just shows. And no, I can't really find much in his music so far.

[Panjandrum]

I feel I should try harder with York Bowen's music as I was one of the last people to see him alive and feel sad about his sudden death.

Is this a confession Salymap?

Seriously, I had to check wikipedia to confirm how old Bowen was when he died, as your post seems to suggest he was in the prime of life when he was struck down. Imagine my surprise when I learnt the truth!

[salymap]

Well he was 77, which now seems quite young to me :bigrin: he was pleased his booklet was being published at last, and excited at going to a music[al] event I can't remember for the weekend. I had never met him before but to me, then about 30, he didn't seem ill. Heart I presume. That's all.

[Panjandrum]

I had never met him before but to me, then about 30, he didn't seem ill. Heart I presume. That's all.

It was probably seeing you aged 30 that did for his ticker!

[salymap]

Panjandrum, not that funny, wish I hadn't told the story now, poor old boy.

[3rd Viennese School]

Wel, I've been exploring Bax Symphony no.2 now and its quite involved. These are quite good substantial individual works. You dont hear any Bax symphonies being played on Performance on 3. Just VW5. And VW5. And Elgar.

3VS

[Panjandrum]

Salymap, my sincere apologies for causing offence.

[salymap]

Partly my fault too.

[EdgeleyRob]

Am I the only one on here who actually likes ths music ?

[Roehre]

Am I the only one on here who actually likes this music ?

No, you aren't. This afternoon's Eventide is IMO a nice piece, a bit Delius mixed with Bax, but nevertheless.
The 2nd symphony is -with all its eclecticism- not a bad piece either.
Not broadcast this week, but his viola sonata as well as his viola concerto are IMO good pieces.

The point re Bowen is, that -listening to his recently played/broadcast pieces- there is enough reason to explain why his reputation went into decline, and why IMO it will be difficult to restore it.

[clive heath]

It looks as thought Hyperion don't agree

http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/c.asp?c=C83&name=bowen

and neither do I. It was my Piano teacher at school, Bill Mundy, who himself had studied at the Academy and had some of Bowen's pieces in his library who opened my ears to the felicities of this composer. Not to my taste the grand orchestral efforts recently broadcast or even the Sonatas that Stephen Hough introduced us to, but the slighter , undeniably original works have enthused me for 5 decades! From as far afield as Oakham (!) rummaging in second-hand shops produced unheard-of works when very little was in print, I've even got some of the Academy's own Library surplus- to-requirement cast-offs. Among my favourites and for me as yet unheard by any pianist bar my stumbling self are the second of the Three Preludes Op.81, the "Fragments of Hans Anderson" Suite and the Sonatina. Stephen Hough has a wonderful Ballade on his disc for Hyperion together with a substantial number of the Preludes and the Toccata (also available on youtube by several pianists, the sound is pretty dreadful). You can hear the Sonata in F minor Op. 72 here

http://www.we7.com/#/composer/York-Bowen!composerId=275428

and the smaller scale Second Suite here

http://www.we7.com/#/album/Mark-Tanner/York-Bowen--Piano-Music

which you may have to endure with gritted teeth and gratitude as there is advertising. I have three of the four books of John Ireland's piano music and they contain some superb music but ......perhaps those teenage years do mould you for life. Finding a new composer is like finding a new country and it's on your doorstep!

[clive heath]

Further to the above; I say " this is OK music, who is it?" and my dearly beloved says " it's your friend" and I'm like "Malcolm Arnold" ( it sometimes is) and she says no and it's York Bowen who has made it to the what is usually a cherry picking ( have you ever heard anything but the Gipsy Rondo?? ) show that accompanies petit-dejeuner (frfr: c'est tout a vous) in the "chart" so YB can hack it with the hoi-polloi ( discerning musical public) as I've always believed. He really does deserve further examination from one and all. Don't be shy!

[french frank]

And another YB "first" is coming up on Bank Holiday Monday:

BBC Radio 3 Live In Concert
Live event/outside broadcast
Bank Holiday Monday 30 May
7.00-9.30pm BBC RADIO 3

The closing concert of this year's English Music Festival, live from Dorchester Abbey, Oxfordshire, includes two world premières: Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra by York Bowen and The Garden Of Proserpine, a setting of words by Swinburne for soprano, chorus and orchestra by Vaughan Williams.

David Hill conducts the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra with soloist Raphael Wallfisch and they also include Five Variants Of Dives And Lazarus, folk-inspired music for strings by Vaughan Williams; a favourite short piece by Delius, The Walk To The Paradise Garden; and a darkly atmospheric Hardy-inspired landscape, Egdon Heath, by Holst.

Presenter/Catherine Bott, Producer/Mark Lowther


It appears from the YB website that Josef Weinberger was preparing a published edition of the cello Rhapsody, Op. 74 when the page was last updated (July 2009?).

[Norfolk Born]

What a fantastic programme - many thanks for flagging it up.