Afternoon on 3, 21/11/16 (BBC SO/Brabbins)

[maestro267]

Absolutely magnificent concert on R3 this afternoon, featuring two of Britain's finest 20th-century symphonists, Edmund Rubbra (No. 11) and Havergal Brian (No. 6), and a Danish masterpiece for trombone and orchestra by Launy Grondahl. The BBC Symphony Orchestra was conducted by Martyn Brabbins, who for me carries on the baton of champion to concert-hall-neglected British composers after the passing of Hickox and Handley.

I've got 19 of Brian's 32 symphonies in my collection, but No. 6 (subtitled 'Sinfonia tragica') is not one of them, so this was a first-time listen to me, and I was extremely impressed (as I have been with all of Brian's music). Straight off the bat we had two of Brian's hallmarks: his fantastic writing for both low brass and tuned percussion. Interesting to hear two offstage trumpets pass fanfares back and forth early in the work. Anyway, this symphony has gone right up in my recording wishlist now. (There's two recordings, on Lyrita (cw Sym. 16 & Arnold Cooke's 3rd Sym.) and Naxos (cw Syms. 28, 29 & 31).

[EdgeleyRob]

Absolutely magnificent concert on R3 this afternoon, featuring two of Britain's finest 20th-century symphonists, Edmund Rubbra (No. 11) and Havergal Brian (No. 6), and a Danish masterpiece for trombone and orchestra by Launy Grondahl. The BBC Symphony Orchestra was conducted by Martyn Brabbins, who for me carries on the baton of champion to concert-hall-neglected British composers after the passing of Hickox and Handley.

I've got 19 of Brian's 32 symphonies in my collection, but No. 6 (subtitled 'Sinfonia tragica') is not one of them, so this was a first-time listen to me, and I was extremely impressed (as I have been with all of Brian's music). Straight off the bat we had two of Brian's hallmarks: his fantastic writing for both low brass and tuned percussion. Interesting to hear two offstage trumpets pass fanfares back and forth early in the work. Anyway, this symphony has gone right up in my recording wishlist now. (There's two recordings, on Lyrita (cw Sym. 16 & Arnold Cooke's 3rd Sym.) and Naxos (cw Syms. 28, 29 & 31).

Hi maestro

Yes I listened to this too.
Excellent Rubbra 11 I must say.
I can wholeheartedly recommend the Lyrita Brian and Cooke disc.
Coincidentally I have just been listening to Arnold Cooke 5 & 6,another wonderful Lyrita offering.
Didn't much like the Schmitt Anthony and Cleopatra that preceded the concert though

[BBMmk2]

Radio 3 of late has been doing much to promote British composers. I'm not complaining! I will have to catxch up on this, most definetly!

[DracoM]

Hi maestro

Yes I listened to this too.
Excellent Rubbra 11 I must say.
I can wholeheartedly recommend the Lyrita Brian and Cooke disc.
Coincidentally I have just been listening to Arnold Cooke 5 & 6,another wonderful Lyrita offering.
Didn't much like the Schmitt Anthony and Cleopatra that preceded the concert though

[Pulcinella]

Catching up on the Roobra (as KD calls him) now.
The website timings are not right, though; this starts about 10 minutes before the listing claims.

Not that familiar with iPlayer.
Are the little black markers supposed to be where pieces start?
(Edit: yes they are!)
If so, they are wrong too.
I suspect they relate to the web listing timings.

Dare we hope for a BBC MM cover disc?
Probably not.

[Bryn]

Catching up on the Roobra (as KD calls him)...

Load up, load up, load up the Rubbra bullets.

[ahinton]

Catching up on the Roobra (as KD calls him) now.

It sounds as though she's thinking of the Roux brothers...

[ahinton]

Load up, load up, load up the Rubbra bullets.

Along with Payneful, Mawkish, Searly and Matthewsiastic (and, of course, the original Coplandish with which this started), Rubbish is perhaps one of the more notable if at the same time least appropriate of composer comparatives.

KD, however, probably thinks that he invented the Roobic cube...

[Pulcinella]

Along with Payneful, Mawkish, Searly and Matthewsiastic (and, of course, the original Coplandish with which this started), Rubbish is perhaps one of the more notable if at the same time least appropriate of composer comparatives.

KD, however, probably thinks that he invented the Roobic cube...

Or is she just following the rubric?

[Pulcinella]

Off topic, but I have just dug out my copy of the Hickox recording of the Rubbra, where it is coupled with the fourth and tenth symphonies.
The booklet notes contain a reproduction of the programme of the Promenade Concert at which the fourth was premiered, on Friday 14 August 1942, at 6pm.

Part 1, conducted by Sir Henry Wood
Beethoven: Overture Prometheus; PC4 (soloist Irene Scharrer); S6
Part 2, conducted by Sir Adrian Boult (though the Rubbra was conducted by the composer)
Rubbra: S4
Holst: Mercury, Saturn, and Jupiter (The Planets)

Quite an evening.
The eleventh also had its first performance at a Promenade Concert, on 20 August 1980.

[ahinton]

Or is she just following the rubric?

Possibly so; I can't be sure. Better ask her if you want to be!...

[ahinton]

Off topic, but I have just dug out my copy of the Hickox recording of the Rubbra, where it is coupled with the fourth and tenth symphonies.
The booklet notes contain a reproduction of the programme of the Promenade Concert at which the fourth was premiered, on Friday 14 August 1942, at 6pm.

Indeed - and on Sorabji's 50th birthday; I don't know if he attended personally but he certainly heard it. Surprising, perhaps, that the two thought as well as they did of one another's work.

[maestro267]

Catching up on the Roobra (as KD calls him) now.
The website timings are not right, though; this starts about 10 minutes before the listing claims.

Yes, the Schmitt work that preceded the Brabbins concert overran by about 10 minutes.