Live in Concert - June 1st. Moeran's 2nd symphony

[Bax-of-Delights]

It may be that listeners have not heard any puffs for this evening's Live in Concert which will include the premiere of Moeran's 2nd Symphony (completed by Martin Yates). My hours of listening to R3 are very limited these days so I may have missed all the trailers for this concert but my impression is that it hasn't been trailed at all.

Anyway here's the R3 page:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01j29dr

If one wishes to draw any conclusion about the ascendance of R3's presenter over content one only has to look at who is draped over the bannisters.

[Pegleg]

If one wishes to draw any conclusion about the ascendance of R3's presenter over content one only has to look at who is draped over the bannisters.

Key talent? Don't you just love that phrase. I'm interested to hear the RVW piece.

[amateur51]

It may be that listeners have not heard any puffs for this evening's Live in Concert which will include the premiere of Moeran's 2nd Symphony (completed by Martin Yates). My hours of listening to R3 are very limited these days so I may have missed all the trailers for this concert but my impression is that it hasn't been trailed at all.

Anyway here's the R3 page:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01j29dr

If one wishes to draw any conclusion about the ascendance of R3's presenter over content one only has to look at who is draped over the bannisters.

A bit unfair on Ms Bott who I think is a cracking announcer - Mr Moeran was not available for the draping, apparently

[Bax-of-Delights]

A bit unfair on Ms Bott who I think is a cracking announcer - Mr Moeran was not available for the draping, apparently

I have no beef with Ms Bott but wondered why the pictorial emphasis should be on the announcer and not on, say, Martin Yates who completed the Moeran and conducts the orchestra.

[amateur51]

I have no beef with Ms Bott but wondered why the pictorial emphasis should be on the announcer and not on, say, Martin Yates who completed the Moeran and conducts the orchestra.

http://www.cbso.co.uk/gallery/albums...es_2.sized.jpg

I'd be quite content with or without either or both

[Bax-of-Delights]

http://www.cbso.co.uk/gallery/albums...es_2.sized.jpg

I'd be quite content with or without either or both

What is it about STAIRS?

[amateur51]

What is it about STAIRS?

[Serial_Apologist]

Er, rogered bannisters?

[pilamenon]

I didn't realise what it was until afterwards, and assumed it was Delius. Rather good, anyway.

[Panjandrum]

I didn't realise what it was until afterwards, and assumed it was Delius. Rather good, anyway.

Well, there was Delius on the bill, so maybe thats what you heard.

[Roehre]

I didn't realise what it was until afterwards, and assumed it was Delius. Rather good, anyway.

I beg to differ. It may be the ambience, as I found the same happening during the Moeran, but the sound was IMO card boxed, not having that ethereal sound which IMO is essential in this type of Delian music. Over the Hills and Faraway needs a Debussyan approach of impressionistic orchestral colouring, which -at least in the broadcast- was absent.

The orchestra wasn't at its best either.
And thoudh I love the Moeran 2nd symphony, contrarary to what was supposed, it doesn't show any new avenues taken by Moeran. I think there is a good reason Moeran didn't complete THIS symphony. Nearly bar for bar -and that includes the grand tune as 2nd subject in the 1st mvt- it's deriving from other works of his. If this is not the case in the sketches, then Yates is to blame for sounding as such. If Yates' elaboration is exclusively based on the sketches, then Moeran had hardly to say anything new. The finale is a great fantasy on Moeran themes anyway. Nothing but appreciation for all Yates has done. But a new, 1st class work? I am afraid that -after listening to this performance as well as the recording- IMO it ain't.

I missed the RVW fantasy- thanks to the incorrect information offered by the BBC.

[Nick Armstrong]

Er, rogered bannisters?

Ooo-err!!!

That picture of the splendid Ms Bott is awful, isn't it... Deserves all the ridicule it gets - not her though, as you say ammy, she's the business

Back on thread, I recorded the Discovering Music introduction and the performance - looking forward to hearing it

[Pabmusic]

...I think there is a good reason Moeran didn't complete THIS symphony. Nearly bar for bar -and that includes the grand tune as 2nd subject in the 1st mvt- it's deriving from other works of his...Nothing but appreciation for all Yates has done. But a new, 1st class work? I am afraid that -after listening to this performance as well as the recording- IMO it ain't.

I'm with you entirely. It's enjoyable enough - not to be missed if you're a Moeran fan - but (in its present form, at least) it is an entertaining suite, not a symphony, and possibly a companion for the Serenade and Sinfonietta. The music itself, as you say, is echt-Moeran, but it could have been from any time from the late 1920s onward. Actually, it seems to me to have more than a touch of Pinewood, Ealing or Elstree about it. I'm sure the shades of Margaret Lockwood and Rex Harrison hover above when I play the disc.

[Suffolkcoastal]

The performance of the Moeran wasn't as good as on the disc and the sound quality and balance wasn't great either. I love the work though, though with the finale Martin Yates had the same problem as Anthony Payne did with the Elgar 3rd wuth paucity of material to work with and yes the result is unsatisfactory, but the other three movements, especially the poignantly beautiful slow movement are fine and Martin Yates has done an excellent job. Unlike with the Elgar 3rd however, there is still an outside chance that the full score of this work as actually completed by Moeran exists somewhere. It was only the sketches in piano score that were found at the University of Melbourne and there are accounts of Moeran working on the full score. Was the RVW performed in the 1st half? I'm afraid the Delius bored me.

[PJPJ]

I just logged in to post how much I particularly enjoyed the works new to me and to comment on such good sound from the BBC, but it appears I'll need to get my coat.