Afternoon Concert, British music

[ahinton]

Right now I'm listening to Frank Bridge's 1903 symphonic poem "Mid of the Night", having listened to Hickox's version on youtube earlier to get a feel of the piece, which for a 23-year old composer sounds pretty amazing. The idiom is quite advanced for its time and place in several passages, evoking parallels with Bartok's contemporaneous "Kossuth" - whole-tone passages and other unresolved harmonic means used more in the cadence-suspending manner of Schoenberg's near-contemporary "Pelleas und Melisande" than in Debussy's contemporary opera of that name. Commenters below the link made comparisons with Bax and Tchaikovsky, but to these ears the Bax association would be a bit early - none of the French influences are yet apparent - and if a Tchaikovskyian tinge is detectable around minute 13, like all the others Bridge was incorporating - Wagner and Strauss especially - they are blended into his own voice in that way the composer managed to do right through to the end. A man whose music never ceases to fascinate.

Hear, hear!

[EdgeleyRob]

Right now I'm listening to Frank Bridge's 1903 symphonic poem "Mid of the Night", having listened to Hickox's version on youtube earlier to get a feel of the piece, which for a 23-year old composer sounds pretty amazing. The idiom is quite advanced for its time and place in several passages, evoking parallels with Bartok's contemporaneous "Kossuth" - whole-tone passages and other unresolved harmonic means used more in the cadence-suspending manner of Schoenberg's near-contemporary "Pelleas und Melisande" than in Debussy's contemporary opera of that name. Commenters below the link made comparisons with Bax and Tchaikovsky, but to these ears the Bax association would be a bit early - none of the French influences are yet apparent - and if a Tchaikovskyian tinge is detectable around minute 13, like all the others Bridge was incorporating - Wagner and Strauss especially - they are blended into his own voice in that way the composer managed to do right through to the end. A man whose music never ceases to fascinate.

Thanks S_A,a great post.

[BBMmk2]

Even though I may be off sick, I have been rather busy!!! It seems I have rather overlooked Radio 3's schedules!

[ahinton]

...Frank Bridge...

...A man whose music never ceases to fascinate.

...and whose second piano trio is surely one of the very finest for that medium, up there with Beethoven Op. 70/2, Brahms Op. 87, Tchaikovsky, Ravel...

Here's a performance of it from more than half a century ago, by Menuhin, Gendron and Britten - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCB1Vo4AwiY

[Beef Oven!]

...and whose second piano trio is surely one of the very finest for that medium, up there with Beethoven Op. 70/2, Brahms Op. 87, Tchaikovsky, Ravel...

Here's a performance of it from more than half a century ago, by Menuhin, Gendron and Britten - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCB1Vo4AwiY

Not only one of the finest of that medium, but quite possibly one of the best 20th century compositions ever written, IMV.

[gurnemanz]

...and whose second piano trio is surely one of the very finest for that medium, up there with Beethoven Op. 70/2, Brahms Op. 87, Tchaikovsky, Ravel...

Here's a performance of it from more than half a century ago, by Menuhin, Gendron and Britten - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCB1Vo4AwiY

Thanks for the link to that Aldeburgh performance. Rather belatedly, I have only quite recently started getting to know Bridge's works acquiring the following recommendable discs:

Chamber music.

Songs Twofer from Hyperion

Orchestral box Including, of course, Mid of the Night as discussed by SA above.

[EdgeleyRob]

Not only one of the finest of that medium, but quite possibly one of the best 20th century compositions ever written, IMV.

Most certainly,possibly one the greatest pieces ever written in any era ever ever !

[Beef Oven!]

Most certainly,possibly one the greatest pieces ever written in any era ever ever !

Keen on it, Rob?

[vinteuil]

.


... well, clearly there do seem to be a few people here who like 'British Music'.



[ ... ca'n't say I'm one of them ]







.

[Beef Oven!]

.


... well, clearly there do seem to be a few people here who like 'British Music'.



[ ... ca'n't say I'm one of them ]







.

You don’t like Elgar, RVW, Radiohead, Britten, Tippett, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Harrison Birtwistle, Peter Maxwell Davis, Richard Barrett, The Beatles, Cream ..... ?

[vinteuil]

You don’t like Elgar, RVW, Radiohead, Britten, Tippett, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Harrison Birtwistle, Peter Maxwell Davis, Richard Barrett, The Beatles, Cream ..... ?

... not pertick'ly. I quite liked the Kinks.

But there are lots of things I don't enjoy. Football, fr'instance...

[doversoul1]

You don’t like Elgar, RVW, Radiohead, Britten, Tippett, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Harrison Birtwistle, Peter Maxwell Davis, Richard Barrett, The Beatles, Cream ..... ?

Ask him about English music

[Beef Oven!]

...... there are lots of things I don't enjoy. Football, fr'instance...

I don’t trust people who don’t like football.

There’s something not human about people who don’t like football.

I live in a world where I believe in the best of human nature and I believe everyone loves football.

[EdgeleyRob]

Keen on it, Rob?

Just a bit BeefMeister !

[Bryn]

Football is all right, but those who treat it like a religion are not to be trusted, much like those who treat religion as a football.