Afternoon Concert, British music

[BBMmk2]

I'd never noticed that!!! - though I've always thought the forced joviality of the finale to have more than a tinge of the Shosties about it.

A good phrase that, SA¬! Shosties tinge! :)

[ahinton]

A good phrase that, SA¬! Shosties tinge! :)

Indeed, but is it infectious or contagious (please!)?...

[BBMmk2]

Indeed, but is it infectious or contagious (please!)?...

One never knows until there is a history or tradition(sic.)

[EdgeleyRob]

Yes - spotted that section, indeed. And the shade of Charlie Parker explicitly haunts the first movement.

There's another ghost who is very present in the slow movement - Shostakovich, whose DSCH motif is repeated times without number...

That said, Arnold's 6th is a long way from displacing his 5th in my affections, on this hearing.

MA himself credited the Charlie Parker influence

"....It is seven years since I wrote my Fifth Symphony, and I have been working on another symphony ever since. The main reason for this is that I find the symphony orchestra still to be the most satisfying and exciting musical sound so far available, and an intelligent musical argument carried by this wonderful ensemble to be the highest musical peak. My Sixth Symphony was completed at the end of July 1967 and is in three movements. The first movement contains many phrases of the type used by Charlie Parker, the jazz alto saxophone player whose brilliant imagination coloured the whole of jazz in the 1940’s, so much so, that he can justly be considered to be the father of “Modern Jazz”, which although still called “Modern Jazz” ceased to be modern in the “Whizz-kid” sense some twenty years ago. To avoid any suggestion of jazz “gimickry” (which I detest) I have not used any percussion other than timpani throughout the first movement. The second movement is elegiac in character and pays a tribute in passing, to a style of Pop-music which will be dead by the time the work is performed, which might justify the whole movement being somewhat funeral. The last movement is a Rondo of straightforward design. The main theme is stated three times at the beginning of the movement, each time a major third higher. This is a device I use whenever possible because I like the sound, the only reason why I ever use any musical device or technique."

I find the 6th unnerving,there seem to be hints of the despair and anguish that was to come in 7,8 and 9

[Nick Armstrong]

An excellent VW5 the other afternoon - starts at 50'10" on the iPlayer http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b087td13

BBC Scottish SO under young Australian conductor Nick Carter.

Marvellous playing, and the piece allowed to speak naturally and beautifully, I thought.

I extended my cycle ride alongside the Serpentine to allow a full listen, all very atmospheric in declining winter sunshine dodging the hundreds of seabirds, swans and geese.... But I've had another listen on the big hifi. Top drawer imho.

[BBMmk2]

An excellent VW5 the other afternoon - starts at 50'10" on the iPlayer http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b087td13

BBC Scottish SO under young Australian conductor Nick Carter.

Marvellous playing, and the piece allowed to speak naturally and beautifully, I thought.

I extended my cycle ride alongside the Serpentine to allow a full listen, all very atmospheric in declining winter sunshine dodging the hundreds of seabirds, swans and geese.... But I've had another listen on the big hifi. Top drawer imho.

Thanks for that Cali. Never heard of Nick Carter.

[Nick Armstrong]

On a longish car journey yesterday (East Anglian fenlands, and back late afternoon - wonderful winter sunshine at both ends of the day) I listened to this performance again, and then compared it with another BBC concert performance which I'd retained: BBC Philharmonic under John Wilson (a concert broadcast live on 14.1.13)

The newer performance confirmed its excellence in this 'head to head' - the difference seemed to be in slight variations in tempo and phrasing between the performances. Both were equally well-played by the respective orchestras. But Wilson's seemed perfunctory and lacking in mystery - almost like Stravinsky trying a spot of pastoral... By just taking a fraction more time, and allowing the parts to emerge in a more layered, subtle way, the young Australian conductor made it sound a different piece, and a far more involving and moving one, I thought.

I do encourage RVW fans to have a listen.

An excellent VW5 the other afternoon - starts at 50'10" on the iPlayer http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b087td13

BBC Scottish SO under young Australian conductor Nick Carter.

[EdgeleyRob]

On a longish car journey yesterday (East Anglian fenlands, and back late afternoon - wonderful winter sunshine at both ends of the day) I listened to this performance again, and then compared it with another BBC concert performance which I'd retained: BBC Philharmonic under John Wilson (a concert broadcast live on 14.1.13)

The newer performance confirmed its excellence in this 'head to head' - the difference seemed to be in slight variations in tempo and phrasing between the performances. Both were equally well-played by the respective orchestras. But Wilson's seemed perfunctory and lacking in mystery - almost like Stravinsky trying a spot of pastoral... By just taking a fraction more time, and allowing the parts to emerge in a more layered, subtle way, the young Australian conductor made it sound a different piece, and a far more involving and moving one, I thought.

I do encourage RVW fans to have a listen.

Oh yes thanks Cali this was top notch.
Being very picky I thought the first movement was a tad too slow,timed at 12:51,so I did some comparisons.
I don't recall the John Wilson performance.
The famous Manze Prom was 11:14 and yet doesn't seem that fast.
I think the ideal is somewhere between Boult (60s) 11:34 and Bakels 12:01.
Haitink takes 12:38 and yet doesn't seem as slow as Carter,anyhow I'm going on a bit,it was wonderful.

OT,I'm hoping to get tickets for this http://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e922mb

[Nick Armstrong]

Oh yes thanks Cali this was top notch.
Being very picky I thought the first movement was a tad too slow,timed at 12:51

Interesting. I'm at least partly in agreement - you remind me that my only criticism was that, although I found the basic tempo for the first movement fine given the approach to phrasing and structure, the conductor did slow up too much once or twice towards the end of sections within the movement.

I thought the coda of the final movement, with all the interleaving solo phrases and string phrases, absolutely fabulous - possibly the best I've ever heard.

.

OT - I envy you that concert, and indeed a number of the Salford concerts. You're spolt in the north - there's absolutely nothing scheduled in their diary for Maida Vale

[Serial_Apologist]

OT - I envy you that concert, and indeed a number of the Salford concerts. You're spolt in the north - there's absolutely nothing scheduled in their diary for Maida Vale

Perhaps eventually something will be.... Maida Valeable??

[EdgeleyRob]

Interesting. I'm at least partly in agreement - you remind me that my only criticism was that, although I found the basic tempo for the first movement fine given the approach to phrasing and structure, the conductor did slow up too much once or twice towards the end of sections within the movement.

I thought the coda of the final movement, with all the interleaving solo phrases and string phrases, absolutely fabulous - possibly the best I've ever heard.

.

OT - I envy you that concert, and indeed a number of the Salford concerts. You're spolt in the north - there's absolutely nothing scheduled in their diary for Maida Vale

[EdgeleyRob]

Perhaps eventually something will be.... Maida Valeable??

Groan

[Nick Armstrong]

Perhaps eventually something will be.... Maida Valeable??

Oh that's very good, S_A!!

[EdgeleyRob]

OT,I'm hoping to get tickets for this http://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e922mb

Tickets landed today !

An absolute feast of British (a lot of Welsh) music this week too.

[Nick Armstrong]

Not surprisingly but quite definitely an outstanding Elgar 1 this afternoon from Ed Gardner and the BBCSO - Afternoon on 3 taking on the mantle of 'Forthcoming Releases' as this was from a new recording to be released (presumably on Chandos) in April.

With the additional benefit of the most welcome return to presenting duties of

the lovely Penny Gore ... radiophonic joy.