Off The Beaten Track

[Dave2002]

Very tempted by that Amazon download too, so thanks Ferney.( coffee prices is right, our village store has Carte Noir on long term offer at £2.50 )

It is on the Apple Music service, so free for the time being.

[Beef Oven!]

Vagn Holmboe - Symphony #7

[ahinton]

Vagn Holmboe - Symphony #7

Good for you! - one of Scandinavia's most significant symphonists along with Allan Pettersson, Holmboe deserves to be far more widely performed than is the case even in Scandinavia itself.

[EdgeleyRob]

Good for you! - one of Scandinavia's most significant symphonists along with Allan Pettersson, Holmboe deserves to be far more widely performed than is the case even in Scandinavia itself.

IMVHO an even better string quartetist,string quartist,is there a word ?

[teamsaint]

IMVHO an even better string quartetist,string quartist,is there a word ?

if the person sells them , they might be a Quartesan

[EdgeleyRob]

Quartesan

Thattle do,thanks ts.

[Bryn]

Highly recommended
IMV Cardew's music (and The Great Learning in particular) suffers from being badly performed (a subject for discussion with reference to the apple opera?). But, from what folks in it have been saying, this looks like it's worth going to see/hear.......

How many pieces do you know that open with organ and stones?

Though Paragraphs 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7 went pretty well, and what was performed of Paragraphs 2 and 3 were decent enough in their way, those two Paragraphs were both cut. I have not as yet learned the rationale behind leaving out the final section of Paragraph 3, but I found those offered for cutting nearly 60% of Paragraph 2 to be quite beyond credibility. Reasons offered varied from "not enough drummers" and "too few singers" to "singers would be too exhausted to go on to perform Paragraph 3". The latter was not a problem in 1984 (same venue, same follow on), so why should it be the case today? Also, in 1984, as far as I recall, we had 5 drummers. On Saturday we had 4., and I had 7 or 8 singers in the group I was working with (mostly Polish, largely recruited at the last moment, given a very brief pep talk on how to perform it, and easily offering the strongest, longest sung notes on single full breaths, finishing long after the other three groups).

There were both gains and losses regarding the restoration of the Willis organ. It certainly has gained in clarity, but when switched off at the end ot Paragraph 1, there is not the characterful range of 'last gasps' which were offered prior to the restoration work. However, by dint of careful, gradual control of stops, Robert Coleridge managed to emulate the effect. The hydraulic power option was not employed due to its inability to provide enough wind for some of the clusters.

Many thanks to Union Chapel Music Director Claire Singer and Project Administrator Janet Gilbert for their sterling work in enabling the performance.

Fortunately, Claire is enthusiastic re. further Great Learning performances at the Chapel, hopefully starting with complete performances of Paragraphs 2 and 3. I will post more info as and when such a performance gets further into its planning stages.

[ahinton]

if the person sells them , they might be a Quartesan

Watch out! Sydney might suddenly appear with his "quartettes" and stuff...

[ahinton]

Though Paragraphs 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7 went pretty well, and what was performed of Paragraphs 2 and 3 were decent enough in their way, those two Paragraphs were both cut. I have not as yet learned the rationale behind leaving out the final section of Paragraph 3, but I found those offered for cutting nearly 60% of Paragraph 2 to be quite beyond credibility. Reasons offered varied from "not enough drummers" and "too few singers" to "singers would be too exhausted to go on to perform Paragraph 3". The latter was not a problem in 1984 (same venue, same follow on), so why should it be the case today? Also, in 1984, as far as I recall, we had 5 drummers. On Saturday we had 4., and I had 7 or 8 singers in the group I was working with (mostly Polish, largely recruited at the last moment, given a very brief pep talk on how to perform it, and easily offering the strongest, longest sung notes on single full breaths, finishing long after the other three groups).

There were both gains and losses regarding the restoration of the Willis organ. It certainly has gained in clarity, but when switched off at the end ot Paragraph 1, there is not the characterful range of 'last gasps' which were offered prior to the restoration work. However, by dint of careful, gradual control of stops, Robert Coleridge managed to emulate the effect. The hydraulic power option was not employed due to its inability to provide enough wind for some of the clusters.

Many thanks to Union Chapel Music Director Claire Singer and Project Administrator Janet Gilbert for their sterling work in enabling the performance.

Fortunately, the music d

First off, where's the remainder of your post?

Secondly, the wind pressure thing can be quite an issue. When recording Sorabji's Organ Symphony No. 1 on the otherwise wonderful Harrison & Harrison instrument at St. Mary Redcliffe, Bristol more than two decades ago, this problem reared itself at the ends of the first and last of its three movements where, in each case, a long held full organ chord underpinned by major harmony is topped quite clustrously and there wasn't quite enough wind to handle them (goodness knows to what extent it might have caved in under the demands of Gmeoorh); I don't know if this problem has been resolved there since then.

[Bryn]

First off, where's the remainder of your post? ...

Now where it should be.

[MrGongGong]

Secondly, the wind pressure thing can be quite an issue. When recording Sorabji's Organ Symphony No. 1 on the otherwise wonderful Harrison & Harrison instrument at St. Mary Redcliffe, Bristol more than two decades ago, this problem reared itself at the ends of the first and last of its three movements where, in each case, a long held full organ chord underpinned by major harmony is topped quite clustrously and there wasn't quite enough wind to handle them (goodness knows to what extent it might have caved in under the demands of Gmeoorh); I don't know if this problem has been resolved there since then.

Not all organs have the kind of wind management that allows for the Volumina ending.
I know the RFH doesn't in it's restored state.

BUT hats off to the wonderful Claire Singer

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

... in 1984, as far as I recall, we had 5 drummers. On Saturday we had 4., and I had 7 or 8 singers in the group I was working with (mostly Polish, largely recruited at the last moment, given a very brief pep talk on how to perform it, and easily offering the strongest, longest sung notes on single full breaths, finishing long after the other three groups).

Yes; I noticed that.

The truncated Paragraph2 was most frustrating, especially as the whole event was otherwise so well done - my head's still spinning with the resonance of the sound of the Music and the possibilities the event has opened to my imagination.

The Polish visitors were fantastic in their commitment and enthusiasm - at least two of them were not professional Musicians (one of them is a journalist), but they'd all taken part in a performance of the complete work last year in Poland. Even so, they said that this event even topped that experience - "but where is your audience?" asked the journalist in some genuine disbelief "we performed ours in a sports stadium, and it was sold out!" It was very difficult trying to explain how undervalued Cardew is in the country of his birth - let alone then going on to the possible reasons why.


(I was going to add a "sadface" emoticon" here - but the joy of the concert is still uppermost.

[Bryn]

Not all organs have the kind of wind management that allows for the Volumina ending.
I know the RFH doesn't in it's restored state.

BUT hats off to the wonderful Claire Singer

Here is a snap of a Paragraph rehearsal. Note the two microphone 'trees'. The big on in the middle of the chapel is that set up by Rich Duckworth of Trinity College Dublin, the smaller one closer to the camera was mine (a Zoom H5 facing backwards, between and vertically in line with two large diaphragm condensers angled 90 degree apart and facing towards the organ.

[LeMartinPecheur]

A rather exotic discovery in a local Oxfam and irresistible at 49p, especially with those nice familiar Sibelian titles! The Penguin Guide is very dismissive of the music (sub-Ravel, Stravinsky etc) but some of it at least to my ears is worth a re-spin even so. And I see full-price labels such as Chandos and BIS have thought him worthy of significant investment.

Any views, pro or contra? (Roehre??)

[Roehre]

A rather exotic discovery in a local Oxfam and irresistible at 49p, especially with those nice familiar Sibelian titles! The Penguin Guide is very dismissive of the music (sub-Ravel, Stravinsky etc) but some of it at least to my ears is worth a re-spin even so. And I see full-price labels such as Chandos and BIS have thought him worthy of significant investment.

Any views, pro or contra? (Roehre??)

IMO it's worth a re-spin.
Klami is IMO a mere eclectic with a nordic background merging with gallic influences.

Interesting is a history behind the Seapictures 3BF, according to the composer dating from 1927, though actually more/most likely from 1928. This is an interesting observation: don't we hear the Bolero here? IF the composer's date were correct, than Ravel's repeated bolero rhythm post-dates Klami's . It is however far more likely that Klami heard the Bolero performed or saw its score, and then consciously or unconsciously adopted this for his own piece.
I doubt there is a case of serendipity occurring here.

Later works which I think are interesting are his Violin concerto (just pre-dating the Kalevala suite), Aurora borealis (1948) and All'ouverture (1951). Klami's music is quite regularly broadcast on TtN, btw.

Not the most original composer, but definitely a craftsman who knew how to use an orchestra.