Unheard British symphonies

[edashtav]

Probably not much point my reiterating enthusiasm for the David Matthews Symphonies yet again....
(But.... try 4,5,7 and 9 as "entry points", rather than the epic 6th..)...

But what about Maxwell Davies?
Not much played now, his 10 Symphonies must be by far the most original such creations post-war....7 and 8 still lack recordings...

Scarcely surprising given their complexity and "difficulty".... but so very rewarding to return to...

I agree, Jayne, Max's symphonies must be the most vital of recent times.

If Edgy is going to cheat with Alwyn, I shall claim that Bax 1-3 are one unit, too.

What of Frankel? Bliss?

[LMcD]

Although I'm not a great enthusiast for their works in general (mind you, I've more time to explore these days, so there's still hope!) I do admire the 6th symphonies of Bax and Rubbra.
The only Maxwell Davies symphony I have on CD at the moment is the 5th.
A question regarding Parry: does anybody know why, given their admirably thorough commitment to recording the works of less frequently heard British composers, Naxos issued just one Parry symphony. the 'Cambridge'?

[edashtav]

Have Sandy Goehr's Little ( in name only) Symphony and black as coal Symphony in One Movement fallen under For3's united radar antennae? Some folk at the centre of England receive pings about them on their detectors and suffer pangs of regret that they are never programmed.

[richardfinegold]

I was listening to Alwyn First and Third Symphonies last night, purchased after I had started a thread here some time back. Really enjoyable and moving Music whose relative neglect is surely a loss for many listeners.
I tried sampling Robert Simpson oeuvre on Spotify a few weeks back. I was predisposed to be receptive as I enjoy his writing, but nothing seemed to reasonate

[Stanfordian]

Probably not much point my reiterating enthusiasm for the David Matthews Symphonies yet again....
(But.... try 4,5,7 and 9 as "entry points", rather than the epic 6th..... 8th remains unrecorded...)...

But what about Maxwell Davies?
Not much played now, his 10 Symphonies must be by far the most original such creations post-war....7 and 8 still lack recordings...

Scarcely surprising given their complexity and "difficulty"..(often based on medieval chants and plainsong, flowing and densely contrapuntal).. but so very rewarding to return to...

In 1985 I was at the world premiere performance of Peter Maxwell Davies's Third Symphony. I recall finding it hard to stay awake and when I listen to a recording of it has the same effect on me. It relaxes me excessively and evokes far flung Scottish islands complete with rolling surf, large expanses of sandy beaches and sea birds.

[Richard Barrett]

I'm not a big fan of PMD's symphonies - I listened through all of them (all that existed at the time) once and came out with the impression that either the even-numbered ones or the odd-numbered ones were consistently more interesting; trouble is I can't remember which... - but nevertheless it seems clear to me that as a body of work they must be as Jayne says "by far the most original such creations post-war", unless Gerhard is allowed into the club. However, this is primarily because not that many interesting composers were even writing things called symphonies in this period.

[Bryn]

I'm not a big fan of PMD's symphonies - I listened through all of them (all that existed at the time) once and came out with the impression that either the even-numbered ones or the odd-numbered ones were consistently more interesting; trouble is I can't remember which... - but nevertheless it seems clear to me that as a body of work they must be as Jayne says "by far the most original such creations post-war", unless Gerhard is allowed into the club. However, this is primarily because not that many interesting composers were even writing things called symphonies in this period.

What about Michael Chant's Pastoral Symphony?

[vinteuil]

I'm not a big fan of PMD's symphonies - I listened through all of them (all that existed at the time) once and came out with the impression that either the even-numbered ones or the odd-numbered ones were consistently more interesting; trouble is I can't remember which... - but nevertheless it seems clear to me that as a body of work they must be as Jayne says "by far the most original such creations post-war", unless Gerhard is allowed into the club. However, this is primarily because not that many interesting composers were even writing things called symphonies in this period.

... Tippett?


.

[Richard Barrett]

... Tippett?

How did I miss that???

[Bryn]

Possibly due to Radio 3 and Hyperion having added to the Chandos et al recordings in the recent past? Do they really count as "Unheard British Symphonies"?

[Richard Barrett]

Do they really count as "Unheard British Symphonies"?

No indeed - but I thought the thread had drifted off that topic...

[ahinton]

No indeed - but I thought the thread had drifted off that topic...

Be that as it may - and given that the thread title remains unchanged at least for the time being - there might be an argument that Gerhard's four symphonies are all too rarely performed and Tippett's four fare little better these days.

[Tony Halstead]

I was listening to Alwyn First and Third Symphonies last night, purchased after I had started a thread here some time back. Really enjoyable and moving Music whose relative neglect is surely a loss for many listeners.
I tried sampling Robert Simpson oeuvre on Spotify a few weeks back. I was predisposed to be receptive as I enjoy his writing, but nothing seemed to reasonate

Try to sample Simpson #3 conducted by Jascha Horenstein.

[Bryn]

Be that as it may - and given that the thread title remains unchanged at least for the time being - there might be an argument that Gerhard's four symphonies are all too rarely performed and Tippett's four fare little better these days.

Yes, but does a Catalan composer strictly count as British, even though constrained to escape Spain to France and then to settle in Cambridge? Surely his cultural grounding was very much Catalan?

[jayne lee wilson]

Simpson's 9th (50' continuous play, multi sectional), on Hyperion, was of course the Gramophone Contemporary Record of the Year for 1989.... I bet it's on many shelves of contributors here...
Then considered his magnum opus.....or any magnum opus!
How soon we forget.... Tempora Mutantur........etc

But 3-5 are probably the best (catchiest! Yes, really...) entry points....10th has a sublime slow movement, and the structure is similar to the Hammerklavier overall...
Nielsen was probably Simpson's true "master" or forebear, which may offer some explanation why some who find that music difficult are put off...
Sorry, bit rushed today...(and don't get me started on Gerhard.... wonderful obsession to have...)

Coffee and croissant, then off out.... too much goin' on today...