Holmboe, Vagn

[teamsaint]

He needs a thread of his own on here . One of the most unjustly neglected composers of the twentieth century surely?
OK, many of his key works seem to have made it onto disc, but given the quality and extent of his body of work, his neglect is extraordinary.

There are no upcoming concerts with one of his works , anywhere in the world, listed on Bachtrack. He has racked up a magnificent two Proms outings, but not one of the symphonies has ever been heard there. R3 did have him as composer of the week once.
I noticed in recent days that DublinJimbo was giving a big thumbs up to a disc, and JLW put some of the symphonies in her top 10 works of the C20, which is really saying something

Anyway, thoughts,listening recommendations, links etc would be great.

Here is a discussion from Gramophone.

http://www.gramophone.co.uk/forum/general-discussion/composer-of-the-fortnight-vagn-holmboe

My biggest problem with his work is finding time to listen to as much as I would like of his vast output.

Anyway, chat among yourselves.

[Pulcinella]

He needs a thread of his own on here . One of the most unjustly neglected composers of the twentieth century surely?

....


My biggest problem with his work is finding time to listen to as much as I would like of his vast output.

Anyway, chat among yourselves.

Snap!
Are you not going to join in, ts?
Can't remember which piece I heard or read about made me investigate his music: I have the four dacapo CDs of his chamber concertos, which get reasonably frequent airings, and Requiem for Nietzche, about which I recall nothing!
There's clearly much more to investigate.

[teamsaint]

Snap!
Are you not going to join in, ts?
Can't remember which piece I heard or read about made me investigate his music: I have the four dacapo CDs of his chamber concertos, which get reasonably frequent airings, and Requiem for Nietzche, about which I recall nothing!
There's clearly much more to investigate.

I'll be back at Lunchtime. Out on the road this morning,to help keep the wheels of commerce turning, Pulcers !

I've been gradually listening to the symphonies over the last year. More thoughts later ...and as you say much more to investigate.

[richardfinegold]

I became interested in Holmboe a few years back and bought many of the Hughes discs on BIS and the De Capo series of Chamber Concertos. I haven't played them much in several years. I think he was to prolific for his own good. Many of the works trod the same ground.

[DublinJimbo]

Another snap! here.

My last post in the what are you listening to thread was an all-Holmboe programme, and I'll certainly be listening to more of his music in the coming weeks.

Epilog, the third of the Four Symphonic Metamorphoses, was included in that programme, and was among the works which formed my introduction to the composer. I quickly got hooked, and now have all the symphonies and string quartets in my collection along with almost all the other BIS and Dacapo recordings of his music.

The Symphonies, Quartets and those Metamorphoses are as good a place as any to start investigating Holmboe's output. There's also a 'Key Masterpieces' compilation available on Dacapo.

[Suffolkcoastal]

I'm of course a huge Holmboe fan, a terrific composer whose music rarely disappoints. His music is the type which you need to really listen too in depth and hear individual pieces a number of times, but each time you listen you are rewarded with yet more detail and the listening experience is a vital one which really gets you thinking.

[Beef Oven!]

I have the symphonies and string quartets. Not sure which I prefer, not that it matters.

I don't know much else by him.

Having had a quick look on Amazon, the cycles of symphonies and string quartets I bought a few years ago have gone up in price a fair bit.

[Beef Oven!]

I take it there are no Prom concerts of VH this year.

[ahinton]

I take it there are no Prom concerts of VH this year.

Some hopes!

I know little of his work, sadly although what I have heard has generally given a positive impression. It's always a problem with composers as prolific as he was to know where to start and to find sufficient time to get a decent grip on his work, especially as opportunities to hear any of lt live are so very few and far between; other examples are Villa-Lobos, Milhaud, Krenek, Hovhaness, Bourgeois, Segerstam and VH's even more prolific Bentzon, whose 670+ works include
La National Front for oboe, clarinet, and bassoon Op. 582b
Jacques Chirac for string quartet Op. 583 (associated with Op. 582)
Anti-Democratic Hymn to the Health Minister for baritone sax, trumpets, etc. Op. 650
Anti-Attention Hymn to the Social Minister, for clarinet, harp and guitar Op. 651 and
Anti-Murder Hymn to the Labor Minister for cor anglé, tuba and cello Op. 652
which might not be discussable here on account of the "no politics" rule, as well as just one less piano sonata than Beethoven wrote, 24 symphonies, 16 string quartets and sonatas for more instruments than Hindemith ever wrote - and one has to hand it to him for the kind of bizarre work titles that would have given Satie a run for his money (if he'd ever had any) such as
Piano Sonata No. 30 Fetish Op. 634
Thirty Enzymes for piano Op. 583
Plankton for 2 pianos and large ensemble and Op. 504 and
Prophilactic Prognosis for piano Op. 589.

[jayne lee wilson]

Two of the best and most recent...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Holmboe-Concertos-Erik-Heide/dp/B00AOALXJI/ref=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1429724055&sr=1-2&keywords=holmboe

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Holmboe-Chamber-Symphonies-Lapland-Orchestra/dp/B0081UG17M/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1429724147&sr=1-4&keywords=holmboe

either as CDs or 24/96, etc...

And this...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Holmboe-Four-Symphonic-Metamorphoses-Vagn/dp/B0000268PM/ref=sr_1_5?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1429724372&sr=1-5&keywords=holmboe

Point about these three is their more direct & immediately expressive style compared to the greater rigours of the symphonies...good place to start!
...not that I feel any serious listener would feel anything but rewarded by ploughing - no, adventuring, through the symphonic cycle... it might take a little time though!

[EdgeleyRob]

I think the 9th symphony is amazing.
Some others I find a bit uninteresting.
I haven't listened to all of them yet.
The string quartets,I've heard most of them,are a different matter.
An extraordinary cycle that seems to have much more to say,well to me at least.

[DublinJimbo]

It was through a combination of the symphonies and the string quartets that I got to know Holmboe. I collected all of these assiduously as they appeared, and then added everything else I could find (mainly from BIS and Dacapo).

Apart from the symphonies and the string quartets, I have a soft spot for the Sinfonias, especially when performed/listened to in the Kairos configuration. The Preludes for Sinfonietta (with their Takemitsu-like titles) are also deeply rewarding, and many of the Chamber Concertos are worth seeking out.

[Beef Oven!]

[jayne lee wilson]

From 2013.....

Stunning Holmboe album - Tomter/Heide/Norrkoping SO/Slobodeniouk (Da Capo CD/SACD or 24/192 2013).

The Viola Concerto and the 2nd Violin Concerto, here recorded for the first time, date from 1992 and 1979 respectively, so if you know Holmboe's tersely compelling Symphonies 11-13, you'll relate them to that concision of means, intensity of argument and variety of mood. But here the solo roles have brought out a warmer, more immediate, more lyrical vein in Holmboe's inspiration as we move from epic drama, through elegy and tenderness to a life-goes-on geniality. There's a striking folk rhythm and inflection here which the notes explain feed off Jewish and Balkan sources - the orchestra declaims, the soloist follows with recitative, dance, or rhapsody. But the viola isn't only husky and dark, it's often gypsyish - rustic, robust and very upbeat. The orchestral violas are used to great effect in the Violin Concerto too.

Both works are in 2 movements, but with much continuous metamorphosis, so the 2nd movement of the Viola Concerto is an allegro-andante-vivace and so on. Try the opening of the viola concerto - you'll soon be gripped by the wild stamping dance, then the orchestra holds its breath for the Viola's recitative - it's quite wonderful! Or the opening of the affetuoso part 2 of the Violin Concerto, a gorgeous horn solo against darkly cushioning strings, as the violin begins its lovely rhapsody. The conclusions of both concertos may seem a little low-key, but as ever Holmboe gives no concession to rhetoric - he says what he has to say and leaves the stage. His art is about Process, not outcome - better to travel than to arrive perhaps, so take your pleasures in the journey - the scenery is worth pulling over for.

Between the String Concertos is the very early Concerto for Orchestra, composed when he was 20; showing it's influences, yes, but very inventively so, and fascinating to hear Holmboe's own voice emerging from them.

The De Capo recording is lovely - rich and full - and you have the choice at Da Capo or eclassical of lossless, CD or files all the way up to 24/192. I took the highvalue lossless from eclassical, and very fine it is.