Rawsthorne, Alan (1905 - 71)

[Serial_Apologist]

I like the phrase "capitalist realism"

Thanks Richard. Probably someone else's invention, though I like to think of it as mine!

[ahinton]

The fact too that Alans Bush and Rawsthorne were both Communists were factors in their marginalisation by the BBC and other promoters cannot also be overlooked, which is ironic, given their favoured state's strictures on artistic expression at the time, and should no longer be a bar to hearing the music of quality both men wrote.

But reprehensible as this attitude was at that time (and let's not forget that BBC actually banned Bush's music for a short while - during WWII, if I remember correctly - until the intervention of Vaughan Williams on his behalf put a stop to this), I really don't think that it's standing in the way of performances of either's work today; I could of course be wrong about that, but somehow I rather doubt it.

What of course has happened is that capitalist realism, or what procures the most profitable turnover quickest, has taken over from Stalinist realism, or a notion of appealing to the masses by preaching down to them - both amounting to much the same thing, in the end - with only a brief window of about 20 years' worth of enlightened thinking and programming allowed to intrude upon thinking within the hallowed portals of Broadcasting House and elsewhere.

If that's the case, then I imagine that many composers would suffer as a direct consequence, not only those who are no longer with us and espoused some form of socialism while they were (such as the equally overlooked Bernard Stevens, for example).

[EdgeleyRob]

... mostly agree ER but I feel LVB just shades it ..

I'm still struggling with Pastoral Symphonies and Pecking Orders.

It's not rocket science guys

1.Vaughan Williams
2.Rawsthorne
3.Beethoven
4.Glazunov

[ardcarp]

I don't want to spoil anyone's pastoral fun or to be a party pooper. But any comparisons of later 'pastoral' symphonies with Beethoven's are, well, pointless. Musical language had moved on from Beethoven's essentially classical palette (which, from an expressive point of view, limits him to almost naive literalism) to allow more fundamentally emotional aspects of 'pastoral' ideals to be explored. However, LvB's symphony is a GREAT work for totally different reasons. I've been lucky enough to conduct it and to discover how it works on two levels. Audiences can simply love it for its programmatic elements and 'good tunes', but better acquaintance brings a realisation of Beethoven's radicalism....and of course genius. I had supposed hardened orchestral players might regard The Sixth as something of a lightweight, but not a bit of it. And as Pabmusic has pointed out to me, trombones were first head in this symphony, as it was in fact performed before the 5th.