The Prince and the Composer (Parry)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Oh, well. What more is there to say?

[salymap]

I've just watched the first 45 minutes and enjoyed it mostly. Shall watch the remainder tomorrow but are we going to learn anything about Parry's larger works soon? I hope so.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

... and the Magnificat

[ardcarp]

They did spend some time on the 5th Symphony, editing beteween snippets of a rehearsal (with background gossip) and a concert-hall performance. I was personally grateful that a chunk of the programme was dedicated to this. Googling for a CD of Parry's 5th, I could only find a box set with Boult conducting costing over £70. Can anyone recommend a single (cheaper) CD? I don't do downloads BTW.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

This one is cheaper.

[Roehre]

Ardcarp, there should be a Parry 5 on Chandos, and either one has been released, or will be shortly, on Naxos.

[Roehre]

This one is cheaper.

and IMO value for money

[hafod]

and IMO value for money

...and at £11.99 (free postage) even cheaper here

http://www.play.com/Music/CD/4-/18736348/British-Composers-Elgar-Stanford-Parry/Product.html?searchtype=cdall&searchsource=0&searchstring=parry&urlrefer=search&strefer=cdall&searchfilters=s%7bparry%7d%2bc%7b34%7d%2bae55%7bMusic+CD%7d%2b

[Nick Armstrong]

...and at £11.99 (free postage) even cheaper here

http://www.play.com/Music/CD/4-/1873...Music+CD%7d%2b

that's good value! £2.40 a disc. Can't say fairer than that!

[Chris Newman]

There is a fair selection of snippets of orchestral music by Parry on YouTube mostly conducted by Matthias Bamert. It is all new to me. Some of it is (IMO) first rate European Late Romantic music worthy of comparison with Brahms, Elgar, Dvorak, Janacek, Mahler, Strauss and RVW. Symphonies 4 and 5 and the Symphonic Variations in E Minor (seems a favourite Parry key) are particularly catching my attention. The latter piece starts off sounding like English Brahms before suddenly bursting into something akin to Elgar's German Dances married with Janacek's dramatic whimsy. I am ashamed to think that like many people I have been diverted all these years by unfounded prejudices and now have John Bridcut and HRH to thank for enlightenment.

[ardcarp]

Thanks for the tips. £11.99 is within budget.

[ahinton]

There is a fair selection of snippets of orchestral music by Parry on YouTube mostly conducted by Matthias Bamert. It is all new to me. Some of it is (IMO) first rate European Late Romantic music worthy of comparison with Brahms, Elgar, Dvorak, Janacek, Mahler, Strauss and RVW. Symphonies 4 and 5 and the Symphonic Variations in E Minor (seems a favourite Parry key) are particularly catching my attention. The latter piece starts off sounding like English Brahms before suddenly bursting into something akin to Elgar's German Dances married with Janacek's dramatic whimsy. I am ashamed to think that like many people I have been diverted all these years by unfounded prejudices and now have John Bridcut and HRH to thank for enlightenment.

I somehow wish that I could share your enthusiasm. I'd be the first to admit that some kind of reappraisail of Parry is both long overdue and well deserved, but what IS his place in the music of Britain in his day? The overbearing feeling of second-rate and/or second-hand Elgar seems never too far away and the virtues of his work seem largely to be confined to decent workmanlike craftsmanship rather than the kinds of persistently engaging ideas that permeate Alassio, the symphonies, the violin concerto and Gerontius by that other composer. Yes, let's indeed hear it for CHHP but, at the same time, let's not fall into the trap of over-estimating the previously under-estimated!

I've not seen the programme so cannot comment except to say that, if HRH hadn't even heard one of Parry's most well-known works ntil relatively recently, one might well wonder whether he was the most appropriate presenter of a programme about some who has largely been a long neglected composer. As to HRH's speaking, his articulacy seems to vary quite wildly from circumstnace to circumstance in my experience.

[ardcarp]

I've not seen the programme so cannot comment except to say that, if HRH hadn't even heard one of Parry's most well-known works ntil relatively recently, one might well wonder whether he was the most appropriate presenter of a programme about some who has largely been a long neglected composer. As to HRH's speaking, his articulacy seems to vary quite wildly from circumstnace to circumstance in my experience.

I suppose even if HRH's musical sensibilities fall merely within the 'he knows what he likes' category, at least he has some. Makes a change from shooting large animals and taking a punt on the 3.30 at Newmarket.

On the subject of 'lesser' composers, we do get an awful lot of well-crafted, well-played but definitely 2nd-rate Baroque stuff splurged out at us. There must surely be an argument for airing the not-quite-top-notch stuff from later eras. And I don't even think Parry was 2nd-rate. As someone said on the programme, he was unfortunate that Elgar popped up. I was personally impressed with Symphony 5 and thought it was more than just 'well-wrought'. It was quite forward-looking to give its movements names such as 'Stress', 'Love', etc. Mid-19th century England was musically moribund, and it was the likes of Parry, looking for inspiration from Germany, who rescued the situation. It is interesting that Vaughan Williams, who was one to break new ground in terms of musical language and structure nevertheless avowed his indebtedness to Sir H.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The overbearing feeling of second-rate and/or second-hand Elgar seems never too far away

Hardly second-hand, as most of his work predates Elgar's major compositions. Possibly second-hand Brahms though.

[salymap]

Apart from the well-known pieces by Parry, I always thought of him as a past Director of the RCM and as Wiki says, 'his academic duties prevented him from giving full attention to composition.' I'm not saying that it would have made a lot of difference but 23 years as Director of the RCM was some job, I should have thought.