Sherwood from Dutton

[Alan Howe]

I understand that Dutton will actually be releasing Percy Sherwood's 2nd Piano Concerto in E flat (1931-2, written when he was living at Nayland in Suffolk) as part of their next batch of releases in February.

[albion]

Amazing! Thanks for this tantalising advance notice, Alan.

[M. Henriksen]

I'm not familiar with Percy Sherwood's music at all. But I've read "his" topic on this forum of course! What should I expect from this composer?


Morten

[Alan Howe]

Having been a pupil of Draeseke in Dresden and later taught there, his music - at least up to WW1 - reflects that background. I sent a copy of Sherwood's 3rd Symphony to the late Dr Alan H. Krueck who was the preeminent Draeseke scholar of the modern era, and he described the music as follows:

<<In general his music belongs to the German tradition of his time. His Symphony no.3  gives evidence of a first-class, professional composer, using the harmonic vocabulary of the period with its Wagnerian overtones, but also showing a certain reserve.>> (private e-mail)

However, quite how Sherwood's music developed after WW1 we don't know - I have only had the time to go quickly through the collection held in the Bodleian at Oxford to see what was there. We must remember that Sherwood seems not to have returned to Germany after the Great War, so it all depends whether he continued to write in the same tradition or moved away from it. The Dutton release should give some answers, though, as PC2 dates from 1931-2...

[M. Henriksen]

Thank you Alan for your informative answer. Percy Sherwood's music seems to be right up my alley, it will be interesting to explore.


Morten

[Mark Thomas]

I must say that I am agog at the prospect of at last hearing something by Sherwood. Whilst it's relatively and gratifyingly common nowadays to hear a novelty from a composer I've never heard of before, it's still a red letter day to hear a first work from a composer I've read about and wondered about for years but whose music I never thought there was any realistic prospect of hearing. The risk of disappointment is very high, of course, but the promise is still tantalising.

Umm, I could have phrased that a whole lot better, but I hope that you get the gist....

[eschiss1]

As his first cello sonata is @IMSLP, I'm a little surprised, if not surprised enough, that some pianist and cellist who know each other haven't decided to tackle it and upload a recording (there's at least one violin and piano duo that seems to have done something like that in similar cases.) Maybe too difficult? Ah well. (yes, there's something I'm missing that's incredibly stupid. I'm missing it, not being intentionally dense. Ok?)

[albion]

I'm a little surprised [...] that some pianist and cellist who know each other haven't decided to tackle it

On 21st November there will be a fifty-minute recital of Sherwood's music for Cello and Piano at Southampton University given by Joseph Spooner and David Owen Norris -

http://www.soton.ac.uk/humanities/news/events/2011/11/21_lunch_with_percy_sherwood.page

Perhaps something may result from this?

[Alan Howe]

Perhaps something may result from this?

I can guarantee it 

[eschiss1]

Great! (and following Klengel's example they could always arrange his violin sonata for cello and extend their program a bit- ok, joking. (Ah, and I see that the 2nd cello sonata op.15 -is- at Dresden library, though one has to search under "Sonate" to find it )

[Martin Eastick]

Having heard Joseph Spooner and David Owen Norris in a performance of the1st Cello Sonata at a Remembrance Day concert last Thursday, I can safely say that you will not be disappointed with this music!
At a first hearing of the finished article (although I did hear them 'reading through' the work a few months ago) I have to say that Brahms is not a minor influence IMHO.

I have lent my printed scores of both the cello sonatas and also a set of 3 pieces Op14 to the artists and I understand that a further set of 5 smaller pieces have been added (from the material held at the Bodleian) making a generous potential CD proposition! We now have to just sit back and wait a little!......

[Alan Howe]

Great! Thanks, Martin.

[Jimfin]

Are there any more rumours about the next lot of Duttons? I am sure I'm not alone in counting the months between their releases. While I'm still happily getting to know the last delicious batch (and catching up with some 'backnumbers', one always looks forward to more. I'm hoping that after their release in March of Havergal Brian works, they may do some more of his, especially as Marco Polo seem to have stopped.