Bliss - Colour Symphony with Boult or Barbirolli ?

Started by mjkFendrich, Tuesday 10 July 2012, 11:15

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mjkFendrich

Does anyone know, whether there have been performances and - hopefully - some recordings of
Bliss' Colour Symphony with Boult (to whom this work has been dedicated) or Barbirolli?

I've grown up with Groves' classical EMI recording on LP and also Handley's version on Chandos CD.
Listening to the great remastered performances of Alwyn's #1+2 with Barbirolli (from Dutton) I've just
wondered if there are similar treasures in the case of Bliss.

secondfiddle

Barbirollli seems to have conducted very little Bliss. Boult must have conducted the Colour Symphony a number of times while at the BBC (unless Bliss himself was available as he was a fine cionductor of his own works). I remember attending a RFH performance of Boult with, I think, the LPO, when he gave a rare hearing of the Colour Symphony, in the 70s. But I don't remember a broadcast performance of the work under Boult from the mid-60s on and, as a great admirer of Boult, I am not aware of any off-air performance of the work by him, sadly.