Première recording of Percy Sherwood's Double Concerto

[petershott@btinternet.com]

Actually, Alan, if you look under 'News' on the John Andrews website you'll read that the release is scheduled for 'Christmas'.  That's a wee bit better than 'forthcoming', and had it been released at the end of December it would have been a most welcome event. I'm pretty much down in the dumps about our prospects for 2017, but if this much awaited disc does appear then that will be at least one good thing about the new year. I notice that none of the usual retailers seem to be including it in their lists of forthcoming releases.

[Mark Thomas]

Hmm, well, it's now January 2017 and, as you say Peter, there is no sign of it. Pretty much par for the course I'm afraid. For a recording supposedly paid for by crowd-funding, this lack of information is quite scandalous. Such a shame.

[Alan Howe]

I doubt that it's anywhere near being released yet. But I'd love to be proved wrong...

[eschiss1]

In connection with an earlier post in this thread (the performance, not the still-no-information-that-I-know-of recording-release) I notice there's a page and photos on Facebook on John Andrews' page there (see Album of Sherwood Recording Sessions in June 2016 (may require account to view)) .

(His page also has some information on his other concerts and recordings, including the Dutton issue of Sullivan incidental music.)

[Alan Howe]

Yes, the conductor's website is still showing the recording as 'forthcoming':
http://www.johnkandrews.com/discography/

[Mark Thomas]

On the other hand the website dedicated to the project still shows that only £5,137 has been donated towards the £10,500 projected cost - which seems remarkably cheap, by the way. I find the lack of information and overall confusion surrounding this crowd-funding project quite lamentable. My attitude now, apart from being relieved that I didn't donate to it, is that the release will happen when it happens and I'm not going to waste any more time speculating about when that'll be.

[giles.enders]

Is it to be released by Dutton ?

[Gareth Vaughan]

No. By EM Records, Em Marshall's record label - the founder and organiser of the English Music Festival. The latest news on the website of EM records has this paragraph:

"Last month we returned to Watford Colosseum to record Cowen's Symphony no.5 and the magnificent Concerto for Violin and Cello by Percy Sherwood with the BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by John Andrews, and with violinist Rupert Marshall-Luck and cellist Joseph Spooner. The Sherwood is a big-boned, substantial, intense, passionate and romantic work, bursting with energy and vigour, which dates from the early years of the twentieth century. It was given its première performance at the 2016 English Music Festival, at which it was clear both from the highly virtuosic performance, and the reception with which the work was accorded (including a spontaneous round of applause at the end of the first movement), that its erstwhile neglect has been wholly unjustified, and that we have discovered a truly romantic masterpiece."

[Alan Howe]

That entry is, of course, getting on for a year old!

[Gareth Vaughan]

I didn't realise it was THAT old. But, if true, it would suggest the recording is in the can. However, does that mean we may endure a CPO-like delay in seeing it released? Mark's attitude is, I think, the best: just forget about it and if and when it appears it will be a nice surprise!

[Alan Howe]

Oh, I'm sure it's in the can. It's just that, as a Sherwood fan, I'm impatient to see it released!

[Gareth Vaughan]

Well, moi aussi.

[Mark Thomas]

I've emailed Em Marshall-Luck in the hope that we can get some clarity, but I imagine that she's tied up with the English Music Festival at present and so don't expect an early reply.

[Alan Howe]

Thanks, Mark.

[Mark Thomas]

Em Marshall-Luck has replied very quickly: "We're currently at the final-edit stage, which means that it will then take us another couple of months to set and finalise the booklet, and we hope to release the disc in the Autumn."

Which is very good news.