British Music for Strings 1, from cpo - Parry & Elgar

[Sharkkb8]

"British Music for Strings" will be brought out by cpo, tantalizingly labeled "vol. 1".  Contains the English Suite by Parry, the Organ Sonata by Elgar in an arrangement for string orchestra, as well as a considerably-later piece by Gordon Jacob.  Presto shows a release date of 27 Nov, Amazon (USA) shows 8 Jan, don't see it yet at Amazon UK.

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8854616--british-music-for-strings

https://smile.amazon.com/British-Music-Strings-Elgar-Bostock/dp/B08LJXRFFW/ref=sr_1_168?dchild=1&fst=as%3Aoff&qid=1605568606&refinements=p_n_date%3A1249114011&rnid=1249111011&s=music&sr=1-168

cpo:  "Our first CD featuring music for string orchestra by British composers presents works by Hubert Parry, Edward Elgar, and Gordon Jacob.......... Parry demonstrates his sovereign command of a whole range of different techniques and textures in his First Suite for String Orchestra and succeeds in producing a full, one-of-a-kind sound: Very British, indeed! Edward Elgar's Organ Sonata represents a special case on this CD, where it is heard in the version for string orchestra by Hans Kunstovny. Some authors even earlier spoke of the sonata as a »thwarted symphony« because of its structure and design. The premiere of Kunstovny's Elgar arrangement was held in Pforzheim in October 2006 under Sebastian Tewinkel before Douglas Bostock included it in his program in January 2020. The present recording was produced following this concert. Kunstovny, who assigned the subtitle »Swinnerton's Dream« to his arrangement, was also present; it refers to the organist and choral conductor Charles Swinnerton Heap, the sonata's dedicatee, who lent his support to Elgar's works during the last decade of the nineteenth century."

[eschiss1]

I'd gripe that their first disc in such a series could be devoted to works composed for strings, not arrangements - there's _lots_ of English music entirely for strings. (A serenade and suite by Bantock come to mind...)

[matesic]

Agreed, this seems a bit pointless to me too. The Organ Sonata is a BIG NOISE that Gordon Jacob realised magnificently in orchestral colours. Elgar himself in much later years showed what he could conjure from an organ work when given a full orchestra to play on. I should really wait until I've heard this arrangement for strings, but the concept seems to me to be misguided. The Vesper Voluntaries OTOH...

[semloh]

Gosh, this seems like an opportunity wasted. As Eric says, there's so much English music for strings that cries out for a recording. I believe the Parry and the Elgar are still readily available in excellent versions. I hope Vol.2 will offer something truly Unsung!

[Wheesht]

I'm not sure what will be on Vol. 2, but Vol. 3 has already been recorded and will offer world premiere recordings only, according to Douglas Bostock's own website.

British Women Composers
The Southwest German Chamber Orchestra and their Principal Conductor, Douglas Bostock, recoded Volume 3 of the CD series "British Music for Strings" for the German CPO label 16 - 19 November. Aided by the eminent expert on all things connected with British music, Lewis Foreman, Douglas put together a programme of music by female composers, all of which are world premiere recordings.

The oldest work is a Suite for Strings in E major, Op. 1a by the doyenne of Lady composers in Great Britain, Dame Ethel Smyth (1858-1944), originally written for string quintet (like Schubert's, with two cellos) as Op. 1 in 1883. Her own reworking of the score for string orchestra is lost. The last recorded performance was in 1890. Douglas reconstructed the double bass part and retouched some details of the scoring to recreate the Suite. History being recreated in sound!

The other composers are Susan Spain-Dunk (who was championed by Sir Henry Wood), Constance Warren and Ruth Gipps (whose 2nd Symphony Douglas recorded some years ago as part of the "British Symphonic Collection"). The CD will be issued in the first half of 2021.

[eschiss1]

Since the original Op.1 of Dame Smyth has been recorded a few times already, calling the arrangement a world premiere may be pushing it, but - we'll see I guess?  As to Spain-Dunk, a phantasy string quartet of hers (published 1915) in D minor - her 2nd quartet - has been made available by Merton and redistributed by IMSLP, and I wouldn't mind hearing her music myself; Constance Warren is a new name to me as of this moment, and several orchestral, concertante and other works of Gipps were uploaded to this site before "etc." and may still be available on YouTube (the aforementioned 2nd symphony received its US premiere recently, fwiw, I think?...) If I were to guess, the Gipps work might be her Leviathan for contrabassoon and strings, but that's just a guess, and I don't know that for sure... I don't know what else she wrote for string orchestra (or arranged from string quartet or quintet- in regards which, most importantly:

BOO HISS, cpo, to take up early volumes of a series like this with arrangements.  And arrangements of better-known works, at that. Seriously? WTH.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Well, vol. 3 sounds a bit more interesting than vol. 1. But as Eric says, there is a vast amount of good and interesting British music for strings which remains unrecorded without wasting  time on arrangements. As well as the pieces by Bantock which Eric mentions, there is Holbrooke's Suite "Les Hommages" and 3 pieces for strings by Roger Sacheverell Coke, as well as music by Walter Gaze Cooper - just for starters.

[eschiss1]

And yet most of vol.3 (well, hrm, how long is that quintet? maybe 20 minutes-30- ok, maybe not most.) is an arrangement...

Also I'd add, though cpo may already have done, Frederic Cowen's 4 English dances for strings. (I think.)

Edit 2: Cecil Armstrong Gibbs' A Spring Garland (Op.84), suite for string orchestra (© 1937, Boosey), one of several string-orchestra works he wrote. (If concertante works are added, his piano concertino uses string orchestra accompaniment. Etc. ...!)

Edit 3: Constance Warren's dates are 1905-1984, so her piece may have a high chance of not being appropriate for this group?...

[Gareth Vaughan]

Ernest Austin wrote a delightful set of Variations on "The Vicar of Bray" for string orchestra (pub. Novello, 1911) and both Thomas Dunhill and Robin Milford wrote a number of works for strings alone and also for various solo instruments and strings.
I am, however, very pleased to see that the music of Susan Spain-Dunk is getting an airing. A ms copy of the score and parts of her Suite for String Orchestra is in Fleisher (5 movts.: Prelude, Interlude, Romance, Scherzo, Finale).
As to Constance Warren, the only piece of hers that I have heard - an Idyll for piano - is tonal and would be at home on this forum. I think it is available on a Naxos CD. No, sorry, Grand Piano: "A hundred years of British piano miniatures" (GP 789).