Brian's 'Gothic' at the Proms 2011?

[albion]

If a tie-in recording is being planned for this truly historic event, my first (entirely unsubstantiated) guess would be Chandos, but who knows?

There is no indication yet as to whether or not this performance will be televised - hopefully for the programmers such a spectacle as The Gothic will prove hard to resist! 

[eschiss1]

doesn't Brabbyns usually record for Hyperion?

[albion]

Martyn Brabbins is not exclusively a Hyperion artist (vide Dutton Epoch), but somehow this just has the Chandos 'feel' about it!

[Alan Howe]

Brabbins has certainly recorded British repertoire for Chandos before...

[eschiss1]

(In a happy coincidence-or-not for Brian, an announcer on Radio 3 in the morning played a movement from his 5th English Suite a couple of days ago. They haven't, I believe, deteriorated quite as far as I keep hearing (though a disappointment compared to what I'm used to, but head and shoulders above most US stations still) - but rare that they play Brian anymore despite the quantity and quality of what's in their archives... this was from the new Toccata CD.)

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Hello! I am a great Brian lover from the Netherlands and a long-standing member of the HBS. I think I recognise Albion from another forum I am active on, too. I found this site looking for reactions to yesterday's confirmation of the 'Gothic' performance. As far as the televising of the event is concerned, it would be great, but according to the programme it's not going to happen, more's the pity.

[Pengelli]

Ah,the fools. But then again,we'd probably have to sit there watching some of their so called critics picking it apart. But then again,we could just switch it off at the end!
Now we KNOW the bbc are fools! No doubt they'll make up by filling up their schedule with their usual drivel. Thank god for dvd's!
I hope they change their mind though.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

There is of course a limit to what the BBC can spend and setting it all up in the hall, crammed with 6000 people listening to 1000 musicians, is perhaps impossible? But a missed opportunity it is.

[petershott@btinternet.com]

Bah! Not impressed with this talk of 'limits'. The institution, once glorious, is now obviously run by philistines and those who pander to the mob. At the forthcoming bash at the Abbey, when the celebs conjoin with the aristocrats, without doubt there will be a BBC camera positioned at every nook and cranny of the place. Same with a major event in the world of sport. A two hour performance in the Albert Hall is a trifle in comparison. They will have rigged the place up with microphones for the Prom broadcast. Why not include some cameras? Short-sighted, miserable people!

[albion]

And it would take no more trouble than it did to televise Mahler's 8th last year!!! 

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Well, Mahler is a star, and Brian isn't (yet). Perhaps next time. But I'm glad the 'Gothic' will be performed. That is something to be grateful for.

[Pengelli]

I had been visualising myself sitting down in front of it!
Typical!
Oh well,back to my Bob Hope 'Thanks for the Memories' dvd set.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I wonder if members here know about the excellent introductory talk on the music of Havergal Brian by Malcolm MacDonald (with illustrations), recently recorded especially for the site of the HBS:

http://www.havergalbrian.org/hb_mm.mp3

[eschiss1]

it took effort, patience and exposure to their music (under his own conducting, in the former case) before Mahler and Bruckner became 'stars', of course... likewise a lot of composers temporarily forgotten, whether they were earlier momentarily somewhat well-known or not...

[Amphissa]

What is your favorite recording of Brian's Gothic other than Boult? Either CD or broadcast.

The Boult has huge forces and the excitement of a great event. But the audio is not so great.