Brian's 'Gothic' at the Proms 2011?

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

The second and last of my 'Gothic' footage. From cataclysm to serenity. The ovation lasts forever...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oMxbxI3l18

[Mark Thomas]

You were obviously quite close to Alan and I. Brought it all back....

[Paul Barasi]

Just wondering where folks rank the Gothic in the whole of Brian's work: anything you like better?

[Alan Howe]

Nope!

[eschiss1]

the 4th, I think- but I've heard 3 performances by now (broadcast, not live)... (Malcolm/Calum MacDonald, in the third volume of his books on the composer's symphonies, places the 1st out of combat- in the sense of in its own category- for various reasons but thinks the 4th the best of the rest. That may be closer, really, I guess.  There are others I think are really close, mind...)

[Alan Howe]

For me the 4th is a pretty intractable juggernaut of a symphony with very little to enjoy. But I'm not a  Brian fan in general...

[albion]

Just wondering where folks rank the Gothic in the whole of Brian's work: anything you like better?

The Gothic (as a totality) is such a peculiar creation that I think it stands to one side of Brian's general symphonic output. Having said that, I tend to regard the two sections as essentially separate works (in spite of the thematic and motivic links between Part I and Part II), and would therefore include Part I amongst the following list of my top favourites -

Symphony No.1, The Gothic - Part I
Symphony No.5, Wine of Summer
Symphony No.6, Sinfonia Tragica
Symphony No.8
Symphony No.10
Symphony No.16
Symphony No.27
Symphony No.30

I also really enjoy numbers 3, 7, 9 and 15 and I suspect that if there was a first-rate recording of No.2 I would have to add that to the list as well!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

My sister and I were in the Stalls, block K, row 1, seat 57 and 58. My sister was sat next to composer and Brian lover John Pickard, who was partly instrumental in getting Martyn Brabbins interested in conducting 'The Gothic' in the first place.

I also place 'The Gothic' hors concours. It is a one-off, sui generis and has to be appreciated on its own merits. If 'The Tigers' is ever put on stage or disc (more likely), the same thing will apply. Both are works of absolute and unbidden inspiration, and are partially beyond aesthetics. Hence their fascination.

As for rating Brian's symphonies... I have a soft spot for several of them that aren't perhaps in the first league, like 13, 14, 17, 19, 24. But works that show Brian at his best are, for me, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 18, 22, 27, 28, 30. I have to admit, though, I like them all, every symphony has a passage, an orchestral detail, an idea, that is peculiar to it and remains with you. But that's love for you.

[albion]

Outside the symphonies, I also rate very highly the three main pre-war orchestral scores, For Valour, In Memoriam and Dr Merryheart.

Apart from The Tigers, Brian's operas still remain something of an unknown quantity and I'm really looking forward to the disc of orchestral excerpts from Turandot, Faust and The Cenci which will form volume 2 of Toccata's Brian mini-series (TOCC0113).

I'm still getting to grips with the Concerto for Orchestra and the Cello Concerto, courtesy of Dutton, but I like what I hear very much - more so in fact than the Violin Concerto.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I have come to like both the Concerto for Orchestra and the Cello Concerto very much. They are very approachable and could be a way for people to get acquainted with Brian's late style the 'easy' way.

Of the orchestral works I love 'Elegy' (though the radio performance is better than the one on the new Toccata disc, I am sorry to say) and the 'Fantastic Variations', too (which the Hull Youth Orchestra does best (!))

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Here is a link to a review which compares all the performances of 'The Gothic' now available (to the enthusiast). It is long, but it makes for interesting reading...

https://sites.google.com/site/recordingmaninoz/gothicreview

[Mark Thomas]

What an absolutely fascinating review, although for me the comparison of the recording quality, as opposed to the quality of the performance, rather misses the point. The discussion of the problem of choirs going off-pitch in the a capella section in the Judex is especially interesting and the inventive solution to the problem adopted in the Curro performance is quite startling!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Yes, they have been quite ingenious down under! As for comparing the recording quality and not the quality of the performance, well, the writer is a sound engineer and assesses the relative merits of the currently available performances from that particular perspective. But let's hope that in the coming months someone will give us a musical analysis, too!

[TerraEpon]

I listened to the recording of this -- right after the one from last year in fact (yes, I listened to this piece twice in a row!), and man I absolutely agree. I would love to buy this version.....though I suspect if it were to be released, they wouldn't be as generous as Marco Polo/Naxos with the track separation.

[Alan Howe]

Try this insightful article...
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2011/July11/Brian_critics.htm