Buried in their website (found by a number search!) are four new releases:
http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=CDLX7279 (http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=CDLX7279)
http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=CDLX7278 (http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=CDLX7278)
http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=CDLX7277 (http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=CDLX7277)
http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=CDLX7275 (http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=CDLX7275)
Frustratingly the Widor disc has the 'wrong' track details linked to it, as it is surprsing that it is being released within weeks of the Hyperion RPC Vol 55.
The Benjamin and Holbrooke CDs were known to be on their way for a few months now, but the Converse will be inetresting.
Hrm- as to the mislabeled Widor description... - American Sketches- music by Converse?...
The Benjamin CD will be especially interesting - such a fine composer.
Hmmmm from me too.
Not quite sure what is happening with Dutton. The recent decision to diversify into issuing non-British music is slightly odd considering the marvellous job the company has done for a number of years now in promoting British music which had, in most cases, never previously been recorded. There is still so much they can do. I used to look forward three times a year to being able to count on around four new Dutton cds of unfamiliar British music that I would certainly buy. Now, it seems, there will be much less.
If Dutton is indeed releasing the Widor Piano Concertos a month after Hyperion are doing the same that appears a trifle silly.
I didn't see a release date?? Or are these already on the market in the UK?
Jerry
I imagine that they will be released soon-ish. But there appears to be no official date as yet.
November....I think :)
That would certainly be about right...
QuoteIf Dutton is indeed releasing the Widor Piano Concertos a month after Hyperion are doing the same that appears a trifle silly.
An understatement if ever there was one. It's disturbing that Dutton seem to wish to expand their area of repertoire. There is so much good English music that needs recording. Trespassing on Hyperion's RPC territory seems silly. OK, they gave us a disk of Godard's 1st PC and the Introduction & Allegro, but not the 2nd PC. Now these works I know were on Mike Spring's list to record for Hyperion. He would have given us both PCs and the Intro. & Allegro - but now it is unlikely that Hyperion will bother to record a Godard CD in the RPC series, so we shall be deprived of the 2nd PC, unless someone else issues it.
Quote from: Gareth Vaughan on Wednesday 28 September 2011, 16:24
QuoteIf Dutton is indeed releasing the Widor Piano Concertos a month after Hyperion are doing the same that appears a trifle silly.
An understatement if ever there was one. It's disturbing that Dutton seem to wish to expand their atea of repertoire. There is so much good English music that needs recording. Trespassing on Hyperion's RPC territory seems silly. OK, they gave us a disk of Godard's 1st PC and the Introduction & Allegro, but not the 2nd PC. Now these works I know were on Mike Spring's list to record for Hyperion. He would have given us both PCs and the Intro. & Allegro - but now it is unlikely that Hyperion will bother to record a Godard CD in the RPC series, so we shall be deprived of the 2nd PC, unless someone else issues it.
I know a little (but only a little ;D) about the way record companies operate.Some employ repertoire managers, others are more the personal fiefdom of the owner. Decisions on what repertoire to record are based on a number of factors including commercial viability, current availability or non-availability of particular pieces of music on disc, personal taste and these vary from time to time and from company to company.
Given the profit margins on individual cds issued by the smaller companies I cannot see the sense in not making every possible effort to engage in more effective liaison between companies to avoid this sort of situation.
Or is this naive in the extreme?
It sounds to me like sound commercial (not to say common) sense.
Better let CPO and Cameo Classics know that Dutton are bringing out the Holbrooke Saxophone Concerto before we end up with a Saxophone Trio ;D
It's not always a bad thing to have duplication of repertoire - especially if a particular label produces a dud. But of course I understand the arguments against such duplication.
Quote from: Dundonnell on Wednesday 28 September 2011, 13:53Not quite sure what is happening with Dutton. The recent decision to diversify into issuing non-British music is slightly odd considering the marvellous job the company has done for a number of years now in promoting British music which had, in most cases, never previously been recorded. There is still so much they can do. I used to look forward three times a year to being able to count on around four new Dutton cds of unfamiliar British music that I would certainly buy. Now, it seems, there will be much less.
I also felt a slight pang of alarm at Dutton's 'toe-in-the-water' exploration of more nationally-diverse repertoire. Of course, this is purely selfish on my part - but I've come to regard Dutton as very much the modern-day equivalent of Lyrita. Like Dundonnell, every release-month has been such a treasurable event for several years now that I sincerely hope initiative and production will not tail-off. Having said that, a company that gives us two substantial works by Holbrooke (
Aucassin and Nicolette and the Saxophone Concerto) can't be all bad!
;)
Quote from: Dundonnell on Wednesday 28 September 2011, 16:36Given the profit margins on individual cds issued by the smaller companies I cannot see the sense in not making every possible effort to engage in more effective liaison between companies to avoid this sort of situation.
Or is this naive in the extreme?
Certainly, it is likely that two competing recordings of by-the-wayside repertoire
will effectively 'pinch' customers from each other. In this particular instance, many listeners intrigued by the prospect of hearing Widor's PCs will content themselves with one or the other. This is where communication is vital, and not only between MDs and A&R personnel: many members of this and other forums constantly lobby recording companies for specific works and many of us have personal or associative contacts within relevant organisations.
Anyway, I collected Macfarren's
Robin Hood and the Hyperion Stanford Cello disc from the record shop today, so these are top-priority for the moment!
;D
Quote from: Gareth Vaughan on Wednesday 28 September 2011, 16:24
QuoteIf Dutton is indeed releasing the Widor Piano Concertos a month after Hyperion are doing the same that appears a trifle silly.
An understatement if ever there was one. It's disturbing that Dutton seem to wish to expand their area of repertoire. There is so much good English music that needs recording. Trespassing on Hyperion's RPC territory seems silly. OK, they gave us a disk of Godard's 1st PC and the Introduction & Allegro, but not the 2nd PC. Now these works I know were on Mike Spring's list to record for Hyperion. He would have given us both PCs and the Intro. & Allegro - but now it is unlikely that Hyperion will bother to record a Godard CD in the RPC series, so we shall be deprived of the 2nd PC, unless someone else issues it.
I am in agreeance with the above. There is still an extremely rich vein of neglected English music yet to be mined. I am very disappointed..........for purely selfish reasons, I have to admit. However, the Holbrooke, the Benjamin and especially the Ronald Corp choral music (interestingly, Mr. Corp is also a Church of England priest) all sound mouth-watering.
More Rootham, W.H. Bell and some R. O. Morris pretty please!!!!!! ::)
Sincere regards,
Eric.
Quote from: RoothamRVWFinzi on Wednesday 28 September 2011, 18:26There is still an extremely rich vein of neglected English music yet to be mined. I am very disappointed..........for purely selfish reasons, I have to admit. However, the Holbrooke, the Benjamin and especially the Ronald Corp choral music (interestingly, Mr. Corp is also a Church of England priest) all sound mouth-watering.
More Rootham, W.H. Bell and some R. O. Morris pretty please!!!!!! ::)
Having digested the contents of the November release-schedule, I feel slightly more miffed than I did half-an-hour ago (see post above), although the Holbrooke is still a must-have. Dutton have assiduously striven to acquire a 'brand image' by providing a particular tasty product - as the makers of Coca-Cola and HP sauce will testify it is more than a trifle unwise to tamper with an essentially unbeatable formula.
::)
In
principle, it would be wonderful for Dutton to have a double-pronged approach and begin to satisfy 'other' niche markets (their Toivo Kuula disc got a rave review in the latest IRR), but if this is going to 'dilute' the British strand, I (for one) would be more than willing to contact them and express a very strong opinion.
>:(
QuoteBetter let CPO and Cameo Classics know that Dutton are bringing out the Holbrooke Saxophone Concerto before we end up with a Saxophone Trio
No chance of that. I advise both Cameo and CPO on their Holbrooke repertoire. You can rely on me to see that there is no duplication.
QuoteI (for one) would be more than willing to contact them and express a very strong opinion.
I will support you in that. Maybe we could draft a letter and collect a number of signatories.
Quote from: Gareth Vaughan on Wednesday 28 September 2011, 19:49
QuoteBetter let CPO and Cameo Classics know that Dutton are bringing out the Holbrooke Saxophone Concerto before we end up with a Saxophone Trio
No chance of that. I advise both Cameo and CPO on their Holbrooke repertoire. You can rely on me to see that there is no duplication.
Excellent :)
So we can expect "Apollo and the Seaman", Symphony No.3 "The Ships", "Queen Mab" to come can we? ;D
Quote from: Albion on Wednesday 28 September 2011, 18:45
Quote from: RoothamRVWFinzi on Wednesday 28 September 2011, 18:26There is still an extremely rich vein of neglected English music yet to be mined. I am very disappointed..........for purely selfish reasons, I have to admit. However, the Holbrooke, the Benjamin and especially the Ronald Corp choral music (interestingly, Mr. Corp is also a Church of England priest) all sound mouth-watering.
More Rootham, W.H. Bell and some R. O. Morris pretty please!!!!!! ::)
Having digested the contents of the November release-schedule, I feel slightly more miffed than I did half-an-hour ago (see post above), although the Holbrooke is still a must-have. Dutton have assiduously striven to acquire a 'brand image' by providing a particular tasty product - as the makers of Coca-Cola and HP sauce will testify it is more than a trifle unwise to tamper with an essentially unbeatable formula.
::)
In principle, it would be wonderful for Dutton to have a double-pronged approach and begin to satisfy 'other' niche markets (their Toivo Kuula disc got a rave review in the latest IRR), but if this is going to 'dilute' the British strand, I (for one) would be more than willing to contact them and express a very strong opinion.
>:(
I am more than happy to join in any approach to Dutton.
I know that Lewis Foreman advises the company on British repertoire and a good friend of mine is in regular, professional contact with him.
I will support you in that. Maybe we could draft a letter and collect a number of signatories.
I would certainly lend my name to that!!!!
QuoteSo we can expect "Apollo and the Seaman", Symphony No.3 "The Ships", "Queen Mab" to come can we?
You can expect "The Ships" and - possibly - "Queen Mab" at some stage in the not-too-distant future.
Quote from: RoothamRVWFinzi on Wednesday 28 September 2011, 20:29Maybe we could draft a letter and collect a number of signatories.
In all honesty, I think that more impact would come from a plethora of individual emails (or letters), all differently worded but all expressing (roughly) the same concerns: namely, that there is a very real perception that a broadening of the company's recording remit will irreparably weaken their pioneering commitment to hitherto-unrecorded British music.
One petitioning letter (however many signatures are attached to it) can be easily answered and then filed away under 'I' for 'irritating' or 'E' for 'eccentric opinion', whereas a whole raft of such complaints will need to be answered individually and thus create more of a stir amongst staff at the company concerned.
It is, of course, vital in any such communication to stress the wonderful things that Dutton
have achieved for British music and perhaps highlight (many) personal favourites from their extensive catalogue!
;)
Very sound advice, John :) Will send them an email.
I wrote to Dutton once before thanking the company for its work on behalf of Stanley Bate. I don't think that I got a reply....but never mind ;D
Yes, good thinking, John. I'll get on with it next week.
Does anyone know when they are planning to release the Catoire piano concerto? I know he's not British, but am still looking forward to it.
I couldn't sit still anymore. I just have to comment on some of the reactions to Dutton's latest releases. I'm not British myself, but British classical music has always been a area of special interest for me. And what a fantastic job labels like Lyrita, Chandos, Hyperion, Dutton and others have done to record and promote all this music. The latest years I have also seen Dutton as our main "supplier" of the British repertoire, and I'm honestly overwhelmed by the quality of their productions.
So when this company now starts to issue non-British repertoire I'm still a very happy man. Why? Well, I agree that this will to some extent "dilute the British strand" as Albion puts it. But I guess Dutton will continue recording British music. Just look at the forthcoming Benjamin and Holbrooke discs! And I'm sure there will be more in years to come.
Now the Widor recording is another matter. It's a risk for any company to record any romantic piano concertos now that Hyperion's RPC-series has become such a great trademark. And these recordings being released almost simultaneously doesn't make things better... for Dutton in this case. I believe the average customer will prefer the Hyperion disc simply because of the trademark RPC. But when you look at Dutton's latest "international" discs; the positive thing here is what music they actually record. I was thrilled to learn that they will release a Frederick Converse disc, and the Kuula disc is highly recommended.
To be honest, you British live in a dream come true for the lovers of unsung music. Where else do you find a recording industry specializing in classical music, so strong as on the British Isles? Germany maybe? Certainly not in Norway. But as many of you point out, your arguments are slightly selfish. I do understand, I myself do prefer Simax to record Norwegian music since there's still so much to record.
There is enormous amounts of music that deserves to be recorded, wherever the land of origin might be. I believe that Dutton will continue to let British music be the backbone of its catalogue, and I'm equally happy to see them record other unsung music from around the world. Now the Widor disc aside (not that it's unwanted, just bad timing maybe) I say keep them coming! Well done Dutton!
Morten
You make a number of very fair points and deserve a proper response.
Yes, we in Britain have been incredibly fortunate to have companies like Lyrita, Chandos, Hyperion and Dutton recording previously neglected British music. The contrast with most other countries is indeed acute.
Lyrita however have now worked through their back catalogue and have not released a cd for many months now while Chandos, having, so sadly, lost Richard Hickox, are employing Sir Andrew Davis and Edward Gardner but seem to be intent-in the main-to be re-recording British repertoire rather than looking further afield(the Bowen 1st and 2nd symphonies are an exception).
I have absolutely no difficulty with Dutton expanding into music from other countries but this move is clearly at the expense of the British Epoch series.
In March 2010 Dutton released 8 discs of British music, in July 7 discs, in November 7 discs, in March 2011 7 discs. Since then however the number has more than halved, 3 this June and 3 to be released probably in November.
Such a substantial cut in output is what is causing a number of us such concern.
I yield to no one in my amazement and enormous gratitude to Dutton for the fantastic job the company has done for British composers and for British music-lovers over the past few years. I have been collecting music for around half a century and I never imagined in my wildest dreams that much of the repertoire now available would ever grace my cd shelves. Dutton fully deserve all the praise they get.....but to more than halve their production is too much to accept without expressions of concern.
I can understand the concerns over which path Dutton will choose to go from here. Especially having the development of Chandos and Hyperion in mind. A couple of questions spring to my mind in this context: I know there's more high-quality British music to explore and record, but couldn't it be to the benefit of us all (globally thinking here!) that such an adventurous label as Dutton also record music with other origins? Take Frederick Converse for example, if Dutton doesn't do this then who will? I can't see many. And for all I know that record can be a revelation.
Should a record company, whatever the nationality, solely focus on the music of its own country just because of the nationality of the composers or look elsewhere to find exciting repertoire? Isn't documenting our musical heritage a common responsibility we all have to do?
For me, It's all about the quality of the music.
Morten
I know most of us think just in musical and cultural terms. But perhaps Dutton is finding it's market for just British music too limiting and feeling a need to expand their horizons? Perhaps they're experimenting by issuing the Converse disc in hopes of finding a larger niche in one of the larger markets in the world?
Instead of thinking in terms of why are they cutting back on production of British discs, we ought to be concerned about and asking the question: Why have the halved their production in recent months? Period. Is there more to it than just repertoire? Is it just a temporary phenomena or ????
Jerry
Quote from: Dundonnell on Thursday 29 September 2011, 12:51
You make a number of very fair points and deserve a proper response.
Yes, we in Britain have been incredibly fortunate to have companies like Lyrita, Chandos, Hyperion and Dutton recording previously neglected British music. The contrast with most other countries is indeed acute.
Lyrita however have now worked through their back catalogue and have not released a cd for many months now while Chandos, having, so sadly, lost Richard Hickox, are employing Sir Andrew Davis and Edward Gardner but seem to be intent-in the main-to be re-recording British repertoire rather than looking further afield(the Bowen 1st and 2nd symphonies are an exception).
I have absolutely no difficulty with Dutton expanding into music from other countries but this move is clearly at the expense of the British Epoch series.
In March 2010 Dutton released 8 discs of British music, in July 7 discs, in November 7 discs, in March 2011 7 discs. Since then however the number has more than halved, 3 this June and 3 to be released probably in November.
Such a substantial cut in output is what is causing a number of us such concern.
I yield to no one in my amazement and enormous gratitude to Dutton for the fantastic job the company has done for British composers and for British music-lovers over the past few years. I have been collecting music for around half a century and I never imagined in my wildest dreams that much of the repertopire now available would ever grace my cd shelves. Dutton fully deserve all the praise they get.....but to more than halve their production is too much to accept without expressions of concern.
Concern is being expressed for the simple reason that many of us absolutely love both the ethos and the achievement of Dutton's Epoch series - no doubt several members will have purchased virtually every release since the early days of the enterprise: as such, a close and affectionate relationship has developed between supplier and consumer.
If the product is attractive and the price is right, then you can build up a loyal following in any commercial sphere. For a decade, Dutton has actively fostered a relationship with enthusiasts for the many-faceted world of British music. It has done this in several ways - by astute choice or repertoire, by engaging performers of extremely high quality, and (most important of all) by creating an expectation amongst the company's many followers.
In Dutton's case, these standards are intimately bound up in the release-schedule - no other company has devoted itself so whole-heartedly to exploring British repertoire in exemplary performances since the days of Lyrita. To reiterate, this is a carefully calculated 'brand image'.
Yes, we
are very fortunate in this country to have such enterprising record companies and it is precisely for that reason that a dialogue is important - you never fully appreciate what you have until you don't have it any more. I certainly wish Dutton every success with their wider-recording enterprise and hope the company flourishes, but I will be more than a little sad to think that the 'glory days' for their committed advocacy of British music are now over. Of course, every reaction to a recording is by definition initially selfish - we want to hear what interest
us personally and
then share that enthusiasm with others: companies such as Dutton do not come along very often in the modern recording industry and their individual profile could be needlessly dissipated.
Sterling has undergone the same sort of change as Dutton several years ago. Once they were exclusively concentrated on Swedish composers, today Swedish composers are rare among their new releases. Personally, I'm sorry that this means that my chances of hearing orchestral works by composers like Einar Skagerberg and Sigurd von Koch are getting smaller, but on the other hand I think quite a few members of this Forum would not want to be without their releases of music by Raff and Noskowski, just to mention two names.
I could not agree more with what Albion has so eloquently written :)
Two more releases have been added to the website which I think will more than redeem Dutton for any suspected neglect of British music. I am especially excited about the Moeran!!
http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=CDLX7282 (http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=CDLX7282)
http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=CDLX7281 (http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=CDLX7281)
Brilliant! That ends our discussion for now I guess :)
Morten
Gosh, Moeran's 2nd?! I didn't know! Unfortunately the site doesn't explain who prepared these sketches for performance.
And the Overture.. I thought it was lost? Has it somehow reappeared?
I just made a google search and found this fascinating document:
Fabian Huss has written about the sketches and published his own transcription as an appendix.
http://www.music.ucc.ie/jsmi/index.php/jsmi/article/viewFile/80/87 (http://www.music.ucc.ie/jsmi/index.php/jsmi/article/viewFile/80/87)
http://www.music.ucc.ie/jsmi/index.php/jsmi/article/view/81/89 (http://www.music.ucc.ie/jsmi/index.php/jsmi/article/view/81/89)
Quote from: M. Henriksen on Thursday 29 September 2011, 19:51
Brilliant! That ends our discussion for now I guess :)
Morten
Perhaps, business as usual, then (provisional sigh of relief)!
::)
Well spotted! It looks as though there is indeed life in the old dog yet. Stanley Bate's Piano Concerto No.2 and Sinfonietta No.1!
;D
Although, no cause for complacency!
:o
Just a belated 'hear, hear' to this eloquent expression of concern, and unrestrained applause for Dutton's original decision to record British unsungs.
I think Father Christmas is bringing me a little box of Dutton Epochs, this time round! :)
I'll add the Moeran to the Benjamin...
If I was a "conspiracy theorist" (which I am not ;D) I might perhaps wonder if some record companies actually get one of their employees to scan the threads on forums like this for ideas on what might or might not be popular pieces for recording/release ;D ;D
Anyway- for the time being- sackcloth and ashes ;D and, particularly if anybody at Dutton IS watching, jolly well done :) :)
I can't wait for the Moeran disc..or the Stanley Bate...quite apart from the Arthur Benjamin....or the Holbrooke...and shall be buying all four :)
(I do still think though that a letter to Dutton, couched in slightly different terms, is in order to seek clarification of their future plans.)
Quote from: britishcomposer on Thursday 29 September 2011, 19:53
Gosh, Moeran's 2nd?! I didn't know! Unfortunately the site doesn't explain who prepared these sketches for performance.
And the Overture.. I thought it was lost? Has it somehow reappeared?
I just made a google search and found this fascinating document:
Fabian Huss has written about the sketches and published his own transcription as an appendix.
http://www.music.ucc.ie/jsmi/index.php/jsmi/article/viewFile/80/87 (http://www.music.ucc.ie/jsmi/index.php/jsmi/article/viewFile/80/87)
http://www.music.ucc.ie/jsmi/index.php/jsmi/article/view/81/89 (http://www.music.ucc.ie/jsmi/index.php/jsmi/article/view/81/89)
Thanks for these fascinating links :)
Quote from: Dundonnell on Thursday 29 September 2011, 21:51
Quote from: britishcomposer on Thursday 29 September 2011, 19:53
Gosh, Moeran's 2nd?! I didn't know! Unfortunately the site doesn't explain who prepared these sketches for performance.
And the Overture.. I thought it was lost? Has it somehow reappeared?
I just made a google search and found this fascinating document:
Fabian Huss has written about the sketches and published his own transcription as an appendix.
http://www.music.ucc.ie/jsmi/index.php/jsmi/article/viewFile/80/87 (http://www.music.ucc.ie/jsmi/index.php/jsmi/article/viewFile/80/87)
http://www.music.ucc.ie/jsmi/index.php/jsmi/article/view/81/89 (http://www.music.ucc.ie/jsmi/index.php/jsmi/article/view/81/89)
Thanks for these fascinating links :)
Seconded. I love Moeran's music, though I wonder what that Second Symphony will sound like. The First (as we from now on should call it?) is a masterpiece.
I thought from an article I'd read in the Musical Times that the Moeran 2nd existed but in very slender quantity (which the article quoted a bit of, but I didn't really get the impression there was that much more?...) I hope I am misremembering.
Mike Dutton, Supreme Magician of CD re-mastering, was surely heading for a knighthood but now ...? Maybe we should have a poll on this overseas issue and send him and the music press the results.
While the Converse works may not number amongst his very best (e.g., Job, Ormazd, Symphonies 2 and 3), I'll be most grateful to hear this CD. For those lacking easy access to information on Converse, here are a few details.
Festival of Pan, op. 9, is a response to Keats's Endymion, one of a pair, the other being Endymion's Narrative, op. 10 (available on Naxos).
The tone poem Song of the Sea, composed in the winter of 1922, is Converse's third musical response to another poet, Whitman ("On the Beach at Night Alone," from Sea-Drift). It was premiered 18 April 1924 by the Boston Symphony under Pierre Monteux.
American Sketches is the final work in Converse's trilogy of self-consciously "American" pieces, written 1926-28 -- the same period as Carpenter's Skyscrapers, Gershwin's An American in Paris, Copland's Piano Concerto, and Shepherd's Horizons symphony. Those who have heard the first piece of this trilogy, Flivver 10 Million, will know to expect an impressionist rather than a modernist idiom -- closer to Bax 4 than to VW 4.
(http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/prodimages/7275.gif) (http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/prodimages/7278.gif)
(http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/prodimages/7277.gif) (http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/prodimages/7279.gif) (http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/prodimages/7280.gif)
(http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/prodimages/7281.gif) (http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/prodimages/7282.gif)
;D
You're right, John, they're on the way - but apparently cannot yet be ordered >:(
Always nice to see pretty pictures, though!
;)
November/December are going to be expensive months for cd purchases: probably 5 of these Dutton releases, the Toccata HB release, the 'Gothic' from Hyperion, the Mathias/RVW piano concertos from Somm for British music alone etc etc ;D
Oh well, Christmas is coming up :)
(Btw just listened to Fricker's huge Oratorio "The Vision of Judgment": great stuff!)
Quote from: Dundonnell on Tuesday 04 October 2011, 16:47November/December are going to be expensive months for cd purchases: probably 5 of these Dutton releases, the Toccata HB release, the 'Gothic' from Hyperion, the Mathias/RVW piano concertos from Somm for British music alone etc etc ;D
Ditto, plus Hyperion's McEwen Viola Concerto ...
:o
Quote from: Dundonnell on Tuesday 04 October 2011, 16:47(Btw just listened to Fricker's huge Oratorio "The Vision of Judgment": great stuff!)
Ooh, you are a tease!
;)
Yes, I've always wanted to hear that piece.
Dutton say that their new releases should be available next week...
to which add this further one:
http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=CDLX7276 (http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=CDLX7276)
All in all, I think one of Dutton's finest crops yet. I for one can't wait for them to be available.
Quote from: JeremyMHolmes on Wednesday 05 October 2011, 16:06
to which add this further one:
http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=CDLX7276
All in all, I think one of Dutton's finest crops yet. I for one can't wait for them to be available.
Including Ina Boyle's Tone Poem "The Magic Harp" :)
She was being discussed on here only a couple of days ago :)
Quote from: Alan Howe on Wednesday 05 October 2011, 10:39
Dutton say that their new releases should be available next week...
Great news, thanks Alan!
Quote from: JeremyMHolmes on Wednesday 05 October 2011, 16:06
to which add this further one:
http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=CDLX7276
(http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/prodimages/7276.gif)
A bit of a mixed bag this one -
Ferdinand Hérold - Overture: Zampa (1831)
Byron Brooke - Gee Whizz! (1931)
Percy Whitlock - Carillon for organ & orchestra (1932)
Cecil White - A Sierra Melody (1931)
Dame Ethel Smyth - The Boatswain's Mate: Overture (1914)
Howard Flynn - Clatter of the Clogs: A Novelty Fox-Trot (1930)
Sir Landon Ronald - In an Eastern Garden (No.2 from The Garden of Allah) (1920)
Armstrong Gibbs - The Betrothal Ballet Music op.34 (1921)
Montague Birch - Dance of the Nymphs
Ina Boyle - The Magic Harp (1919)
Montague Birch - Intermezzo (Pizzicati) (1913)
Ludwig Pleier - Karlsbad's Dolls' Dance (Karlsbader Puppentanz): Characteristic Piece (1903)
Rutland Boughton - The Immortal Hour – Love Duet for orchestra (1913 arr 1924)
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Ronald Corp (conductor)
- but I'll certainly be getting it primarily for the Whitlock, Smyth, Ronald, Gibbs, Boyle and Boughton.
;D
Oh man, that disc looks like a great collection of light music....though Zampa? Really? What the heck is it doing with the rest of those?
Quote from: TerraEpon on Wednesday 05 October 2011, 20:56Oh man, that disc looks like a great collection of light music....though Zampa? Really? What the heck is it doing with the rest of those?
I know - it struck me as a bit out of place in the programme, but presumably it
was frequently played by Godfrey at Bournemouth to loud and prolonged applause, and it really is a cracking overture (once popular in the studio, now very rarely recorded).
:)
Exactly. This is a tribute to Dan Godfrey and his orchestra. And we must remember that concerts at that time (not just in England) were far more eclectic than they are now. It would not be thought unusual to begin with a piece by a contemporary composer, then a Mozart Violin Concerto, then a group of drawing-room ballads with piano accompaniment; INTERVAL, followed by a Beethoven overture; an opera aria or two; then some inconsequential light music.
Quote from: Gareth Vaughan on Wednesday 05 October 2011, 22:31
Exactly. This is a tribute to Dan Godfrey and his orchestra. And we must remember that concerts at that time (not just in England) were far more eclectic than they are now. It would not be thought unusual to begin with a piece by a contemporary composer, then a Mozart Violin Concerto, then a group of drawing-room ballads with piano accompaniment; INTERVAL, followed by a Beethoven overture; an opera aria or two; then some inconsequential light music.
Replace the 'sung' names with 'unsung' ones and you pretty much replicate my evening listening schedule - though I wouldn't call Ziehrer inconsequential. The 'interval' usually consists of a quick dash to Tesco when the first bottle of wine has 'evaporated' mysteriously.
;)
Quote from: Alan Howe on Wednesday 05 October 2011, 10:39Dutton say that their new releases should be available next week...
Just click (http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/images/buy.gif), which is just what I am doing right now.
;D
Quote from: Albion on Wednesday 05 October 2011, 23:11
Quote from: Alan Howe on Wednesday 05 October 2011, 10:39Dutton say that their new releases should be available next week...
Just click (http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/images/buy.gif), which is just what I am doing right now.
;D
Dutton ditto ;D
Perhaps my call prompted them to start next week this week! ;)
They are watching us! ;D
I am reliably informed that the Dutton CD of music by Godard is selling very well. So well, in fact, that they may consider doing another CD of his music, possibly including the 2nd PC.
If Dutton is looking for more British music to record, Dan Godfrey was quite the arranger. Boosey once published a transcription of Beethoven's Fifth for wind band that Godfrey did -- he even added bass drum and cymbal parts! There's a vast amount of British band music that really needs a champion. Chandos did a superb job with the brass band music, and now let's have the full band stuff. I am very excited and anxious about the new Converse disk. His Mystic Trumpeter is one of my absolute favorite orchestral works. Thrilling music. I hope the new disk offers similar discoveries.
According to the blurb, Dutton Epoch's pioneering Holbrooke series reaches its third volume -
if multi-composer discs are counted, as they seem to be with the Stanley Bate series (of which the forthcoming volume is described as being the fourth) then is this not in fact also the fourth Holbrooke?
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5194ZERHS2L._SL500_AA300_.jpg) (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51l3NmAisgL._SL500_AA300_.jpg) (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61YdPwonVUL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
A search on Dutton's site brings up no reference to the first disc pictured above, so the deletion axe is perhaps the explanation ....
:o
(in a hushed undertone)
Goodness me -
Why, what was that?
Silent be,
'Twas not the cat!
:o
Something fell
Upon the mat,
Postmarked Watford,
Fancy that ...
;D
Bate's Piano Concerto No.2 is given a cracking performance by Victor Sangiorgio under Martin Yates - and clearly benefits from being taken overall at a slightly less frenetic speed than the composer's impetuous (albeit exhilarating) rendition.
:)
Lucky you ;D
The post is brought to Scotland by horse and cart....and the horses are lame :(
Quote from: Dundonnell on Friday 21 October 2011, 13:43The post is brought to Scotland by horse and cart....and the horses are lame :(
The prodigious weight of the CDs on the cart has caused it to roll out of the picture stage left ......
(http://files.strategicleader.webnode.com/200000074-22ce023c79/Dead%20Horse%2006%20c.jpg)
Probably ;D
Well, the Benjamin CD contains some very fine music from a gifted composer. The VC is a fascinating piece, with some very beautiful and exciting writing indeed for both orchestra and soloist. Its main drawback, it seems to me, is its lack of truly memorable themes, but we must grateful to Dutton for rescuing such a fine work.
I have been listening to the Benjamin Violin Concerto quite frequently since I acquired two radio broadcast versions of it last year. The more acquainted one becomes with it the more memorable its thematic material. The digital recording of the Dutton CD enables one to appreciate the marvellous orchestration. The Romantic Fantasy is as fine a recording as the two available alternatives. The Viola Concerto (the Sonata in its orchestral version) is a great piece disclosing subtleties and exciting climaxes perhaps not as evident in the version with piano. What a marvellous disc and thanks to Dutton for releasing it.
Just finished listening for the second time to the new cd of Tone Poems by Frederick Converse :)
I am very taken with his American Sketches: Symphonic Suite for orchestra :) Rich, confident, colourful scoring and a glorious final movement "Bright Angel Trail: A Legend of the Grand Canyon of Arizona" which has a marvellous use of the organ to underpin the splendour ;D ;D ;D
I really can't remember the previous Naxos disc of tone poems making the same impact as the new Dutton. Warmly recommended for some splendid American Romanticism :)
Quote from: patmos.beje on Wednesday 26 October 2011, 23:04
I have been listening to the Benjamin Violin Concerto quite frequently since I acquired two radio broadcast versions of it last year. The more acquainted one becomes with it the more memorable its thematic material. The digital recording of the Dutton CD enables one to appreciate the marvellous orchestration. The Romantic Fantasy is as fine a recording as the two available alternatives. The Viola Concerto (the Sonata in its orchestral version) is a great piece disclosing subtleties and exciting climaxes perhaps not as evident in the version with piano. What a marvellous disc and thanks to Dutton for releasing it.
Very, very impressed by the Romantic Fantasy :) First impressions of the Violin Concerto were less favourable but then I like my music serious and darker ;D ;D
I limited myself to funding Dutton to the tune of four releases this time. Ranked in order of pleasure given they would be -
Reizenstein & Bate - two excellent piano concertos (especially the Bate), with the Sinfonietta coming a little way behind
Moeran & Ireland - superb realisation of the Symphony No.2, but still making me fervently wish that the composer had lived to complete it
Holbrooke & Bennett - not top-drawer Holbrooke (we need the earlier works, especially Queen Mab and Apollo and the Seaman, please), but he's always a fascinating composer and the brightly-score Aucassin and Nicolette is a delight
Dan Godfrey Encores - despite the best of intentions, a bit of a mish-mash but with some treasurable tracks (Ina Boyle and Rutland Boughton primarily)
;D
I passed on the Dan Godfrey collection but bought the Arthur Benjamin and the Frederick Converse ;D
I would have bought the Widor Piano Concerti but am waiting for the reviews and comparisons between the Dutton version and the new Hyperion :)
Quote from: Dundonnell on Saturday 29 October 2011, 19:23I would have bought the Widor Piano Concerti but am waiting for the reviews and comparisons between the Dutton version and the new Hyperion :)
As many will have done. This duplication really does highlight the need for recording companies to forego any scruples and communicate with each other. Will Cameo now bother to release
their Holbrooke 4th?
:)
I've just emailed my thanks to Dutton (rather shame-faced after a previous rant) and plugged the cause of more Bate (ballets and violin concertos) and Holbrooke (
QM and
ASM). Well , you can but (gushingly) try ....
;)
My understanding-and it no more than that-is that Dutton are reluctant to commit to 'big' choral works, presumably on grounds of expense.
The company has come under some pressure to record more Alan Bush. Again, my understanding, is that the Symphony No.3 "The Byron Symphony" is too expensive but that they will be doing the Symphony No.4 "Lascaux".
(Actually..listening to my, admittedly, murky recording of "The Byron Symphony" I am not sure that it is a huge loss :( ;D)
Cameo will most definitely NOT release their Holbrooke 4th as the orchestral playing was simply not good enough and the conductor (Marius Stravinsky) clearly did not understand the score.
Shortly to be released, however, will be a disk containing:- Gaze Cooper: Oboe Concertino, Robin Milford: Suite in D minor for oboe & strings, Frederick Kelly: Serenade for flute and small orchestra (strings, horn & harp), Maurice Blower: Concerto for horn & strings + Eclogue for horn & strings. The Scott Harpsichord concerto is to be held over until next year when it will form the basis of a CD of English concertante works for harpsichord. Further delights include: Somervell's D minor symphony "Thalassa", Holbrooke's "Pierrot and Pierrette" Ballet Suite & Alexander Mackenzie's "La Belle Dame sans Merci"; PC No. 1 by Kenneth Leighton & PC by Ruth Gipps + some solo piano pieces by Ruth Gipps - played by Angela Brownridge; Ignaz Brull: Violin Concerto, 3rd Orchestral Serenade by Jadassohn + Jadassohn's Serenade for flute and strings.
Quote from: Dundonnell on Saturday 29 October 2011, 19:37The company has come under some pressure to record more Alan Bush. Again, my understanding, is that the Symphony No.3 "The Byron Symphony" is too expensive but that they will be doing the Symphony No.4 "Lascaux".
According to Rob Barnett -
the Lascaux will be recorded by those tireless heroes of British music Dutton, later this year. The Third, The Byron, a work of similar duration and forces to Beethoven's Choral Symphony had performances in the UK and in East Germany (DDR) in the 1960s but will have to await its recorded premiere until favoured by an astute and refined lottery winner.
Presumably the "pressure" comes from The Alan Bush Trust (and possibly the RVW Trust) stumping up some of the requisite bank-notes?
;)
Quote from: Gareth Vaughan on Saturday 29 October 2011, 19:45
Cameo will most definitely NOT release their Holbrooke 4th as the orchestral playing was simply not good enough and the conductor (Marius Stravinsky) clearly did not understand the score.
Shortly to be released, however, will be a disk containing:- Gaze Cooper: Oboe Concertino, Robin Milford: Suite in D minor for oboe & strings, Frederick Kelly: Serenade for flute and small orchestra (strings, horn & harp), Maurice Blower: Concerto for horn & strings + Eclogue for horn & strings. The Scott Harpsichord concerto is to be held over until next year when it will form the basis of a CD of English concertante works for harpsichord. Further delights include: Somervell's D minor symphony "Thalassa", Holbrooke's "Pierrot and Pierrette" Ballet Suite & Alexander Mackenzie's "La Belle Dame sans Merci"; PC No. 1 by Kenneth Leighton & PC by Ruth Gipps + some solo piano pieces by Ruth Gipps - played by Angela Brownridge; Ignaz Brull: Violin Concerto, 3rd Orchestral Serenade by Jadassohn + Jadassohn's Serenade for flute and strings.
Thanks, Gareth. I will
certainly be purchasing these enterprising recordings.
:)
Quote from: Gareth Vaughan on Saturday 29 October 2011, 19:45
Cameo will most definitely NOT release their Holbrooke 4th as the orchestral playing was simply not good enough and the conductor (Marius Stravinsky) clearly did not understand the score.
Shortly to be released, however, will be a disk containing:- Gaze Cooper: Oboe Concertino, Robin Milford: Suite in D minor for oboe & strings, Frederick Kelly: Serenade for flute and small orchestra (strings, horn & harp), Maurice Blower: Concerto for horn & strings + Eclogue for horn & strings. The Scott Harpsichord concerto is to be held over until next year when it will form the basis of a CD of English concertante works for harpsichord. Further delights include: Somervell's D minor symphony "Thalassa", Holbrooke's "Pierrot and Pierrette" Ballet Suite & Alexander Mackenzie's "La Belle Dame sans Merci"; PC No. 1 by Kenneth Leighton & PC by Ruth Gipps + some solo piano pieces by Ruth Gipps - played by Angela Brownridge; Ignaz Brull: Violin Concerto, 3rd Orchestral Serenade by Jadassohn + Jadassohn's Serenade for flute and strings.
"..of English concertante works for harpsichord."
Interesting :)
Let's see-there is the Walter Leigh Concertino(already recorded by Lyrita), the William Mathias Concerto, op.56, the John McCabe Concertante(1965).......... ;D
presumably 19th to 21st century English (or British) concertante works- the selection from earlier on is, I am guessing, somewhat larger. (Maybe not...) (well, Avison, Hayes, others.)
I'm not promising anything, but it might be worth bearing in mind that Stanley Bate wrote a harpsichord concerto and Robert Milford a Concertino.
Quote from: Gareth Vaughan on Saturday 29 October 2011, 23:36I'm not promising anything, but it might be worth bearing in mind that Stanley Bate wrote a harpsichord concerto and Robert Milford a Concertino.
;D ;D ;D
Does Wilfred Josephs' Saratoga Concerto count in this connection, though it's a triple concerto for guitar, harp and harpsichord? (Robin or Robert?)
(Hrm. Also a concertino for harpsichord and strings by a Francis Shaw ? ... still living apparently. Pub. Ashdown, distr. Schirmer.) Cyril Scott's harpsichord concerto also shows up in a Schirmer search- hrm... must see if it's been mentioned here... mind is going. (It has been mentioned in rather odd contexts - "what is the situation regarding"- not sure I understand what that means now.)
Could you give me the Schirmer URL for the Francis Shaw concertino please, Eric? It sounds v. interesting.
It would be great if Dutton could record Ruth Gipps's Symphony No 4, which potentially has a wide appeal + the Symphony by Robin Milford, which I've never heard.
Quote from: vandermolen on Sunday 30 October 2011, 14:19
It would be great if Dutton could record Ruth Gipps's Symphony No 4, which potentially has a wide appeal + the Symphony by Robin Milford, which I've never heard.
According to the Newsletter 2011 of The Robin Milford Trust a recording of the Symphony was planned for 2011. The parts have been prepared and you can listen to a MIDI version of the complete work at the pages of the trust:
http://www.robinmilfordtrust.org.uk/work03.htm (http://www.robinmilfordtrust.org.uk/work03.htm)
Francis Shaw concertino, published by Ashdown, distributed by Schirmer- here (http://www.chesternovello.com/default.aspx?TabId=2432&State_3041=2&workId_3041=3316) - hope that's useful truly...
looked up his biographical details but found out only a little, and don't know his music yet myself.
Harpsichord and string or full orchestra (or quartet) works generally please me anyway (I consider too a concerto I've heard by the American Quincy Porter - friend of Roger Sessions though much more tonally inclined - and the recently-deceased Hungarian Frigyes Hidas (or Hidas Frigyes) a work sometimes heard on BBC. Among others. An instrumentation happily rediscovered. Apologies for tangent.)
Thanks very much, Eric. This is now distributed in the UK by The Music Sales Group. I know the guy in charge of their hire library so I'll try to get sight of the score.
Initial (fairly hasty) reactions to some of the Dutton new releases.
Reizenstein & Bate ; to my surprise, find I prefer the Reizenstein, even if it is more than a little reminiscent of Rawsthorne ( though is that any bad thing?). The Bate is flashy, fluent and catchy, but to my mind slightly insubstantial...unlike the symphonies or the marvelous Viola Concerto, not sure he quite pulls the various influences together to form something that is greater than the sum of its parts...
Moeran & Ireland : can't yet get the measure of the Moeran at all; it just doesn't seem to hang together, with that tremendous sense of wild inevitability that characterizes the First Symphony. Oddly, the finale (which appears to be the most "speculative" of the four) strikes me as the most genuine sounding and the only one that seems to have real momentum; for all their energy the first two movements don't really seem to get anywhere symphonically...However, I'm very glad to hear the material, but compared to, say, the Elgar/Payne reconstruction this feels still very provisional...As for the orchestration of the Ireland pieces...I can't understand the apparent enthusiasm of the Ireland Trust for commissioning so many orchestrations. The whole point of Irelands piano music is that it articulates a single, isolated voice, one that's as solitary and aloof as, say, Mompou. I'd no more want to hear Mompou's Música Callada played by an orchestra than I would Strauss's tone poems played on the piano, and I fear the same goes for Ireland's Sarnia, which seems to me to lose all its wistful poetry in these arrangements...
Holbrooke & Bennett - weird! Had I heard the Holbrooke ballet score "blindfold" (as it were) I would never have identified its composer, certainly not as the author of Ulalume or The Raven. An interestingly different view of a figure who is much more varied in style than he's given credit for, and while I rather like those pieces of his that have a whiff or more of the Music Hall about them, in this case although Aucassin and Nicolette is pleasant enough, and very deftly scored, it seems rhythmically rather stodgy, and I can't say the basic melodic material strikes me as particularly memorable? Much prefer the Saxophone Concerto, especially it's slithery finale, but agree that what we really need are some of the still unrecorded big tone poems - and I would LOVE to hear a full recording of "The Bells", though I fear it's unlikely...
So, all in all, three very interesting, but I have to say slightly underwhelming discs. If that sounds ungrateful that's not the intention; perhaps it's just that with Dutton one's expectations are so high - and generally with very good reason - that anything less than revelatory seems a let-down. (And I'm sure there ARE plenty more revelations possible - Ruth Gipps, as someone said, William Wordsworth, more Richard Arnell, more Arthur Butterworth - the 2nd symphony is superb - there's still plenty more gold in them music mines waiting to be dug out...)
On the basis of one hearing I agree with Dylan's view of the reconstructed Moeran's 'Second Symphony' - it is great to have and all credit to Martin Yates - but it does sound at times like a pastiche and doesn't hang together like the Elgar/Payne reconstructed Third Symphony. Still, my opinion may change and I liked the windswept sibelian opening; elsewhere I was reminded of Douglas Lilburn's first two symphonies and film music - but this is just a first impression, which may well change with greater familiarity.
Quote from: Gareth Vaughan on Saturday 29 October 2011, 23:36
I'm not promising anything, but it might be worth bearing in mind that Stanley Bate wrote a harpsichord concerto and Robert Milford a Concertino.
Of course :)
Richard Arnell also wrote a Harpsichord concerto but Dutton have not (yet ;D) recorded it.
Quote from: Dylan on Sunday 30 October 2011, 22:23The Bate is flashy, fluent and catchy, but to my mind slightly insubstantial...unlike the symphonies or the marvelous Viola Concerto, not sure he quite pulls the various influences together to form something that is greater than the sum of its parts...
can't yet get the measure of the Moeran at all; it just doesn't seem to hang together [...] compared to, say, the Elgar/Payne reconstruction this feels still very provisional
three very interesting, but I have to say slightly underwhelming discs. If that sounds ungrateful that's not the intention; perhaps it's just that with Dutton one's expectations are so high - and generally with very good reason - that anything less than revelatory seems a let-down. (And I'm sure there ARE plenty more revelations possible - Ruth Gipps, as someone said, William Wordsworth, more Richard Arnell, more Arthur Butterworth - the 2nd symphony is superb - there's still plenty more gold in them music mines waiting to be dug out...)
Quote from: vandermolen on Sunday 30 October 2011, 22:42I agree with Dylan's view of the reconstructed Moeran's 'Second Symphony' - it is great to have and all credit to Martin Yates - but it does sound at times like a pastiche and doesn't hang together like the Elgar/Payne reconstructed Third Symphony.
Certainly the Bate hasn't got the emotional heft of his symphonies, but I think that he was aiming at (and succeeded in achieving) something quite different - an entertaining and easily assimilated virtuoso work that suited his own style of playing. Perhaps 'brittle' (in the manner of Poulenc) would be a better description.
???
Given what Martin Yates had to work with (http://www.music.ucc.ie/jsmi/index.php/jsmi/article/view/81/89 (http://www.music.ucc.ie/jsmi/index.php/jsmi/article/view/81/89)) I think that it's nothing short of a miracle that anything even vaguely coherent has resulted. Amongst OED noun definitions of 'pastiche' are -
A musical composition incorporating different styles; a medley.
A work, esp. of literature, created in the style of someone or something else; a work that humorously exaggerates or parodies a particular style.
I don't think that the former applies in this case (Yates has clearly striven throughout the process to create something approximating to Moeran's very individual sound-world), but the latter certainly does minus the humorous exaggeration and parody. A realisation from sketches really couldn't be anything other than pastiche.
;)
I would vote for Ruth Gipps and Wordsworth, certainly - and would add Arnold Cooke into the mix as well.
;D
Quote from: Christopher on Thursday 29 September 2011, 11:00
Does anyone know when they are planning to release the Catoire piano concerto? I know he's not British, but am still looking forward to it.
Somebody? Anybody?
Early next year.
So is there any good place with sound samples of Dutton discs? They are never on Amazon (US or UK) or their home page -- I have at least three Dutton discs on my potential wishlist but when there's no place to sample them....
Check jpc! Here's Moeran for example:
http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Ernest-Moeran-Moeran-ireland-Sketches-For-S/hnum/1479507 (http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Ernest-Moeran-Moeran-ireland-Sketches-For-S/hnum/1479507)
Quote from: britishcomposer on Friday 04 November 2011, 20:01
Check jpc! Here's Moeran for example:
http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Ernest-Moeran-Moeran-ireland-Sketches-For-S/hnum/1479507 (http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Ernest-Moeran-Moeran-ireland-Sketches-For-S/hnum/1479507)
Listened to the samples - wonderful!
Much enjoyed the Moeran/Yates Symphony :)
It is good to hear what Martin Yates has managed to do. How near to Moeran's intentions/plans/hopes it is is, of course, a matter of some conjecture and debate but listened to simply for enjoyment and pleasure(which is presumably the principal purpose of listening to any music ;D) I was taken by the piece and, particularly, by the last movement.
The Ireland is extremely attractive as well. I confess to not knowing the original piano piece so I am not overly concerned about the orchestrated version by Yates.
What a fine conductor Martin Yates is proving; first with Arnell and now so many new works :) Perhaps it is he we should be lobbying on behalf of our favourite composers ;D ;D
Quote from: Dundonnell on Sunday 06 November 2011, 23:46
What a fine conductor Martin Yates is proving; first with Arnell and now so many new works :) Perhaps it is he we should be lobbying on behalf of our favourite composers ;D ;D
Martin Yates is doing a wonderful job, I agree. The advocates of British music aren't all (nearly) dead after all...
QuoteRichard Arnell also wrote a Harpsichord concerto but Dutton have not (yet ;D) recorded it.
Nor will they, I fear. I have enquired about this piece because Cameo were interested in doing it and I give below the response I had from Patrick Jonathan at the Richard Arnell website http://www.richardarnell.com/ (http://www.richardarnell.com/):
Hi Gareth,
Thanks for your enquiry. What is frustrating is that you are the
second person in the last couple of years to have enquired about this
piece, but it appears to be one of the pieces that at this moment in
time is classed as 'lost'.
Arnell had no copy in his personal archive at the time of his death,
and so far no searches have turned up any materials in any libraries
or archives. I will keep your enquiry on record and should we have any
luck in locating any materials at any time I will let you know.
Best regards,
Patrick Jonathan
Thanks for passing this sad piece of information on to us, Gareth.
What a shame that is :(
Andrew Mayes claimed to have been able to inspect a photocopy of the Arnell concerto as recently as 2003 (maybe this was a reduction, not a full score, though to my mind, even a reduction would be better than nothing- for fans, admittedly...) But too, these things get lost in as little as 8 years (or more since I don't think he writes when he inspected it. source (http://books.google.com/books?id=O84dcDVIOQ4C&pg=PA98&lpg=PA98). he also mentions a broadcast recording.)
Can't see any statement by Mayes in that book that he saw a photocopy of the Harpsichord Concerto by Arnell. Could you give me a page reference, please? There is a footnote to the effect that Arnell told him he'd written one, but that's not the same as having seen the score.
I think I completely misunderstood the structure of the writing out of hope ;) - the concerto is just mentioned in a footnote and I didn't read carefully at all, the chapter is about the quintet The Gambian. Sigh. Sorry...