NSO’s French Masterpieces
featuring Pascal Rophé, guest conductor; Sharon Bezaly, flute; Taipei Philharmonic Chorus I’m not sure why Nielsen’s flute concerto was included in an otherwise decidedly French program. A Danish composer spent some time in Germany and Austria and wrote a concerto … Continue reading NSO’s French Masterpieces
William Alwyn: Symphony no. 1
performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the composer’s baton, or below with the London Symphony Orchestra under Richard Hickox They have an original development of their own, and they will be looked at in the future as being something … Continue reading William Alwyn: Symphony no. 1
Esa-Pekka Salonen & Philharmonia Orchestra
featuring Yu-Chien Benny Tseng (曾宇謙), violin After a very hot day in Taipei and a train ride back down to the new(ish) opera house, which I haven’t visited for almost exactly four months, I find myself yet again in one of … Continue reading Esa-Pekka Salonen & Philharmonia Orchestra
Richard Arnell: Symphony no. 4
performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under Martin Yates in a world premiere recording, which you can purchase here. (Sorry, folks. No YouTube today either.) Richard Anthony Sayer “Tony” Arnell was born on September 15, 1917 in Hampstead, London. … Continue reading Richard Arnell: Symphony no. 4
Havergal Brian: Symphony no. 6 ‘Sinfonia Tragica’
performed by the New Russia State Symphony Orchestra under Alexander Walker, or below by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Myer Fredman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6z7kIyhr78 It’s not the Gothic. Yet. William Havergal Brian was born 29 January, 1876 in Dresden, Stoke-on-Trent. Wikipedia says he … Continue reading Havergal Brian: Symphony no. 6 ‘Sinfonia Tragica’
Britten String Quartet no. 2 in C, Op. 36
performed by the Auryn Quartet, or below by the Badke Quartet, with Tamsin Waley-Cohen as first violin We’ve actually featured Britten before, but only once, and we didn’t give anything of a bio, so here’s something short. Benjamin Britten was … Continue reading Britten String Quartet no. 2 in C, Op. 36
John Ireland: piano trio no. 3 in E
performed by The Holywell Ensemble (Golly Gee Willikers, another with no YouTube. I should check on that more often, but I also won’t let the free availability of music on YouTube influence what I share, especially if I’ve spent the money … Continue reading John Ireland: piano trio no. 3 in E
Blacher & NSO
featuring Kolja Blacher (subtitled ‘The Arts of Play & Lead’) Beethoven, Brahms, Britten and Blacher. But not in that order. That ‘Play and Lead’ title refers exactly to what made this concert so special, the almost unbelievable feat that Blacher … Continue reading Blacher & NSO
Edmund Rubbra: Symphony no. 5
performed by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra under Hans-Hubert Schonzeler, or below by the Hallé Orchestra under Sir John Barbirolli, in what is frustratingly only the last two movements. I highly recommend just purchasing the album it’s on, from iTunes) He … Continue reading Edmund Rubbra: Symphony no. 5
A Month (or more) of Havergal Brian
I did it again. Maybe you remember the Month of Myaskovsky back in February. This is the same thing. I used the hashtag #hbriansym on Twitter with 140-character statements about each symphony that were generally the opposite of insightful. I’ll … Continue reading A Month (or more) of Havergal Brian
Sir Michael Tippett: Symphony no. 1
performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under Richard Hickox, or below by the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir Colin Davis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnhsUy-u7MY Sir Michael Kemp Tippett was born on 2 January, 1905 in Eastcote, London. His father was a singer, or rather … Continue reading Sir Michael Tippett: Symphony no. 1
Ruth Gipps: Symphony no. 2
performed by the Munich Symphony Orchestra under Douglas Bostock (this piece is featured on a list of pieces I heartily recommend to music directors for inclusion on their season programs. Check out the article here.) Ruth Dorothy Louisa Gipps was … Continue reading Ruth Gipps: Symphony no. 2
Bridge Piano Trio no. 2
performed by the Dartington Piano Trio, or below by Yehudi Menuhin, violin; Maurice Gendron, cello; Benjamin Britten, piano We’ve visited Frank Bridge before, a number of years ago, but that was a while ago, and I didn’t discuss his upbringing and … Continue reading Bridge Piano Trio no. 2
NTSO’s Mahler 7th Symphony
featuring Karl-Heinz Schütz, flute; Tamás Gál, guest conductor Another Mahler 7! It’s my second so far, and is, at least to me, by far the weirdest of his symphonic output. This performance took place in the same city as Mahler 1, by the … Continue reading NTSO’s Mahler 7th Symphony
NSO’s From Schubert to Shostakovich
featuring Gábor Boldoczki, trumpet; Oleg Caetani, guest conductor or The Concert Formerly Known as ‘Who Is Afraid of Shostakovich?’ It’s a goal of some devoted (or just geeky) concertgoers to ‘collect them all’, to attend live performances of all symphonies from … Continue reading NSO’s From Schubert to Shostakovich
Sir William Walton: Symphony no. 1 in B flat minor
performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under André Previn, or below by the London Philharmonic under Bryden Thomson …Walton’s Symphony No 1 is a free, strong, individual utterance, as far beyond mere imitation as, say, the Brahms First is in … Continue reading Sir William Walton: Symphony no. 1 in B flat minor
Bax Symphony no. 4
performed by the Ulster Orchestra under Bryden Thomson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7-pGJVqcxc As mentioned in Monday’s revisit article, I was so taken with Bax’s first symphony that I felt we would benefit from one more of his symphonies, but which? Well, of his seven, … Continue reading Bax Symphony no. 4
Revisit: Bax Symphony no. 1
performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Bryden Thomson (this piece is featured on a list of pieces I heartily recommend to music directors for inclusion on their season programs. Check out the article here.) It’s odd, you know. A few … Continue reading Revisit: Bax Symphony no. 1
Herbert Howells: String Quartet no. 3 ‘In Gloucestershire’
performed by the Divertimenti Ensemble (Sorry, again no YouTube here, but go support good record labels like Hyperion and buy the album if it’s something you feel you may like. I’ll be honest. There are some works that I’d purchase … Continue reading Herbert Howells: String Quartet no. 3 ‘In Gloucestershire’
NSO’s Eroica
featuring Carl St. Clair, conductor; Albrecht Mayer, oboe Yes. It’s called that for the reason that you think it is. But we’ll get there. It’s been more than a month since I’ve been in the concert hall, and that’s a … Continue reading NSO’s Eroica
Elgar Piano Quintet in Am, op. 84
performed by the Coull String Quartet and Allan Schiller, piano; or below by the Sorrel Quartet with Ian Brown, piano Alice Elgar was quite right: it is a new urgency, pointed and refined by the discipline of writing chamber music, a … Continue reading Elgar Piano Quintet in Am, op. 84
Fugue for Thought 