Butterworth from Dutton

[Alan Howe]

Calling all Neo-Sibelians! Want an idea what a Sibelius symphony would sound like if he were still alive today? Well, look no further than Butterworth 5 on the new Dutton CD. I liked it very much, but the influence is really very obvious...

[DennisS]

Hello Alan

Your post on Butterworth caught my eye, particularly as I am very fond of Sibelius. There are not as yet any sound bites on the net for symphony no 5 as far as I can tell. I have Butterworth's symphony no 1 but wondered whether you could tell me whether sym no 5 is as good as, similar to  or better than his no 1. In truth, I found his first symphony interesting but it did not exactly bowl me over, especially when comparing it to Sibelius.

cheers
Dennis

[Delicious Manager]

I would be very interested to hear this new recording. I am familiar with Butterworth's First Symphony through the old Lyrita recording. I have to say I was unimpressed, it seeming like a rather ugly-sounding affair with nowhere really to go. Certainly no hints of Sibelius there!

[Alan Howe]

No.5 is certainly not ugly. If you like late Sibelius, you'll like this, I'm sure.

[John H White]

I certainly found No 1 much too modernistic for my taste but, if he has really mellowed with age, maybe No 5 may be worth a try.

[Delicious Manager]

It wasn't the 'modern' nature of Butterworth's First Symphony I disliked - I am a great lover of a lot of nasty, contemporary music - I just found its harmonies inexplicably harsh (almost gratuitously so), as well as strangely 'cold' and soulless. Music without soul has no right to exist in my opinion.

[Pengelli]

Ooh,that's a bit stiff! I found an interview with him on Youtube. I have never heard a note of his music,but he seems a pleasant enough bloke. Good for him for getting some recognition,albeit on cd,at his time of life. Creativity,whether it's composing,writing or painting is allot of hard work. Not like working on the Burma Railway,or breaking up rocks in a stone quarry,I know,but still hard work,in it's own way. And most of that is frustration!
  Is his music anything like that of William Wordsworth. I had the Lyrita cd of two of his symphonies,for a while.

[Delicious Manager]

William and Arthur Butterworth are not related. And yes, composing is hard work, but that doesn't mean everything that is produced through the sweat of one's brow is going to be decent or successful, sadly.

Another composer, better known as a writer on music, whose music just passes me by in its 'ugliness' is that of Donald Tovey.

[Albion]

Another composer, better known as a writer on music, whose music just passes me by in its 'ugliness' is that of Donald Tovey.

Including the Piano Concerto?

[eschiss1]

Another composer, better known as a writer on music, whose music just passes me by in its 'ugliness' is that of Donald Tovey.

Including the Piano Concerto?

& the cello sonata, and elegiac variations?

[JimL]

Another composer, better known as a writer on music, whose music just passes me by in its 'ugliness' is that of Donald Tovey.

Including the Piano Concerto?

& the cello sonata, and elegiac variations?

And the Cello Concerto?  Come on!  Are you kidding me?

[Kriton]

Another composer, better known as a writer on music, whose music just passes me by in its 'ugliness' is that of Donald Tovey.

Hmm. If you change 'ugliness' to 'boringness', I might have understood you - although I love Tovey myself. But 'ugliness'? How does that word fit a non-experimental composer?

[DennisS]

I was in town last week and saw the Butterworth  symphony no 5 in HMV. I hesitated but in the end bought it. I must say I was most pleasantly surprised. I did not really rate his symphony no 1 but have to say that symphony no 5 is a quite different work, and IMO, vastly superior to his first symphony. The 5th symphony for me, is overall, a mostly quiet, reflective work, delicately scored and quite beautiful. Throughout the piece, but especially in the first two movements, there are a number of swirling, misterioso Sibelius-like musical figures, that I find especially alluring. I can now more fully appreciate why Butterworth is called the English Sibelius. I have since listened to the symphony twice and enjoyed it even more the second time around.Thank you Alan for drawing my attention to this work.

Cheers
Dennis

[Delicious Manager]

It was the Cello Concerto that first turned me 'off' Tovey. Music doesn't have to be experimental to be ugly - it simply has to be poorly conceived and written. Sorry, folks but it's really not for me.

[febnyc]

I had the previous Butterworth symphony discs and found them either harsh or simply boring.  The Fifth, however, is another thing completely.  A powerful, appealing work which is evocative of the outdoors.  The smaller pieces on the Dutton CD also are very good.  This surely is the best of the Butterworth recordings that I've heard.