Moeran from Dutton

[albion]

Moved from another thread:

As the forthcoming Dutton disc contains a 'realisation' of Moeran's Symphony No.2 in E flat, in the 1949 Cheltenham Festival programme it is interesting to read that

Plans are now being made for the Sixth Annual Cheltenham Festival of British Contemporary Music, which will be held during the two weeks commencing Monday, 3rd July, 1950. Two major works which are to be presented at this Festival are the first performance of a Symphony by E.J. Moeran [which did not materialise], and the first performance of a Symphony by William Alwyn [which did].

There is a very interesting examination of Moeran's unfinished score here -

http://www.music.ucc.ie/jsmi/index.php/jsmi/article/view/80/87

[Mark Thomas]

The Huss article on the Second Symphony is fascinating. Thanks, John.

[britishcomposer]

Ah, Moeran 2nd has an own thread!

Then here again, the link to the score, edited by Huss:

http://www.music.ucc.ie/jsmi/index.php/jsmi/article/view/81/89

[albion]

Whether or not you think it right to realise sketches, this is a fabulous disc - I'm extremely grateful to Martin Yates for allowing us access to a new and very substantial 'Moeran' score. He perfectly captures the composer's idiom and presents an extremely coherent work in four (or four-in-one) movements: I think that he is quite right in his assessment that Moeran was in no fit state to judge the quality of his ideas at the time of his complete mental breakdown.

To my mind, this 'Symphony No.2', if not quite on the same level as 'No.1', is pretty damn close (especially in this committed performance). More extrovert than the 1938 score, and with some highly memorable thematic material, it is a tantalising glimpse of what might have been if 'Jack' hadn't plunged into the cold water in 1950.

[eschiss1]

... *blinks* *looks up cause of death* *ah. ... oh. ok. died before he hit the water* - erm. eep.

[vandermolen]

I hope to receive the CD tomorrow - am greatly looking forward to hearing it. Moeran is one of my favourite composers.

[albion]

Ah, Moeran 2nd has an own thread!

Then here again, the link to the score, edited by Huss:

http://www.music.ucc.ie/jsmi/index.php/jsmi/article/view/81/89

Many thanks for this - I've only just got round to studying it in any depth. It really does make me marvel at what a wonderful job Martin Yates has done in bringing the whole work to a coherent performable state.

[Mark Thomas]

I'll hold my hands up at the outset and say that I'm no Moeren aficionado, but I am an admirer of his "First" Symphony and so was looking forward to hearing Yates' realisation of the "Second".

The "First" always seems to me to have the character of a monumental work, despite its economy of scale. Although it is by no means unattractive melodically or in its orchestration, these elements are somehow subordinate to the underlying logic and drive of the composition. It's a piece which is going somewhere. It's a proper symphony. I've only listened twice to the new work, and my first reaction was to be surprised that it is such an immediately attractive composition but, to me, the coherence and consistency of vision found in the "First" is missing and so one is left with an undeniably appealing and ambitious suite, rather than a symphony. I get no feeling of having been on a journey of the composer's devising, no satisfaction of having finally arrived at a destination. Maybe Moeren's judgement, sick though he was,  was still correct.

I'm pleased to have it and I shall listen to it again, but maybe not for the right reasons. As someone else here has said, it's no Elgar's Third.

[albion]

I get no feeling of having been on a journey of the composer's devising

Not, perhaps, altogether surprising? Moeran had very little hand in it.

[Mark Thomas]

So it would seem. Still, a more enjoyable listen than the woefully thin Elgar "Piano Concerto".

[albion]

I think we agree on that one!

[albion]

This new disc will be featured on CD Review (Radio 3) tomorrow around 10.40-ish.

[gasman]

Wow - great to get to hear another Moeran work - thanks for bringing it to my attention...