Bowen Syms 1 & 2 from Chandos

[John Boyer]

I need to pull it off the shelf, then give it another try.  It's been a while. 

[Mark Thomas]

I'll hold my hand up and admit that both the Bowen symphonies on the Chandos CD are very much to my taste, they receive splendid performances although I wouldn't really call either a masterpiece.

Re-reading this thread I'm a little confused about the question of the "lost" Symphony No.3. Gareth and former member Albion were doing some fine sleuthing and in this post Albion reports that de Wolfe confirmed that they had the score and then in this later post Albion wrote that he and Gareth were going to examine in person the scores stored by de Wolfe but there's no mention of the result of that visit, if it actually took place. I have a copy of the recording of the 1954 broadcast of the performance of the Third by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Ian Whyte but it's a long way from ideal and a modern recording would be a great thing to have.

Can you update us on the fate of the score please, Gareth?

[Gareth Vaughan]

Albion and I did visit De Wolfe's and were given access to what they had. But, alas, they confirmed that the score of the 3rd symphony had been lost, a casuality of flood damage.

[Mark Thomas]

Ah well, thanks Gareth.

[Alan Howe]

Could the score be reconstructed from Mark's off-air recording?

[Mark Thomas]

I've seen several comments both in this thread and on YouTube that this would be difficult, but possible for a composer of sufficient skill to achieve but that would no doubt also mean that it would be an expensive exercise. I've just been listening to the recording (which is still in our Downloads Board here, by the way) but it's very muddy and recessed, so a fair amount of imagination would be required too.

[Alan Howe]

A job for someone like Martin Yates, perhaps?

[Gareth Vaughan]

I feel sure it could be done. And Martin Yates would be just the man to do it.

[John Boyer]

Were the parts destroyed too?  Rachmaninoff's 1st Symphony was reassembled from the parts.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Yes, John. All performance material lost. To be brutally honest, they hadn't really looked after his legacy and one got the impression they weren't (or hadn't been) particularly interested.