More Stanford on the way

[edurban]

From the Stanford Society newsletter.  Some of this we've discussed (the concerto) others (the string quartets and the Mass) I don't remember reading about:

"...Also on September 1st Priory Records released the first volume in their series of recordings of Stanford's complete organ works played by Daniel Cook. Volume 1 is played on the organ at Salisbury Cathedral and includes the first two organ sonatas. Volume 2 has already been recorded by Daniel Cook on the organ at Durham Cathedral. We expect that the full set will comprise 4 or 5 CDs. Almost all of Stanford's organ music has already been recorded before but it will be good to have all the works recorded together in excellent performances with modern recordings.

...The enterprising EM Record Label linked to the English Music Festival has two recordings of Stanford's music planned for early in 2014. Rupert Marshall-Luck will be the soloist in a premier recording of Stanford's Second Violin Concerto with the BBC Concert Orchestra. The second recording will involve forces from Exeter College Oxford performing the Stanford Mass in G together with works by Parry. The Society is providing financial support to both these recordings.

Also in 2014, SOMM Records is planning to follow-up the success of the recent partsong CD with first recordings of Stanford's String Quartets Numbers 7 & 8 with the Dante Quartet..."

[Mark Thomas]

Great news. There's no such thing as too much Stanford!

[Alan Howe]

Please see this thread on VC2:
http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,4412.msg50380.html#msg50380

[edurban]

Regarding the Mass in G for soli, chorus and orchestra, I found the following in John Peter Smith's 2008 Mma thesis (Durham University) The Choral Music of Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924) and the press (c.1875-1925):

A Latin Mass and more partsongs
The Mass in G had been written, in stages, during Stanford's last year in Cambridge,
and was intended for Thomas Wingham's fine choir at London's Brompton Oratory.
Scored for four soloists, choir and orchestra, the scale and style of the work is primarily
intended for liturgical, rather than concert use, and is clearly influenced by mass settings
of the later Viennese composers. The first, liturgical, performance of the work at the
Oratory on the Feast of St Philip Neri (26 May) 1893 seems to have been well received,
but, as is inevitable with church services, not widely recorded.  The Musical Times and
Musical News do, however, give brief accounts of the occasion. MT refers to an
excellent performance which displayed the 'devotional spirit' of the music, the
'expressive settings' of the Kyrie and Gloria, 'clever contrapuntal writing' in the Credo,
and scoring which reveals the 'hand of a master' . MN also refers to the work's
'devotional spirit' and the 'clever contrapuntal writing', and is quite possibly another
version of the same account.
A concert performance of the Mass by the Bach Choir the following January was,
understandably, more widely reported, though all accounts of the work point to its
relatively modest scale, deriving from its primary liturgical purpose. The Cambridge
Review goes so far as to say that its 'apparent simplicity' will 'come as a surprise' to
those familiar with Stanford's music, singling out the Credo and the Sanctus as the
finest sections.  The same movements receive praise in the Daily Graphic, as does the
'charmingly melodious' Benedictus of a work which is 'remarkable throughout for
loftiness of aim, sincerity of feeling, and scholarly workmanship, which, however,
never lapses into mere academicism' . The Guardian carries a slightly longer account
than other papers, and is the most punctilious (perhaps in view of its status as a church
paper) in stressing that it is 'essentially as a service Mass and not as a concert Mass that
it should be judged'. This explains the 'subdued character' of the Sanctus and the lack
of the 'expected climax' in the Agnus Dei, for in both cases the composer has adhered
to the spirit and nature of Roman Catholic ritual. The author - Charles Graves -
concludes that Stanford's Mass is 'a very happy specimen of that union of scholarship
and earnest feeling which one looks for in works of this stamp'. The general tone of
the few existing accounts of this Bach Choir performance seems to be one of approval
and appreciation. Bernard Shaw was not present at the concert, but learned of it, and
expressed genuine regret at having missed Stanford's Mass:
I am not fond of modem settings of the Mass as a rule; but this particular one, as an example of the
artistic catholicity of an Irish Protestant (and if you have never been in Ireland you do not know what
Protestantism is) especially interests me. Nothing is more tempting to a keen critic than an opportunity of
comparing that religious music into the spirit of which the composer has entered through his dramatic
faculty alone, with that which is the immediate expression of his own religious faith.
There are no further recorded concert performances of the Mass in G, though one
further appearance at the Oratory is noted in 1895,  and it can perhaps be safely
assumed that there were others. The liturgical purpose of the work is further emphasised
by its publication, by Novello, in an alternative version, with English text and organ
accompaniment, for the Anglican rite, under the title Communion Service in G.
1894

I have removed the footnotes, but the whole, very interesting, text may be read here:
http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/2542/1/2542_553.pdf?UkUDh:CyT

David

[eschiss1]

While we have the BBC broadcasts of the 7th & 8th quartets (or maybe because we do) I'm looking forward to the prospect of a commercial recording. (A late friend was, if I remember based on a brief comment he made, disappointed by one of them and hoped, as I recalled, that they weren't representative of Stanford's - at the time practically entirely unrecorded - output of chamber music; my opinion is higher though I might not rank them as high as the earlier chamber works that I know.)

[Jimfin]

It would be good to hear all of the string quartets performed and recorded by the same quartet. I'm sure it would be illuminating. I always seem to find that in the end any Stanford work proves worth the effort of listening, even though some take a little time to 'get'. The first piano concerto took me a while, whereas the second was immediately appealing.

[chill319]

Late to the Stanford party, but for the last few days have been marveling at Stanford's second piano trio, op. 73 (1899),  as performed by the Pirasti Trio. Does it remind me of Brahms? Yes. Why? First, because Stanford has the ability to write clear large-scale tonal structures that clearly bind remote chromatic tonalities to a classically tonal schema. Second, because of the seriousness of diction, which can't be faked. Beyond that, Stanford has quite different compositional means and textures from anything Brahms wrote. He shared with Brahms an understanding of how to extend tonality without abandoning it as well as a commitment to craft and control in service of passion.

[LateRomantic75]

Overall, I prefer Stanford in his more extroverted, less Brahmsian works, such as the Irish Rhapsodies and vocal/orchestral works (especially the magnificent Songs of the Fleet). I also very much like the Second and Third PCs (with their premonitions of Rachmaninoff), but, like Jimfin once did, I find PC 1 to be a more elusive work due to its overall restraint. The symphonies don't keep my attention as well as the works I mention as my favorites, but they contain some glorious moments for sure. The Sixth is my favorite Stanford symphony, as it is the most individual (to my ears) and contains a beautiful slow movement of genuine depth that Stanford's music rarely reaches (not meant to be a disparaging comment). In short, I find Stanford's music perpetually enjoyable and inspiriting at its best, but falls just short of being emotionally satisfying.

[edurban]

More information on upcoming and projected Stanford projects from the recent newsletter of the Stanford Society:

PREMIERE OF STANFORD'S SONG TO THE SOUL
The premiere of Stanford's Song to the Soul (Opus 97b) was given in Dublin on May 16th, 2014 by the RTE National Symphony Orchestra and Chorus directed by David Hill. This work was originally composed by Stanford in 1913 for a planned trip to the United States. He was to have travelled on the Lusitania, but as the ship was torpedoed just before his journey, the trip was cancelled and this work was never performed. The work, which lasts about 17 minutes, is based on two poems by Walt Whitman which Stanford had earlier set for voice and piano as part of Opus 97. Jeremy Dibble edited the manuscript score for performance.
The Dublin premiere was attended by Professor Dibble, who gave a pre-concert talk on the work and Stanford Society Chairman John Covell, together with Irish members Michael and Melissa Webb and Adele Commins. David Hill plans to record the work for Naxos in 2015 with the London Bach Choir and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. The CD will also include Stanford's Stabat Mater and The Resurrection, another unrecorded work.

FUTURE RECORDING PROJECTS
The Society is working closely with SOMM Records to plan the recording of a series of five CDs to include Stanford's eight String Quartets and two String Quintets. Seven of these ten major chamber works will be recorded for the first time. The artists will be the highly acclaimed Dante Quartet.
We hope to record the first volume in this series later in 2014. This will include Stanford's 5th and 8th String Quartets, both first recordings. Professor Jeremy Dibble is editing the manuscripts of the four String Quartets and the Second String Quintet, which have not been published.
The Society needs to raise £5,000 in sponsorship for each of these CDs. Please contact the Society's Chairman, John Covell, if you are able to help us meet this goal.



Very encouraging developments.  Hope the funding develops, as well.

Best, David

[Mark Thomas]

This is all great news, David. One can never have too much Stanford.

[edurban]

I couldn't agree more, Mark.  And a second recording of the Stabat Mater, mentioned just in passing, is very welcome.  I seem to remember Vaughn Williams writing it was one of the Stanford works that would survive the general eclipse of his reputation, and so it proves.

David