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Taken aback at just how good this music is - who knew? Excellent news that there is (hopefully) more to come, this has come as a genuine revelation!

PS; interesting to read back the thread and find myself agreeing with llja about the original version of Sibelius 5; I've never shared the universal enthusiasm for the "official" 5th, which always struck me as far too neat and rather pat...hearing the original was a revelation - a vastly more daring imaginative and disturbing work, a true successor to Sibelius 4th...I'm afraid by comparison the original of Parry's symphony offers no such revelations...

Haven't heard the new Chandos recording of the Parry yet, but I have to say I hope it's better than the performance broadcast this afternoon, which struck me as distinctly under-characterised and underpowered - by comparison Bamert's recording of the revised work has far more sweep imagination and energy; a shame, as I genuinely believe it is the first really major British symphony, and deserves better...

There was an earlier broacast performance of the Parry which was altogether livelier, and which greatly endeared me to the piece; however, on the day of the recording for some reason the same performers seem to have opted for slower tempi and stodgier rhythms, and I've always been disappointed by the results. High time for someone else to come along and rescue it - it can really sparkle!

Interesting though (and depressing?) to see that the plague of instant-applause-between-movements has spread even to musically literate Finland...So it's not just the Proms?

Well, I had high hopes for this but...oh dear. Frankly, I suspect the opera is probably unperformable now, for a whole variety of reasons, and that the best thing will be to stick with the (pretty good) BBC recording (there is some marvellous music, here and there) and daydream ones way through a private imaginary production...because I doubt anyone will ever see it on a professional opera stage? GL may have believed he was a (thwarted) natural opera composer, but the evidence suggests otherwise. Certainly his father was NOT a thwarted natural dramatist, and the truly dire libretto cripples the piece. I can't bear Puccini, but you must admire his sheer cold-blooded professionalism in bullying his librettists until they produced something razor sharp in which not a word is wasted and in which continuously developing action brings plausible characters to continuing and developing life:  unlike Lloyds 1-dimensional stock goodies and baddies declaiming poor verse at one another. (Almost everything is described as being "like the wind" at some point - that's as eloquent or insightful as it gets)  At the same time, neither does Iernin manage to rise to the genuinely fey poetry of something like The Immortal Hour. And I'm afraid there were one or two giggles among the audiences at certain infelicities of staging. Maybe John Socman or The Serf are better - but I'm not optimistic? Meanwhile I'm happy to stick with his symphonies...

Well a preliminary audition suggests that (as expected?) JoAnn Falletta makes a much better case for the Cotswold Symphony than the rather faceless earlier recording, with a more nuanced and fully characterised performance; but having said that, it's still no masterpiece, although the chief problem remains the inexplicably perfunctory first movement - what was Holst thinking? But if one is prepared to think of it as a superior orchestral suite, then it's a thoroughly enjoyable piece of music on its own terms, even if I still don't find the slow movement quite as profound as many commentators tell me it is. Nevertheless, a recording I wasn't at all sure was necessary turns out to be decidedly worth making and having...(A quick listen to another new Naxos recording - Delius' Mass of Life - suggests to me a very valiant effort only handicapped by what sounds like a slightly under-strength choir; under-strength for this piece that is, which really demands a wall of sound at times; but it's early days (evenings) yet, and I need to listen some more...)

He's mentioned under the Australian Composers thread, but this seems a good place also to nominate the symphonies by Benton Broadstock. Absolutely dazzling, vividly colourful and intensely dramatic works, they would go down a storm IF (along with 90% of the 20th/21st century repertoire)  they ever stood a snowballs chance in hell of getting performed here: but this would involve a reassessment  of the desperately limited and parochial core repertoire so drastic  it'll simply never happen. (And indeed, to reinforce the point on record they're performed (bizarrely, but stunningly well) by a Siberian orchestra! )

Interesting: as a great admirer of the symphonies I too have always found the VC oddly unsatisfactory. Admittedly, as a result I haven't listened to it for a long time, and not having listened to it for a long time I'm now unable to put my finger on the problem (!); but as far as I can recall I always had the feeling that the three movements didn't seem to belong together, and that the concerto never quite added up to the sum of its individual parts? In particular I seem to recall the jocularity of the finale hadn't been "earned" in some way? But prompted by this discussion I'll have to give it another go...(Actually, at the risk of heresy, I've never been a fan of any of Nielsen's concertos; I think his heart and head were with the symphony, and the intrinsic display character of the concerto was foreign to his nature...)

Thanks seconded for the Gardner pieces ! Be interesting to compare his setting of The White Horse with David Bedfords from 20+ years later; bet Gardners choir don't have to inhale helium?

Apropos nothing, have been listening lately to  Dunhills Elegiac Variations in Memory of Parry; a fine, trim tuneful piece which - if it doesn't match Parry's own Symphonic Variations (what does?) - would definitely merit a good modern recording.  It's surprising how many sets of British Edwardian orchestral variations have made it onto record at last -  Bantock, Holbrooke, Brian, Coleridge-Taylor and Hurlstone come to mind: but I wonder if there remain enough others to make up a couple more discs..?

Tonight, R3, 6.30 pm! (You wouldn't know unless you looked closely!)

Hope someone can manage a high bitrate recording?

(This refers to Dambis' Shakespeare music. To avoid my having to add explanatory notes and move replies without download links of their own to the Downloads Discussion board, please post them here in the first place - Mark)

Apologies - I was in a rush to leave for work, and only realised as I pressed "send" that I was on the wrong page! However, the good news is that the music IS as limpid evocative and haunting as I recall, and I recommend it to all Forum members!

Hooray! Haven't heard this for twenty + years; wonder if I'll find it as magical as before? Many thanks!

This refers to Dambis' Shakespeare music. To avoid my having to add explanatory notes and move replies without download links of their own to the Downloads Discussion board, please post them here in the first place - Mark

A good while after initially downloading it, I've finally found time to listen to the very welcome recording of Cyril Rootham's 2nd Symphony...
The little I know of Roothams music is down to two extant cds; the EMI/Hickox of orchestral miniatures, which includes some absolute gems, not least Adonis and the Stolen Child; inward, grave, tender pieces of great beauty. By contrast the Lyrita disc of his 1st Symphony reveals a bluff, breezy extrovert piece, somewhere on the Bax-VW-Moeran axis, all tweeds and pipe-smoke, with a particularly stirring folk-like theme churning through it like a rough wind on the Downs.. I've loved both discs ever since acquiring them, and have longed for many years to hear the 2nd Symphony. So sitting down to listen to his final work, I was not at all sure what to expect, although I had read the word "apocalyptic" in association with the piece....And having now listened to it, I'm still not at all sure what I've just heard! One or two mildly allegro moments apart, I think this may be the least overtly dramatic symphony I've ever heard; it's almost completely placid throughout, with barely a ripple on its surface. VW famously described his 3rd Symphony as being "in 4 movements, all of them slow," but by comparison with the Rootham VWs Pastoral goes like the clappers on steroids! Clearly this is not music that's going to give up its secrets easily, and with the greatest respect and gratitude to dafrieze, the original uploader, it's a shame the recording isn't a little clearer, because one really needs to listen hard to music so implacably determined not to raise its voice...So, two questions; can anyone help with the text of the brief final choral contribution? And has anyone else listened to the piece and have any thoughts on it's (to me) enigmatic mien, and meaning..?

Delighted to make the re-acquaintance of Gawain and The Green Knight: I agree with an earlier poster that maybe it sags here and there, but nevertheless I love it, flaws and all. Indeed I've hung on to my LP for years, even though I no longer have a record deck on which to play it (!) as I just couldn't bear to part with it (Recently offered it and a couple of other LPs for transcription to members who have decks, but without interest.) Nothing else by Richard Blackford since has touched me in the same way, although he's certainly been prolific: the setting of the Coventry Carol at the end I find almost unbearably poignant!