4 program works which I am just beginning to listen to. One of them was a bit much as it consisted of 14 minutes of variation of 'Three Blind Mice'
But what highly inventive variations! A great fun piece and one of Sir Henry Woods' favourites. I reported on this disk under the topic "Josef Holbrooke" as I was instrumental in getting the music recorded. As I said, I think Howard Griffiths and the Brandenburgers play Holbrooke superbly and really understand his idiom, which seems to elude most modern conductors. Holbrooke is a brilliant orchestrator and possesses a truly individual voice as a composer. As you will have realised, I am something of a Holbrooke champion!
My own first reactions to the Three Blind Mice Variations were a mite negative too but, once you've listened a couple of times, you realise just how witty and impishly clever they are. I was reminded of Dohnanyi's Variations on a Nursery Song, which is "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" of course. The other three works on the CD have real power and dramatic force but these Variations show another, more unbuttoned but just as masterful, side to Holbrooke's compositional character. I do hope that this release is a success for cpo. I'd love to have more of his music from Griffiths and the Brandenburgers.
So far I've found the Poe work "Amontillado" and "The Viking" most interesting. I'm now of course wondering about the other 34 pieces he did on Poe material.
"Ulalume", of course, is another Poe inspired piece - and a very fine one, in my view. His first symphonic poem is "The Raven", based on Poe's poem of that name. It has been recorded before by Marco Polo - a dreary performance which does it no credit whatsoever. Howard Griffiths is interested in committing it to disk.
Other Poe pieces are: Dramatic Choral Symphony "Hommage to E.A. Poe"; the orchestral song "Annabel Lee"; the nonet "Irene"; the ballet "The Red Masque"; the late tone poem "The Pit & the Pendulum" (premiered by the Lambeth Orchestra under Chris Fifield last December); the late Fantasy-Sonata for piano "The Haunted Palace" (based on themes from the Dramatic Choral Symphony mentioned earlier) and at least 2 of the Op. 121 Nocturnes.
Holbrooke was not the only unsung who wrote music directly inspired by Poe. Myaskovsky's op. 9 symphonic poem Silence was based on Poe's "The Raven." André Caplet's Conte fantastique was based on "The Masque of the Red Death" and Florent Schmitt's etude called Le palais hante was based on Poe's "The Haunted Palace." I think I've heard all recordings of the Myaskovsky, but I have never heard either of these other two compositions. Have they been recorded?
Are there other works by unsungs based on Poe?
My favorite work based on Poe, which is not by an unsung composer, but is a relatively lesser known work by a very sung composer, is Rachmaninoff's "The Bells," which used as its text a rather loose translation of the Poe poem into Russian by Balmont.
Obviously not an unsung composer, but perhaps an unsung work -- Debussy's Fall of the House of Usher, which was reconstructed and orchestrated (in both a 24 minute version and a 56 minute one) is IMO quite worthwhile a listen. Not the best Debussy but it's very much his style.
Dave, I read the program of Myaskovsky's Silence on that website you linked me to on the last Forum. I assure you that it has absolutely nothing to do with The Raven! I'm not sure if it was a poem or some kind of short story, but it was a completely different work of Poe.
Not sure what I was thinking about. The Myaskovsky piece called Silence was obviously not based on "The Raven." It was based on Poe's fable by the same name -- "Silence."
Duh.
BTW - you can read the fable here:
http://www.classicreader.com/book/452/1/ (http://www.classicreader.com/book/452/1/)
Hello everyone. Received this cd today & enjoyed every minute of it. Best performances of Holbrooke I have ever heard. Thankyou to Gareth & all concerned.
Welcome to the unsung corner, Pengelli.
Quote from: Amphissa on Friday 26 June 2009, 00:29
Not sure what I was thinking about. The Myaskovsky piece called Silence was obviously not based on "The Raven." It was based on Poe's fable by the same name -- "Silence."
Duh.
BTW - you can read the fable here:
http://www.classicreader.com/book/452/1/ (http://www.classicreader.com/book/452/1/)
The notes in the CD booklet specifically talk about the Poe poem
The RavenThomas
I have also seen it linked to Poe's poem "Silence," which is quite different from the fable in feel and subject. Given the music itself, I really do not think the poem is likely.
I've nboted a number of sources that say he wrote a symphonic poem dated 1910 called Nevermore based on Poe's "The Raven." But I am aware of no such symphonic poem by Myaskovsky.
The link to "The Raven" may have derived from an error that has been perpetuated over time. An example is here -- at the bottom of this page just before the References. Note that the author states that Myaskovsky's biographer Ikonnikov attributes the op. 9 to Poe's "The Raven." However, I have the biography right here in front of me and it does not - at least this English translation does not. It indicates that Op. 9 is an "allegorical poem" after Poe, but does not specify which of Poe's works.
Just from listening to Silence, to me it has much greater affinity to the fable by the same title. "The Raven" has lots of repetition and is very structured. The fable is more fluid, as is the music. And the music has passages that I easily hear as churning waters and a frightening world.
I haven't delved into this issue for years. Since I last looked at it, a book of Prokofiev's letters has been published, and I believe there may be a good deal of correspondence between the two men in the collection. Silence dates from their time together at the conservatory, as it was a student work by Myaskovsky. Maybe I'll try to look at the letters to see whether there is any mention of it.
http://sdtom.wordpress.com/2007/05/18/silencemiaskovsky/ (http://sdtom.wordpress.com/2007/05/18/silencemiaskovsky/)
I reviewed this sometime back.
Thomas
As a fun exercise, you might try reading Poe's fable "Silence" while listening to Myaskovsky's Silence, op. 9.
I find it interesting that Poe also wrote a poem called "Silence" and that Myaskovsky also wrote music for a song that he titled Silence (posth.) All of which just confuses the matter more.
I personally believe the liner notes accompanying that CD are incorrect, perpetuating the previous incorrect reference to the biography.
But we've gotten off the subject of Holbrooke, and I'm curious if there are other pieces by unsungs not yet mentioned that were directly linked to Poe.
Quote from: Amphissa on Monday 29 June 2009, 19:43
As a fun exercise, you might try reading Poe's fable "Silence" while listening to Myaskovsky's Silence, op. 9.
I find it interesting that Poe also wrote a poem called "Silence" and that Myaskovsky also wrote music for a song that he titled Silence (posth.) All of which just confuses the matter more.
I personally believe the liner notes accompanying that CD are incorrect, perpetuating the previous incorrect reference to the biography.
But we've gotten off the subject of Holbrooke, and I'm curious if there are other pieces by unsungs not yet mentioned that were directly linked to Poe.
You could very well be correct in your deduction Holmes!!!
Thomas
As far as my collection is concerned the only other material I have is some of the Les Baxter writing for the Roger Corman/Vincent Price remakes of the Poe.
Quote
As far as my collection is concerned the only other material I have is some of the Les Baxter writing for the Roger Corman/Vincent Price remakes of the Poe.
:D I've got almost all of those old Vincent Price movies -- maybe all of them. I never paid much attention to the music. :D
Les Baxter was primarily known in the music industry for his "exotica" music but he did a number of scores for AI pictures, the most noteworthy being "Master of the World."
Thomas
http://sdtom.wordpress.com/2009/05/02/master-of-the-world-goliath-and-the-barbariansles-baxter/
Master of the World? The Jules Verne adaptation with Vincent Price? :)
Quote from: JimL on Thursday 02 July 2009, 22:46
Master of the World? The Jules Verne adaptation with Vincent Price? :)
Yes. It also had Charles Bronson and Henry Hull.
I think we're getting a little off-topic, gentlemen...
http://sdtom.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/symphonic-poemsholbrooke/ (http://sdtom.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/symphonic-poemsholbrooke/)
My review of the new CPO recording of the Holbrooke Symphonic Poems.
Thomas
I wrote to Gwydion Brooke,some years ago.He not only
replied,but sent me an LP of Holbrooke's music.
Quote from: Pengelli on Tuesday 18 August 2009, 01:24
I wrote to Gwydion Brooke,some years ago.He not only
replied,but sent me an LP of Holbrooke's music.
What was included on the LP?
It was his record label,Blenheim. Piano Quartet in G min.
op 21 & the Clarinet Quintet in G major,op.27.Nice of him!
NB : Listening to the cpo cd of Ernst Boehe, makes you
realise just how good Holbrooke's music is!
Many of the recordings Gwydion commissioned can now be obtained in CD format from Mike Skeet, 44 Challacombe, Furzton, Milton Keynes KK4 1DP, UK.
Thank you for that.I still have the LP,but my £49 Argos
record deck is hopeless!
R3 did 'The Bells' some years ago. I remember Gwydion
describing it,in his letter,as a 'travesty'.
I didn't hear the Radio 3 broadcast of The Bells, but I doubt it was quite the "travesty" Gwydion declared it to be, though they omitted a number of the more difficult to find (but very important nonetheless) instruments (e.g. mushroom bells, concertina and steer-horn). Gwydion could be needlessly damning sometimes - he had his father's temperament. Michael Freeman, a great admirer of Holbrooke's music, who knew Gwyd very well indeed, told me the performance was not bad at all. It is scored for a vast orchestra, but, like Richard Strauss, Holbrooke produces the most delicate and unusual sonorities, sometimes treatng the orchestra as if it were a chamber ensemble - and the extra instruments are fully justified. It's not, for example, more heavily (or oddly) scored than Messiaen's Turangalila.
Beecham described Holbrooke as being handicapped by
'a total want of critical faculty',didn't he.
Not that I agree,of course.
There may well have been something in what Beecham said, though he was prone to exaggeration. Nevertheless, Beecham championed Holbrooke's music and conducted quite a lot of it - not least, the "Cauldron" trilogy of operas. And it was Beecham who accompanied Holbrooke to France to secure a bass sarrusaphone player for "Apollo and the Seaman". He also praised Josef's ability to write a "big, heartfelt tune".
Gareth, have you had any feedback from cpo on how sales of the CD are going and, in particular, whether we can anticipate any more?
There is one customer for sure on this side of the pond.
Thomas
No direct feedback from CPO yet; I will email Franz Groborz and see what he has to say. But Jean Holbrooke told me about a month ago that they had asked her if she had orchestral parts for the Symphony No. 3 "Ships", The Raven, and the Variations on "Auld Lang Syne". She has, of course - but Jean is too schooled in disappointment in these matters and warned: "Don't get your hopes up. It's only an enquiry." That would be a great disk, however.
If Bantock can do it so can Holbrooke;although his muse
is darker and,perhaps,more idiosyncratic.
His obsession with Poe might help attract a following.
You would think that the Poe tie in would be a natural. I hope that the enquiry will result in another CD. I liked the playing and recording from CPO.
Yes, let's hope that it's not "nevermore"...
Boom!Boom! Good one Mark! The tone poem gets the
atmosphere of the poem,perfectly.
Well done Mark
Is Holbrooke's book, 'British Composers' worth getting
hold of, I wonder? I keep thinking about buying it.
I think so. It will give you a good idea of the old boy's pugnacious style!
Quote from: Pengelli on Wednesday 26 August 2009, 16:45
Is Holbrooke's book, 'British Composers' worth getting
hold of, I wonder? I keep thinking about buying it.
I'll have to look for it at the library and see. Is there a chapter about himself? I was just paging through another (don't remember name of author) and I think it was 20th century British composers and Josef wasn't included.
Thomas
That's unsuprising. Holbrooke seems to have had a large
ego so I wouldn't be suprised if there was!
Judging by my library Danielle Steel and Sidney Sheldon
are two of the greatest authors of the 20th century.
You misunderstand Holbrooke. He would have been one of us. He excoriated the British music establishment of his day for ignoring the music of his contemporaries and, in particular, of younger British composers, whose work he championed often, programming it in concerts which he organised and conducted at his own expense and which usually left him markedly out of pocket. There is no chapter on his own music in "Contemporary British Composers". There are chapters on: Elgar, Bantock, Bax, Frank Bridge, John Ireland, Cyril Scott, RVW, Rutland Boughton, Havergal Brian, Frederick Delius, Holst, Eugene Goossens, Samuel Coleridge Taylor, Arthur Bliss, Herbert Howells, John Foulds, Lord Berners, Benjamin Dale, William Baines, Joseph Speaight (completely overlooked today), and Felix White (ditto). Further chapters discuss briefly "Some Others", including the Austins (Frederick & Ernest), Frederic d'Erlanger, Edward German, Balfour Gardiner, York Bowen, Walford Davies, Donald Tovey, Hamilton Harty and others whose names (disgracefully) are now completely forgotten. There is also a chapter on "Women Composers", but here Joseph confines himself to Ethel Smyth, Dorothy Howell and Rebecca Clarke. In most cases lists of works extant at the time are given.
His concluding vision of Britain "...with opera and orchestras in all our towns, playing the native music to the enthusiastic discrimination of all men, and beholden to no one." ... has not come to pass - to the utter shame of these islands - but it is a noble one, for those of us who care, to keep in mind.
We can only hope that Naxos, CPO, or some other label will make available his works. If nothing else our discussion and my review have helped to make people aware. I've gotten a small number of people interested from the film music community.
Thomas
Sorry Gareth,I was just responding to Sdtom. Your reply
however has provided allot of useful information relating
to the content of this book.
Some of the names you mention would have been seen as very progressive & a bit daring at the time. I wonder if such a useful insight into the music of the time will at some point be made available on the internet?
Absolutely, Thomas. I think you are doing a great job. Much of his music is eminently cinematic, of course.