More evidence of Järvi's catholic tastes!
http://www.mdt.co.uk/parry-orchestral-and-choral-works-wales-neeme-jarvi-chandos-records.html (http://www.mdt.co.uk/parry-orchestral-and-choral-works-wales-neeme-jarvi-chandos-records.html)
Seems like ages since we had a big Parry disc. Very nice.
David
If you enter Parry as a search term in Amazon music you get 623 hits, and yet there are many great, unsung British composers and choral works still awaiting a recording. So, although I love Parry's music I would rather Chandos - and the wonderful Neeme Järvi - directed their efforts elsewhere.
Just a personal opinion, you understand. :)
I completely understand. Cliffe's Symphony No.2 would have been something, or maybe the symphonies of Cowen!
I agree. However, it was the fact that Järvi is conducting that prompted my post. Something to celebrate, methinks, that a world-renowned foreign conductor should record Parry!
Oh yes, I do agree, Alan.
I think it bespeaks the recognition that has finally returned to Parry, and is testament to Järvi's breadth of vision as a conductor. Again just a personal opinion, but I think an ability to maintain standards and yet diversify is a mark of a great conductor.
I presume the Magnificat included on this recording IS the one featured in the BBC presentation - it seemed to provoke quite a lot of interest at the time of broadcast.
I think Parry is still worthy of support as an unsung: I bet about 610 of those 623 hits are recordings of "Jerusalem", "I was glad" or perhaps "Songs of Farewell". I am still waiting for "A Vision of Life", "Saul" and "Judith", to mention just a few. Though Stanford's operas or Cowen's remaining symphonies would have me in an even more excited mood!
Also glad to see a rare appearance of a Parry chamber work (his brief 1886 intermezzi - not published until 1950 , I think - for string trio) in a NYC concert this season.
Sadly Parry's 'Job' did not sell well. It was a good recording.
I have to admit that for years I didn't think much of 'Job' after buying it, and thought GBS had been right. But recently I have really learned to love it and am convinced that it was a huge influence on Elgar: the Lamentation of Job is surely a prefiguring of Judas' big suicide solo in 'The Apostles'. And the Shepherd Boy's song reminds me strongly of the boy in VW's "Pilgrim's Progress"
Does anyone think Jarvi will record Parry's wonderful Fifth Symphony? It is my second favorite English symphony second only to the Elgar A-flat.
Doesn't seem to be in his concert schedule, anyway (the only Parry symphony I see just offhand in the 2012/2013 seasons was symphony no.3 in June 2012 conducted by John Andrews in Dorchester-on-Thames.)
According to this month's Gramophone, there's more choral Parry on the way, this time on period instruments, although it's not clear whether there will be any rarities committed to disc - "I Was Glad and Jerusalem alongside other coronation music by Parry and his colleague Charles Villiers Stanford" is as much detail as we have.
I've now bought the new Jarvi and I'm extremely impressed. Short these pieces may be, but they are exquisite. The Magnificat is a real find, and I like Parry's understated orchestration of 'Jerusalem'. Jarvi seems to bring that little bit of energy to Parry that he perhaps needs. More please!