I've posted four recently acquired recordings of hard-to-find works by Alfred Hill in the Downloads board and added to the post links to my earlier uploads of some of his symphonies.
I've now added the Piano Concerto, which I had neglected to include in the original post.
Considering my mother was was Australian, Hill has always been someone I would like to like, but the old Marco Polo recordings seemed to me to be really rather tedious. I'll be listening to these for sure, though! Many thanks.
I'd love to hear a good modern recording of his viola concerto - a fine piece, IMHO.
The viola concerto is a fine piece. BTW, its final movement is marked 'Decisivo', with a quarter note=95 BPM. I already inquired.
Thank you, Jim. Decisivo, not Deciso?
Hill's symphonic poem, The Lost Hunter, representing a nightmare and dream had by said hunter whilst awaiting rescue, was aired on ABC Classic FM this weekend. The presenter suggested - rather oddly to my ears - that it would make a good ballet!
Quote from: Mark Thomas on Saturday 23 March 2013, 17:48
Thank you, Jim. Decisivo, not Deciso?
Here is the reply I got from the librarian:
From: library@australianmusiccentre.com.au
To: jblev10@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: Library Enquiry
Date: Wed, 20 Mar 2013 00:46:11 +0000
Dear James,
Thank you for your library enquiry.
Our copy of the piano reduction of this work is simply marked "Decisivo" at the start.
We have a recording of the work (Robert Pikler, viola, with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra) and I've listened to it with a metronome. The performance is at approximately 'quarter note = 95'.
I hope this is of help.
Best,
James
How odd, but what a helpful reply. Isn't Decisivo Spanish, rather than Italian? Hill used Deciso in at least one of his other works. Thanks, Jim.
"Decisivo" exists both in Italian and Spanish, with the same meaning: "conclusive" (but in the meaning of "crucial", not "final, the last of a series").
"Deciso" is like "risoluto" (in A.Hill, Quartet n.5, I, Allegro risoluto), "resolute".
Thanks, Alberto. We live and learn.
Which is still kind of odd. I wonder if James at the Australian Library misread it? ???
Yes, I wondered that too, but it's really not that important, is it?
This (http://events.nzherald.co.nz/2013/matariki/auckland/devonport) also has "Decisivo", btw. (Hrm! And it's nice to see that the viola concerto will be played next month, if I understand that rightly :) )