Première recording of Percy Sherwood's Double Concerto

[Alan Howe]

The Sherwood/Cowen CD can now be ordered via EM's website (click on 'ONLINE SHOP'):
https://www.em-records.com/discs/emr-cd047-details.html

[Alan Howe]

Advance notice: the uploads will be deleted as soon as the first copies of the CD are received.

[Alan Howe]

There's no doubt in my mind that Sherwood's Double Concerto is a major work. The thematic content is memorable in every movement - and the slow movement in particular is a major statement of extraordinary expressive power. If this were by any great 'name', it would be played on a frequent basis - except, of course, that it's difficult for a concerto requiring two virtuoso soloists to gain a foothold on the repertoire.

[JimL]

The key of the Double Concerto, BTW, is a bright, sunny G Major.

[Alan Howe]

The mood of the outer movements is certainly predominantly 'sunny'; the slow movement is a noble outpouring of sadness, however: almost a lament for a world about to pass away. The score tells us that the work was written in his home town of Dresden, where he was a professor at the conservatoire, although his Viola Sonata (dating from the same year) was written at 'Highcliffe', a small town now in the borough of Christchurch, Dorset, so Sherwood clearly travelled between Germany and England in the years before the outbreak of the First World war. Whether he sensed the coming conflict, one can only guess, but it's interesting that he seems to have composed little in the half-dozen or so years before the outbreak of war.

[JeremyMHolmes]

Has anyone received their copy of the CD yet?

[Alan Howe]

Nope!

[Alan Howe]

According to the latest EMF/EM Records email CDs will be available 'in a few weeks' time'.

[Mark Thomas]

We'll, hope springs eternal...

[Alan Howe]

Nope, no sign.

In the meantime, here's the cover:

[Mark Thomas]

... which gives me the opportunity to vent my spleen at the idiotic trend of giving classical albums meaningless trite titles such as "of such ECSTATIC SOUND", leaving us to scrabble around trying to identify what the compositions on the disc actually are. Do the labels really think that that'll sell more? Grrr...

[Gareth Vaughan]

The reference, of course, is to the last verse of Hardy's poem "The Darkling Thrush":

So little cause for carolings
      Of such ecstatic sound
Was written on terrestrial things
      Afar or nigh around,
That I could think there trembled through
      His happy good-night air
Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew
      And I was unaware.

Which is a tremendous, and tremendously beautiful, poem - but, as Mark rightly says, does nothing to help us identify the music! Nor is it really of any relevance to the music either. It's just a potent phrase.

[Alan Howe]

I agree. Pseuds Corner stuff, this.

It's just a potent phrase.

And irrelevant. This isn't Delius...

[eschiss1]

and yes, sometimes with some labels (fortunately not ones that concentrate much on Romantic-era unsung music) the compositions aren't identified on front or back covers - rotten practice, but at least here the composers, compositions and performers seem to be listed in smaller type...

[Gareth Vaughan]

Yes - and we shouldn't complain really, I suppose. But I wish they would get on and release it.