Josef Holbrooke Piano Music

[Gareth Vaughan]

Volume 2 of Cameo Classics' survey of Holbrooke's music for solo piano will be available later this month. In this volume Panos Trochopoulos plays the remaining Rhapsodie Etudes (nos. 5-9), the remaining Nocturnes Op. 121 (Nos. 3 and 5-8), the Celtic Suite, the Concert Valse "Talsarnau" Op. 79 and the first two of the Four Futurist Dances, Op. 66.  This is a very good disk, recorded on an excellent instrument and Panos offers some astonishing playing.

[Mark Thomas]

Thanks Gareth. This is good news; the Holbrooke revival gathers pace.

[albion]

I can confirm that this is an excellent recording and well worth acquiring: with Trochopoulos' stunning advocacy this should make a significant impact on our understanding and appreciation of Holbrooke. Hopefully the quirky series of 'Bogey Beasts', Op.89 (published with fantastic drawings by Sidney Sime, 1923) can be included in a later volume - although the last is strictly a song. For anyone who hasn't seen these illustrations:

http://spiritoftheages.com/Bogey%20Beasts%20%281923%29%20-%20Sidney%20Sime.htm

Holbrooke's musical realisations are equally imaginative!

[Pengelli]

There is an interesting website showing some of Sime's illustrations. I used one as a desktop for a while. Wasn't he a friend of Holbrooke's? (Must check up on this).

[Alan Howe]

I note that the two volumes are now being reissued. Can anyone tell me about the music?

[eschiss1]

I assume Op.79 is the same Op.79 also called "Long Ago" on IMSLP- score only downloadable in the US and Canada for the next 10 years or so though. Will have a quick look...
(... or, not. That Op.79 is a song. Hrm. ...??) Ah. "This song was extracted by the composer from his Opera-Ballet The Wizard, Op.70. He later repudiated the opus number 79. "

[Gareth Vaughan]

The issue of opus numbers in Holbrooke's music is immensely complicated and confusing because of Josef's habit of issuing more than one piece with the same opus number, or the same piece with different opus numbers, and frequently renumbering his composition lists, sometimes adding a letter to the opus no. as well (or, correspondingly, deleting a letter previously there). It can be a veritable minefield. He was also continually recycling material and reproducing or refashioning it for different instruments or groups of instruments.

[4candles]

Hopefully mods will forgive me resurrecting this thread, but members may like to know that pianist Simon Callaghan is scheduled to release a new disk of late piano music by Holbrooke on the Lyrita label in October. I have no further details, but from the little I know of the composer's music, this will be a welcome addition to the discography.

4c

[Gareth Vaughan]

Yes. I introduced Simon to the music and was delighted that he took it up; I wrote the booklet notes for the recording, which contains the 2 Fantaisie Sonatas: No. 1 "The Haunted Palace", Op. 124 and No. 2 "Destiny", Op 128b; the 8 Nocturnes, Op. 121, and the 4th Cambrian Ballade "Maentrog", Op. 104. Simon plays all these pieces quite beautifully with immense sensitivity and understanding of the music. I think the disk will be a revelation - I certainly hope so.

[semloh]

Very good news indeed!

[Mark Thomas]

This very welcome recording is now available and audio extracts are here. Downloading the tracks as I type...