A Happy and Prosperous New Year To All Readers of The Land of Lost ContentSignificant British Composer Anniversaries for 2015Bi-CentenariesJ.W. Glover (1815-1899)William Jackson (1815-1866)Henry Lazarus (1815-1895)H.H Pierson (1815- 1873)Ferdinand Praeger (1815-1891)150 YearsA.H. Brewer (1865-1928)Alfred Hollins (1865-1942)E.H. Lemare (1865-1934)Stewart Macpherson (1865-1941)Philip Miles (1865-1935)Howard. Talbot (1865-1928)R.R. Terry (1865-1938)William Wolstenholme (1865-1931)CentenariesGerald Cockshott (1915-1979)Pamela Harrison (1915-1990)Patrick...
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Saturday, December 27, 2014
This is an excellent compilation of Christmas music that shows considerable imagination and variety. From the transcendent sound of William Byrd to the more pungent music of William Mathias by way of an urbane contribution from Francis Poulenc, this CD offers an exciting and thoughtful contrast to many run of the mill seasonal offerings. There are four pieces by William Byrd. It was once written about this composer that he was a ‘pastoral poet...
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year To All Readers of 'The Land of Lost Content'Altarpiece of the Virgin, Jacques Darat, 1433From the Faint Daysprings Eastern Goal Far as the utmost west,Come, sing we Christ, the Saviour born Of Virgin Mother blest:The Father of the age to come, In servant's form array'd,That man He might for man atone, And ransom whom He made.Within...
Sunday, December 21, 2014
My earliest introduction to the music of John Rutter was the second volume of Carols for Choirs. It was in use by Coatbridge High School ‘senior’ and ‘junior’ ensembles under the guidance of music teacher Mrs Gallagher. At the same time copies had been bought by my local church, St Andrews, Stepps for the Christmas services. Carols for Choirs 2 had been published in 1970 by Oxford University Press and was jointly edited by David Willcocks and John...
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Many choristers will have been introduced to William Walton’s ‘What Cheer!’ through the first volume of Carols for Choirs edited by Reginald Jacques and David Willcocks. This book (and its successors) was to revolutionise the singing of Christmas Carols in ‘choirs and places where they sing’. Walton wrote four carols over a 45 year period. The first, in 1931, was ‘Make we Joy Now in this Feast’ which was commissioned by the Manchester-based newspaper...
Monday, December 15, 2014
My earliest introduction to Franz Reizenstein was in Harrods in Knightsbridge, London. In 1974, that iconic store had an excellent record department. Amongst the browsers, I found two Lyrita albums of piano music: one by William Wordsworth and the other by the present composer (RCS13 & RCS19). I had already begun collecting this wonderful record label, but these two discs were the first of the old ‘mono’ albums that I had come across. Reizenstein’s...
Friday, December 12, 2014
The Suite Circle of Time (1975) is a meditation on the progress of the seasons. It is strange in that there are five sections – and there are only four seasons! The secret is the reprise of the New Year Carillon at the works conclusion. The Carillonopens the suite with its brittle, frosty bell figuration. It is definitely winter time-and a cold one at that. I remember walking along the Thames near Barnes one January morning and the frost had hit...
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Bertha StevensI was watching a video recording of Ken Russell’s 1995 Southbank Show ‘Classic Widows’ the other day. This programme featured Susana Walton, Xenia Frankel, Fiona Searle and Bertha Stevens. Russell’s intention was to promote less-well known composers. Where the hugely successful Walton fitted into this scheme I am not sure. Contrariwise, Benjamin Frankel, Bernard Stevens and Humphrey Searle have not become household names. The concept...
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Merseyside Echoesis one of the best pieces of cross-over music that I have heard. Dickinson has written that this work, which is dedicated to his son Jasper, is a ‘tribute’ to The Beatles. It was commissioned in 1986 by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and was first performed there that year. It takes the form of a ‘rondo’ where the main theme is a ‘fanfare’ derived from an early organ work with the episodes being the ‘songs’. There is...
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
I have never been an enthusiast of the music of Hector Berlioz, however since first hearing his two overtures, Waverley and Rob Roy played by Sir Alexander Gibson and (as it was then) the Scottish National Orchestra, I have been impressed by these two Walter Scott inspired works. Waverley was the composer’s official Op.1 (now numbered H.26 in his catalogue) and was written between October 1826 and February 1828. The first performance was at the Berlioz debut concert at the Paris Conservatoire on 26 May 1828 conducted by Nathan Bloc. Waverleywas...
Sunday, November 30, 2014
In the early 1970s I bought a copy of Robert Still’s Symphonies No.3 & 4 which had been released on Lyrita Records (SRCS 46). Since that time I have heard virtually nothing else by this composer. There have been a few recordings over the years including a retrospective of his chamber music on ISMERON JMSCD 8. (See review) There is a file on the internet of a radio broadcast of the Concerto for string orchestra, which is one of the finest examples...
Thursday, November 27, 2014
In a recent post I quoted W.R. Anderson in The Gramophone magazine. He mentioned the Bax Festival which took place in 13 November 1922 at the Queen’s Hall in London. Fortunately for musical historians Edwin Evans was in attendance and wrote the following review for the Musical Times. No commentary is needed on this piece, save to mention that the two Christmas Carols seem to have disappeared from view. It must have been a fantastic concert. It is raking up an old story to dwell upon the advisability or the reverse of devoting an entire concert...
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