Havergal Brian - unsung great composer, or a cult figure? - TGR

Music Lane

It's all about the music, dude! Sit down, relax and listen to some tunes.

Havergal Brian - unsung great composer, or a cult figure?

I think it was George Szell who said that there are no great undiscovered masterpieces, so by definition anything more than a couple of decades old wouldn't be a masterpiece. The case of Brian is an interesting one - here is a guy who was rarely performed, in his very first symphony wrote the biggest one ever (measured by size of forces required and possibly by length) and NEVER gave up, writing a large number of is symphonies after the age of 70.

The "Gothic" symphony (that first one) has sort of enjoyed an underground following, and while I don't have definitive facts, I wager that it is Brian's most recorded work, with several commercial recordings and at least one release of a concert performance - Boult conducting, I believe. Fanfare recently gave very high marks to the recent Dutton release of Brian's symphonies 2 and 14, conducted by Brabbins, who is making his way through a good number of Brian's symphonies. I just ordered it this weekend - had to go to Presto UK to find it. Very curious to hear it. I have owned the Marco Polo release of the Gothic for a number of years, but I can't say that it made an impact on me - I remember it as having murky sound, and being a murky performance. Need to pull it off the shelf and give it another listen.

Looking forward to hearing this new one - sounds like the 2nd symphony is quite interesting, and supposedly well played and recorded..

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

The Cable Cooker

Topic - Havergal Brian - unsung great composer, or a cult figure? - TGR 15:53:50 01/23/17 (8)

RE: Havergal Brian - unsung great composer, or a cult figure? - Amphissa 16:25:21 01/24/17 (4)

So. . . I'll put you down for. . . cult figure? [nt] ;-) - Chris from Lafayette 19:34:06 01/26/17 (1)

Yes, I am a cult figure :) and also - Amphissa 12:43:20 01/27/17 (0)

Thanks - TGR 13:10:15 01/25/17 (1)

Not really - Amphissa 16:27:05 01/25/17 (0)

I can stream a couple of his Dutton CDs on QOBUZ... - Ivan303 19:46:40 01/23/17 (2)

RE: I can stream a couple of his Dutton CDs on QOBUZ... - ahendler 08:56:55 01/24/17 (1)

RE: I can stream a couple of his Dutton CDs on QOBUZ... - Ivan303 11:20:58 01/24/17 (0)

FAQ

Post a Message!

Forgot Password?

Moniker (Username):
Password (Optional):
	Remember my Moniker & Password (What's this?) Eat Me
E-Mail (Optional):
Subject:

Message:	(Posts are subject to Content Rules)

Optional Link URL:
Optional Link Title:
Optional Image URL:
Upload Image:
E-mail Replies:	Automagically notify you when someone responds.

To view your new posting or follow-up, click on the RELOAD or REFRESH button on your browser.