Bantock, Granville

Average customer rating:

A Treasury of English Song

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music

$6.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

English Song
Favorite English Songs
Songs My Father Taught Me
Songs by Roger Quilter
Great Operatic Arias

ASIN: B0001O2OBI
Release Date: 2004-05-11

Bantock: Hebridean Symphony; Celtic Symphony; The Witch of Atlas; The Sea Reivers

Average customer rating:

Bantock's Celtic Symphony
A very Straussian Hebridean symphony
Bantock: Hebridean Symphony/The Sea Reivers
An incomprehensible neglection of an outstanding composer
A sleeper...a delight!

Bantock: Hebridean Symphony; Celtic Symphony; The Witch of Atlas; The Sea Reivers

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Bantock: Pagan Symphony / Handley
Bantock: The Cyprian Goddess; The Helena Variations; Dante and Beatrice
Bantock: Sappho; Sapphic Poem
Kurt Atterberg: The Symphonies (Box Set)
Edward Rubbra - Complete Symphonies / Hickox

ASIN: B000002ZOF
Release Date: 1993-03-10

Tracks:

Celtic Symphony: 1. Lento sostenuto
Celtic Symphony: 2. Allegro con fuoco
Celtic Symphony: 3. Andante con tenerezza
Celtic Symphony: 4. Allegro con spirito
Celtic Symphony: 5. Largamente maestoso
The Witch Of Atlas: A
The Witch Of Atlas: B
The Witch Of Atlas: C
The Witch Of Atlas: D
The Witch Of Atlas: E
The Witch Of Atlas: F
The Witch Of Atlas: G
The Witch Of Atlas: H
Hebridean Sea Poem No. 2: The Sea Reivers
A Hebridean Symphony: 1
A Hebridean Symphony: 2
A Hebridean Symphony: 3
A Hebridean Symphony: 4
A Hebridean Symphony: 5
A Hebridean Symphony: 6
A Hebridean Symphony: 7
A Hebridean Symphony: 8
A Hebridean Symphony: 9

Customer Reviews:

Bantock's Celtic Symphony.......2006-07-25

My husband & I heard this piece on our local classical music radio station and decided right then (at 11:30 at night) that we had to order the CD. Since it arrived, we have been playing it (and the other Bantock CD that we ordered - the Pagan Symphony) almost non-stop. We love celtic music and these two CD's add so much to our collection. The only down side is that the dynamics go from pianissimo to fortissimo quite often, so it's hard to find the perfect volume setting, but who cares! it's beautiful!

A very Straussian Hebridean symphony.......2004-06-12

Like another reviewer, my initial exposure to this music was through an NPR broadcast. I quickly purchased the CD and have enjoyed the echt-Richard Strauss "Hebridean" symphony many times. Like the other music on the CD -- none of which has the lasting effect of this symphony -- it heaves and rolls with all the emotions of a sea journey. For that reason, I burned my own CD, mating this version of the "Hebridean" with Handley's performance of Britten's "Four Sea Interludes" from "Peter Grimes" and his recording of Frank Bridge's "The Sea" suite. I think this places the Hebridean symphony in more appropriate company than with Bantock's lesser music. Still, this CD makes a wonderful introduction to the music of a composer not well-known in America. If you buy it, you won't be disappointed.

Bantock: Hebridean Symphony/The Sea Reivers.......2003-08-17

I heard a portion of this work (Hebridean Symphony) on public radio a while back. Having never heard of Sir Granville Bantock, I was curious enough to seek out and purchase the CD. I keep asking myself "How could such a wonderful, exciting work be kept so obscure?!?" The Hebridean Symphony is an excellent work, worthy of much higher prominence in the Music world.

The "3 Minute surprise" on this album?:

"The Sea Reivers" is a thrilling, roller-coaster ride of musical enjoyment. Having heard only the Handley version on Hyperion, I cannot imagine any other version having any more excitement or fire! Bravo!!

An incomprehensible neglection of an outstanding composer.......2002-05-25

It's absolutely astonishing how a composer of the range and impact of Sir Granville Bantock has been forgotten for so long, not only at concert halls but also (and this is even more surprising) by recording labels.I agree in every word with the opinions of previous Bantock's lovers reviews, but I want to add a few more things. I have also a huge classical symphonic CD'S collection, but among them all I consider a few of them as authentic jewells, hidden treasures which must be urgently unburied.This is one and, probably, the most valuable of them.It is impossible to describe the sense of emotion, grandiosity and splendour this "God of Symphonic Music" is able to display in each of his, fortunately, prolific compositions, and specially in his Hebriddean Symphony, which is, undoubtedly, one of the master works, not only in the History of Symphonic Music but in the History of Music.Mysterious woodwind passages preceed others of sublime brass magnificency and glory, all involved in a lyric ,epic and romantic wave;a dream come true thanks to the brilliant sound of the RPO under the baton of Vernon Handley.
Each new listening becomes a new delight for the ears, and deep emotions arise once an again, making this CD a unique experience, unforgivable to miss by any symphonic music lover.
I'm absolutely delighted with Hyperion, the RPO and Vernon Handley, as they keep recording Bantock's music, and I hope they will be doing so. I'm craving for more Bantock!.

A sleeper...a delight!.......2000-06-02

I, too, have a very large classical CD collection, with my tastes running primarily to Mahler, Shostakovich, Brucker, and Sibelius - though I recently added Rubbra to this group of frequent musical companions. My brother gave this CD to me for Christmas a few years ago, but it was within the last year that I decided to really give it a close listen. I now consider it to be one of those pieces (like Mahler #4, Shostakovich #5, and Sibelius #2)that always sound fresh to my ears - always feel like musical home!

Though I love the initial three pieces on this CD (particularly the lovely Celtic Symphony with its gloriously peaceful opening), it is the Hebridean Symphony that is on my Desert Island list. From its brooding, dramatic opening (clearly preparing the listener for a meaningful experience) to the lovely climax and ending, this music is always totally involving. The recording is spectacular - the dynamic range is huge, and the brass the percussion make some huge punctuations; it is hard to find just one listening level for the car, in fact!

Customer Reviews:

Engaging.......2006-04-29

I went looking for some "off-the-beaten-path" piano CDs and took a chance on this one and I am very pleased that I did. It seems that Mr. Hough has some personal connections to the pieces - his playing has lots of nuance and there are many beautiful moments. Most of the works are peaceful, but the program is not monotonous. This is a great CD for background or for more focused listening. Most of the pieces are more or less traditional and a few are more modern (the Leighton is a bit difficult for my ear in spots but I've only listened to it once), all are finely wrought. This is one of the best CDs I have bought recently. I have also recently bought several Hamelin CDs (Scriabin, the Composer Pianists and the Liszt CD) and while his technique is certainly impressive, he seems to lack the nuance and emotive connection that Hough brings.

Who Said The English Can't Compose Music?.......2004-10-24

I had occasion to get a recording of Kenneth Leighton's "Six Studies (Study Variation) Op. 56. I had to purchase this CD as it contains the only available recording of the piece. I am very happy I did as it contains some fabulous music, which is beautifully played by Stephen Hough who contributes two short compositions of his own. The other composers, among them Alan Rawsthorne, Stephen Reynolds, Edward Elgar (how did he get in there), Stephen Reynolds, are easy to listen to. Hough has a lovely touch and the recording could not be better. The Leighton? It concludes the recording and will wake you up if you doze off while listening to the soothing, magical music, that precedes it.

Stunningly Beautiful.......2003-01-14

This is beautiful music from off the beaten path, played skillfully and with feeling. As a bonus, included are Hough's typically terrific liner notes. And for once, Hyperion even managed to get the duration time posted on the back to actually match that of the cd. Well done!!!

Nothing more than I expect.......2002-08-07

I wonder if the previous reviewer felt the same about this CD a few seconds after his ecstatic, climactic review. Do not be misled by the title of 'English Piano Album' for it is not a survey of english piano music but rather, as Hough explains, english piano music that means something to him. So there is no Sterndale Bennett, no Pinto et al. There are two 'rough' works included here; Rawsthorne's Bagatelles and Leighton's Studies. These will not appeal to those with delicate ears used to listener-friendly music. The other works are less astringent - my particular favourite in this collection was York Bowen's (sometimes known as the English Rachmaninov) serious dance, delicately (and seriously!) performed by Stephen Hough. Although I would not recommend this to the general music lover, I am happy to say that those interested in piano playing and rare repertoire will not be disappointed with this disc.

On a different note, I am disappointed to see that Simon Trpceski's debut album is not available on this site. It includes exceptional playing at a bargain price and I highly recommend its acquisition.

Gorgeous, unbelievably beautiful..........2002-04-11

Can I give more than 5 stars?

This is an amazing recording, unbelievable artistry -- gorgeous music, played sensitively. These are not warhorse pieces that you will necessarily recognize. Yet, despite being off the beaten trail, the music draws you in. This is one of those rarest of recordings, something different -- and yet so desirable.

Can I say something negative about this recording? Uh..no...it is English music -- which is to say not Bach, Beethoven, Brahms -- but it is sensuous music -- and by no means, dull.

Tracks:

Passacaglia And Fugue In C Minor, BWV 582: Passacaglia
Passacaglia And Fugue In C Minor, BWV 582: Fugue
Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 645
Prelude And Fugue In C Major, BWV 545: Prelude
Prelude And Fugue In C Major, BWV 545: Fugue
O Mensch, bewein' dein' Sunde gross, BWV 622
Fantasia And Fugue In C Minor, BWV 537: Fantasia
Fantasia And Fugue In C Minor, BWV 537: Fugue
The 'Giant' Fugue (Wir glauben all' an einen Gott, BWV 680
Chaconne From Partita No. 2 In D Minor, BWV 1004
'Fugue a la gigue' In G Major, BWV 577
Prelude And Fugue In E Flat Major 'St Anne', BWV 552: Prelude
Prelude And Fugue In E Flat Major 'St Anne', BWV 552: Fugue

Amazon.com

Another Bach anniversary offering here, featuring fine performances that have been well-recorded. These orchestrations (mainly of organ works) are essentially the product of 19th- and 20th-century composers working at a time when it was considered acceptable to pep up Bach's own orchestrations with the added color and fattening of texture available from the modern orchestra. Slatkin certainly doesn't offer the kind of overblown performances such big-boned reworkings often invited, but some may still find the echoes of that earlier tradition a shade unpalatable against the background of today's "authentic" performance styles. Some transcriptions work better than others--either when they retain a native simplicity (as in the moving Reger orchestration for strings of "O Mensch bewein' dein' Suende gross"), or when they represent the quintessential sound of the transcribing composer, as in Elgar's fabulous treatment of the Fantasia and Fugue in C Minor, BWV 537. As a snapshot of how past generations have viewed Bach, the CD has undeniable fascination value. --Andrew Green

Customer Reviews:

Magnificent!.......2004-09-10

Hearing these pieces rendered by the BBC Phil and Slatkin is like hearing each one for the first time ever! Respighi's transcription of the Passacaglia and Fugue is very dramatic, replacing the organ's multitude of stops and pipes with the orchestra's many voices and tone colors. The Elgar transcription of the C Minor Fantasia and Fugue is infectiously light-hearted, especially in the Fugue, with its colorful, unexpected percussion entrances. Schoenberg's popular transcription of the St. Anne Prelude and Fugue is also rendered very nicely. The highest point of this disc, however, is undoubtedly Joachim Raff's transcription of the mighty Chaconne from the Partita II D minor. The Raff offering alternates between moments of wild abandon and exuberance to passages where only one or two instruments may be playing. His decision to have most of the arpeggios in the original played as actual chords (contrasting with Saito and Stokowski's transcriptions of this piece) creates a unique effect, and the abundance of countermelodies allows Raff his own unique voice while preserving the original as far as possible. This disc offers us a fascinating insight into the way Bach was heard right up until the mid-twentieth century, when he finally gained widespread popularity on his own. A must for any Bach collector, student, or enthusiast!

A bad start and some bright jems.......2004-03-08

This CD starts with the Respighi transcription of J.S.Bach passacaglia. I don't like the way Slatkin approaches this piece.
To get a different point of view (and a complete different feeling) please compare the Toscanini performance of the same piece (Naxos historical).
The remaining parts of this CD are easily enjoiable and not just as background music. From a technical point of view this recording is very good.

What a ride!.......2001-07-23

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Bach orchestral transcriptions were generally heard in the sedate, somewhat predictable style of the Philadelphia Orchestra under Stokowski and later conductors. That's what I encountered in those days, and it's pretty much what I've heard since.

Conductor Leonard Slatkin has had a better idea. Many a great composer (Respighi, Reger, Elgar or Vaughan Williams) has done transcriptions, and some near-greats as well (Bantock, Honegger, Raff, Holst, Schoenberg). Here's 73 minutes of absolutely wonderful stuff, as a result. These guys almost all orchestrate "balls to the wall," with tremendous energy and dynamical range, using the full resources of the full orchestra. Bach himself must have been a tremendously energetic and passionate man, and these transcriptions do him justice.

If you think of Stokowski or Eugene Ormandy when you think of Bach transcriptions, give these a try. I guarantee you'll be blown away. This CD is so addictive I have had to severely ration myself since buying it about a year ago, or I would play it over and over.

Bring on More Brass, Please.......2000-10-03

As the sawings on gut strings and the blattings on "period" woodwinds grate on my nerves the way fingernails dragged across a blackboard do, I welcome a revival of Bach played in transcriptions for a modern symphony orchestra, a tradition sustained and magnificently publicized although definitely not started by Leopold Stokowski during his tenure at Philadelphia. The earliest of the transcriptions recorded here, the one by Joachim Raff (1822-1882) of the solo-violin Chaconne, is among the richest, filled out in the necessary accompaniment by ingenious counterthemes and by rich, mid-nineteenth century harmonies. Ottorino Respighi and Arnold Schoenberg also dress up Bach in the accoutrements of Wagner and Mahler, the former with his colossal orchestration of the Passacaglia and Fugue and the latter with his brilliant symphonic adaptation of the "Saint Anne" Prelude and Fugue. Then there's the version of the "Fugue a la Gigue" by Gustav Holst, which comes from the same period as Holst's own Fugal Overture and Fugal Concerto. Arthur Honegger adds saxophones and a distinctly "Les Six" sound to his redoing of the Prelude and Fugue in C Major. There are rarities from Vaughan-Williams and Bach and from Sir Granville Bantock and Bach. I understand that Esa-Pekka Salonen has recorded a similar Bach-in-Big-Orchestra-Guise CD for Sony. Pearl once issued digital remasterings of Stoki's "go" at this stuff with the Philadelphia. It would be nice if that were still available. I hope that everyone comes to this table and digs in. Would you pass me some more brass, please?

20th century look at Bach.......2000-09-19

This is a very entertaining, if uneven, disc. It contains 9 transciptions of Bach done by 8 famous 20th century composers and 1 not-so-famous 19th century master. All the orchestrations are skillfully done, but some work better than others.

For instance, it's hard not to crack a smile at the rather bombastic overkill that the Fantasia and Fugue in C Minor (BWV537) undergoes in the hands of Edward Elgar. Strangely, though, his transcription works better than Respighi's version of the Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor (BWV582) which is even more technicolor but doesn't seem to have a consistent orchestrational mindset. The Schoenberg version of the "St. Anne" Prelude and Fugue also suffers from too much cleverness, but it is a rousing experience.

The best transcriptions seem to be those which don't try to inflate the music too music. Max Reger's string version of a chorale prelude is very touching. Similarly, although Arthur Honegger tilts his orchestration towards brighter, brassier colors, the music sings without being buried as it is in some of the "larger" orchestrations. I also very much enjoyed what Joachim Raff, the one 19th century representative, does with the Chaconne in D minor. Although there are big moments, it is the colorful use of the winds which make this transcription special.

Leonard Slatkin plays it all straight, which is fine, since it allows us to appreciate the orchestration--the whole point of the disc. If you like this, search out the old Philadelphia Orch./Ormandy disc of Bach transcriptions which offers a more homogeneous set of orchestrations which highlight the orchestra's rich strings. That disc is, perhaps, more touching than this one because the orchestrations augment Bach without getting in the way as some on this disc do. Still, this CD is an entertaining and interesting experiment.

Bantock: Pagan Symphony / Handley
Average customer rating:

MUSIC OF STORY AND VISION

...Wildly imagative

Romantic Mythology

Bantock's 'Pagan Symphony';'Fifine at the Fair'; Two ballads

Bantock: Pagan Symphony / Handley

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Romantic | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
Tone Poems | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Bantock: Hebridean Symphony; Celtic Symphony; The Witch of Atlas; The Sea Reivers

Bantock: The Cyprian Goddess; The Helena Variations; Dante and Beatrice

Bantock: Sappho; Sapphic Poem

Bantock: Thalaba the Destroyer

Bantock: The Song of Songs; The Wilderness and the Solitary Place; Pierrot of the Minute; Overture to a Greek Tragedy

ASIN: B000002ZS8
Release Date: 1995-04-16

Tracks:

Pagan Symphony: Tranquilo molto lento sostenuto
Pagan Symphony: Allegro con spirito
Pagan Symphony: Scherzo: Dance of Satyrs
Pagan Symphony: Fanfare: Allegretto con moto
Pagan Symphony: Molto lento, sostenuto e rubato
Pagan Symphony: Finale: Allegro moto e con fuoco
Fifine At The Fair: Fifine At The Fair - Prologue: Amphibian
Fifine At The Fair: Fair: Carnival of Venice
Fifine At The Fair: Allegretto grazioso e capriccioso
Fifine At The Fair: Fifine's theme
Fifine At The Fair: Lento con malinconia
Two Heroic Ballads: Cuchullan's Lament
Two Heroic Ballads: Kishmul's Galley

Customer Reviews:

MUSIC OF STORY AND VISION.......2003-10-18

Somewhere in between aching loveliness and the blaringly brash Granville Bantock's music achieves greatness. Bantock's inventiveness and vision rivals that of contemporaries like Holst and even Vaughan Williams (a personal favorite of mine). This recording--containing the massive one movement Pagan Symphony, the lovely Fifnie at the Fair, and two impressive heroic ballads--serves as a great introduction to this composer.

The Pagan Symphony centers on Bantock's ideas about classical Greece. In musical form he alludes to and brings to life the culture and legends of the Greeks.

Fifnie at the Fair was inspired by a Robert Browning poem. It is the most stunningly beautiful piece on the disc. It is almost a necessary counterweight to the thunder of the Pagan Symphony.

The two ballads--Cuchullan's Lament & Kishmul's Galley are more than just filler pieces. Each has a charm and character distinctly its own.

Bantock the composer may not have been a world class lyricist, but he could tell quite a story. His music is full of color. He used a full palate to paint soundscapes that are uniquely wonderful.

Vernon Handley, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Hyperion's engineers are to be given full credit for this wonderful recording. I must say this also about Handley and Hyperion--with their work on the Robert Simpson Symphony cycle and now with this disc and their other recordings of Bantock's music--they are not just making great music but leaving a legacy.

I give this disc my full recommendation

...Wildly imagative.......2002-08-18

To the thanks of Vernon Handley and Hyperion records, Granville Bantock can be appreciated after being neglected for a long time. When it comes to British composers there was never that much focus put upon Bantock, although he has at times been compared to Edward Elgar...a unlikely comparison, Liszt, Wagner and Richard Strauss come more in mind.

Granville's fascination with celtic mythology is never more evident with the likes of "Pagan Symphony" 35 minutes of one continous movement that fall into sections, music of the highest imagination that invokes the mind. Bantock derives most of his works from poetic references.

"Fifine At The Fair" being his most popular performed work being no exception, has Robert Browning as the influence...which at the time was considered unreadable.

"Two Heroic Ballads", Cuchullan's Lament and Kishmul's Galley are both based upon Kennedy-Fraser collection of songs. Kismul's Galley had been lifted from "Hebridean Symphony".

Vernon Handley and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra are just simply marvelous, the colourful sweeping orchestration carries you off to another place and time.

Romantic Mythology.......2001-04-24

Granville Bantock was a late romantic composer, particularly fascinated with the mythology of antiquity. He explored it beautifully in his music, which in addition to bringing his favorite subject to life musically, is extremely listenable.

Bantock is another composer who, while not being a household word, is well-worth experiencing. The investment in time will pay dividends.

Bantock's 'Pagan Symphony';'Fifine at the Fair'; Two ballads.......2000-02-25

Here Bantock is not referring to the 'New Age' Pagans we see today, with joss sticks and crystals but here he alludes to one of his first loves, Classical Antiquity. He prefixes his Pagan Symphony with the Latin motto 'Et ego in arcadia vixi' which means 'I too lived on Arcadia' and attempts to portray through the eyes of a Victorian intellectual those idealised visions of nymphs and gods and goddesses living in a pastoral landscape of divine beauty. Today we have lost this false picture due to the work of Nietzsche and other scholars who have penetrated further into the Greek ideals than did the 19th century philhellenes. However, we can appreciate this work as late romantic invention rather than musical archaeology. The vehicle Bantock uses is the late romantic post-Wagnerian orchestra that Richard Strauss had taken into new sound worlds with his tone poems like 'Also Sprach Zarathustra' and 'Till Eulenspiegel'. All this stuff must have been so exciting when it was cutting edge and Bantock was not alone when he was attempting to conjure up the world with a 120 piece orchestra and the new chromatic, flowing never-ending melodies he had inherited from Wagner. The brilliant orchestration with growling brass, jumping woodwind and finely divided strings represents romantic music on the very precipice with Mahler's doom laden appogiaturas. Unlike Mahler, however, Bantock is good humoured and does not seek like Scriabin to explode in an apotheosis of sexual-religious ecstasy or retreat like Debussy into a world of sense experience robbed of action or like Delius inhabit a world of contemplative hedonism. He is thus remarkably well balanced as a composer, lacking that self-indulgent 'suffering for his art philosophy' that became so associated for a time with the romantic creative artist like its non plus ultra, Baudelaire or even Chatterton and Byron. In true English vein, he shows his genius in plain speaking terms yet the orchestra sparkles as much as with his (more frequently played) contemporaries. He is a Tennyson of music and not a Mallarme. Fifine at the Fair is a tone poem based on a poem by Browning which is almost incomprehensible to modern sensibilities but involves something a butterfly symbol on the sea of life and infatuation of the protagonist with Fifine, a dancer at a fairground, all to the detriment of his marriage to his wife, Elvire. The lesson is learned, he is forgiven by Elvire, and all ends well. The music was championed by Beecham for a while as it puts the orchestra through its paces with immense tutti and solo opportunities for many players; in effect it should be a Proms favourite, although I cannot recall it being played there. Anyone who likes this period's music will adore this work and will cherish the lingering ending with its plaintive tune. The 'Ballads' are equally fine. This CD sits almost permanently on my CD changer. Every time I play it, new features come out to my attention. Handley takes it all very seriously, as he should, and shows again the depth of musical talent that England possessed at this time. Great!

Bridge: Suite for Strings; Butterworth: The Banks of Green Willow; Bantock: The Pierrot of the Minute

Average customer rating:

Bridge & bantock Masterpieces.

Bridge: Suite for Strings; Butterworth: The Banks of Green Willow; Bantock: The Pierrot of the Minute

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Bantock: Hebridean Symphony; Celtic Symphony; The Witch of Atlas; The Sea Reivers
Vaughan Williams, Delius: Piano Concertos; Finzi: Eclouge

ASIN: B000000A9J
Release Date: 1993-12-07

Tracks:

The Pierrot Of The Minute-Comedy Overture
Summer-Tone Poem For Orchestra
The Banks Of Green Willow-Idyll For Small Orchestra
There Is A Willow Grows Aslant A Brook-(Hamlet) Impression For Small Orchestra
Prelude
Intermezzo
Nocturne
Finale

Customer Reviews:

Bridge & bantock Masterpieces........2005-12-21

I am surprised to be the first to rate this CD. It contains some f the most beautiful English string and pastorale music in the repertoire. There Is A Willow Grows Aslant, Suite For Strings and Summer are arguably the most refreshingly beautiful pieces Bridge ever wrote. This is GORGEOUS music. And WILLOW is his Masterpiece. 9:19 of sweet, creative, and to the point beauty, that could never outstay it's welcome. The BIG surprise here though, is Bantock's Pierrot Of The Minute. A genuinely clever, jaunty and witty 11 minutes that suggests nothing of what most listeners came to expect from his Symphonies. Another Masterpiece that puts all its ideas in a perfect time frame. The Butterworth piece is similar to Bridge's Willow in style, but also excellent on it's own terms. I have never cared much for Del Mar, but here he is as good as he can be and The Bournemouth Sinfonietta sounds fantastic under his direction. All the right color, dynamics and sonics. The sound is close to Demonstration as most Chandos releases usually are. Clear, Warm and rich with the required depth. This is GREAT stuff for all fans of English pastoral and strings. A real sleeper..

British Composers Conduct & Other Rarities

Average customer rating:

British Composers Conduct & Other Rarities

Manufacturer: Dutton Labs UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Bach: Cello Suites

ASIN: B000JLPNL6
Release Date: 2007-03-20

Tracks:

Cuchullan's Lament - Sir Granville Bantock
Kishmul's Galley - Sir Granville Bantock
Caristiona - Sir Granville Bantock
Sea Reivers - Sir Granville Bantock
Sennen Cove-Tone Poem Op.58 - Billy Mayerl
Dance Of The Mist Maids - Norman O'Neill
Dance Of Fire And Water - Norman O'Neill
Dance Of The Stars - Norman O'Neill
Dance Of The Hours - Norman O'Neill
Call Of The Island & Interlude - New Light Symphony Orchestra
Prelude And Call (Finale) - New Light Symphony Orchestra
Announcement - Lionel Salter
The Fairies Dance - Lionel Salter
Wedding March - Lionel Salter
Judith: Opera In One Act - Sir Eugene Goossens
Cue 22A: David - Sir Wlliam Walton
Cue 29 (With Barbaric Dancing And Wild Shouts) - Sir Wlliam Walton
Cue 21 (David In Saul's Tent) - Sir Wlliam Walton
Pax Vobiscum - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Lavender Blue - BBC Northern Orchestra
Annoucement - Montague Phillips
In Praise Of My Country - Montague Phillips

Bantock: The Cyprian Goddess; The Helena Variations; Dante and Beatrice

Average customer rating:

Romantic Masterpieces
Bantock's Classical Orchestral Poems
Lush Romantism At Its Best!

Bantock: The Cyprian Goddess; The Helena Variations; Dante and Beatrice

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Bantock: Pagan Symphony / Handley
Bantock: Sappho; Sapphic Poem
Bantock: Thalaba the Destroyer
Bantock: Hebridean Symphony; Celtic Symphony; The Witch of Atlas; The Sea Reivers
Bantock: The Song of Songs; The Wilderness and the Solitary Place; Pierrot of the Minute; Overture to a Greek Tragedy

ASIN: B000002ZWH
Release Date: 1995-11-21

Tracks:

The Cyprian Goddess (Symphony No.3): Maestoso e sforzato - Lentamente - Poco largamente - Con piu moto
The Cyprian Goddess (Symphony No.3): Liberamente - Affrettando -Tranquillo molto sostenuto
The Cyprian Goddess (Symphony No.3): Animando - Con fuoco - Con moto agitato
The Cyprian Goddess (Symphony No.3): Lentamente - Lento sostenuto - Poco lentando - Allegretto grazioso - Con fuoco - Con anima
The Cyprian Goddess (Symphony No.3): Piu moto, affrettando - Tranquillo, e molto sostenuto
Helena (Orchestral Variations On The Theme HFB): Theme: Lento molto
Helena (Orchestral Variations On The Theme HFB): Variation I: Allegro molto con fuoco
Helena (Orchestral Variations On The Theme HFB): Varation II: Poco tranquillo
Helena (Orchestral Variations On The Theme HFB): Variation III: Allegretto scherzando
Helena (Orchestral Variations On The Theme HFB): Variation IV: Molto moderato quasi religioso
Helena (Orchestral Variations On The Theme HFB): Varation V: Capriccioso
Helena (Orchestral Variations On The Theme HFB): Variation VI: Poco agitato
Helena (Orchestral Variations On The Theme HFB): Variation VII: Lento molto e sostenuto
Helena (Orchestral Variations On The Theme HFB): Variation VIII: Con moto affettuoso
Helena (Orchestral Variations On The Theme HFB): Variation IX: Allegro impetuoso
Helena (Orchestral Variations On The Theme HFB): Variation X: Non piu Allegro
Helena (Orchestral Variations On The Theme HFB): Variation XI: Andante doloroso
Helena (Orchestral Variations On The Theme HFB): Variation XII: Finale: Allegro appassionato
Dante And Beatrice - Maestoso - Poco largamente - Vivo - Lento - Allegro con fuoco - Appassionato - Sostenuto cantabile - Andante tranquillo, poco rubato

Customer Reviews:

Romantic Masterpieces.......2002-01-17

The Third Symphony of Granville Bantock is titled The Cyprian Goddess (subtitled Aphrodite in Cyprus) and was written during a voyage in the Pacific in the late 1930s. As the title indicates, Bantock celebrates Aphrodite/Venus in this work and quotes from ancient poets figure in the score, including Horace, Bion and Theocritus. The music is evocative of the sea and casts a look back to the world when Aphrodite was more than just a mythical figure. Like the Pagan Symphony, Bantock presents a picture of the ancient world and its mysteries. The symphony describes a heroic and dreamy world ending quietly, with a sunset. Being someone who is deeply interested in the ancient world, I find Bantock's vision appealing.

The other works on this disc are a series of variations based on a theme derived from the initials of his wife, Helen and Dante and Beatrice, a tone poem. Dante and Beatrice is a psychological study of Dante life blending facts with literature. Dante meets Beatrice, is forced to leave Florence, has visions of Hell, Purgatory and Heaven and meets his own death.

Altogether, this is a disc that demonstrates Bantock's gift for creating beautiful melodies and orchestration. The booklet is filled with a wealth information about the composer and the works recorded.

Bantock's Classical Orchestral Poems.......2000-02-26

Granville Bantock was a bearded, cigar toting, larger than life artist who might drop you a line in Latin and who studied Ancient Greek and Persian as an agreeable pastime. He seems pretty remote from our contemporary ideas of the creative aesthete. With his smoking jacket on, no doubt wearing a cap complete with tassle, he composed massive pieces like these three offerings on this magnificent CD in his Morris wallpapered Victorian study. The Cyprian Goddess or Symphony No 3 was inspired by at least two sources relating to the same subject: some Latin verse Odes of Horace referring to Aphrodite and the sculpture of the Venus de Milo in the Louvre; thus he was thinking of both Greek and Latin versions of the goddess of love, born on the beautiful island of Cyprus. One wonders if Horace's request for Aphrodite to 'quit the favoured Cyprus and come' somehow echoed with Bantock's own love of the exotic and the consequent conflict this must have had with his daily life in his more prosaic homeland. The Helena Variations are a fascinating set of variations, as inventive as Elgar's 'Enigma' Variations in their way, in which his skill as an orchestral craftsman are displayed to the full. Dante and Beatrice is a tone poem covering much of the same ideas as Liszt's Dante Symphony. Using a rich Richard Strauss size orchestra (but never his technique!), Bantock paints a huge canvas, to my mind bringing the Lisztian tone poem to its fullest and most eloquent flowering. In order to do this, Bantock is secure in all departments, form, balance and restraint, the classical characteristics which mark him as different to the more self-absorbed romantic, Richard Strauss or the doom laden Mahler. Bantock would never have composed music about his home or sex life nor would he have written a Symphony of a Thousand! He was too practical a musician for that, managing local amateur and semi-professional ensembles in the depths of the north of England. No gesamskunstwerk for him. The orchestral effects throughout are delightful, the melodic invention everflowing and Handley, here on his best form, doesn't overplay the dynamics of tempo or crescendi or diminuendi. He unwraps a rich tapestry that shows how an English composer could produce work that was as good, if not better than the more feted continentals. Wonderful stuff!

Lush Romantism At Its Best!.......1999-09-18

The music is a cross between Romantism and strangly enough, Film music. It has a full orchestral score with sweeps of dramatic lyricism and pathos. It definitely has the feel of Strauss texturing but has the effect of listening to something written for a film, either Williams or Horner. I am surprised this music has not gained wider acceptance. Also, the playing by the Royal Philharmonic is on par with any orchestra. The recording is crisp and detailed. I have the first three of the Handley/RPO Bantock pairings and consider them a worthy investment. Horn players will definitely want to get their hands on these!

Average customer rating:

One to melt by
A Forgotten Gem
A Great Hidden Treasure!

Bantock: Sappho; Sapphic Poem

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Bantock: The Cyprian Goddess; The Helena Variations; Dante and Beatrice
Bantock: Pagan Symphony / Handley
Bantock: Thalaba the Destroyer
Bantock: The Song of Songs; The Wilderness and the Solitary Place; Pierrot of the Minute; Overture to a Greek Tragedy
Bantock: Hebridean Symphony; Celtic Symphony; The Witch of Atlas; The Sea Reivers

ASIN: B000002ZYH
Release Date: 1997-09-09

Tracks:

Sappho: Prelude
Sappho: Hymn To Aphrodite
Sappho: 'I Loved Thee Once, Atthis, Long Ago'
Sappho: Evening Song
Sappho: 'Stand Face To Face, Friend'
Sappho: 'The Moon Has Set'
Sappho: 'Peer Of Gods He Seems'
Sappho: 'In A Dream, I Spake'
Sappho: Bridal Song
Sappho: 'Muse Of The Golden Throne'
Sapphic Poem

Amazon.com

Composed between 1900 and 1907, Sappho is a cycle of nine songs for mezzo-soprano and orchestra with a vivid symphonic prologue. One could describe the score as a celebration of Eros, by turns radiant and gloomy, that never quite subverts the cozy decorum of the Edwardian parlor--or, if one prefers, as a celebration of the added-sixth chord. Bantock's musical language owes a lot to the second acts of Tristan and Parsifal; it has points of contact with early Scriabin, Strauss, and Puccini; and every now and then it hints at Rimsky's oriental splendor. But the cycle as a whole is tightly crafted, and the individual songs are set like gems. Bantock knew his stuff. It's hard to imagine the music receiving a finer performance than it gets here. A large share of the credit goes to Handley, a superb conductor all but unknown in this country and sadly underappreciated in his own, who coaxes radiant work from the Royal Philharmonic and partners mezzo Susan Bickley with exquisite aplomb. Bickley, who might just become the next Janet Baker, holds up her end heroically, delivering the taxing solo part with compelling expressiveness. Her voice sounds a little overmiked, carrying over Bantock's heaving textures in a way that would never happen in the concert hall; aside from that, Hyperion's sonics are spectacular. The RPO's seating is crystal clear: violins split left and right, cellos inside the firsts and violas inside the seconds, basses on the far right, winds center, horns and harp back left, and heavy brass and percussion--including a stunningly well-registered bass drum--back right. Solo instruments are beautifully imaged, and the string, wind, and brass tone is glorious. Kudos to engineer Tony Faulkner. The filler, Bantock's lightly scored Sapphic Poem for cello and orchestra, fails to make much of an impression--though whether the fault lies with the composer, or the anemic playing of soloist Julian Lloyd Webber, is hard to say. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

One to melt by.......2003-12-05

This has been one of my top favorites for several years. The song "I loved thee once Atthis, long ago" is emblematic for the hyperromantic musical era inspired by Wagner's Tristan and snuffed out by the flaming infamy of World War One. This song alone is worth the price of the album, but all the selections are luscious to hear and superbly performed.

Those with hardened hearts will steadfastly refuse to succomb to the allures of Bantock's style and accuse him of wallowing in sentiment. The rest of us lucky enough to own Bantock's masterpiece will lick our lips, sigh, and melt into a puddle.

A Forgotten Gem.......2002-02-21

Ancient Greece was one of Granville Bantock's passions, as evidenced by his Pagan and Cyprian Goddess symphonies. Here, he sets the poems of Sappho to music. This is not an easy task since her poems exist in fragments. The text was fashioned by Bantock's wife, Helena, and is a remarkable achievement.

This song cycle is beautifully conceived and is characterized by Bantock's sensitive and colorful orchestral writing. Vernon Handley and the Royal Philharmonic turn in an excellent performance.

The song cycle begins with a prelude that presents the themes of the first songs and sets the stage for what is to follow. The songs require a dramatic reading and Susan Bickley is up to the challenge: they require a range of emotion from ecstatic to sad. The Bridal Song is a particularly charming piece, less elegiac in tone than the other songs, and reminds us that many of Sappho's poems were written to celebrate weddings.

The Sapphic Poem for cello and orchestra is a magnificent showpiece for the solo instrument. Bantock quoted a fragment of Sappho at the beginning of the score: "and this I feel in myself." The quote sets the tone of the work - introspective, reflective and dramatic. Here, the cello does the soul searching that the voice does in the song cycle. The orchestration includes no heavy brass so the cello can sing out, and it does to great effect. Julian Lloyd Webber is an ideal soloist. This is a journey to an exotic and long-forgotten time and place that Bantock brings life to with his incomparable music.

A Great Hidden Treasure!.......2000-11-18

I always enjoy discovering composers whose works I've never heard before -- either because they've never been recorded before or because they've simply gone out of fashion. This recording of works inspired by the poetry of Sappho is certainly one of my great discoveries of this past year. If you enjoy any of the Late Romantic conmposers -- Strauss or Mahler -- and especially the English contingent of Elgar and Vaughan Williams, you'll find something to relish here. The song cycle Sappho for mezzo-soprano and orchestra is simply stunning... particularly Track 3 ("I loved thee once, Atthis.") From the prelude based on themes used throughout the cycle to the final address to the "Muse of the Golden Throne" there is a wide range of emotional appeal presented here. Like previous entries in Handley's Bantock cycle for Hyperion, this is lush and highly enjoyable.

Average customer rating:

Wonderful music
Welcome CD but a few niggles.... alas

Bantock: Hebridean Symphony

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00005AYEO
Release Date: 2001-05-15

Tracks:

Old English Ste: Fant
Old English Ste: Lachrymae Pavan
Old English Ste: The King's Hut
Old English Ste: Quodling's Delight
Old English Ste: Sellinger's Round
Russian Scenes: At The Fair
Russian Scenes: Mazurka
Russian Scenes: Polka
Russian Scenes: Valse
Russian Scenes: Cossack Dance
Hebridean Sym: Tranquillo, Molto Sostenuto
Hebridean Sym: Con Moto
Hebridean Sym: Animando
Hebridean Sym: Poco Lento

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful music.......2007-05-14

This is music that should NEVER have been forgotten-thank you for recording the music of Sir Granville Bantock for future generations to rediscover and enjoy!

Welcome CD but a few niggles.... alas.......2001-11-24

This CD introduced the 'Old English Suite' and 'Russian Suite' to my collection, for I already had a superb recording on Chandos of the major work on the CD, the 'Hebridean' Symphony. I thought that it was worth investing in to get hold of 30 minutes worth of previously unchartered Bantock, another of those English composers who have been unjustly neglected by the concert going and recording establishment. When I was at the University of Sussex, a guy who worked in the university shop, a real character, always said that the acid test for determining whether the Naxos (or any other budget label) was worth it was to ask yourself this question afterwards:' If I had gone to a concert of a local orchestra who played this work at the standard of the CD would I have enjoyed it and clapped?' Generally the answer is yes and you have the CD in perpetuity afterwards as well! So for under six bucks and thirty minutes of 'new' Bantock you cannot gripe too much!

I have already reviewed another CD in which I argued that Bantock seems today to many almost a preposterous figure in our frenzy of post-colonial apologist mantras for the excesses of High Victorian aesthetics. Thus his version of multiculturalism with his forays into Persian Literature andf Russian 'nega'. However, what cannot be taken away from Bantock is his musicianship in his practical orchestration that nonetheless is sparkling and comparable with the very best in late romantic writing. Thus his ensembles always smack of the provincial musician putting on performances in less than glamourous settings but giving the audience sheer delight in his music that must have brought an enormous amount of pleasure to people who lived lives of prosaic grayness in the industrial heartland of Britain.

This CD has a certain amount of problems despite its welcome addition to the catalogue. The first work, 'The Old English Suite' is one of those neoclassical vignettes that sit beside Warlock's 'Capriol Suite' and Moeran's 'Serenade' which look back at those heady days of Boyce and company with nostalgia and affection. The trilling violins and the ground bass are there but sadly this orchestra does not put the detail into the phrasing which results in a less than satisfactory sound. It may have been that the original was even worse played but you can get away with this in a live performance but not with repeated hearing on a CD where the discerning listener can concentrate on a particular phrase and identify the problems in synchronisation in the strings. The Russian Suite is happily played, more on the home turf of the Slav ensemble but the Hebridean Symphony lacks the dynamics and sheer bite of the full priced version, despite the fact that it is well played. The excitement of the horn calls and the scintillating strings and the heroic trumpet ostinato is well managed but the whole thing just lacks the conviction of the Vernon Handley version.

Thus it must lose one star although the comment must be made that it is nonetheless welcome as a rare bird onto the catalogue!

Music Composers:

Music Composers

Music Composers