Brian, Havergal

Fanfare, British Music for Symphonic Brass Ensemble
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Great Music for a Wedding!!
  • Simply....Beautiful
 Fanfare, British Music for Symphonic Brass Ensemble

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:
  1. Imperial Fanfares
  2. Music from the Royal Court
  3. The 20th Century Album
  4. Richard Strauss: Music for Symphonic Brass
  5. Center City Brass

ASIN: B000000A9M
Release Date: 1992-10-28

Tracks:

  1. Fanfare For A Dignified Occasion
  2. Fanfare For A Festive Occasion
  3. Civic Fanfare
  4. Fanfare For The Lord Mayor Of London
  5. Fanfare For A Great Occasion
  6. Festival Fanfare
  7. Fanfare For A Coming Of Age
  8. Canzona For Brass
  9. Fanfare For Brass
  10. I. Sovereign's Fanfare
  11. II. Fanfare For The Bride
  12. III. Interlude
  13. IV. Royal Fanfare
  14. V. Wedding Fanfare
  15. VI. Royal Fanfare
  16. Fanfare For Heroes
  17. Homage To Shakespeare
  18. Fanfare For Europe
  19. I. Intrada
  20. II. Round (Of Seven Parts)
  21. III. Interlude
  22. IV. Saraband
  23. V. Madrigal
  24. I. For A State Occasion
  25. II. For A Brilliant Occasion
  26. III. For A Gala Occasion
  27. A Queen's Fanfare
  28. The National Anthem

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Great Music for a Wedding!!.......2002-08-09

When I got engaged to be married in November 2002, the job of finding the wedding music fell into my hands. I looked long and hard for some type of "fanfare" music to introduce the couple (us) at the wedding. My long search stopped here as this CD, "Fanfare, British Music for Symphonic Brass Ensemble", fits the bill. This CD has different variety of fanfares ranging from those for a state occasion to a light hearted gala occasion. My favorite fanfare?? It's "Fanfare" by William Walton. I loved the way it starts out with a loud drum roll followed by the brassy sounds of the horns. Of course, you can't pass up Arthur Bliss's "Royal Fanfares 1-6". You will find many different uses for this CD not only for a wedding but for other ocassions too. Give it a try!! LJK.

5 out of 5 stars Simply....Beautiful.......2001-11-08

These pieces are brilliant! The harmony is absolute! Very nice sound and a very nice selection!
Brian: The Soul of Steel; Legend
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Brian: The Soul of Steel; Legend

    Manufacturer: Toccata
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
    Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
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    ASIN: B000BH2TYM
    Release Date: 2006-09-12

    Tracks:

    1. When Icicles Hang By The Wall
    2. Take, O Take Those Lips Away
    3. Sorrow Song
    4. The Message
    5. Farewell
    6. Care-Charmer Sleep
    7. Since Love Is Dead
    8. The Soul Of Steel
    9. Why Dost Thou Wound And Break My Heart?
    10. On Parting
    11. Lady Ellayne
    12. Renunciation
    13. Love Is A Merry Game
    14. Piping Down The Valleys Wild
    15. The Chimney Sweeper
    16. The Land Of Dreams
    17. The Defiled Sanctuary
    18. Legend, For Violin And Piano

    Album Description

    "For the first time on CD, magisterial accounts of Brian songs… Approximately one quarter of Havergal Brian's song output features on this superbly remastered issue, sung vividly in the Wigmore Hall by Brian Rayner Cook, alive to all the moods and colours of this unfamiliar repertoire, accompanied to perfection by Roger Vignoles… Warmly recommended." - GRAMOPHONE

    Havergal Brian (1876-1972) is renowned as the composer of thirty-two powerful symphonies (then the largest symphonic cycle since Haydn), twenty-one of them composed after his eightieth birthday; his First Symphony, "The Gothic," is reputed to be the largest ever composed. But in the first part of his career, Brian was also active on a smaller scale, his songs attracting the advocacy of singers as prominent as John McCormack and John Coates. The range of emotion in these songs is nonetheless vast, from folky innocence via Shakespearean irony to deep tragedy. Brian Rayner Cook's performances can be taken as authoritative: he studied the songs with the composer. The CD is completed by the Legend, Brian's only surviving piece of chamber music.
    Symphony 1 ' Gothic '
    Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    • Bigger than big
    		 Symphony 1 ' Gothic '

    Manufacturer: Map
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
    ASIN: B000024OO7
    Release Date: 1992-12-17

    Tracks:

    1. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    2. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    3. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    4. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    5. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    6. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    7. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    8. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    9. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    10. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    11. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    12. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    13. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    14. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    15. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    16. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    17. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    18. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    19. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    20. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    21. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    22. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    23. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    24. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    25. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"

    Tracks:

    1. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    2. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    3. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    4. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    5. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    6. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    7. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    8. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    9. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    10. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    11. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    12. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    13. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    14. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    15. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    16. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    17. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    18. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    19. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    20. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"
    21. Symphony No.1, "Gothic"

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars Bigger than big.......2007-05-09

    If ambitiousness alone were the test, this would rank with the greatest pieces of music ever composed. In both time scale and forces used, this ranks with anything by Mahler, and it is even more diverse in its materials than such Mahler potpourris as his Third Symphony. But there are two major caveats for anyone thinking of purchasing this set of CDs: (1) The symphony itself is uneven, and (2) So is the performance. The latter is no slur on the performers, who are clearly knocking themselves out to do a good job. The sheer difficulty of the music simply stretches them further than at times they are capable of going. And while the music itself, at best, is truly inspired, even occasionally magnificent, it's not always at its best. There are some real yawners among the sections of the Te Deum, and the scherzo overstays its welcome. The sound itself is pretty good, but the fortissimos just won't fit on a CD, so things get a bit blurry at times.

    If, however, you love large choral-orchestral works by the likes of Berlioz, Liszt and Mahler, and if you are sympathetic to some of the lesser-known but highly capable 20th Century symphonists like, say, Tubin, Holmboe, and Rubbra, you ought to explore this. At the low price (remember, it's two CDs), you can't go very far wrong, and you might wind up a devoted admirer of this Gargantua, warts and all. I did.
    Brian: Symphony No. 3
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Highly involving music - a must for any lover of large scale orchestral works
    • interesting
    		 Brian: Symphony No. 3
    Havergal Brian , Lionel Friend , Andrew Ball , and Julian Jacobson
    Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

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    Similar Items:
    1. Havergal Brian: Symphonies Nos. 7-9 & 31; The Tinker's Wedding
    2. Havergal Brian: Symphony No. 1 'The Gothic'
    3. Havergal Brian: Violin Concerto; Symphony No. 8; The Jolly Miller Overture
    4. Havergal Brian: Symphony No. 4 "Das Siegeslied" (Psalm of Victory)
    5. Alan Hovhaness: Symphony No. 60; Guitar Concerto; Khrimian Hairig

    ASIN: B000026CW7
    Release Date: 1999-10-12

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Highly involving music - a must for any lover of large scale orchestral works.......2005-07-31

    Havergal Brian is one of those composers that far more people have heard of than have actually heard anything by him. His claim to fame is his gargantuan First Symphony, the Gothic, which got him into the Guiness book of Records as the composer of the largest symphony ever. But there is much more to Brian than megalomania - anyone who has ever in fact heard the Gothic can attest to that. Self-taught, he composed works of great individuality, that may be faintly reminiscent of others at times (Vaughan Williams, Elgar, R. Strauss, Mahler spring to mind), but in the end always retain their own unique voice.
    The Third symphony (written in the 1930's) shares with its more notorious predecessor an atmosphere of wild invention and brilliant use of large orchestral forces. For though it is not nearly as enormous as the First, the Third is by no means a bagatelle: it involves quadruple woodwinds, an army of brass and percussion, two grand pianos and an organ, among others, and lasts a full hour. Yet it is also more tightly constructed and of a piece than the Gothic. Wayward, and even bizarre, as Brian's invention may seem at times, he knows where he is going, and in the 20 minute first movement in fact offers us a richly varied, but nonetheless classically constructed sonata form. The Scherzo is even more traditional - in form that is, for its music vacillates between a military band gone haywire and a dipsomaniac's version of a Bruckner Ländler. But no matter what he does - it is involving and fascinating throughout. This is one of those pieces that are such a sheer joy to listen to that an hour passes as if it were a mere few minutes. Extraordinary orchestral effects, such as the dialogue between two piano's and two timpanists in the first movement, vie for attention with passages of truly dumbfounding beauty, such as the coda of the second movement. Moments glittering with celesta, harps and pianos give way to quiet meditations, or even to a Vaughan-Williamslike lark ascending, that are in turn subsumed by dark, ominous marches.
    This makes for extremely rewarding listening. Helpfully, the 4 movements are broken up into 21 tracks, and David Brown patiently guides you through them in his excellent booklet notes.
    Finally, I find it impossible to fault the playing of the BBC SO, which is inspired to say the least; or the recording, which is rich, detailed and quite spectacular in climaxes (be it that the ad lib organ is not particularly audible). At the Helios price, this is extremely recommendable.

    5 out of 5 stars interesting.......2003-10-26

    Havergal Brian is not too known a English composer, he was lived very long, and he written 32 symphonies.

    His most knwon works are: Symphony No. 1 "Gothic", 3 and 4 "Das Siegeslied"...As you know, his "Gothic Symphony" to be recorded in Guiness Records (with the most large orchestra ever used in music)

    And this symphony, also, written for large orchestra: quadruple winds, 8 horns, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, 2 tubas, 2 set timpani, 3 side drums, cymbals, bass drum, gong, bells, 2 pianos, 2 harps, organ (may be ommited, but used in this CD), and about 60 strings...

    Havergal Brian is a post-romantic composer, like another important English composer Robert Simpson. So, Brian wasn't used atonality or 12-tone system, like his contemporary Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Penderecki, Varese...But, still, he wasn't written tonal music at all. He move around tonality between atonality borders...Especially, he was liked that composing for large ensembles. After, Symphony No. 6 "Sinfonia tragica", he written not too long, usually mid-length works. (about 20 minutes etc.)

    And this recording is a good choice to beginning his music and performers are very good.

    Recommended.
    Havergal Brian: Symphonies Nos. 7-9 & 31; The Tinker's Wedding
    Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    • Symphony 7 -- fantastic sound
    • Looking for a good Brit composer ?
    		 Havergal Brian: Symphonies Nos. 7-9 & 31; The Tinker's Wedding

    Manufacturer: EMI Classics
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    RomanticRomantic | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
    OverturesOvertures | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
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    Similar Items:
    1. Brian: Symphony No. 3
    2. Havergal Brian: Violin Concerto; Symphony No. 8; The Jolly Miller Overture
    3. Vianna da Motta: Fantasia Dramatica; Piano Concerto in A
    4. Havergal Brian: Symphony No. 1 'The Gothic'
    5. Havergal Brian: Symphony No. 4 "Das Siegeslied" (Psalm of Victory)

    ASIN: B00006YX75
    Release Date: 2003-04-08

    Tracks:

    1. Comedy Overture - Sir Charles Mackerras
    2. Symphony No.31 - Sir Charles Mackerras
    3. I. Allegro Moderato - Sir Charles Mackerras
    4. II. Allegro Maestoso Ma Moderato - Sir Charles Mackerras
    5. III. Adagio - Allegro Moderato - Adagio - Sir Charles Mackerras
    6. IV. Epilogue: 'Once Upon A Time' (Moderato) - Sir Charles Mackerras

    Tracks:

    1. Moderato - - Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
    2. Andante Moderato Sempre Cantabile (Fig.19) - - Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
    3. Allegro Moderato (Fig.27) - - Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
    4. Lento E Molto Teneramente (1 Before Fig.37) - - Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
    5. Passacaglia I (Fig.43) - - Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
    6. Passacaglia II (Fig.54) - - Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
    7. I. Adagio - Allegro Moderato - Allegro Vivo - - Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
    8. II. Adagio - - Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
    9. III. Allegro Moderato - Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Symphony 7 -- fantastic sound.......2006-01-01

    What was the previous reviewer looking for? "A good Brit composer"?? There are LOTS of them. It doesn't take much imagination to think of a list. But then maybe he was looking for "easy listening." Hey, try Sir Paul McCartney -- maybe that is more your cup of tea. As to Havergal Brian, you need to bear in mind he is one of the last classical composers working in the Wagnerian tradition. His music is about momentous things, about history and major events, and most of all about tragedy. His music is romantic but also modern sounding, especially in its silences and dissonances. The 7th symphony is a wonderfully ambitious work, based on Goethe, with unusual, powerful and unique harmonies. The final movement is breath-taking. The music sounds partly like Beethoven, partly like Brahms, partly Wagnerian, partly like Elgar, but for all that it is unique and distinctively modern sounding. It has crescendos and climaxes and abrupt pauses and silences. It richly repays repeated listening. I would say the same about the other symphonies but they are not on as grand a scale. I wish the recording conducted by Myer Fredman with Brian's 6th and 16th symphony would be reissued, but in its absence I think this disc would be a really great introduction to a composer who drew greatly on classical and English tradition but always went his own way.

    1 out of 5 stars Looking for a good Brit composer ?.......2005-12-21

    Well, look elsewhere !!! This guy is so bad, so mundane, so whizzbang --- that he even makes Lloyd George look ok ...........and the latter is the elevater music of classical
    Masters of the English Musical Renaissance
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		Masters of the English Musical Renaissance

      Manufacturer: Forlane
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      RomanticRomantic | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
      ASIN: B0000038E4
      Release Date: 2001-03-27

      Tracks:

      1. Sym No.3 in C: 1st Movt
      2. Sym No.3 in C: 2nd Movt
      3. Sym No.3 in C: 3rd Movt
      4. Sym No.3 in C: 4th Movt
      5. Concertstuck
      6. The Comp Symphonic Movts from The Tigers: Symphonic Vars
      7. The Comp Symphonic Movts from The Tigers: Shadow Dance
      8. The Comp Symphonic Movts from The Tigers: Gargoyles
      9. The Comp Symphonic Movts from The Tigers: Lacryma

      Tracks:

      1. The Comp Symphonic Movts from The Tigers (contd): Green Pastures
      2. The Comp Symphonic Movts from The Tigers (contd): Wild Horsemen
      3. St. Joan Ste Op. 82 b
      4. Pasquinade Symphonique No. 1 Op. 98
      5. Mirage Op. 20
      Brian: Symphonies 4 & 12
      Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
      • Absolutely brilliant stuff
      • The scariest piece of war music ever written.
      		 Brian: Symphonies 4 & 12

      Manufacturer: Marco Polo
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      RomanticRomantic | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
      ASIN: B0000045YJ
      Release Date: 1993-11-01

      Tracks:

      1. Movement I
      2. Movement I
      3. Movement I
      4. Movement I
      5. Movement II
      6. Movement II
      7. Movement II
      8. Movement III
      9. Movement III
      10. Movement III
      11. Movement III
      12. Movement III
      13. Movement III
      14. Movement III
      15. Introduction - Epilogue - Glockenspiel Solo
      16. Allegro Maestoso
      17. A Tempo Marcia Lento
      18. Adagio Espressivo
      19. Allegro Vivo - Adagio Ma Pesante - Finale

      Customer Reviews:

      5 out of 5 stars Absolutely brilliant stuff.......2003-03-02

      The CD is taken up mostly by the large-scale 4th Symphony. This work was written between the World Wars, and takes a highly original approach to the question of depicting the horrors of war in music. Whereas Britten draws the tragedy of war into a religious context, Brian (perversely considering the psalm text) sets out to horrify with excesses of bombast and brutality. The work is an extended in essay in sarcasm and parody far more scary than anything Mahler ever came up with, because with Brian, you are never quite certain that this IS parody. The thought that these vast acclamations and obsessions with violence could be genuinely-meant is a reflection on the concerns of the period.

      There are elements of pastiche Handel, some a capella choral writing, some bits that sound like Mahler, others like Tippett and even later composers like Nicholas Maw, but underpinning it all is the highly distinctive voice of Brian weaving it all into a coherent and forceful whole.

      Definitely one of my most treasured CDs (though not one for idle listening).

      5 out of 5 stars The scariest piece of war music ever written........1999-09-13

      In some ways surpasses Brian's own Gothic symphony. Will frighten the hell out of you...all banners and armor and thunder and glory. Awe-inspiring. The musical antithesis of Britten's War Requiem.
      Havergal Brian: Symphony No. 4 "Das Siegeslied" (Psalm of Victory)
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        		Havergal Brian: Symphony No. 4 "Das Siegeslied" (Psalm of Victory)

        Manufacturer: Naxos
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        RomanticRomantic | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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        Similar Items:
        1. Alan Hovhaness: Symphony No. 60; Guitar Concerto; Khrimian Hairig
        2. Glass: Heroes Symphony; The Light
        3. William Schuman: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 5
        4. Shostakovich: The Golden Age
        5. Rorem: Double Concerto for Violin and Cello; After Reading Shakespeare

        ASIN: B000L42JDG
        Release Date: 2007-01-30

        Tracks:

        1. I: Maestoso
        2. I: Maestoso
        3. I: Maestoso
        4. I: Maestoso
        5. II: Lento
        6. II: Lento
        7. II: Lento
        8. III: Allegro (Bewegt)
        9. III: Allegro (Bewegt)
        10. III: Allegro (Bewegt)
        11. III: Allegro (Bewegt)
        12. III: Allegro (Bewegt)
        13. III: Allegro (Bewegt)
        14. III: Allegro (Bewegt)
        15. Introduction
        16. Allegro Maestoso
        17. A Tempo Marcia Lento
        18. Adagio Espressivo
        19. Allegro Vivo
        Havergal Brian: Symphony No. 1 'The Gothic'
        Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
        • Finally! From Marco Polo to Naxos. And affordable!
        		 Havergal Brian: Symphony No. 1 'The Gothic'

        Manufacturer: Naxos
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        GeneralGeneral | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
        Similar Items:
        1. Havergal Brian: Violin Concerto; Symphony No. 8; The Jolly Miller Overture
        2. Brian: Symphony No. 3
        3. Havergal Brian: Symphonies Nos. 7-9 & 31; The Tinker's Wedding
        4. Yasushi Akutagawa: Ellora Symphony; Trinita Sinfonica Rapsodia per Orchestra
        5. Hans Rott: Symphony No. 1; Orchestral Works

        ASIN: B0001Z65F8
        Release Date: 2004-06-15

        Tracks:

        1. I. Allegro Assai
        2. I. Allegro Assai
        3. I. Allegro Assai
        4. I. Allegro Assai
        5. II. Lento Espressivo E Solenne
        6. II. Lento Espressivo E Solenne
        7. II. Lento Espressivo E Solenne
        8. III. Vivace
        9. III. Vivace
        10. III. Vivace
        11. III. Vivace
        12. III. Vivace
        13. III. Vivace
        14. III. Vivace
        15. IV. Te Deum Laudamus: Allegro Moderato
        16. IV. Te Deum Laudamus: Allegro Moderato
        17. IV. Te Deum Laudamus: Allegro Moderato
        18. IV. Te Deum Laudamus: Allegro Moderato
        19. IV. Te Deum Laudamus: Allegro Moderato
        20. IV. Te Deum Laudamus: Allegro Moderato
        21. IV. Te Deum Laudamus: Allegro Moderato
        22. IV. Te Deum Laudamus: Allegro Moderato
        23. IV. Te Deum Laudamus: Allegro Moderato
        24. IV. Te Deum Laudamus: Allegro Moderato
        25. IV. Te Deum Laudamus: Allegro Moderato

        Tracks:

        1. V. Judex: Adagio Molto Solenne E Religioso
        2. V. Judex: Adagio Molto Solenne E Religioso
        3. V. Judex: Adagio Molto Solenne E Religioso
        4. V. Judex: Adagio Molto Solenne E Religioso
        5. V. Judex: Adagio Molto Solenne E Religioso
        6. V. Judex: Adagio Molto Solenne E Religioso
        7. VI - Te Ergo Quaesumus: Moderato E Molto Sostenuto
        8. VI - Te Ergo Quaesumus: Moderato E Molto Sostenuto
        9. VI - Te Ergo Quaesumus: Moderato E Molto Sostenuto
        10. VI - Te Ergo Quaesumus: Moderato E Molto Sostenuto
        11. VI - Te Ergo Quaesumus: Moderato E Molto Sostenuto
        12. VI - Te Ergo Quaesumus: Moderato E Molto Sostenuto
        13. VI - Te Ergo Quaesumus: Moderato E Molto Sostenuto
        14. VI - Te Ergo Quaesumus: Moderato E Molto Sostenuto
        15. VI - Te Ergo Quaesumus: Moderato E Molto Sostenuto
        16. VI - Te Ergo Quaesumus: Moderato E Molto Sostenuto
        17. VI - Te Ergo Quaesumus: Moderato E Molto Sostenuto
        18. VI - Te Ergo Quaesumus: Moderato E Molto Sostenuto
        19. VI - Te Ergo Quaesumus: Moderato E Molto Sostenuto
        20. VI - Te Ergo Quaesumus: Moderato E Molto Sostenuto
        21. VI - Te Ergo Quaesumus: Moderato E Molto Sostenuto

        Customer Reviews:

        5 out of 5 stars Finally! From Marco Polo to Naxos. And affordable!.......2004-08-01

        Klaus Heymann, the founder of these two labels, was courageous a number of years back, when he released Havergal Brian's 'Gothic' Symphony on his full-price Marco Polo label. I would guess that the album has been a steady, if slow, seller over those years, as it has been the only available recording of this marvelously idiosyncratic work. My own copy, played at least annually (almost ritualistically so) has served me well for most of those years.

        I've long wanted to introduce this work to friends, but for some of them cost, and, to an extent, availability, have stood in the way. No longer! Heymann has done the right thing by releasing this album on his budget Naxos label, and it is now affordable to all. And, as I note later, it is better than the Marco Polo original in more than just price.

        The 'Gothic' may well be the most talked-about-yet-not-listened-to classical work ever. Many seem to have opinions on it whether they've listened to it or not (in which case, the work may well hold two records: the largest symphony in terms of orchestral forces, and the most misunderstood as well). The 'Gothic' inevitably gets compared, largely incorrectly, with a handful of other works with which it has little in common: Gustav Mahler's 8th Symphony ('The Symphony of a Thousand') most often, but also the symphonies of Anton Bruckner, the 'Grand Messe des Morts,' 'Te Deum' and 'La Damnation de Faust' of Hector Berlioz, and even, on occasion, Arnold Schoenberg's early 'Gurre-Lieder.' But such similarities exist mostly at the margins; the 'Gothic' is a true sui generis work owing no measurable debt to these.

        The greatest similarity is to the Mahler work. Both are divided into two unequal parts, in roughly 1/3 to 2/3 proportions; both utilize Goethe's 'Faust' and medieval hymns for inspiration (but Brian and Mahler invert the order of these two sources), and both call for huge orchestral and choral resources. But comparison ends there; the 'Gothic' hasn't the cumulative inevitability of the Mahler work, and is quite different in all other respects.

        Nor has the 'Gothic' the granitic architectonics of Bruckner's symphonies (although there are a few brass chorale passages reminiscent of Bruckner), or the equally idiosyncratic brilliance of the three Berlioz works despite the 'Gothic' being inspired by 'Faust,' having some of its orchestral forces spatially arrayed as in the 'Grand Messe des Morts,' and having its massive Part II set to the 'Te Deum' text.

        Anyone familiar with British music of the period the 'Gothic' was written in will recognize this as a British work: Except in the most idiosyncratic places (of which there is no shortage), the work is British to the core, with passages that alternately remind one of an entire host of such composers. Bax, Butterworth, Holst and Vaughan Williams come to mind, and Elgar is seldom far away. (While Brian came from a working class background and had been, at least in part, an autodidact, he was already known and respected by his British peers prior to the 'Gothic.')

        To be sure, the 'Gothic' is a huge, sprawling work, seemingly evolving as a series of tableaux full of original themes and orchestrational touches, as well as choral writing that was years ahead of its time in its harmonic daring and vocal density. The episodic style, and the frequent punctuations of the 'Gothic' by march music, remind me as much of Mahler's 3rd Symphony as the work reminds others of Mahler's 8th Symphony. (One such march, a quirky one scored for nine unison clarinets and side drum, is particularly intriguing.) Moreover, there is a 'long arc' to the work not unlike the Mahler 3rd that could be said to represent a journey from 'darkness into light.' Brian began the work in the shadow of the end of the Great War; to him, 'Gothic' symbolized the emergence from the Dark Ages into something better and brighter. But, whereas the Mahler work ends in a blaze of glory, the 'Gothic' ends, after its journey of considerable length, in a softly diatonic yet enigmatic sense of a capella choral repose. To me, it is as if he is uncertain that the 'enduring timelessness' of the Gothic cathedral, as metaphor, is all that enduring, following the horrors of the Great War he experienced first-hand.

        This is not an easy work, so rich with ideas as it is, to grasp at first hearing. (A wealth of information on the work, as 'symphony qua symphony,' and as metaphor, can be found at musicweb.uk.net/brian/sym1.htm.) But it is certainly not difficult to enjoy it, and, over time, build one's own cumulative sense of its logic. The high quality of the performance belies its origins and makes a splendid argument for the work's own qualities.

        This Naxos release is an improvement over its Marco Polo predecessor in ways other than just cost. The sound is noticeably clearer, particularly in the densest passages, which had a fair bit of congestion and distortion. (This improvement comes at the expense of recording level, which is slightly, but observably, lower, probably by 4 - 6 dB.) The album is now in a 'slimline' 2-CD jewel box that takes up less shelf space. There has been no significant attempt at cost cutting for the booklet, which faithfully duplicates the material in the Marco Polo release, save for brief notated musical examples and two color photographs. In exchange, the Naxos notes include even more information on the forces used in the recording, with biographical details about the vocal soloists and further information on the orchestras and choruses. As before, the discs are generously indexed, with musical references to the index points (a total of 46) clearly stated in the booklet notes. For many coming upon this work for the first time, these notes and index points will help them understand this weird yet wonderful work.

        VERY highly recommended!

        Bob Zeidler
        Havergal Brian:Syms.10 & 21
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          		Havergal Brian:Syms.10 & 21
          Loughran/Pinkett
          Manufacturer: Unicorn / Kanchana
          ProductGroup: Music
          Binding: Audio CD

          GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
          ASIN: B00000E97D
          Release Date: 1990-04-15

          Music Composers:

          1. Bridge, Frank
          2. Brito, Estêvâo
          3. Britten, Benjamin
          4. Brown, Earle
          5. Bruch, Max
          6. Bruckner, Anton
          7. Bruneau, Alfred
          8. Bryars, Gavin
          9. Buck, Ole
          10. Bull, John

          Music Composers

          Music Composers