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Jason Evans
Joined: 27 Feb 2006
Posts: 535
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 Posted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 6:00 am Post subject: Sir Edward Elgar's birthday |
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To my dearest friends on the forum:
Let us not forget that today is Sir Edward Elgar's birthday. My life -perhaps at my young and stupid age- would not be complete without this glorious man's music which has meant so much to me. His music is truly the
"Landscape of a precious soul"
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(Extra points for identifying the composer I hijacked with the "landscape" quote. Yet it applies to Elgar much, much more.)
For us Brits on the forum, a moment of silence for the great man... |
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diapason8
Joined: 31 Mar 2006
Posts: 365
Location: West Somerset, UK
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| Posted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 7:28 am Post subject: |
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Hear, hear. Truly one of the greats.
Nigel |
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lancecornea
Joined: 02 Apr 2006
Posts: 526
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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| Posted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 9:52 pm Post subject: |
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In homage to the great man, I'll dig out the Worcester Cathedral / Christopher Robinson recording, pour a Scotch on the rocks and really enjoy this day!
Lance
PS. Couldn't identify the quote Jason |
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Conrad Poohs
Joined: 11 Jun 2006
Posts: 34
Location: London
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| Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 11:26 pm Post subject: Elgar |
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Westminster Abbey are about to start recording a CD of Elgar to be released in time for his 150th next year.
All the best
Conrad |
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lancecornea
Joined: 02 Apr 2006
Posts: 526
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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| Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 12:00 am Post subject: |
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That's great news Conrad.
Let's hope they include some of his secular choral pieces as well
Lance |
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Jason Evans
Joined: 27 Feb 2006
Posts: 535
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| Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 5:51 am Post subject: Re: Elgar |
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| Conrad Poohs wrote: |
Westminster Abbey are about to start recording a CD of Elgar to be released in time for his 150th next year.
All the best
Conrad
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Where did you find out about this? Nothing has come my way.
Secretly I wish the Americans would do a new -and
MUCH
needed recording of
Gerontius
. Say what you will about the Americans, I think it is about damn time that they rescued our choral masterpiece from this awful "British tradition" that is killing the energy of a composition that for years has been crying out for... shall we say
a breath of fresh air
?
But don't get me started. Nigel: I am not about to go to
the other side
, but quite frankly there are some areas of the (American) Organ Forum that I find really refreshing. I have had a blast cyber-talking to a few of them. They have a
passion
for their music and I just love that.
Of course we do too, but those Americans... disguss          ?
Cheers!
Jason |
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David_Underdown
Joined: 07 Jun 2006
Posts: 48
Location: South West London
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| Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 9:45 am Post subject: |
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Did you hear the Halle/Elder Gerontius from the Proms last year? Or the more recent LSO performance? Plenty of energy in those (although the Halle one did have an American tenor singing Gerontius which might go someway towards proving your poit I suppose)
_________________
--
David |
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Conrad Poohs
Joined: 11 Jun 2006
Posts: 34
Location: London
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| Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 11:47 am Post subject: |
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| lancecornea wrote: |
That's great news Conrad.
Let's hope they include some of his secular choral pieces as well
Lance
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This certainly would be nice, but I don't think we'll get anything except church music on the disk; I'm sure it won't all be well-known though!
The recordings are happening on the next two Thursdays and Fridays, so the organ came back from Durham just in time!
Poohs |
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Jason Evans
Joined: 27 Feb 2006
Posts: 535
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| Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:07 am Post subject: |
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| Conrad Poohs wrote: |
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This certainly would be nice, but I don't think we'll get anything except church music on the disk; I'm sure it won't all be well-known though!
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I fear for it. Of course it will be excellent, but will it fill any voids? Doubtless, no. Recall that Naxos (557288) released a CD of Elgar's choral music at St. John's last year and it pretty much covered everything. Splendid
Spriit of the Lord
, not to mention the early pieces from St. George's in Worcester.
The British press liked it (perhaps not really surprising), but I caught an American review and they trashed it. One could easily say
well what do they know
, yet the other CDs in that series have been well received. |
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jwatkins
Site Admin
Joined: 14 Apr 2002
Posts: 90
Location: Coulsdon, Surrey
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| Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 7:27 am Post subject: |
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| Jason Evans wrote: |
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I caught an American review and they trashed it. One could easily say
well what do they know
, yet the other CDs in that series have been well received.
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What didn't they like? Performance style? Technique? Recording?
John. |
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Jason Evans
Joined: 27 Feb 2006
Posts: 535
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| Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 2:28 pm Post subject: |
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| jwatkins wrote: |
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What didn't they like? Performance style? Technique? Recording?
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I no longer have access to the review, but I recall that some issue was taken with the sound of the choir. But the big gripe was with the music. The reviewer found very little positive to say about it.
Here of course we're dealing with differences on either side of the pond. Hilary Hahn's recent recording of the Elgar Violin Cto was trashed in
Gramophone
, yet the US publication
Fanfare
praised it! I have that recording and I admit to rather liking it. Make of it what you will!
Joshua Bell would play this concerto beautifully, yet I doubt his label, Sony Classical, would go for it.
Cheers,
Jason |
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Conrad Poohs
Joined: 11 Jun 2006
Posts: 34
Location: London
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| Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 12:38 pm Post subject: Elgar CD |
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Here's the track list for the forthcoming Westminster disk: there's a HUGE overlap with the St John's disk!
Give unto the Lord
O Hearken Thou
Ave verum corpus
Ave Maria
Great is the Lord
Ecce sacerdos magnus
They are at rest
Te Deum & Benedictus
O salutaris hostia
The spirit of the Lord
Ave maris stella
Memorial Ode for Queen Alexandra
I bet you won't be able to pick it up for a fiver either!
All the best,
Conrad |
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lancecornea
Joined: 02 Apr 2006
Posts: 526
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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| Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 1:35 pm Post subject: |
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That's disappointing, Conrad. Does it suggest that Elgar didn't write enough decent choral music miniatures?
Perhaps they should have done "Gerontius" instead. Now a new recording of that would be worth having!
Lance |
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Conrad Poohs
Joined: 11 Jun 2006
Posts: 34
Location: London
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| Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 9:38 pm Post subject: |
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Hi chaps!
Well, to be perfectly honest I'd rather sing any piece of Bairstow or Parry at evensong than Elgar. Elgar is tremendously hard work (especially for the lower parts in pieces like Great is the Lord) for a choir of such forces, and consequently I find it not very rewarding to sing.
With regard to the reason the Abbey's doing this disk, apparently the record label wanted to have a disk of Elgar church music on their catalogue: so, it wasn't the Abbey's choice at all, but more to do with their contract with Hyperion.
Best
Poohs |
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lancecornea
Joined: 02 Apr 2006
Posts: 526
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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| Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 9:17 am Post subject: |
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| Conrad Poohs wrote: |
Hi chaps!
With regard to the reason the Abbey's doing this disk, apparently the record label wanted to have a disk of Elgar church music on their catalogue: so, it wasn't the Abbey's choice at all, but more to do with their contract with Hyperion.
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Hyperion have really got the "spin doctors" on to this one. Thats the biggest lot of bollocks I've heard from them. There is already a Worcester Cathedral / Donald Hunt disc in their catalogue with the following tracks:
Great is the Lord; Ave verum corpus; Ave Maria; Ave maris stella; Ecce sacerdos magnus; O salutaris hostia I, II, III; Fear not, O Land; Angelus; I sing the birth; Lo! Christ the Lord is born; O hearken Thou; Give unto the Lord. 
There you are....7 of 12 tracks appear again. How pathetic!
Sorry to hear you're not mad keen on performing Elgar, Conrad. But everyone to their own taste 
I must be having a bad hair day
Lance |
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