The Greatest Recordings EVER! E.J. Moeran: Symphony in G minor
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- Moeran: Symphony in G minor; Sinfonietta; Overture to a Masque. New Philharmonia Orchestra and London Philharmonic Orchestra, Adrian Boult (cond.) Lyrita
In addition to filling some major gaps in my knowledge of works by Arnold Bax, Malcolm Arnold, William Alwyn, and George Lloyd, Lyrita was also my introduction to the music of several unjustly neglected British composers, including Anthony Milner, Arnold Cooke, Alun Hoddinott, Alan Rawsthorne, and William Mathias.
For me, add Edmund Rubbra to that list.
Well said. Lyrita is my favorite label. For those who still listen to LPs: they are pure joy, with quiet surfaces and spectacular sonics. Many are widely available on the used market in good shape and at reasonable prices.
Agree totally. A super symphony, beautifully played & recorded. Moeran fell into the water at Kenmare in Co. Kerry & died supposedly of a cerebral haemorrhage. His Lonely Waters is a mystical evocative piece influenced by a Norfolk folk tune. Like Bax, he loved Ireland. His violin concerto deserves greater recognition. Thanks for a fine review of a marvellous symphony & recording.
Love this symphony and this recording. Has been a favorite for many years.
I have this album myself (due for a revisit). I must confess that I have a soft spot for the Handley one under Chandos, but this CD is resplendent and compelling.
Handley is great too. Love it.
Same here!
Thanks so much for introducing me to this major composer that I have never known! Bravo.
One of my most favorites in my collection. I bought the original LPs and HAD to get the CD.
Thanks for bringing this fine recording to a wider public.
I go back a long way with both Moeran and Lyrita!
I used to run a mail order record company devoted to 'British' music and of course as a consequence got to know E J (he was known as Jack) Moeran's music and the Lyrita catalogue. I liked to put new releases in the newsletter we produced, and, having the impudence of youth, rang Richard Itter 'out of the blue' one day to ask if there were any new recordings in the offing. When I explained what we were doing he was very helpful and said to phone regularly, which I did and had a chat about forthcoming releases and generally about British music.
I later bought the existing catalogue of Lyrita LPs when they discontinued them infavour of CD. My own personal collection is 95% complete....a chap in New York bought the bulk and I shipped them over at great cost!
So keen on Moeran am I that we toured the West Coast of Ireland, staying at places connected with him, most notably Kenmare - the Hotel where he drank has a small display givinginfo. about his stay and he is buried in the Anglican churchyard just to thenorth of Kenmare. Also worth a trip is Valentia Island were Moeran stayed while working on the symphony.
A couple of observations on what you said: Warlock 'recovered' from his sojourn in Eynesford, Kent but later comitted suicide. Your comments on the influence of Sibelius are well informed....I think, apart from the last movt., it is the glorious slow movt. that show his affinity with the Finnish master - I always hear flocks of wildfowl taking off from readbeds in this wonderful movt.
Oh, and I think you meant to say Beethoven's 9th, not 5th, that 'influenced' (almost to the point of parody!) Brahms' 1st Symphony!
Thanks for the vivid comments. Sorry, it WAS the Fifth--same key, same "tragedy to triumph" concept ,etc.
@@DavesClassicalGuide Yes I see the c minor similitude....I was thinking of the 'big tune' in Brahms' 1st last movt....I think Brahms said any ass can see that....I'm the ass!!
Anyone else prefer to just listen to more and more Dave rather than listen to the actual music he’s talking about? 😂 I sometimes have to stop myself from bingeing on this channel to listen to the music he gets us so hyped up about. Gonna be sure to check this one out though.
@@jimmybyun There are times when I will binge Dave talking about music rather than listening to music!
That's very kind, but a bit depressing!
Just finished listening to the symphony. If there are any of you who are thinking of passing this one up, please don’t! It’s amazing! The music is sensual, the interpretation is exciting and alive and the recorded sound will make you go insane with pleasure. I kid you not!!! Everyone must listen to this! Will listen to the surrounding sinfonietta and the overture tomorrow. But after the symphony, I just had to stop to report how excited I got from the symphony alone.
@@robhaynes4410 😂 same.
@@jimmybyun Excellent! Listen also to his Rhapsodies & his Violin Concerto & Cello Concerto.
I've so enjoyed this recording for many, many years now. Thanks for the memory Dave, but more importantly, thanks for bringing it to the attention of the younger listeners out there. Take care!
It's worth mentioning that Lyrita contracted with Decca to do the actual recording; Itter wanted the best sound and in his opinion that meant Decca. The Moeran is a terrific piece and utterly unknown to American audiences.
Yes, I always thought that Lyrita was a subsidiary of Decca because I knew about the engineering side of their recordings. Seems I was wrong there😊
I figured there was a connection, as the Lyrita LP pressings shared distinctive characteristics with British-pressed Decca/London discs.
@@tterrace Most of the catalogue was re-pressed by Nimbus (easy to spot as they have a little impress of 'Nimbus, England' on the lead-out 'wasteland) and I find these later pressings preferable to the New Malden Deccas...which can be identified by the 'scratched-on' Decca serial number.
Somehow I got my hands on Moeran's string quartet by chance and was struck by its qualities. Dave recommended the symphony in the previous video (but not this particular recording I think) and it got me hooked on it too.
YESSSSS! 👏 An excellent selection that really showcases what this new series is about. I'd put Moeran in my top 10 composers (definitely my most idiosyncratic choice). It was on the strength of his Symphony that I got hooked on his music. When I first heard it, it was Handley's fine recording. The Boult wasn't yet on CD, & when it was finally issued, I immediately bought it & was *stunned*. Just an amazing, amazing recording of a stone-cold masterpiece. Anyone who's remotely interested in British, or even just pre-WWII, music should put this on repeat. If you don't know Moeran's Symphony you're truly missing out.
I am SO enjoying the book by Foreman; he writes well and the photos are marvelous. Thank you for another recommendation that would never have been on my radar otherwise.
You are so welcome!
I have a shelfload of Lyrita CDs, including this one. A fabulous collection of lesser known works to fill my knowledge of the music of my homeland. This CD was compiled from several Moeran LPs. The symphony was originally all by itself.
I first heard of Moeran G minor when Vernon Handley put in a plug for it in the commentary for his Arnold Bax symphony set.
Yes, it's a heck of a good piece.
Oh boy this series is GOLD! So excited
Dave, I only know the Moeran symphony through the Lloyd-Jones / Bournemouth recording on Naxos, but have always been curious about Boult's Lyrita recording. Excited to learn that you regard it as one of The Greatest Recordings EVER! Now I'll have to get my hands on it.
EJM may have been a "fringe" composer--I've sometimes felt like I'm one of maybe a dozen or so American listeners who's even heard of him--but the few works of his with which I'm familiar (primarily the violin concerto and the string quartets, in addition to the symphony) all got under my skin (in a good way) the first time I heard them. It's heartening to see you championing his music (and George Lloyd's too!).
Thanks too for the background info about Lyrita.
Looking forward to future installments in this new series.
The Moeran cello concerto is gorgeous.
I'm glad to be able to say I own several Moeran discs (the Chandos ones), because I became aware of him when I worked in a CD store in the late '80s. Moeran seems to have had a hard life, impoverished and perhaps limited by his war wound. I did not know he was a boozehound as well. Had it not been for those handicaps his total compositional output might have been comparable to that of Vaughan Williams.
I love the Llyod-Jones and Handley versions of the Symphony, but I didn't know Boult's version from Lyrita : downloaded it after your video, listened to it (twice !) in the process : I understand why you chose it as ‘Greatest recording ever’. Thank you very much Dave, from another Dave (French, but hey, nobody's perfect !).
Yes, I would also rate Fredman's Bax Symphony No.2 on the same label as one of those greatest recordings as well. Lyrita is a label with some hidden gems.
Simply wonderful score. A bit of everything in it, but by gum, it’s a beautiful piece, and this is a glorious recording. I have two copies, just in case. Thanks for this, Mr H.
You knocked me out of my chair with this one. A work I haven't even thought about for at least 30 years. Thanks, Dave.
I could not agree with you more Dave on this one. Lyrita sonically is #1 and Moeran needs more exposure along with many other British composers.
Maybe not the optimum way to experience it, but this recording can be heard on you tube.
But I want to mention another one, also to be heard here. It's the first recording from 1942 by the conductor of the world premiere, Leslie Heward and the Halle on EMI, back when the British Council under wartime conditions was sponsoring such recordings. For the day, it had excellent sound. The composer was present for the sessions, though that was apparently more of a hindrance than a help!
Heward died tragically young in 1943, a victim of TB aggravated by heavy smoking and, like Moeran, heavy drinking. But he was a damn fine conductor.
Thanks for this one Dave ☝🏻
A shot to it I have given. Scrumptious it is. Ordered it has been. Cheers!
Great, great work and recording. Bravo;-)
I second your motion. This is a great recording and performance.
Thank you for devoing time to this master piece! I read somewhere, that in WW-I, he was hit in the head, and (part of) a bullet got lodged so close to the brain, that the Surgeons dare not remove it. It is said than when the bullet would move only half an inch, he immediately felt as if he were drunk. So being an alcoholic would have him feeling the same.
I am also very fond of 'Whytehorne's Shadows'.
Interestingly I first heard this on All India Radio here in Kolkata of all places along with Morning Heroes by Bliss…
@@indranilpoddar7195Morning Heroes is also great.
Very interesting choice. First met the work on an EMI LP conducted by Neville Wilkes (also released by Mobile Fidelity), but I agree completely with you on the Lyrita version - a real gem!
The Dilkes is a surprisingly fine version. Not quite the equal of Boult or Handley, but I enjoy it more than the Lloyd-Jones version on Naxos (a rare misfire for him). I have the MFSL version on vinyl, & it really does sound spectacular. Dilkes made a small number of other British music recordings for EMI, including shorter Moeran pieces. Really good stuff!
Did Dilkes do the symphony…I thought he just did the Sinfonietta and smaller pieces…
The wartime version with I think Basil Cameron on DUTTON was wonderful too in not so bad sound
@@indranilpoddar7195 It was Leslie Heward, & yes, it's a very good performance. "Not so bad sound" is a little generous, I think. 😉 But I love it enough to own it on LP (EMI reissued it in 80s) & CD (the Dutton release you mentioned, coupled with Ireland's wonderful Piano Concerto) despite the sound.
@@indranilpoddar7195 Yes, he did do the Symphony. The release on EMI number ASD 2913. I first heard about it when it was included on a list of good sounding recordings by the audio magazine "The Absolute Sound".
Thanks for the recommendation! I was introduced to this piece (the Handley recording) by the late Richard Shahinian at one of his CES/Chicago listening sessions. Now I’ll have to seek out this one.
A few years ago I found, in pristine condition at my local dump, virtually the entire Lyrita LP catalogue, unceremoniously disposed of by a community radio station.
Please say that you bought it.
@@grantparsons6205 You were luckier than I was...in a way! I bought the complete leftover stock of Lyrita when I ran my record/CD store and advertised them in Gramophone (after separating the titles I didn't have in my own collection - I now have just over 100 original Lyrita LPs). A dealer in New York snapped up the lot, at £25 each...and was happy to pay that and the shipping - he told me new Lyritas in the States sold for at least $80!....and that was back in the early 90s!
@@rogerwebb7501Was that NY dealer Les Gerber? Just a hunch.
@@bbailey7818 do you know, I can't remember his name - I'd love to know if he managed to sell them...he was confident that he would; he said at the time brand new Lyritas were gold dust in the USA!!
Great choice again, Dave. This time it also reminded me of the so-called British lost generation. When viewing this period of the last century one can't forget the terrible Great War. Well, I was right and it seems that Moeran got a head wound in 1917. Even if he recovered well, that would have meant something lasting
Great stuff. How about something on the works of Sir Arthur Bliss?
I’d be curious to hear Dave’s opinion of Bliss’ “Meditations on a Theme of John Blow”. To me, it’s one of the greatest orchestral works of the mid-20th century. It reminds me a bit of RVW’s “Job” in its effective contrasts between spiritual/pastoral ecstasy and dark, threatening passages. There’s been a few fine recordings of the work, including one on Lyrita which I haven’t yet heard.
These were delightful disc in the LP era and this CD still is. I can only give a rave review.
Great series, Dave. For my wallet-not so much but hey, it's a 'obby!
Excellent review as always. And now a plea for you to review the Arnold Bax symphonies (unless I missed that one). Still a much underated composer IMHO.
They all feature in the "Fabulous Concert Programs" series.
@@DavesClassicalGuide I should have known that you would have visited these masterpieces already, podcasts found and looking forward to listening to them. Thankyou !
I had this record in its HNH guise (remember them?) back in the early ‘80s. Well chosen pick!
I'll admit freely: never heard of it. Going on a hunt ASAP!
BBC Channel 3 never played anyone who was not modernist. That is why Moeran and the like were literally unknown.
Wonderful tip Dave! Listening to it now!! Thanks to streaming! I remember the times whenever I wanted to listen to something new I had to BUY the Lps, and they were quite expensive for me😢 Great Moeran pieces and indeed very well recorded!!
I heard a story that Moeran had a brain illness which made him to 'appear' as drunk and this made him so depressed that he started drinking... -- In any case, an absolutely stunning piece of music!
Any possibility you could do a William Alwyn episode on Lyrita with the Lyra Angelica? Thanks so much and be well 🎵
Good video Dave! I await your take on another unjustly neglected Brittish composer Robert Simpson! His set of complete symphonies on hyperion surely constitutes a greatest ever selection!
Paul G
No, it doesn't. There are a couple of decent pieces there, but for the most part I find him pretty formulaic and dry.
Have to agree with you Dave. I have heaps of Hyperion’s Simpson recordings and these days I wonder why I bought them (fortunately cheaply through Berkshire outlet). Haven’t played any of them for years. Can’t remember who it was, but one reviewer described his music as lacking any human warmth, which I think sums it up perfectly.
I agree that some of the symphonies can be austere and academic but I have a real love of the 4th which is very Beethovian but with a 20th century twist.
As a teenager I discovered his third symphony and came to really like it and listen to it quite frequently (the Horenstein recording).
Great! But doing a quick search of online music sellers has drawn a blank.
I had no problem finding it. Presto Classical has it, for example.
Found a couple of copies on Discogs
@@Ashley-qc2sc It's available for streaming, too, if you can do that.
@@DavesClassicalGuide thanks I tried again with Presto and got it. The search engine is a bit picky with spelling