Brian: Orchestral Works

On this CD:

1. Fantastic Variations on an Old Rhyme for organ
Composed by Havergal Brian
Performed by Alan Smith

2. Festal Dance for orchestra (piano)
Composed by Havergal Brian

3. In Memoriam for orchestra
Composed by Havergal Brian

4. Herrick songs (2) for women's chorus & orchestra, "Requiem for the Rose"
Composed by Havergal Brian

5. Herrick songs (2) for women's chorus & orchestra, "The Hag"
Composed by Havergal Brian

6. Doctor Merryheart
Composed by Havergal Brian

7. English Suite No 1
Composed by Havergal Brian

8. Burlesque Variations on an Original Theme
Composed by Havergal Brian

9. For Valor for organ
Composed by Havergal Brian
Performed by Alan Smith

Tracks:

Marseillaise
Marche Joyeuse
Symphonie Fantastique: March to the Scaffold
Espa
Pavane for a Dead Princess
Sorcerer's Apprentice
Suite Algerienne: French Military March
Roman Carnival Overture

Range of Light: Selected Chamber Works by Erica Muhl

Average customer rating:

Excerpted from a review of the premiere by Eric Olson
Love it!
A striking debut disc

Range of Light: Selected Chamber Works by Erica Muhl

Manufacturer: Albany Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0002IQDCE
Release Date: 2004-07-27

Tracks:

Consolation
Variations for Piano
Range of Light
Trucco
Tremor
Pulse/Shiver/Stomp

Album Description

Major critics have praised Erica Muhl's music, describing it as "strong and poetic," "ravishingly beautiful," "haunting," even "fearless". Paul Hertelendy, one of America's most esteemed writers on music, wrote, "Muhl has a fine ear and an iridescent palette…[Her work] is a contemporary foray into impressionism, mysticism, veiled allure and the shimmering colors of a concert orchestra". She was born and raised in Los Angeles, where her father, Edward, was head of production for Universal Pictures and her mother, Barbara, an author and opera singer. Her parents associated with such musical figures as Stravinsky, Schnabel, Stokowski, Andre Previn and Henry Mancini. As may have been expected in this musical milieu, Muhl was trained both as a composer and conductor, with much of that training completed in Europe. At age sixteen she was invited to study with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. After returning to California to earn her B.M., she traveled again to Europe for graduate studies at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome and the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, studying with the great Italian composer Franco Donatoni. In 1991, she completed her Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Southern California. She studied conducting with Walter Cataldi-Tassoni, a student of Mascagni and Fritz Zweig, a student of Humperdinck and a close colleague of Richard Strauss and Otto Klemperer. Muhl has served as Assistant Conductor for Los Angeles Opera Theater, Seattle Opera and the Pacific Northwest Wagner Festival's complete Ring. Erica Muhl is Professor of Composition at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music and resides in Los Angeles.

Customer Reviews:

Excerpted from a review of the premiere by Eric Olson .......2004-11-03

"The second item was the world premiere of an exceptionally lovely and evocative piece created for CCS (Cleveland Chamber Symphony) by young L.A.-based composer Erica Muhl, entitled 'Consolation.' Dreamy, slow, ambient, the contemplative composition 'scored for chamber ensemble with solo violin and piano' was influenced, according to the composer, by the events of September 11.

As the final preternaturally quiet note trailed off into hushed infinitude, the nearly-full house of musicians, composers, students, and passers-by who had stumbled in out of the cold, sat for a frozen moment, visibly moved. The model-thin blonde composer bounded down the steps to the performance space below; the audience burst into cathartic applause, overcome by what had just befallen them. The musicians seemed astonished as well and applauded with equal enthusiasm.

The remaining two pieces were interesting but inevitably anticlimactic after the Muhl triumph. " --Tres Producers

Love it!.......2004-09-08

This is a wonderful CD - Original and varied and interesting. And the notes are an excellent bonus!

A striking debut disc.......2004-09-03

I encountered Erica Muhl's wonderful work at a concert of the Women's Philharmonic in SF a few years ago. I think this is her first cd, and it's an excellent one. "Consolation" and "Trucco" are the real standouts here but all the works show various facets of a composer with great craft and something to say. There's a wide range of color and expression, from the intense shock and defiance of "Consolation" to the sly, intellectual humor of "Trucco."

She conducted the Cleveland Chamber Symphony for the recording of "Consolation", and it's really accomplished work. With her good looks (I saw her when she stood up in the audience in SF--sigh) and superb training, she should conduct more. Despite being recorded in different venues at I assume various times, the sound is uniformly clear but a little too close-up & bass-shy (for me). The liner notes are informative, but long-winded.

Average customer rating:

The Sounds of Trinity
Brian Jones , Ron Wood , and Trinity Brass Ensemble
Manufacturer: Arkay
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000003XVS
Release Date: 1991-01-01

Tracks:

Tpt Voluntary
Sicilienne
Solemn Entry
Air in D
Now Thank We All Our God
Excs From The Nutracker Ste: March Of The Reed Fls
Excs From The Nutracker Ste: Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairies
Excs From The Nutracker Ste: Waltz Of The Flowers
Psalm Prld. Set 1, #1
Rigaudon
Westminister Carillon
Sheep May Safely Graze
Rondeau
The Son in e flat: A.D. 1620
The Son in e flat: Allegretto
Fanfare
Tpt Tune
Gymnopedie
Triumphal March
The Water Music: Allegro Maestoso

Average customer rating:

How much of a Brian fan are you?

Brian: Orchestral Works

Manufacturer: Campion Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00001R3DM
Release Date: 1995-11-28

Customer Reviews:

How much of a Brian fan are you?.......2005-07-07

I doubt that anyone reading this review just blundered into a listing for a Havergal Brian collection, so its likely that the reader has at least some knowledge of this remarkable composer. These works, most from when he was relatively young (he died in 1972, a month short of his 97th birthday), lack the intensity and concision of most of his later symphonies, but neither do they sprawl like the earlier ones. They're somewhat like the lighter works of Elgar, Vaughan Williams, and Holst, but much quirkier. And while Brian may be reminiscent of other composers on occasion, ultimately he's always his own man. That said, most of these works, given capable performances, should be relatively easy to get to like, even if they'll never be mistaken for Great Music.

The real problem lies in the performances. I'm sure the orchestra plays its heart out, but the players are mostly secondary school students, and this music is too tough for them. I bought this music originally on three LPs (all of it has been squeezed onto this two-CD set), and when I first listened to one of them I thought I was hearing some sort of weird audio distortion. It was, in fact, the string section, just enough off-key to hurt the ears. How close they come to Brian's intent varies with how hard the piece is to play, but none of this stuff is easy, and overall the orchestra just can't handle it.

But with the exception of a couple of items that have shown up on Marco Polo, this is the only game in town. Do you really love Havergal Brian? If so, get the set, grit your teeth, and listen to some music that you'll never otherwise get to hear. I find it entertaining enough that I've listened to most of the pieces several times each. Okay, so I'm a Brian nut. If you're a Brian nut too, join me.

Society of Composers, Inc.: Chamber Works

Average customer rating:

Society of Composers, Inc.: Chamber Works

Manufacturer: Capstone
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000009N75
Release Date: 1998-07-21

Tracks:

Four Proportional Prlds: Reflection - Janis Mercer
Four Proportional Prlds: Metallica - Janis Mercer
Four Proportional Prlds: Modulated Cosine - Janis Mercer
Four Proportional Prlds: Resonance - Janis Mercer
Tears - Jean DeMart
Ilta Pala(a) - Stephen Robinson
Fugaz - Rene Mogensen
Pno Vars - Abbott Ruskin
Sonate: I. Lent Et Triste - Pavel Eret/Daniel Weisner
Sonate: II. Vif Et Puissant - Pavel Eret/Daniel Weisner
Sonate: III. Lent Et Calme - Pavel Eret/Daniel Weisner
Sonate: IV. Anime Et Joyeux - Pavel Eret/Daniel Weisner

Average customer rating:

Works By Harold Blumenfeld

Manufacturer: Centaur
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000057Z4
Release Date: 1996-02-20

Tracks:

La Face Cendree (The Cindered Face) - Christine Schladeberg/Savely Schuster/Seth Carlin
Ange de Flamme et de Glace (Angel of Flame and Ice) - Randall Gremillion/Contemporary Music Ens/Gerhard Samuel/Fred Bianchi
Carnet de Damme (Notebook of a Damned One) - Christine Schladeberg/St. Louis Ens/Harold Blumenfeld
Illuminations: Sym Fragments after Rimbaud: I. Meadows of Emerald and Iron - Cincinnati Philharmonia/Gerhard Samuel
Illuminations: Sym Fragments after Rimbaud: II. Diluvial - Cincinnati Philharmonia/Gerhard Samuel

Edgar Stillman Kelley: Complete Works for Piano

Average customer rating:

Edgar Stillman Kelley: Complete Works for Piano

Manufacturer: Albany Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000049QH
Release Date: 1997-02-18

Tracks:

Polonaise, Op. 35
Ballet Episode
Album-Leaf (Happy New Year)
Lyric Opera Sketch For A Gavotte Movement, Op. 13, No. 1
Lyric Opera Sketch For A Waltz Chorus, Op. 13 No. 2
Flower Seekers, Op. 2, No. 1
Confluentia, Op. 2, No. 2
Headless Horseman, Op. 2, No. 3
Alice In Wonderland Suite For Piano, A Series Of Pantomine Pieces: Introduction
Alice In Wonderland Suite For Piano, A Series Of Pantomine Pieces: The White Rabbit Is Late
Alice In Wonderland Suite For Piano, A Series Of Pantomine Pieces: The Cheshire Cat
Alice In Wonderland Suite For Piano, A Series Of Pantomine Pieces: The Caucus Race
Alice In Wonderland Suite For Piano, A Series Of Pantomine Pieces: The Forest Of Forgetfulness
Alice In Wonderland Suite For Piano, A Series Of Pantomine Pieces: The Red Queen's Banguet

Average customer rating:

Perhaps the best choice for this repertoire.
Vivaldi like you never herd

Vivaldi: the complete works for lute

Manufacturer: Astree
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000IXW1
Release Date: 1999-05-11

Tracks:

Trio in Sol minore per Violino, Leuto e Basso Continuo: Andante molto
Trio in Sol minore per Violino, Leuto e Basso Continuo: Larghetto
Trio in Sol minore per Violino, Leuto e Basso Continuo: Allegro
Concerto in Re minore per Viola d'amore, Leuto, Orchestra e Basso continuo: Allegro (moderato)
Concerto in Re minore per Viola d'amore, Leuto, Orchestra e Basso continuo: Largo
Concerto in Re minore per Viola d'amore, Leuto, Orchestra e Basso continuo: Allegro
Trio in Do maggiore per Violino, Leuto e Basso continuo: Allegro non molto
Trio in Do maggiore per Violino, Leuto e Basso continuo: Larghetto lento
Trio in Do maggiore per Violino, Leuto e Basso continuo: Allegro
Concerto in Re maggiore per 2 violini, Leuto e Basso continuo: Allegro giusto
Concerto in Re maggiore per 2 violini, Leuto e Basso continuo: Largo
Concerto in Re maggiore per 2 violini, Leuto e Basso continuo: Allegro

Customer Reviews:

Perhaps the best choice for this repertoire........2002-10-20

There is much to enjoy here and, as usual, Lislevand himself is in fine form. But be warned that this disc is of very short playing time; the Hyperion version (Paul O'Dette with the Parley of Instruments) easily manages to add two complete mandolin concertos to the pieces Lislevand has recorded. However, the Hyperion performances, for my taste at least, make too much of the organ continuo. The Lislevand organ is far more subtly integrated. If you like adventure, go for the zesty Lislevand disc. If you prefer a lighter, slightly old-fashioned approach (despite the original instruments), you will prefer the Hyperion version. My vote is for Lislevand for his more dynamic interpretation. But the short playing time denies it five stars.

Vivaldi like you never herd.......2000-09-14

Rolf Lislevand did a great work recording those pieces. his lute sounds so wonderfull. this disk will speak also to people that do not listen usually to classical music, and as such it may be a great present! tip : listen to the disk with a quality headphones and you will find a truly new world of sound.

Music Review:

Music Review

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Music Review

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Mendelssohn: Athalie / Borst, Desnoues, Watkinson, Avocat, Natech; Tetu

Phoebe Snow

P.J.'s [Soundtrack] [Clean]

My Dirty Little Secret

Nine Tonight [Live]

Sonic Nurse [Enhanced]

No Fino Da Bossa V.1 [Import]

Piano Concerto 23

Meet the Jazztet [Import]

Mexico Su Magia Y Su Musica

One Voice: Pride

Schubert: Piano Sonatas D. 537 & D. 664

Let's Rock