Release Date: 07 January 2006
Label: Naxos - Ex Select Products / Naxos Classics
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 747313275328
Genres: Classical
Composer/Series: ENGLISH STRING MINIATURES, Vol. 6
Description
English String Miniatures, Vol. 6 Gustav Holst had played the trombone professionally in his youth, and so was naturally drawn to writing for wind instruments, hence the two suites for wind band, and A Moorside Suite for brass band. A great many leading British composers in the 1920s and 1930s, Elgar included, were approached to write for the brass band without the specialist knowledge to score for the medium, so it is probable that the composers wrote in short score and had the detailed scoring undertaken by other hands. It is therefore reasonable to surmise that Holst had instruments in mind other than brass ones while writing this suite. In fact, a few years after the work's appearance at the National Championships in 1928, Holst produced a string version for the junior orchestra at St Paul's Girls School in Hammersmith, in London. Even in its 'toned down' version (some of the more virtuosic moments from the original were smoothed out for the young string players) it proved too tricky, so the Brook Green Suite was composed for them instead. I made this version directly from the brass band score before I knew of the existence of the outer movements in Holst's original hand - the central Nocturne had been recorded in the 1960s under his daughter Imogen's direction. This version is generally more extravagant than Holst's own, making greater demands on the players throughout, while keeping faith with Holst's music.Purcell's Chacony in G minor is a classic of the genre, being a set of eighteen variations, on an eight-bar ground bass, of ever-changing rhythmic patterns and harmonic shifts. Its origins are not entirely known, but it is thought to have been written for a theatrical production on a tragic subject. Benjamin Britten's affection for the piece resulted in his editing it for string orchestra, not altering the text in any way but devising a credible dynamic structure and consistency in dotted rhythms and distribution of parts.Paul Lewis eschewed the formalities of university and music college to work in television from the age of twenty, first administratively, and then as a composer for numerous programmes including Arthur of the Britons, and the children's classic, Woof! While composing this miniature to assuage the sadness of parting from a loved one, a single flower of his favourite rose bloomed in his garden, the only one to do so that year. The name of Adam Carse crops up on dozens of string pieces for young players, all skilfully written, within predetermined technical parameters, and interesting to play and listen to, unsurprisingly for a man for whom string instruments were almost an extension of himself. He was born in Newcastle and educated at the Royal Academy of Music in London and in Germany. He later became a Professor of Harmony and Counterpoint at the Royal Academy, and taught at Winchester College. The Winton in the title of this suite refers to the cathedral city of Winchester, and in places is an affectionate hark bac
Tracklisting
Dariia Lytvishko
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; Marin Alsop
Alice Di Piazza; Basel Sinfonietta; NDR Bigband; Titus Engel
Anna Alas i Jove; Miquel Villalba
David Childs; Black Dyke Band; Nicholas Childs
Yaqi Yang; Margarita Parsamyan; Robynne Redmon; Minghao Liu; Frank Ragsdale; Kim Josephson; Kevin S
Vilmos Csikos; Olivier Lechardeur; Manon Lamaison
Tomas Cotik; Martingale Ensemble; Ken Selden
