Wednesday, 11 July 2018

English classics

After a break from this mini series of entries within the blog I return with a couple of discs that fall under the heading of British classical music although they have their differences.

Gustav Holst is a composer whose work reflected his interest in the spiritual and mystical to whom one work alone his Planet Suite was started in 1913 and premiered in September 1918 in the last days of World War One. 

This work was played in this years First Night of The Proms on Friday, July 13th together with Ralph Vaughan Williams's The Lark Ascending on a WW1 themed concert. 


It is a matter of some regret however the popularity of this suite has caused many to overlook his may other works such as Beni Mora and on this arresting performance by Sir Andrew Davis  and the BBC Philharmonic orchestra it is coupled by the Japanese Suite.

Classical music has a great variety of genres within it such as Orchestral, Choral, Baroque but one  that has become established in the twentieth century is the orchestral movie soundtrack.


One favourite of mine is the soundtrack of Watership Down the 1978 animated movie based upon the Douglas Adams novel that I recall seeing on vacation that year which was originally issued on record and tape by CBS/Columbia.

It has a spoken word prologue and the whole of Angela Morley's score for it with the jazz syncopation in parts well performed  

This recording was remastered for Super Audio cd (playable on regular cd too) by Vocalion records here in Great Britain to a demonstration worthy style.

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