The British Symphonic Collection from Classico


Gordon Jacob CLASSCD 204	Ralph Vaughan Williams CLASSCD 244	Arnold Bax CLASSCD 254	Ruth Gipps A. Butterworth CLASSCD 274	Gustav Holst CLASSCD 284	Malcolm Arnold CLASSCD 294
LINKS (within our site)	Please Click on the CD covers for extra details				Douglas Bostock Conductor

Edward Elgar CLASSCD 334	Frederick Delius in Norway CLASSCD 364	McCabe; Gregson, Hoddinott CLASSCD 384	Bowen, Bainton, Austin CLASSCD 404	Malcolm Arnold (80th Birthday CD) CLASSCD 424
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GORDON JACOB, RALPH VAUGHAN-WILLIAMS, ARNOLD BAX, RUTH GIPPS, ARTHUR BUTTERWORTH, GUSTAV HOLST AND MALCOLM ARNOLD..........SO FAR..........

Originally planned as a 10 Volume Series which we believe to be one of the most significant musical journeys through British music of the 20th Century, the series has now become "open ended" and will stand as an important milestone ranking with the great recordings of British music to be found in the catalogues of EMI, Decca, Lyrita, Hyperion and Chandos.

World premiere recordings will feature in every volume - An exciting musical adventure not to be missed!

Douglas Bostock conducts the Munich Symphony Orchestra throughout the first seven volumes of this series, after which other orchestras enetr the picture. Bostock was a pupil of both Adrian Boult and Bryden Thomson and, as one of the most outstanding British conductors of his generation, has the perfect background for this important musical project. He has recorded extensively for the Classico label specialising in French, Czech and British repertoire. Classico has recently signed a recording contract with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra for Bostock to record, new authorised versions of the Carl Nielsen Symphonies. He has been Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Carlsbad Symphony Orchestra and regular Guest Conductor of the Chamber Philharmonic of Bohemia since 1991 and enjoys an international conducting career on three continents.

DOUGLAS BOSTOCK was born in Cheshire in 1955. He was educated at Sheffield University and in London with Sir Adrian Boult. Bostock names his mentors as Sir Charles Groves, James Loughran and Bryden Thomson who was also his friend and teacher.

He was one of the last private pupils of Boult during his final years. In addition to teaching technique Adrian Boult was a wonderful source of first hand information about music by Holst, Vaughan Williams, Elgar - the British composers.

The inspiration for the British Symphonic Collection sprang initially from a desire by Douglas Bostock to record something by Gordon Jacob with whom he corresponded towards the end of Jacob's life. A conversation with Peter Olufsen, President of the Danish company Classico, resulted in the recording on the Classico label of three works by Gordon Jacob and the subsequent launch of the ten volume British Symphonic Collection project. Bostock talks passionately about this series. His commitment and enthusiasm for the musical works which he has spent time and energy researching raises this series beyond a mere commercial venture to a personal journey through British music of the 20th century. Bostock is as enthusiastic about discovering the new in the familiar as he is when he unearths some long forgotten and previously unrecorded work. Bostock says that "…it is important to let each score speak for itself, to paint its own picture and to let the score lead the way." Bostock's musical integrity is indisputable.

For reasons not easy to understand Gordon Jacob has been left out of the recording and concert repertoire for some considerable time so this CD is more than welcome. Both symphonies on this disc are unmistakably English in character and well worth getting to know. The CD booklet comes with an excellent set of notes on the music and includes the composer's own comments on his music.

WEB ORDER PRICE IS £11.50 per CD plus postage and packing (see order information page)

"….Douglas Bostock directs the first in a new series of British music from this very enterprising Danish label. The playing of the Munich orchestra is absolutely splendid…"
David Denton - Yorkshire Post, Nov. 1998

"Jacob was an immensely skilful composer and in these two symphonic works not a note sounds out of place..."
Terry Barfoot - BBC Music Magazine, Nov. 1998

"Bostock and the Munich Orchestra greatly at ease in the idiom…..very warmly recommended……the disc comprises a set of recording premieres."
Rob Barnett - Classical Music on the Web, January 1999

WEB ORDER PRICE IS £11.50 per CD plus postage and packing (see order information page)

The action follows the biblical story. Four main themes Job, Satan, God and God's betrayed trust in Satan provide a symphonic and thematic unity in a work whose structure is primarily narrative and illustrative. If the listener were to hear this music without the benefit of sleeve notes and title s/he would hear beautiful music, ethereal, atmospheric which needs no notes or musicologist to describe it or give it validity. It is quite simply a great musical experience for the listener to make of it what s/he will.

This short work has an interesting history - it was written for the BBC's ten part serialisation of Thomas Hardy's 'The Mayor of Casterbridge' and was a significant factor in the success of the series. It is probably better known as part of Vaughan Williams' 'Fantasia on Christmas Carols' but it stands very well on its own and is a great find in this series.

Another find is the first recording of Variations for Orchestra (orch Gordon Jacob) originally written for brass band the composer having been inspired to write a test piece for the National Brass Band Championships after being asked to present prizes at that event. It was originally called Variations for Brass Band and was played at the contest the following year. Each variation is brief and this is a gesture towards the players whose embouchures should not be tired. Gordon Jacob orchestrated the work which was first played by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra early in 1960. First recording in current catalogue

"Bostock draws a finely-honed and idiomatic sound from the Munich players ….splendidly vibrant and attractive…."
Michael Scott Rohan - Classic CD April 99

"……..the sound of the orchestra is lean & strong, pliant and cleanly poetic - this volume is recommended ..as an alternative viewpoint on Job. "
Rob Barnett - Classical Music on the Web, January 1999

Bostock's 'Job' deserves to be acquired by Vaughan Williams devotees… enterprising programme…."
Michael Kennedy - Sunday Telegraph March 14 1999

WEB ORDER PRICE IS £11.50 per CD plus postage and packing (see order information page)

Symphony No 6, written in 1934, was dedicated to Adrian Boult (of whom Douglas Bostock was a pupil). Unusually, it has three movements, the Scherzo and Trio and Finale being telescoped into one a device used before by Bax in his 3rd Symphony.

Tintagel - this piece (described by the composer as a picture of the sea off the North Cornwall coast viewed from the cliff of Tintagel on a sunny day but not windless day) contains textures reminiscent of Debussy. The piece is romantic and unmistakably English.

Bax says that this work has no programme attached to it and follows- more or less - the usual form of the classical Overture. In spite of this comment by the composer the Overture does have a title and the woodwind figure which begins the work is of a character consistent with the title and the work continues in the same vein closing with a soul-stirring climax which ends this exhilarating adventure.

"….splendid performances of British music by a German Orchestra….Tintagel given a ripely romantic performance…"
Michael Kennedy - Sunday Telegraph - March 14 1999

"World Premiere recording of the vividly coloured Overture to Adventure…The orchestra admirably captures the music's essence and Bostock proves a fine Bax advocate…."
David Denton - Yorkshire Post - March 99

"Bostock captures the spirit of fantasy and adventure …sensitive to Bax's love affair with beauty…" "…Tintagel is given the best performance I have heard…"
Rob Barnett - Classical Music on the Web

"…a warm welcome to a new series of British symphonic music…. A splendid mixture of the well known and the unknown. Douglas Bostock knows exactly what he is doing. This is as good an introduction to British Symphonic music after Elgar as you are likely to find. Roll on Butterworth and Gipps…"
Peter Allanson - Classical Express, March 1999

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Ruth Gipps (1923-1999) devoted her whole life to music but her contribution to British Music is largely uncelebrated, which is something of a tragedy given that her vision, enthusiasm and practical and artistic contributions to the British music scene were considerable. She was a gifted performer on piano and oboe and a composer of considerable stature and output. Gipps studied composition at the Royal College of Music with Vaughan Williams (a great influence on her own style) and Gordon Jacob, and the oboe with Leon Goossens. During the War she established close ties with Birmingham where she was a full-time orchestral musician with the C.B.S.O., which premiered many of her works including her 2nd Symphony. Her compositions, though popular with audiences, were not really given the attention which they deserved emerging as they did at a time when the musical establishment was veering towards serialism and the avante-garde developments in the 60's and 70's and before its hostile attitude to women composers had begun to change. Ruth Gipps died only recently aged 78.

Arthur Butterworth MBE - 75 last year, has been well-known as a composer in his native North of England for many years. His first two symphonies were premiered by the Halle Orchestra (under Barbirolli and Boult, respectively), and the Symphony No. 1 also featured in a Henry Wood Promenade Concert in 1958. Butterworth has composed significant works for the thriving Brass Band tradition, in addition to concertos for Organ, Cello and Violin - the latter given it's professional premiere by Nigel Kennedy - and numerous other orchestral and chamber works, a recently completed string quartet being his 100th opus! Born in Manchester in 1923, Butterworth entered the Royal Manchester College of Music after the war, at the age of 24, to study composition and trumpet. His mature compositional style is influenced primarily by Sibelius, Nielsen, Elgar and other English composers of a previous generation. The north country, its poetry and its art is the major inspirational source of Butterworth's music.

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SYMPHONY No. 5
DIVERTIMENTO No. 2
SYMPHONIC STUDY; MACHINES
THE BELLES OF ST. TRINIANS - COMEDY SUITE

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MARCH AND "HAIL IMMEMORIAL IND" FROM "THE CROWN OF INDIA
SLOW MOVEMENT FROM PIANO CONCERTO
THE WIND AT DAWN; THE EMPIRE MARCH; POLONIA; CIVIC FANFARE
SUITE: THE SPANISH LADY; A VOICE IN THE DESERT

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After seven excellent recordings with the Munich Symphony Orchestra, Douglas Bostock now continues the series with the renowned British orchestra: The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Seven Songs from the Norwegian; Paa Viderne: Melodrama; Delius’ orchestration of Grieg’s “Norwegian Bridal Procession”

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra; Jan Lund, tenor
Conducted by DOUGLAS BOSTOCK

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Edward Gregson - Contrasts; A Concerto for Orchestra

Alun Hoddinott - Concerto for Orchestra Op. 127
John McCabe - Concerto for Orchestra

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York Bowen - Symphony No. 2
Edgar Bainton - ‘Genesis’ from ‘Before Sunrise’
Frederic Austin - Symphonic Rhapsody: ‘Spring’

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Malcolm Arnold (celebrating the composers
80th birthday on 21st October 2001

RETURN TO TOP

Rinaldo and Armida - ballet (WP)

Little Suite No. 2
Homage to the Queen - Ballet suite Op. 42a (WP of suite)
Concerto for Organ and Orchestra Op. 47 (WP)

Royal Aarhus Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra, Ulrik Spang-Hansen, Organ
Conducted by DOUGLAS BOSTOCK

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