Review: Charles Groves' 24 Dynamite British Music Discs
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- čas přidán 26. 08. 2022
- I don't think there's another large box available by anyone that offers this particular combination of repertoire interest and interpretive excellence. Groves was a "fill in the gaps" conductor, doing British repertoire that the "big names" wouldn't touch, but he did it wish such panache that he has become a legend to collectors the world over. Warner's tribute to him should should stay in print forever. Get it while you can, and if you can't find it at a sane price, then collect the performances individually.
- Hudba
What a wonderful chat! I have cherished this box and will be r e-visiting it today thanks to you…
Undoubtedly one of the most interesting box sets with that of Martinon.
I attended many of his concerts. He had an amazing knack of getting to the pub at the end before the brass section!
I hadn't heard much of Groves but read good things about this box set, and the content intrigued me. Been looking for this for quite awhile, hard to find and oop. Finally found and bought a like new set for a reasonable price just recently, your review helped spur me forward. Can't wait to hear it.
While I'm thinking of British music, I'm going to check out what you think of Bax' symphonies and tone poems. I've really fallen in love with his atmospheric orchestral output.
I study at the University of Liverpool, and many a record I’ve bought in local charity shops there have been accompanied with concert programmes from his time as conductor of the Liverpool Phil, including Britten’s War Requiem and Bluebeard’s Castle!
I hadn't heard of Charles Groves until I came across a British EMI HMV lp of Dvorak's 6th Symphony at the Peaches store in Milwaukee in 1978 or so. What a marvelous performance. He even took the repeat in the first movement. I didn't know, obviously, about his other work until later but this Dvorak record made me want to find out what other recordings he had out.
You’re not alone regarding early Elgar.I love all his early choral works
Love the focus on British music. So glad it’s not a Groves Beethoven/Brahms/ Mozart box. As always Dave’s encyclopedic knowledge is staggering.
He started the renaissance in Bournemouth during his 10 year tenure down south. He's still a legend in Liverpool too for obvious reasons and his wide ranging repertoire was marvellous. Wonderful man and a fine musician. He was also very active in supporting youth music too. I'm not so sure he looks like you to be honest. He's more akin to Colonel Sanders! Great video again Dave.
The resemblance wasn't my idea.
@@DavesClassicalGuide Glad to hear it! I've looked for this box today and it costs a fortune. I wish that the powers that be would reissue it. Maybe they should listen to your review. I'm not the only one on here who would buy it. Your work is much appreciated.
@@bannan61 over £200 on Amazon
While Warner is at it, they can reissue the Bertini mahler cycle too.
Many boxes need to be reissued. The Bertini Mahler. This one. The salonen box. Many many. I would imagine (and really hope) that all of the people who influence these things watch Dave’s channel and see the enthusiasm we all have for these sets.
As a long time Brian fan really loved the 8th and 9th Symphonies.
Characterful, professional readings put Brian on a par with any other composer of meditative, probing, tragic, mysterious music 👍
Tempted to fill the gaps with early Elgar too, thanks for the necessary correctuve to received wisdom that only post Enigma works worth hearing 😀
Well, I decided to bite the bullet on this one almost as soon as I saw what you were reviewing because I knew what few copies were out there would be gone afterwards. I may have found the last one currently available for a relatively sane price. But it's been on my radar since I saw you mention it while watching a video a couple of months ago. I didn't need much selling but you certainly do a good job doing so here.
Love it all.
Fun and informative - another top contribution from this source. I think of a number of less
"fashionable" conductors who made their way in the UK and were solid in their ability to
produce good performances. This report on the Groves box set is most welcome and I will
be checking for its availability. .
Dave. Great video. I have this box set thankfully. I return to it often.
He did a great Schubert cycle as well on the super budget label Pickwick. I agree that he was another great conductor that very rarely produced a dud.
A great box. I had some of the original lps. Every disc is a gem. I first heard of Groves when I bought the Sullivan symphony decades ago, a first recording.
It is good to know about this box set and I will certainly look for it. The very first album that I bought in 1976 at the Liberty Music Shop in Ann Arbor, MI, on a recommendation by the owner, was the Frank Bridge recording on EMI which was fabulous and still a favorite. The Shop had a large selection of recordings from EMI (and Decca) and I bought a lot of them including the Havergal Brian 8 and 9 recording which was an amazing discovery. The difference between an Angel pressing and an EMI pressing is that the former cut off at 15Khz and sounded sonically dead; whereas an EMI pressing had head room, cutting off about or above 20Khz, which gave a totally different sound space that was well worth the extra cost.
I'd rather have Sir Charles with Bournemouth & Liverpool than some conductors with the "majors. "
Any orchestra he conducted sounded major 👍
It's all about the quality of music making.
I'm very glad I got this box when it was easily and cheaply available: it's a really wonderful set celebrating Groves's best work (he could be much more variable in standard rep, though even there I once heard him conduct an electrifying Tchaikovsky 4th Symphony). With Eric Coates, he's up against terrific competition from Boult, Mackerras and Coates himself - but it's a sign of the music's quality that those conductors chose to record it. As for the Holst disc, there's never been a better recording of the Ode to Death (Vaughan Williams's favourite Holst choral work) and yes, the Hymn of Jesus is marvellous - so is Boult (a bit more rhythmic energy in places, but not so well recorded), and it's one of Hickox's better things too. Still, a really lovely record, and the Rig Veda choruses are just a delight. I thought I was the only person who really liked John Noble's Sea Drift, so it was good to hear you praising that too (alongside Hampson/Mackerras I think it's my favourite recording of it). I would take issue with the Liverpool Philharmonic not being a major orchestra: you've got the evidence here of their work in British music, and you've also got things like the Mackerras Beethoven cycle (the EMI one) as well as his Rachmaninov and Delius discs for EMI, and plenty more. They really were - and are - a terrific orchestra, with unusually good taste in conductors (Boult was a regular guest, Groves was in charge for many years, and Mackerras was their Principal Guest conductor for several years) and a venue (Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool) that has superb acoustics. It's a consistently good orchestra on records, and they never disappoint in live concerts either.
They still aren't a major orchestra, but really, who cares? As you say, they get the job done.
@@DavesClassicalGuide They certainly do - time after time, stick a decent conductor in front of it and the Liverpool Phil delivers. Slightly more recently (post-Groves), as well as a number of terrific Mackerras records (and some less terrific Vernon Handley ones), the best of Libor Pesek's discs with them are excellent too. In terms of British orchestras based outside London, they are among the more significant (and consistently good).
Ah Charlie Groves I remember attending concerts in the 70s with the RLPO. As you say marvellous. The RLPO has often punched above its weight
Hi Dave. Have you or any of the viewers ever turned on the closed captions for your videos? Some of the words you say are translated in hilarous ways. When you mentioned Richard Hickcox, the translator wrote out HICCUPS as his last name. These ditties appear in almost every one of your videos. If the folks need a good laugh, just turn on the closed captions. Thanks for bringing this Charles Groves box to our attention. I've always enjoyed Sir Charlie's performances. Keep 'em coming.
They’re great, aren’t they?
One of my favorites is “Karl Boom. “
That last one was my introduction to Malcolm Arnold on an import LP I got in 1982..ah. memories.
i have this box ....so interresting,all cd in only music music....good music and discover...the coates cd is funny...everyting is excellent...the british people love music ,and we see that when we listen this box
As well as the Schubert symphony cycle, Groves recorded symphonies by Beethoven (4&6), Mozart (27,28,31,34,36) and Hayden (92&104) I don't know if any are still available though
We need a recording coupled with David Huwitz's mail sounds!!!
Concerning Holst's THE PLANETS, Groves' "Neptune" is out of this world because it's tempo is the 2nd slowest (Stokowski's live wartime recording is the slowest and also wonderful.)
I always thought Charles Groves put out an excyclopedia of music history. I never knew of him as a composer. I really like your singing when you sing the themes! I wish you would do more of that!
I bought the box on your ardent recommendation...and haven't regretted it for one second. I had some kind of deja-vu-feeling, when I started listening to the review, but since found out, that the earlier review was in a run through of Six Fabulous Conductor boxes! This box certainly deserved a more thoroughly review, though unavoidably you didn't stear clear of the "this disc is great, and so is this one, this one is fabulously great, and so forth"-trap! 😉
Does this mean that a Silvestri review is in the pipeline?
Yes, I said that I couldn't avoid that particular trap, didn't I? It is what it is.
@@DavesClassicalGuide You most certainly did, sir! And said the same of the Icon Silvestri box....hence the question: will we see a similar thorough review of his work, too...maybe with a focus on what made Silvestri such a fabulous and many-facetted interpreter and an even more widespreaded accompanist in respect to periods and styles?
How about a video where you sing through the entire finale of Arnold’s 2nd Symphony? In all seriousness, what a tremendously fun and witty movement from a great symphony - it never fails to bring a smile to my face. It’s all the more effective coming right after the somber and tragic slow movement!
Anyone know if it will be available on Tidal?
Why isn’t this product available any more? Can anyone in a position of authority or influence do anything to make Warner re-release this box?
A CZcams talk is already quite a lot, so thanks.
It seems puzzling and even kind of perverse that these (universally praised) recordings aren’t accessible to the listening public as widely as possible.
It's just economics.
I have this; ir'a treasure. Have you reviewed this before, or something from it? Cranky and old.
Talking about Bliss - Morning heroes: there is a new version on Chandos with Andrew Davis and BBCSO. But in my opinion it's way underplayed compared with Groves's version.
Andrew Davis' late recordings are all underplayed. :))
@@bolemirnoc604 not quite all - you could find some very fine recordings on Chandos with him but you would expect a work like Morning heroes to be outstanding in his interpretation. Especially because the british music is considered to be his domain of expertiese.
Thank you for saying we British aren’t sexy! 🤣🤣🤣
Not the people. Just the music.
I was conducted by him, at a brass band summer school, in 1975. A gentleman he was and professional musicians I’ve talked to, have agreed with me, too. He conducted Holst’s A Moorside Suite.
By the way way in the north of England they pronounce dance rather the darnce
Separatists!
@@DavesClassicalGuide Ha ha!
CRANKY AND OLD? I resemble that remark !!!! yuk yuk