A Lark Ascending

Never got on with the Verdi Requiem (my loss entirely). I draw a blank with Verdi full stop. The Faure Requiem is lovely. Another to consider - Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms (by chance I listened to that this morning). A Mass too. 'Sacred Music' was very big in Britain in the 19th and early 20thC. Apparently when the monasteries got clobbered by Henry VIII somehow choirs were kept on at various cathedrals and abbeys. Most of the major composers wrote choral pieces - they seemed to have a popularity beyond a knowing cognoscenti. Mendelssohn's 'Elijah' was a huge hit in Victorian times (not one I've heard). This book came out quite recently dealing with the English side: I have it on my to read shelf - hope to get a bit more of a systematic understanding from it. Much as I love the sound of medieval and early modern choral music I don't find it easy to sit and listen to. My brain is very goal orientated!

I'll take your word. I never did Latin (and I went to a Grammar School for three years, one of those institutions that used to spread social mobility and parental choice across the land) - did 'Classical Background' in lieu so we knew the stories without all the character forming grammar. Avoided rugby too. I was a lost cause from the off.

Caught up with the final series over the last week. Utterly harrowing. The way some of the characters get triggered into hostility seemingly out of nowhere brought back memories of my teaching career. The final scenes balancing Lol's wedding and reconciliation with her sister against Milky's angst over what he'd had done to Combo were brilliantly pulled off.

Janacek - Glagolitic Mass. Not sure that Janacek was that religious (if religious at all) but this one knocked my socks off when I first heard it at a Prom in the mid-70s. Unusual harmonies, archaic language, wonderful choruses, some spectacular organ. Britten - War Requiem. Again, Britten tended to use the structural and cultural traditions of Anglican music rather than being driven by religious belief. Good one to hear live as it has different 'planes' in orchestra and vocals that can be arranged to bring out the antiphonal effects. I heard it at an anniversary of the first performance in Coventry Cathedral back in the 80s. Holst - The Hymn of Jesus. Another oddball one - if you think of Holst as 'The Planets' this one will give you a different perspective. More Byzantine than Anglican sacred music. Brahms - A German Requiem. Another 'secular' take on the sacred tradition. Only got to know this a few years back. Absolutely beautiful piece. Tallis, Byrd through to Purcell are full of riches. Not music I know well but has been finding its way back to the CD player more and more (especially Purcell). Elgar - 'The Dream of Gerontius', 'The Kingdom', 'The Apostles'. Gerontius in particular has some wonderful music. The text can be hard to take but that might have more to do with my 'issues' as a lapsed Catholic with a very devout piece. And then there's Handel....

For long my least favourite set of Taylor recordings - always found them a bit glacial. But playing through the original CDs earlier in the year I enjoyed them much more.

2, 3, 4 of the Henze

Hopefully there will be some music amongst the pomes and dance. And hopefully they'll realise that running it like one of those Newsnight 'Arts' discussions is a sure way to kill it for the broader public ('critics' falling over one another to be the most unimpressed). In the BBC 'review' earlier in the year there was a lot of fuss by the government about making more 'distinctive' programmes and not trying to compete with ITV on popular TV. I suspect this is a BBC way of finessing that - so it might be given a long leash.

BBC2 to compete for Saturday night audience with season of culture Well, you've got to commend them for going out on a limb in these ratings obsessed times. Though the programmes highlighted all look a bit "Mwa! Mwa! Darrrrling.' Think I might be sticking with my Swedish serial killers.

Large coffee table book I bought some years back and only just got round to actually reading. Helped put the pictures I am aware of in context but rather dry. The author is a custodian of some sort at the Tate. Over-relies on lengthy quotations (to be fair he does say he intends to do this in the intro) and has rather more than I needed to know about his business practices. Had my work cut out distinguishing my picturesque from my beautiful and sublime. Brilliant pictures of course, especially towards the end. Though it would seem that some of those semi-abstract pieces were just foundations that he would eventually add the detail to in the gallery but never got round to. Short but informative book. Had no time for Minimalism until about ten years back (apart from Adams whose neo-Romanticism struck chords much earlier). This book gave me some pointers on where to look beyond the few things I have (Spotify has been well used today). A 1996 book so misses more recent developments. The author is essentially very keen on Reich, less so on Glass after the mid-70s (which, from what I've read, is the authorised interpretation).

Right at the end of the documentary someone comments on how the word 'jazz' derived from another word - think it was jazzem (need to be careful there!) - which meant something like hip, having a good time etc. Can't find it anywhere else - I'd always thought 'jazz' had a specifically sexual origin. The point made is that until the mid-nineteen teens the music had no name and it only became common around that time; it was acquired from an existing term as a positive brand identifier for the new music; in which case the music that became known as jazz was doing exactly the same as all of the car and perfume products. Classical music branding always makes me smile - lots of Latin (or in Britain, foreign languages especially French), endless references to Greek and Roman mythology. I wonder what market they are aiming for? Presumably Brexit will put a stop to this.

So cold on Sunday the central heating went on. Warmed up over the last two days and it's off again.

Actually disc 1 from the DG Henze box that has Symphonies 1, 5, 6 but that cover on the mini-sleeve. From the dark and sardonic (well, maybe not the Korngold) to the roots of contemporary film/TV music:

Lyric Symphony off the second.

Berlioz - King Lear; Colin Matthews - Berceuse for Dresden; Mahler - Das Lied von der Erde. Mark Elder and the Halle (BBC iPlayer) A Prom I went to three weeks back that is on the iPlayer currently. Fascinating to watch it on screen with the key instruments spotlighted at the right moments. In the Royal Albert Hall (or where I was sitting) the tenor was almost overwhelmed by the orchestra - here the balance was perfect. They obviously do some patching too - Das Lied opened with a really sour fluff from one of the horns; totally vanished here (along with the clapping after the first couple of movements by some of the audience who had not read their concert decorum instructions). Das Lied was, as ever, overwhelming.

If this was 15 years ago someone would have said 'Kenny G' by now.

Amusing 30 minute BBC Radio 4 documentary: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07q7lzc "There's a Jazz apple, Jazz aftershave, Jazz car, Jazz spreadsheet software, even a range of non-alcoholic beer called Jazz. Why are so many things called Jazz that are not Jazz?" No Great Thoughts thunk but lighthearted and interesting. Includes brief interviews with comedian Stewart Lee (probably Britain's most high profile free improv fan...though he's not that high profile), Nicholas Payton and marketing people who explain why they use the label. No sell-by date on the website but it might die in 24 hours if it's one of the 7 day iPlayer things. Some survive longer - this might as it only has tiny snippets of music.

Oh dear! Academic not citing his sources. The book clearly wasn't peer reviewed!

Marvellous. Don't think I've experienced this since reading it (with great reluctance!) at school 45 years ago. Know it mainly from the Britten and Purcell adaptations for the musical world. Very funny production - some moments of genuine laugh out loud (rather than the knowing tittering of the theat-ah). These Globe recordings are marvellous - very different from the big movie versions or grander theatrical productions (which I've also enjoyed), everything working from a plain stage with minimal props. Easily one of the best series of the 2015-6 UK TV season....and it was a rich season. Have yet to spot anything exciting for 2016-17 but these things often appear out of the blue.

If you like music documentaries try and track down the series Simon Rattle did on 20thC music - I think it was the 80s or 90s. Called 'Leaving Home' (a reference to tonality amongst other things), it shows its age (I watched it a few years back) but covers a wide area of 20thC music including the names you mention with substantial 'gobbets' performed by Rattle and the CBSO. Details: http://docuwiki.net/index.php?title=Leaving_Home_-_Orchestral_Music_in_the_20th_Century As ever, Rattle's un-donnish enthusiasm infects you and makes you want to hear things you might have been scared of. There's one of the London Barbican 'Total Immersion' days on Varese in early 2017 that I have my eye on, only knowing his music superficially. Usually three varied concerts and various films, talks etc. ************************************************* Excellent piece - sits nicely alongside the big ballet music of Prokofiev, Ravel, Falla, Debussy, Stravinsky etc. From a later era but has that same feel. Don't know Barry at all well but this one held my interest. Reminded me a little of Messiaen - I don't know if it's his normal approach but the music here seems made up of blocks of very rhythmic music rather than pieces that flow throughout a movement. I've one of his operas heading my way ('The Intelligence Park') to try and get more of a grip. Three symphonies - have never really grabbed me. Much prefer Balakirev and Rimsky from that era. Though the string quartet is a beauty and the Polovtsian Dances are great fun (My Dad was very fond of the Prince Igor music - part of his utterly random and totally unschooled record collection. I think quite a bit of it was used in a film around the 50s).

Yes, that is what I was thinking too. The year the dream of Empire came crashing down and the year the idea of the 'special relationship' was revealled publically as little more than window dressing (2016 or 17 might well be a reminder!). You could do 'important year' books on most years (and be very controversial by picking a non-obvious one - I'd go for 1955 because I was born then; I'm sure I could construct some arguments from events of that year). Most popular history is inevitably written in linear form - 1945-73, 1815-1914 etc. These year books do serve a useful purpose in slicing down through a very compact period and they tend to be particularly good at covering areas of social history that otherwise might get passed by. I'm not convinced you can assess significance particularly well that way but they make for good reads. A very good one from ten years or so back (maybe it started the trend) was Mark Kurlansky's ' 1968: The Year that Rocked the World.' A year I remember as a 13 year old only just starting to become aware of world affairs (I was convinced World War III was going to break out in August) - I was amazed by how much I had no memory of. Perennial problem. Who knows most about the Battle of the Somme? The soldier who survived the trenches or the historian 100 years later? The latter wasn't there but the former only saw a fraction of what went on. From what you say Spillett is doing what a good historian will do - constantly taking in fresh primary evidence and adjusting opinions accordingly. Bet you didn't think you were primary evidence.

It's a book where you enjoy the journey but I'm not sure what he thinks in the end. At times he seems enthusiastic for the changes, at other times fogeyish. I don't think he lived through the period. I find it really odd reading books about the 60s and 70s written by people like Sandbrook and Bray who came of age some time later. Not sure why. Most history books are written by people who weren't there. Have my eye on this one next: Imagine we will be deluged in the next couple of years with 67 and 68 books (the two most mythologised years of the 60s for different reasons). (The 'year that changed Britain' seems to be in dispute. We also have: )

Programme about Anne Briggs on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday at 11.30: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07syrrs Will be on iPlayer as usual after broadcast. Part of a short series which also looks at Marta Sebestyen (with Ian Partridge in between).

Give these a listen. Others will tell you about the quality of the singing but I keep my eye out for her recordings because she regularly skates way off piste. ***************************** Sunday morning wakey-wakey music: