Notes and Editorial Reviews
Bridge was a genuine minor master, and this boxed set represents a necessary contribution to 20th century British music on disc. The problems with his finding an audience stem from his small output, his avoidance of established forms, and from the fact that his later, modernist, gnarly works will never be popular because they are modernist and gnarly. That’s why it is so important that his more conservative, beautifully crafted early pieces make it onto disc. I’m thinking here of the tone poems Isabella and Mid of the Night, the latter with it’s gorgeous central English horn solo (sound sample). Really, these pieces are just about as worthwhile and any English music of the early 20th century that isn’t by Elgar.
The
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performances here are, for the most part, very good. Certainly Howard Shelly in Phantasm and cellist Alban Gerhardt in Oration do an excellent job, and the vocal soloists leave little to be desired. Hickox is a variable conductor, but in this series he plays all of this music very effectively. I had reservations about Enter Spring on its initial release on account of a certain carelessness of instrumental balance, aided and abetted by less than impressive sonics (at least for Chandos), and those concerns are still valid. However, taken in the context of the set as a whole this isn’t a major issue. Six discs of Bridge still isn’t very much, but it’s at least twice as much as most of us knew even existed until a few years ago. Chandos calls this “The Collector’s Edition,” and so it is.
-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com
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Works on This Recording
1.
Enter Spring, H 174 by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1927; England
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 18 Minutes 40 Secs.
2.
Isabella, symphonic poem for orchestra, H. 78 by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1907
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 18 Minutes 2 Secs.
3.
Poems after Richard Jefferies, for orchestra, H. 118 by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1915
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 12 Minutes 59 Secs.
4.
Mid of the Night, symphonic poem for orchestra, H. 30 by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1903
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 26 Minutes 7 Secs.
5.
Dance Rhapsody, for orchestra, H. 84 by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1908
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 19 Minutes 23 Secs.
6.
The Two Hunchbacks, incidental music, H. 95 by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1910
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 11 Minutes 29 Secs.
7.
Dance Poem, for orchestra, H. 111 by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1913
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 14 Minutes 1 Secs.
8.
Norse Legend, for small orchestra, H. 60 by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1938
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 4 Minutes 52 Secs.
9.
The Sea, suite for orchestra, H. 100 by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1910-1911
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 21 Minutes 28 Secs.
10.
Coronation March, for orchestra, H. 97 by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1911
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 6 Minutes 55 Secs.
11.
Summer, tone poem for orchestra, H. 116 by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1914-1915; United Kingdom
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 10 Minutes 50 Secs.
12.
Phantasm, rhapsody for piano & orchestra, H. 182 by Frank Bridge
Performer:
Howard Shelley (Piano)
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1932
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 24 Minutes 27 Secs.
13.
There Is a Willow Grows aslant a Brook, for orchestra, H. 173 by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1927; United Kingdom
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 11 Minutes 28 Secs.
14.
Vignettes de Danse, for orchestra, H. 166 by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1938
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 11 Minutes 27 Secs.
15.
Sir Roger de Coverley, H 155 by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1922; England
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 4 Minutes 42 Secs.
16.
Rebus, overture for orchestra, H. 191 by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1940
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 10 Minutes 49 Secs.
17.
Oration, concerto elegiaco for cello & orchestra, H. 180 by Frank Bridge
Performer:
Alban Gerhardt (Cello)
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1929-1930
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 29 Minutes 23 Secs.
18.
Allegro moderato, fragment of a symphony for string orchestra, H. 192 by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1940-1941
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 13 Minutes 28 Secs.
19.
Lament, for string orchestra, H. 117 by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1915
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 5 Minutes 24 Secs.
20.
Prayer, for chorus & orchestra, H. 140 by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1916-1918
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 17 Minutes 56 Secs.
21.
Suite for String Orchestra, H 93 by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1908; England
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 20 Minutes 25 Secs.
22.
The Hag, song for baritone & orchestra, H 14 by Frank Bridge
Performer:
Roderick Williams ()
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1902
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 2 Minutes 28 Secs.
23.
Songs (2) of Robert Bridges, for baritone & orchestra, H. 65 by Frank Bridge
Performer:
Roderick Williams ()
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1905-1906
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 6 Minutes 36 Secs.
24.
Threads (2 Intermezzi), incidental music for piano, H 151 by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1921
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 8 Minutes 35 Secs.
25.
Old English Songs (2), for string orchestra, H 119 by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1916
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 7 Minutes 33 Secs.
26.
Valse-Intermezzo, for strings in E minor, H 17 by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1902
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 6 Minutes 53 Secs.
27.
Todessehnsucht (Come Sweet Death), for piano, H. 181 by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1931
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 3 Minutes 56 Secs.
28.
Blow out, you bugles, for tenor & piano (or orchestra), H 132 by Frank Bridge
Performer:
Philip Langridge ()
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1918
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 5 Minutes 40 Secs.
29.
Adoration, for voice & piano (or orchestra), H 57 by Frank Bridge
Performer:
Philip Langridge ()
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1905
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 2 Minutes 58 Secs.
30.
Where she lies asleep, for voice & piano (or orchestra), H 113 by Frank Bridge
Performer:
Philip Langridge ()
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1914
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 3 Minutes 3 Secs.
31.
Love went a-riding, H 114 by Frank Bridge
Performer:
Philip Langridge ()
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1914; England
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 1 Minutes 42 Secs.
32.
Thy hand in mine, for voice & piano (or orchestra), H 124 by Frank Bridge
Performer:
Philip Langridge ()
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1917
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 2 Minutes 12 Secs.
33.
Berceuse, for soprano & piano (or orchestra), H 9 by Frank Bridge
Performer:
Sarah [Mezzo-Soprano (Vocal)] Connolly ()
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1901
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 5 Minutes 9 Secs.
34.
Mantle of blue, for high voice & piano (or orchestra), H 131 by Frank Bridge
Performer:
Sarah [Mezzo-Soprano (Vocal)] Connolly ()
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1918
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 2 Minutes 49 Secs.
35.
Berceuse, for violin (or cello) & piano, H. 8 by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Post-Romantic
Written: 1901
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 3 Minutes 25 Secs.
36.
Serenade for orchestra, H 23 by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1903
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 2 Minutes 53 Secs.
37.
The Pageant of London, suite for wind orchestra, H 98 by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1911
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 14 Minutes 29 Secs.
38.
A Royal Night of Variety, epilogue for orchestra, H 184 by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1934
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 1 Minutes 29 Secs.
39.
Entr'actes (2) by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1906-1936; England
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 6 Minutes 1 Secs.
40.
Day After Day, for voice & piano, H. 164/1 by Frank Bridge
Performer:
Sarah [Mezzo-Soprano (Vocal)] Connolly ()
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1922
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 4 Minutes 55 Secs.
41.
Speak to Me My Love, for voice & piano, H. 164/2 by Frank Bridge
Performer:
Sarah [Mezzo-Soprano (Vocal)] Connolly ()
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1924
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 6 Minutes 0 Secs.
42.
Pieces, H 18: 2. Chant d'espérance by Frank Bridge
Conductor:
Richard Hickox
Period: Modern
Written: 1902
Venue: Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, England
Length: 3 Minutes 45 Secs.
Sound Samples
2 Poems of Richard Jeffries: No. 1. The Open Air
2 Poems of Richard Jeffries: No. 2. The Story of My Heart
Symphonic Poem, "Mid of the Night"
5 Entr'actes, "The 2 Hunchbacks": No. 1. Act I: Prelude: Allegretto moderato - Lento
5 Entr'actes, "The 2 Hunchbacks": No. 2. Act II: Intermezzo: Andantino
5 Entr'actes, "The 2 Hunchbacks": No. 3. Act III: Intermezzo: Allegretto [marziale]
5 Entr'actes, "The 2 Hunchbacks": No. 4. Act III: Prelude: Lento
5 Entr'actes, "The 2 Hunchbacks": No. 5. Entr'acte between Act II and Act III: Moderato
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