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From Dennis Brain's Library Part 2 PLUS
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/from-dennis-
We are about to embark upon a follow-up to our
highly successful recording
'From Dennis Brain’s Library'
with
'From Dennis Brain’s Library Part 2 PLUS'
featuring the brilliant Stephen Stirling on horn, accompanied by both
Tony Halstead and Ana Manastireanu for different items.
Several years ago horn player and lawyer Mark Andrews noticed that
Dennis Brain's collection of music was up for auction and he outbid an
autograph dealer to secure the collection, which he recently donated to the
Royal College of Music in London.
In 2021, we recorded Volume 1, which has been critically acclaimed, and
which has brought unknown works to the public.
This new project, which will cost £6,000,
involves the remaining items of British music from the great man’s library that we’d like to record, plus some other unknown items of British and French music for horn and piano we think are very important, most of which will be published by Bob Ashworth's excellent edition db.
The recording sessions will this time be in the beautiful acoustic of the Pamoja Hall at Sevenoaks School in Kent on December 17/18/19th 2024, and the recording will again be released on the label 'MPR'. I will produce the recording and Ben Connellan will be the superb recording engineer, so quality will be very high all round.
Making the recording is a time consuming and expensive business:
although we have raised nearly enough funds to make the recording,
we need to raise more to take the recording forward for the Public's enjoyment, i.e. to design the artwork, make MCPS copyright payments (just about all the music is still in copyright) and, importantly, to pay the musicians something towards all their time spent rehearsing as well as recording, not to mention the cost of editing the CD.
These days, so many people stream recordings rather than pay for
a CD or a high quality download. Streaming brings in a minute amount of
income, so these days we can't rely on CD sales anywhere
near as much as we should like!
So if you’d like to help with completing this historic project and adding recorded versions of these excellent pieces to the catalogue, please sign up to our Crowdfunding project.
Depending on your donation, you can have a free CD or download,
have your name in the booklet or even attend one or more
recording sessions.
Every penny is crucial towards making this happen and to be a worthy
successor to Volume 1 - please feel generous!
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/from-dennis-brains-library-volume-2-plus
A donation of £15 brings you a high res download
A donation of £20 brings you a CD
A donation of £100 adds your name to the CD booklet
A donation of £300 entitles you to attend one or more recording sessions.
TO DONATE A DIFFERENT AMOUNT, CLICK THE 'SUPPORT US' BUTTON AND ADD YOUR OWN SUM IN THE BOX TO THE LEFT.
With thanks, Mike Purton (Executive Producer)
PS: do visit my website at www.mikepurtonrecording.com
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From Dennis Brain’s Library (proposed repertoire)
Adam Carse (1878-1958) Two Pieces (A Little Serenade and Scherzino)
Adam Carse was born in Newcastle upon Tyne and was a composer, academic and writer. Although he is mainly known these days for his compositions for younger musicians, he was very prolific in other areas, including chamber and orchestral music and music for brass band.
Philip Catelinet (1910-1995) Caprice Encore
Catelinet was the tuba player who premiered Vaughan Williams's Tuba Concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra. He was born in the Channel Islands and died in Kent but spent some years in the USA. He was very involved with the Salvation Army and wrote mainly for brass, including many works for brass band. His lively Caprice Encore was composed in 1953.
Yvonne Desportes (1907-1993) Improvisation
Yvonne Desportes was a French composer, writer, and music educator. She was born in Coburg, Germany, was a student of Paul Dukas and won the Premier Grand Prix de Rome in 1932. She taught at the Paris Conservatoire. Her Improvisation is another very interesting addition to our repertoire and is in DB's Library.
Iain Hamilton (1922-2000) Aria
Iain Hamilton was a Scottish composer, penning a large number of works for many genres, including symphonies and operas. Aria was composed in 1951 and was almost certainly played by DB.
George Linstead (1908-1974) Sonata
George Linstead was a composer and music critic who was based in Sheffield and South Yorkshire. His output was large and varied and we found the manuscript of his substantial and impressive Horn Sonata in the DB Library, well worth performing. Many of his orchestral works were performed by the Hallé and the then BBC Northern (now the BBC Philharmonic).
Newly discovered music not from Dennis Brain’s Library (proposed repertoire):
William Maurice Miles (1883 - 1958) Sonata
W Maurice Miles was born in Erith, Kent, he studied at Royal Academy of Music 1901- 1905 (as a direct contemporary of Arnold Bax). He emigrated to Canada in 1905 and played as a cellist in the theatre orchestra in Winnipeg, moving to Vancouver in 1923, where he was Principal Cello of the Vancouver Symphony during the 1930s.
The Horn Sonata was composed in 1929 and seems to have been the only work Maurice composed that year. His brother Percy’s music has recently been discovered and has appeared on CD (on MPR) and has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Maurice appears to have been equally talented, it’s gorgeous post-Elgarian early 20th century music and Miles’s music (like his brother Percy’s) deserves to be far better known.
Lionel Hutchison Ovenden (1893-1976) Meditation
Ovenden was born in Sussex and died in London. He was a pianist, violinist and organist but also composed many choral works.
Meditation is a lovely slow melody which will be a very pleasant addition to the repertoire.
Humphrey Procter-Gregg (1895-1980) Duettino
Composer Procter-Gregg spent much of his career as an academic at Manchester University. His compositional style was regarded as quite conservative at the time and this little Duettino provides the hornplayer with the opportunity to play a really charming and well-written melody, another very enjoyable addition to the repertoire.
Red Dragon I.T. Ltd.