# Arnold Bax Symphonies Thomson vs Handley vs Lloyd Jones



## starthrower

I listened to a couple of Bax symphonies (3 & 5) for the first time last weekend. I like the sound of these. I thought about springing for the Handley set until I found out the entire 5th disc is devoted to interviews. I'd rather have a disc of music. I see Chandos has a nice series of the other orchestral works as well, so I decided on a used set of the Thomson recordings to get started.

I haven't heard that much English music that really interests me, so I'm hoping Bax will do the trick. There's an old Composer's Guestbook thread on Bax which hasn't seen any activity for quite a while, so I decided to bring up the conversation in the orchestral forum.


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## LancsMan

Now I am a fan of English music and have most of the Bax symphonies on Chandos. But I am never quite convinced they are cogent enough to work as symphonies. I do enjoy the occasional excursion through a Bax symphony but I prefer some of his tone poems where I think a composer has permission to ramble. Tintagel may be the most popular of these and well worth a check especially if evocations of a coastal landscape has any appeal.


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## starthrower

Nobody listens to Bax, eh? OK, go back to your Britten and Vaughan Williams.


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## maestro267

I have the Lloyd-Jones cycle. The Fourth is my favourite. It takes the "evocations of a coastal landscape" (quoth Lancsman), but on a larger scale. The first movement's ending always gives me goosebumps; a glorious E flat major ending which includes the organ.

In general, to me he is one of the most interesting orchestrators in British music. I would call him the English Ravel. His use of tremolando strings and muted brass in several quiet passages throughout his symphonies is wonderful!


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## starthrower

maestro267 said:


> In general, to me he is one of the most interesting orchestrators in British music. I would call him the English Ravel. His use of tremolando strings and muted brass in several quiet passages throughout his symphonies is wonderful!


I felt the same way while listening to Bax. And overall, the music has more of a modern/contemporary sensibility and boldness, where as a lot of other British music I've heard sounds rather conservative.


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## Ukko

starthrower said:


> I felt the same way while listening to Bax. And overall, the music has more of a modern/contemporary sensibility and boldness, where as a lot of other British music I've heard sounds rather conservative.


My experience with Bax's music is limited, and the thumb is at a downward angle, but I hope you will evaluate the Chandos recordings here.


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## Art Rock

After Moeran, Bax is my favourite British composer. I have most of the Chandos CD's that have been issued (including all symphonies, tone poems, concertos, piano works and some of his chamber output) and enjoy them all. Not having had any music theory education might help - I do not hear a problem with his symphonies.


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## LancsMan

I love the long epilogue to the last movement of the third symphony. 
I don't know the chamber music well - but have a disc of his chamber music including harp which sounds distinctly French to my ear.
And one choral piece I love is 'Mater ora filium' which sounds gorgeous but also fiendishly difficult to sing.


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## Manxfeeder

starthrower said:


> Nobody listens to Bax, eh? OK, go back to your Britten and Vaughan Williams.


I'm a listener, though not very often, but not for lack of interest. When I first collected my set (the Naxos version), it was suggested that I listen to them all in order one night a week. It left a lasting impression, so that I feel like I have to do that again, and I rarely have a week free for something like that.


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## AClockworkOrange

I'd love to comment but I am new to Bax. I too love the 3rd Symphony and this, along with the Garden of Fand are what pulled me into exploring Bax.

All I can say is that I opted for the Handley set and I am very happy with it. The interview disc is a bonus really and viewed as such it is really interesting (especially if new to the composer).

I have heard some of Lioyd Jones' and they too are great but to my tastes, Handley is a better fit.


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## maestro267

Personally I've gotten into the even-numbered symphonies more than the odd. The finale of No. 6 is his masterpiece.


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## starthrower

Art Rock said:


> After Moeran, Bax is my favourite British composer. I have most of the Chandos CD's that have been issued (including all symphonies, tone poems, concertos, piano works and some of his chamber output) and enjoy them all. Not having had any music theory education might help - I do not hear a problem with his symphonies.


I've been trying out the piano sonatas on Spotify, and they are very fine!


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## joen_cph

Concerning the Bax symphonies, I´ve got the Thomson set (including the early "Spring Fire"-symphony), and also 5 of them on LPs from the Lyrita label with various conductors (which I however didn´t listen to so far).

Overall I find the Thomson set impressive, the 1st Symphony in the set I never heard better, but he does perhaps seem to add a certain static quality to the music generally, very good in the 1st Symphony, but maybe less convenient in the faster movements elsewhere, where others are might doing better. If possible, try to compare some time.
The symphonic poems and concertos on Chandos are often delightful - such as th Symphonic Variations for piano and orchestra, a very catchy and ambitious piece.


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## starthrower

Ukko said:


> My experience with Bax's music is limited, and the thumb is at a downward angle, but I hope you will evaluate the Chandos recordings here.


I just got the Thomson set today, and the first thing I noticed was the unpleasant sound. All but nos. 4 & 5 were recorded in a church, and listening to the 1st symphony I found myself wincing at the hard, clinical quality of this recording. It's too bad because the music makes me want to turn up the volume, but my ears say turn it down.

Well I've got the set now, so I'll have to keep listening. Hopefully the other two symphonies recorded in the concert hall sound better. In the future I can always try out one of the Lloyd Jones CDs on Naxos. I'll report back on the rest of this set after I've had a good listen.


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## Blake

I'm fairly new to Bax's music, and I'm really enjoying what I'm hearing on Handley's set.


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