# Any Bax fans out there?



## golfer72 (Jan 27, 2018)

Lets hear about your favorite works and such


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Yes, big fan. I've got 29 CD's with Bax as main or only composer.

Some of my favourites:

Symphonies 3,6
Symphonic poems Tintagel, November woods, Garden of fand
Concertos for cello, violin
Harp quintet


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

Huge Bax fan here. First turned on the symphonies along time ago on the Lyrita LPs - always thinking that Bax's music needs a better reproduction system to make its full impact. And then came the CD, the Bryden Thomson set of symphonies on Chandos and I was in heaven. I've picked up the entire Chandos library of his music, and quite a bit from other labels, too. What is it about Bax? First, its the sound of the orchestration: I love that deep, moody, often eerie sound. HIs harmony is quite complex and exotic which titillates the ear. There's so much for newbies to discover, but I realize that his music is not for all tastes. I love so much of it that its hard to favorites, but the 3rd and 6th symphonies are up there. The tone poems are terrific (tales the Pine Trees Knew, November Woods, Tintagel, Garden of Fand...) The Bax I listen to the least is the piano music. Of the three complete sets of symphonies, I suppose the Handley is the best overall, but I have a soft spot in my heart for the earlier Thomson, and the Naxos series is not one bit inferior. 

Bax is another composer who deserves wider recognition and performance. After nearly 60 years of Mahler being overplayed, you'd think audiences would be interesting in trying something new, and Bax would be a likely candidate. Alas, I'll probably never hear a Bax symphony performed live. Thank God for recordings.


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## golfer72 (Jan 27, 2018)

My favorite is the 3rd and especially the Epilogue. I have to work on the other Symphonies. The violin concerto is pretty good and i also like the Piano sonatas.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Art Rock said:


> Yes, big fan. I've got 29 CD's with Bax as main or only composer.


My numbers are about the same, mostly from Naxos and Chandos. Can't say I've listened much in recent years; no particular reason. I'll have to think about that.


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## cougarjuno (Jul 1, 2012)

November Woods, Winter Legends, In the Faery Hills and the Cello Concerto are probably my favorites. I haven't heard a symphony of his I didn't like and recently I've been listening to 2 and 5. The Trio for Flute, Viola and Harp, Oboe Quintet, Nonet, Cello Sonatina are favorites for chamber.


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

My favorite symphonies: 1, 3, 5

My favorite orchestral works: Festival Overture, London Pageant, On the Sea Shore, Paean (so crazy and pompous!), A Legend, Christmas Eve, Spring Fire, In Memoriam, Northern Ballads 1-3, Roscatha, The Garden of Fand, Tintagel, Fantasia for viola and orchestra, Winter Legends

My favorite chamber works: Harp quintet, Piano quintet, String quartet 3, Sonata for flute and harp, In Memoriam for English horn, harp and string quartet.


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## eugeneonagain (May 14, 2017)

Yes. I am a fairly recent convert. For some reason I had been under the mistaken impression that Bax was similar to Bruckner (I know, ridiculous) and heavy late romanticism into the 20th century wasn't my bag then. I was wrong.

The symphonic poems mentioned above: November Woods, Tintagel and Garden of Fand are much closer to Debussy's aesthetic (complete with whole tone scale). Personally I think he was a richer orchestrator than Debussy since alongside the more fragile French aesthetic he does employ orchestral forces more similar to Wagner. This is more evident in Northern Ballads.

I also like his earlier pieces: Quintet for Harp and Strings and the Three Pieces for Small Orchestra.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

His Symphony 6 was a fav of mine for a while. Naxos version rocks


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## David Phillips (Jun 26, 2017)

I've been a big Bax fan since I picked up 'Tintagel' by Goosens on two plum label HMV 78s in a second-hand shop in the 60s. The symphony I like least, stranglely, is the one everyone else likes most: No.3. That tune in the 4th movement which sounds like 'Have you seen the muffin man' annoys the hell out of me. Favourite symphony? 4, closely followed by 2 and 6.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

I seriously need to revisit Bax (and a few other composers I've neglected). Unfortunately I've got so much music to listen to, at the moment, that it may be a few months till I can re-evaluate my opinion on his work. I did make a start by revisiting the 5th.


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## manyene (Feb 7, 2015)

Apart from the 7th, all his Symphonies, with the 6th in the lead, followed by the 4th. The 1st, composed against the background of the Easter Rising, is one of the angriest symphonies I know.


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## manyene (Feb 7, 2015)

mbhaub said:


> Bax is another composer who deserves wider recognition and performance. After nearly 60 years of Mahler being overplayed, you'd think audiences would be interesting in trying something new, and Bax would be a likely candidate. Alas, I'll probably never hear a Bax symphony performed live. Thank God for recordings.


I agree entirely. There are a lot of C20 composers like Bax who never appear in concert programmes, even though they are well represented in the CD catalogue. I can think of another dozen or so examples.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Love the octet, piano sonatas, symphonies, Tintagel


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## Bill Cooke (May 20, 2017)

My favorite Bax symphonies are 1, 2, 3 and 6. The first movement of 1, as conducted by David Lloyd Jones, is astonishingly powerful. 2 and 3 each have such wonderful, eerie atmosphere. (There's a moment in 2 that obviously inspired anglophile John Williams in his DRACULA score). I also love all the tone poems for their ability to immerse me in lush and mysterious pastoral worlds. 

He was a pretty good film composer, too. I love his score for OLIVER TWIST.


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

The best Bax album I know.


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## manyene (Feb 7, 2015)

The Bryden Thomson Sym 4 plus Tintagel is another strong contender - the one to start with, perhaps.


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

I'm fond of Bax's chamber music. His 2nd String Quartet is particularly fine.


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## JLi (Jan 31, 2018)

He's not one of my top favorites, but I guess he's kinda ok.


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## addenlamb (Feb 4, 2018)

Hi, first post and really its Arnold Bax that's turned me from Jazz to Classical. First head his tone poem "Cathaleen Ni Houlin" at a BBC Radio 3 live recording in the Ulster hall, and the way the piece makes you imagine your surroundings is truly magical, if you have the right moment it can really take you somewhere else.

Then yesterday, I was listening to Cathleen Ni Houlin again and YouTube automatically played "In Memoriam" a composition I had never heard before. When that melody begins it really makes the hairs on your back stand to attention, absolutely beautiful piece, I'm just stunned its never had the fame it deserves.


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## vesteel (Feb 3, 2018)

Really like him. The Spring Fire blew me away when I first heard it on youtube. I haven't explored much of his music, but here's what I like so far:

Spring Fire
Symphony no. 1
Symphony no. 4
Tintagel
November Woods
Symphonic Scherzo
Northern Ballade no. 2

Everyone seems to like Symphony no. 6, I'm gonna listen to it now i guess


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## The Deacon (Jan 14, 2018)

Bax was The Man.

Moeran also.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

addenlamb said:


> Hi, first post and really its Arnold Bax that's turned me from Jazz to Classical. First head his tone poem "Cathaleen Ni Houlin" at a BBC Radio 3 live recording in the Ulster hall, and the way the piece makes you imagine your surroundings is truly magical, if you have the right moment it can really take you somewhere else.
> 
> Then yesterday, I was listening to Cathleen Ni Houlin again and YouTube automatically played "In Memoriam" a composition I had never heard before. When that melody begins it really makes the hairs on your back stand to attention, absolutely beautiful piece, I'm just stunned its never had the fame it deserves.


Nice first post addenlamb, welcome to Talk Classical.


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## christomacin (Oct 21, 2017)

In Memoriam is a favorite of mine, and along with the First and Third Symphonies (plus the chamber music) is what won me over to his music:


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

christomacin said:


> In Memoriam is a favorite of mine, and along with the First and Third Symphonies (plus the chamber music) is what won me over to his music:


I'm very fond of this work too. There is a solemn atmosphere which I find very touching.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

larold said:


> View attachment 101205
> 
> 
> The best Bax album I know.


 got this and the Naxos. I prefer the Naxos version, which I feel flows better.


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