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BRIAN EASDALE
(1909-1995)
premiere recordings (except*)
Ballet from 'The Red Shoes'*
15:39
Performing edition by John Wilson
Cynthia Millar ondes martenot
1.
I
Allegro vivace -
2:37
2.
II
Allegro moderato e molto ritmico -
1:22
3.
III
Poco più mosso -
1:35
4.
IV
Lento tranquillo -
0:53
5.
V
Largo -
1:49
6.
VI
Presto, quasi cadenza -
2:31
7.
VII
Allegro assai -
2:24
8.
VIII
Sostenuto
2:27
Suite from 'Kew Gardens'
6:49
for Chamber Orchestra
Performing edition by Philip Lane
9.
1
Introduction and Allegretto -
1:53
10.
2
Spring Flowers -
0:54
11.
3
Summer Sequence -
2:28
12.
4
Finale
1:33
Suite from 'Black Narcissus'
13:55
for Chorus and Orchestra
Performing edition by Philip Lane
13.
1
Main Titles and the Palace of Mopu -
5:34
Choral: BBC National Chorus of Wales
14.
2
Irish Song -
2:54
Choral: BBC National Chorus of Wales
15.
3
Sister Ruth and Mr Dean -
1:52
16.
4
Hunting Song -
1:55
Choral: BBC National Chorus of Wales
17.
5
Death of Sister Ruth
1:39
Choral: BBC National Chorus of Wales
Prelude and March from 'The Battle of the River Plate'
5:44
for Orchestra
Performing edition by Philip Lane
18.
1
Prelude -
3:19
19.
2
March*
2:25
Suite from 'Adventure On!'
19:00
for Orchestra
A musical progress for Sir John Barbirolli and the Hallé Orchestra
20.
1
Prelude and Pastorale
5:40
21.
2
Intermezzo and Dance (Africa)
2:25
22.
3
Barcarolle and Sultan's Fanfare (Aden)
3:00
23.
4
Pastorale and Lullaby (India)
3:47
24.
5
Finale Progress (Malaya to Fiji)
3:55
Suite from 'Gone to Earth'
14:49
for Chorus and Orchestra
Performing edition by Philip Lane
25.
1
Titles -
1:33
26.
2
The Hunt of the Death Pack -
1:41
Choral: BBC National Chorus of Wales
27.
3
The Prayer -
1:10
28.
4
The Shropshire County Fair -
1:47
29.
5
Hunter's Spinney -
3:03
30.
6
Undern Morning -
2:18
31.
7
Finale
3:14
Choral: BBC National Chorus of Wales
76:42
Orchestra: BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Conductor:Rumon Gamba
8-10 March 2010
Notes
Brian Easdale was a prolific composer whose extensive output covered most genres, from orchestral pieces, concertos, and choral works, including a mass for the new Coventry Cathedral, to chamber compositions. This disc is devoted to the film music of Brian Easdale and includes his music for The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus, and The Battle of the River Plate. Having studied at the Royal College of Music, Easdale started out as a jobbing musician, preparing arrangements most notably of Britten’s On the Frontier for a production at the Arts Theatre in Cambridge. During the war he worked on documentaries in Ceylon and India, returning to Britain in 1946. Easdale was then invited to write an exotic dance for Jean Simmons to perform in Black Narcissus and ended up writing the whole score. The film is a veritable masterpiece and the music highly dramatic. This assignment led to The Red Shoes in 1948, which won an Academy Award for best Original Score. The Red Shoes is today considered one of the most iconoclastic films in the Pantheon of British Cinema. Rumon Gamba conducts the BBC National Chorus and Orchestra of Wales.
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Reviews
****
Franck Mallet – Classica – March 2012
“…Praise for Rumon Gamba’s conducting and Chandos’s audio have become routine; be assured they are both up to their usual high standards. The choice of longer suites (from fewer films) is also welcome, especially with music as striking as Brian Easdale’s.”
Koldys – American Record Guide – July/August 2011
“… The BBC national Orchestra and Chorus of Wales perform Easdale’s music with great vigour and bring out the passion in it. He was atypical of most film composers; nothing was obvious in his output and his musical style and subtle musical effects enhance the films and provide an excellent counterpoint to the visuals. His music and the films were a match made in heaven.”
Michael Darvell – classicalsource.com – 7 March 2011
Editor’s Choice
“Restoring the reputation of a now-forgotten Oscar-winning composer… Rumon Gamba conducts Easdale’s music with a blazing conviction that entices the listener back to the films themselves.”
Adrian Edwards – Gramophone magazine - May 2011
"... Easdale’s rewarding film music is given Chandos’s full regal panoply."
Rob Barnett - MusicWeb-International - February 2011
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