Monday 3 January 2011

1961 A good year for British Classical Music – mostly

Fifty years ago in 1961 the death of Percy Grainger was mourned. However the following new works are noted in Eric Gilder & June G Port’s The Dictionary of Composers and their Music as having been composed or performed in that year.

Richard Arnell: Brass Quintet
Malcolm Arnold: Symphony No. 5; Divertimento No.2 for orchestra
Richard Rodney Bennett: The Ledges, opera; Suite Francaise for small orchestra; Oboe Sonata
Lennox Berkeley: Concerto for Violin and chamber orchestra; Five Pieces for violin & orchestra
Benjamin Britten: Cello Sonata; War Requiem
Peter Maxwell Davies: String quartet; Te Lucis Ante Terminus for choir and chamber orchestra
Peter Racine Fricker: Twelve Studies for piano; Cantata for tenor and chamber ensemble
Alexander Goehr: Violin concerto; Suite for Six instruments
Alun Hoddinott: Piano Concerto No.2; Violin Concerto
Gordon Jacob: Trombone Concerto; Fantasia on Scottish Tunes
Elisabeth Lutyens: Symphonies for solo piano; Catena, cantata.
Nicolas Maw: Essay for Organ
Thea Musgrave: Serenade for five instruments; Sir Patrick Spens for tenor & guitar
Alan Rawsthorne: Concerto for Ten instruments; Improvisation on a Theme by Constant Lambert
Edmund Rubbra: Cantata de camera –Crucifixus pro nobis)
Michael Tippett: Magnificat & nunc dimittis; Three Songs for Achilles for voice and guitar
William Walton: Gloria for soloists, chorus and orchestra
Malcolm Williamson: Organ Concerto


Unlike the music composed/performed in 1911 the recording history of these works is somewhat patchy.

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