Richard Pennycuick:

>Mimi Ezust enthused:
>
>> I just got the symphonies of Sir Charles Hubert H. Parry on Chandos,
>> performed by the London Philharmonic, Matthias Bamert, conducting.
>>
>> ... This is wonderful rich romantic music.  I have taken to it instantly.
>
>I endorse Mimi's recommendation wholeheartedly.

Personally, I found Parry's 5th rather disappointing when compared with its
predecessors.  The coupling of the 3rd and 4th is available separately as
a single CD, and is IMO a bargain even at UK full price.  There's also a
good Naxos CD with the 2nd symphony and the symphonic variations.  I'd
recommend those two rather than the complete cycle.

>Those of a Brahmsian bent would also do well to check out the four
>symphonies by Friedrich Gernsheim (1839-1916) on an Arte Nova 2-CD set
>(74321 63635 2).  Gernsheim knew Brahms both personally and musically,
>and I've enjoyed getting to know the work of a composer I'd not
>previously heard of.

This is a recent purchase for me, and so far I've only had time to listen
to the 1st symphony.  The orchestration sounds so much like Brahms that
it's a surprise to read that it predates Brahms's 1st.

There's also a Marco Polo CD of Brahmsian piano quintets by Friedrich Kiel
which is well worth hearing.

Peter Varley
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