Richard Pennycuick asks:

>By the way, anyone for Holmboe's symphonies?

Oh yes...It is hard to understand the obscurity of someone like Holmboe.
I don't think I would know of him had I not caught his obituary somewhere
a few years ago.  And since then I have picked up all of his symphonies,
concerti for trombone and for tuba, for recorder (sic) and for flute, as
well as many of his wonderful chamber concerti and his string quartets.
I think his symphonies have to rank as among the greatest of this century,
right up there with Shostakovitch and Vaughn Williams and...and....well
and with Robert Simpson of course.  Holmboe's string quartets are not
chopped liver either though they don't have the delicious dark ache of
Shostakovitch's.  And Simpson...I don't remember how the hell I got turned
on to him.  I must have been browsing through Tower one day and when I got
to his tiny section in the classical bins, a little bell, perhaps planted
in my head from a post on this list, went off, and I got the 3rd and 5
symphonies.  And once again, I didn't stop until I had them all.  I also
love his chamber music for horn, btw.  Anyone know of any plans to record
Simpson's 11th?

John Parker
Tucson, Arizona