Arthur Bliss: A Colour Symphony (1921/1932)
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2024
- Arthur Bliss (1891-1975): A Colour Symphony (1921/1932).
I. Purple. Andante Maestoso
II. Red. Allegro vivace [06:18]
III. Blue. Gently flowing [13:20]
IV. Green. Moderato [23:29]
English Northern Philharmonia diretta da David Lloyd-Jones.
Cover image: painting by William Turner.
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I forgot how incredible A Colour Symphony sounded...
My girlfriend loved this, now she rests... We liked to imagine colors while listening to this, with our eyes closed.
Sorry for your loss
@@realchriskash 1
J'ai cliqué sur tant de vidéos liées, à travers tant de paysages insolites, incroyables et étranges.. Je me sens comme dans un compartiment sur un chemin de fer, à admirer une succession de scènes folles
jamais vues auparavant, des musiques importantes et étranges à travers la fenêtre du wagon... il y a tant de choses à explorer, tellement d'endroits où se poser puis rester dans les ambiances proposées. Cet arrêt en particulier est brillant !
When words fail, when words cannot convey meaning there is music. Music such as this. The differences of language fade away before such compositions. Surely works like this...all of the English composers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and many of the works of some composers of film music, represent the finest combination of mathematics and sound to represent emotion and spirit...the ineffable essence of humanity at its greatest. When I hear music like this I forget the great evils created and done by men over the centuries and I remember the great good. We are told we were created "in God's image" and to God we aspire...music takes us along this path. If we could but abandon the chimp still within us all then only serenity awaits.
tripsadelica superb
Thanks Michael...recent events with my health have led to me pondering more about things in life. God bless you and take care.
For a good long time I accessed the contemporary, the experimental, and the avant-garde because i was simply fascinated by sound and its aggregates for their own sake. Recently, however, I have been interested in traditional American symphonists because they evoke emotion and substance of thought. I see from Mr. Bliss` music that I`ll need to do the same for British symphonists, as well. There was a conceit among the avant gardists that they were the vanguard of the future and it would stay that way. They saw the Blisses and Holsts and Mennins and Diamonds as to be placed upon the pyre of the past. I believe, however, the avant garde to be pyre bound because it is purely academic--bereft of any 'bliss', romance, and sweeping emotional impact.
Bliss was half American. His father was a Massachusetts businessman who came to London in the late 1800's, and Bliss himself met and subsequently married an American: Gertrude (Trudy) Hoffmann from Santa Barbara in 1925 whilst on a visit to the States with his father, (his English mother died when he was four); returning to settle together in the UK soon afterwards. His brilliant Piano Concerto for the 1939 New York World Fair (see Philip Fowke with RLPO/Atherton Unicorn) was 'Dedicated to the people of America', and written in the 'grand manner' as a romantic concerto, - for as Bliss stated, "Surely the American's are the most romantic people of all."
However, re- the avant-garde, no thanks to the BBC's head of music in 1959-72, Sir William Glock and his lot, we now have a void of knowledge of numerous fine British composers of this era through lack of air-play. Unless it's Britten, then forget it. That is the stance of people like a good number of the controllers, past and present of Radio 3 who think this is not worth bothering with because they emptied concert halls in the 1960's and 70's. The thing is, today's concert going public do attend concerts in greater numbers than in the immediate past previous decades, but trying to convince these people otherwise is just impossible. I had constructive comment lifted by R3's current controller, Alan Davey, on an article he'd posted recently. Where is the point in that? Dreadful.
Serious blather. Just enjoy for what it offers you.
One of the great British symphonies! It does not grow old with repeated listening.
Do you have any other recommendations similar to the Colour Symphony for someone who, like me, knows nothing about music?
@@richardspringer6517You should listen to Maurice Ravel (Tombeau de Couperin for example), Gustav Holst (The Planets suite), and some orchestral stuff by Debussy.
you're right, Bliss was a great composer. We will put online even his piano concertos.
The finest of his works, the Piano Concerto in B flat; Philip Fowke's performance with David Atherton and the RLPO was the best of them all. Lady Bliss did make me a copy of the great John Ogdon performing this, but Fowke's interpretation beats them all for precision, - which this overtly complex and difficult to play piece demands. I wonder if any of today's top pianists have considered this piece? Should be in the rep.
I am so happy to hear this again. This is one of the best sites on youtube full of old friends to listen to again and so many new discoveries to make, too. Thank you.
I thought I'd exhausted the 20th century British symphonic composers. Then I heard this. Its a pretty big deal. It has little hints of Herbert Howells but maybe it is the other way around, Howells might be indebted to Bliss. This is a masterpiece and I don't use that term loosely
Hi Timothy, I totally agree - a masterpiece of the first order. I own four recordings, the one with the Ulster Orchestra is particularly fine but so are the others (two Welsh one BBC Northern).
Underrated as usual. I keep asking myself why, despite musical culture and technique being developped as we easily see and feel, we keep ignoring real masterful music. It takes decades to "hear", understand and identify. Problem is that a decade in this speedy XXIst century moves by far at a much faster speed then in the two precedent centuries... Thank you for posting this jewel.
The music sounds like the era it comes from---early XX Century. I don't think it is any better than say Holst or Von Williams. The dynamics of the music then, and today, sounds like "movie music." Not saying it is bad or good, it just is.
"Vaughan" Williams. Not "Von" Williams!
I don't think you're right about the music sounding just like "movie music". It's from 1921 when the film industry was not fully developed. Decades of films are skewing your perception. They sound like Arthur Bliss, not the other way around.
Absolutely right! This is fine music and it represents one of the RCM's finest. I am constantly banging on at the BBC to play more British music, and thankfully there are some programmes/presenters who agree and do respond within their schedules, but more could be done, such as the Proms and other concert events. Sir George Dyson is another we don't hear much of either.
I'm sure you're aware of Ealing Symphony Orchestra's regular revivals of British music - we have recently performed John Gardner and Dorothy Carwithen, for example.
Thank you. I must look them up. Problem is, it's the wrong side of London to where I live (East coast), and they don't broadcast to the UK where it's most needed in order to spread the word (or rather, 'sounds'). I think I may have attended a concert back in the early 90's during the Bliss Centenary in a hall in Acton at the invitation of the late Lady Bliss.
Literarisch farbenprächtige Interpretation dieser einzigartigen Sinfonie mit gut phrasierten und perfekt vereinigten Töne aller Instrumente. Der geniale Maestro dirigiert das perfekt trainierte Orchester im angemessenen Tempo mit angenehmer Dynamik. Einfach wunderschön!
A beautiful and well articulated performance. Bliss lived up to his name with this composition.
Great introduction to Arthur Bliss's symphonic writing. Thankyou very much. Frank Bridge, Arnold Bax, William Walton, Edward Elgar, Gustav Holst all fine composers of intriguing music of late 19th and mid 20th Century symphonic music.
Don't forget Frederick Delius and Maurice Ravel.
& Vaughan-Williams!
Or,Malcom Arnold, George Lloyd, Kurt Atterberg
Jacques Wilmore
And Havergal Brian.
Sir George Dyson, Ruth Gipps, Bernard Stevens, William Alwyn
MUSIC that makes mornings (& life) brighter.
Thank you so much!!!
Before that I did not know this composer . When I close my eyes the while I listen to this music , as I experience different movie scenes . Very exciting. I will hear more in the future. Thank you.
Wow, what a marvelous piece. Thanks for sharing it. I am going to have to listen to more Bliss.
I'm really feeling emotional and nostalgic for some strange reason.It's warm,and-yes-one sees movie frames of landscapes,cliffs,raw nature,raging seas,quiet pastures,and glimpses of a modern metropolis.I really feel like I'm on a horse and carriage witnessing with bursting excitement and curiosity this world Bliss created.It includes easy and struggling moments ,confusion & clarity,anger & joy .There's alot more-but that's how complex and brilliant and genius he is.The climaxes and serene "bliss" is just that!...BLISS
Beautiful.brillant awsom
British music has so many great moments in the 20th century and this is surely one of them. The comments on picture painting and movie character are most applicable, and orchestral colour and melody are so creatively used.
For any music lover and appreciate the artist, it's best to close your eyes; on the other hand, to appreciate a painting, the best is to open them. In any case, thank you for making us discover. +Wellesz Theatre. Regards.
UP to to-day, Arthur Bliss was just a name for me. I discover this "colour symphony" thanks to YT. Thank you for downloading ! This is a very beautiful work, describing the musicla feelings of the composer when seeing some colours. The language is rather conventional, but personally handled and the writing of the orchestra is excellent. .
This has got to be one of the most fun symphonies ever written.
Any other recommendations?
@@richardspringer6517 For fun symphonies? Let's see... There's Peterson-Berger's Symphonies Nos 2 (Journey on Southerly Winds) and 3 (Lapland), d'Indy's Symphony on a French Mountain Air, Prokofiev's Symphony No 1 (Classical), and Bantock's Pagan Symphony. I'll list others if they come to mind.
@@ianpatrickmchugh787 d'Indy! That's a great piece!
Bliss by name and Bliss by nature portrayed in his music. do we ever hear his music now? he joins other British composers who have written wonderful symphonies over the last hundred years, Arnold, Bax, George Lloyd and Walton to name but a few. all to be found on UA-cam fortunately.
I remember the BBC National Orchestra of Wales programmed this for a"live broadcast that was aired in Australia. It was the BBC's way of celebrating our achieving 200 years. Also on the program was a Welsh piano concerto (can't remember which, now) and Elgar's amazing 1st Symphony.
This is so warm and beautiful...
Ralph Vaughan Williams, Sir William Walton, Frank Bridge, Gerald Finzi, Henry Purcell, Sir Edward Elgar, Benjamin Britten, and now, Arthur Bliss!
Add Stanford
And Handel and ivor gurney
Thank you !!! One of Britain's best and most engaging symphonies (and there are some !). Excellent work from Lloyd-Jones and his band. Your channel rocks !
Hey Chris, yes Lloyd Jones wrote some wonderful music. I first came across his music via BBC Music Magazine. This Bliss masterpiece is incredible. The fact it's not played is unfathomable.
I'm embarrassed to admit that as a professional musician of some fifty three years standing, this is the first time I've listened to the 'Colour Symphony'. It certainly lives up to it's name...rhythmic colour, melodic colour, harmonic colour, all driven by Bliss' masterful orchestration...listening with a study score which I find enormously helpful & insightful. My only quibble is with the recording: not enough attention paid to some of the high woodwind writing & the harps. Also, the 'audio tail' at the conclusion of each movement has been largely ignored, depriving one of that 'concert hall feel'. Nevertheless, a fine work, much enjoyed. Time for a Bliss revival?
a complete joy. I adore this.
Brilliant I think!
I am pleasantly astonished.
TimonofBath And I,dear sir,am astonishingly pleasant!
What an incredible piece of music. Moving, fun, flowing, and "colourful" to say the least!
Thanks for sharing!
Music is best when it stirs an emotion or mood in you. it's not necessarily about being melodic or overtly musical, but just instead transporting the listener somewhere they weren't before. In this case I feel like i'm sitting on a park bench on a cold evening. the wind gently brushing my face, and it's complete silent aside from the nature around me. it's interesting that i mention that this conjures the sense of silence, when I'm talking about this music ...... :)
Yes, paradoxical, a sense of Silence amid all that Din. Goes to monastic chanting traditions (church, India, Dervish)….oases in the Clamor. You might enjoy 'Le Marteau sans Maître' too
@@steveegallo3384 Boulez ? I remember him when he was Messiaen's student, quite rebellious but good bottom!
@@MegaCirse -- I'm underqualified to comment on Boulez' "bottom" since he seldom exposed himself despite our intimate proximity, but even though he is considered by many to be a towering figure, I find his music vexing and unlistenable. Greetings from San Agustinillo!
I have known and loved this symphony for a long time. I particularly like the middle movements: the red-blooded scherzo and the gently lapping blue waters.
Many thanks as always.
Interesting symphony. Thank you very much. In an other style I recomand the very evocative VI Symphony, Symphony of colors, from the romanian composer Pascal Bentoiu.
Thank you for the recommendation. Any others? I know nothing about music.
@@richardspringer6517 What kind of styles or moods do you prefer? There's a load out there, even if just narrowed down to 20th century symphonies :)
@@richardspringer6517 Anthiel, Ives, Magnard, Atterberg, Nielsen, , Arnold, Lloyd, Thomson, Thompson, Hamerik, Khachaturian, Finzi, Casella, Respighi, Enescu, Dohnyani, Petrassi, Villa Lobos, Ginastera, Milhaud, Copland, Dello Joio, Vaughn Williams, Cowell, Walton, Diamond, Bernstein, Price, Hailstork, Still, Dawson, Bax, R. Boughton, Von Einem, Sibelius, Holst, Stenhammar, Piexe, Joli Braga, and a whole bunch of Dutch and Belgian guys.
Wonderful symphony. I like your art-pictures!
fine modern master quite underrated music
Thank you for this upload.
Uma bela música !!
A beautiful, successfully realized symphony with some singular touches, that largely merits wider diffusion and would enrich the repertoire. Another very pleasant surprise. Here's to the 3 B's: Bax, Bliss & Butterworth ! (or Arthur Benjamin, or Britten, or...).
and yet we get dished up Brahms and Bruckner so often.
@@foveauxbear Hey, let's not bash Brahms. He doesn't deserve it.
Bantock, Bridge, Boughton, Berners, Bowen, Berkeley, Bush, Brian...
Great work. Thumbs up. Hatts off...
GREAT!!!
This Music is a Blessing...
I am thankful that this channel and the others exist. Truly my favorite channel on youtube.
musica increible!!
It's much like Ralph Vaughan Williams, but at the same time a little bit like Igor Stravinsky
Fanatastic..
A lovely piece!.......I would have enjoyed it even more if it weren’t for the fact that I had seven interruptions during it for BLOODY ADVERTS! I’m getting so fed up with it!
me too
Buy a CD?
.. beautiful..
19:00-23:00 worth to be heard
HACE POCOS DIAS CONOCI ESTA HERMOSA OBRA MUSICAL DICE JORGE ALBERTO BARON
Think of it as music of Downton Abbey. Graceful, refined and mostly warm.
Wondrous! I got here via Holst's Lyric Movement and I was thinking "what wonderful music! Is that Holst? " I will put this on my list. I think we all need to Rattle Simon's cage now that he is back from Prussia! ;) And put more English music on display for the world. And stop trying to be the 15th best conductor of Sibelius. Once Bernstein went slow they all went slow. Slow Sibelius. But uptempo Brits. Gaelic music saved them.
Why is this masterpiece not played frequently? Did Bliss once goose QEII?
William Glock and the avant-garde movement of the 1960's onward. BBC controllers of music policy, past and present. Much British music gets little coverage. You're more likely to hear a rare piece like this late in the evening on Classic FM than you are on R3.
britishcomposers z
Oh God, the William Glock era: "I don't like the sound of that - let's broadcast it."
Nah,mooned her I believe...
the part from 3:54 to 4:19 sounds very much like Gustav Holst!
***** it's more than eargasm
FUCK!!! This is an epic work! Thank you for sharing it! Those 8 idiots that don't like it! - shame.
12:58 So this is where the BBC Proms tune came from.....
so pastorale as compared to the harsh sounds of Bax
i so dig this cat
beautiful symphony, as just as the name suggests filled with colour. i am wondering why bliss chose those specific colours though, especially purple instead of yellow/gold.
6:18 Red is my favourite.
Superb!! 🎧 👍
pure Bliss !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
👌 👌 👌
The four primary colors yellow green red blue I see no yellow in this they changed yellow for purple wonder why .intriguing concept the four colour symphony I very much like the ENGLISH COMPOSERS VAUGHAN Williams HOLST IRLELAND GERALD FINZI WALTON ARTHUR BLISS BENJAMIN BRITTON .DELIOUS FRANK BRIDGE Edward Elgar some of the greatest peices of classical music from Brittish Composers
Certainly early 20th century British "sound" I hear RVW flitting in and out, but it's mostly Bliss.
Why there gotta be ads tho
Full of color, indeed. great dynamics. Am i right to say that the color blue is in a pastorale form?
For some reason 23:29 reminds me of Liszt's 'Faust Symphony'.
thank you..:)
15:54 LOOL!!
Hello,
I need your help!!!
I'm currently writing my graduate paper and making an experiment.
Could you help me and answer a few questions.
Write a few association with colors below:
White -
Black -
Red -
Blue -
Green -
And also important:
Your age -
Country -
Language -
Thank you!!!!
Do not aggravate yourself trying to listen to this as the ads come every few minutes. Video has enough ads to assure that a person cannot decide whether they like this piece of not. AVOID THIS CHANNEL!
I prefer the 1921 version. The 1st movement revisions somewhat blur it. Still, a great symphony.
Did he have synesthesia? Wikipedia says nothing about it, so I would guess likely not, but on the other hand it is a colour symphony.
Ah, looked up the symphony itself (had looked up Bliss' own page), and it turns out each is based on the connotations each colour had in a book of Heraldry Bliss found:
Purple is Pageantry, Royalty, and Death;
Red is Wine, Revelry, Furnaces, Courage, and Magic;
Blue is Deep Water, Skies, Loyalty, and Melancholy;
Green is Hope, Youth, Joy, Spring, and Victory.
Took that from Wikipedia, in case you were wondering. But helpful nonetheless.
EL JUEVES 12 DE JULIO DE 2018 CONOCI ESTA HERMOSA OBRA MUSICAL DICE JORGE ALBERTO BARON
Plunging into the vortex ... 29:22
Blue 13:20
jaja, sinestesia symphony
Oops thought this was the Ginistera concert well ok There's ah advanced undercurrents here maybe stay awhile.
nice
Nice as in beautiful
The score of this baby?
Real Music.
15:54
15:27
I wondered why no 'major' conductor has this in his or her repertoire and perform it regularly. Then I listened to it. It's no better or worse than hundreds and hundreds of competent, formulaic, uninspired and unmemorable symphonies churned out in the 20th century especially in the USA, USSR, UK and Scandinavia though I'm sure most countries with a western music background also contributed. Bliss was wealthy, aristocratic, privileged and connected (I met him once and he was very affable) which ensured he got performances, recordings and commissions whilst he was alive. Had he been born working class in, say, rural Denmark I doubt we would be discussing this symphony at all; Bliss was no Nielsen. Refreshingly, when Rostropovich was presented with the then cello concertino for the premier at Aldeburgh he commented to the effect that when he was in Russia he was expected to play Russian shit so now that he's in England......................................Ah well, never mind: I believe there are people out there, unsupervised, who think that Bax was the greatest symphonist after Beethoven and Delius the greatest composer ever.
An interesting argument which I do not agree with. But what this channel proves above all is how much good music has been written that is seldom heard.
UA-cam comments are really no more than published fan mail. Attempts to rank music seem a largely futile exercise.
What you have to say brings into question the value of "informed cultivated taste" versus what you instinctively like. You may well be right about Nielsen, but I have yet to be hooked by him. Perhaps I should work at it a bit more.
Bliss, on the other hand, has got firmly under my skin ever since I heard his "Things to Come" music, and everything I have heard since has confirmed my feelings. Music, like people, has personality -- some you like, others not so much. --- regardless of objective worth (if such a thing exists). I have never taken to Bartok despite many attempts, but I have stopped feeling that the fault lies in me.
I did not know Bliss was trying to be Nielsen.
I didn't say he was.@@andrewpetersen5272
Putting ads at the end of a movement I can understand. Putting them right in the middle of a movement is the height of stupidity. No subscription for me....
Can anyone recommend me (an idiot, and utterly ignorant of music) some other fun melodic symphonies like this one? Regards
You might try these 20th century symphonies, which are instantly enjoyable:
Sibelius Symphony No 2
Rachmaninov Symphony No 2
Stravinsky Symphony in C
Poulenc Sinfonietta
Vaughan Williams Symphony No 7
Howard Hanson #2
Charles Ives #1 #2
Leonard Bernstein #1 #2
Don Gillis #5 1/2
Carl Nielsen #2
Virgil Thomson #2
William Walton #1
David Diamond #4
George Lloyd #7
Malcom Arnold #3
No Symphonies, but all of Gerald Finzi!
Kurt Atterberg #6
Sergie Prokofiev #1 #7
Sergei Rachmaninoff #1 #2 #3
George Anthiel #3
Benjamin Britten. Simple Symphony
Alexander Borodin #1 #2
Valasi Kallinikov. #1 #2
Mily Balakirev #1
Camille St. Saens. #3
Aaron Copland Short Symphony, Dance Symphony, Symphony #3
6:56 8:59 12:58 13:20 30:32
poggers