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Posted by John Quinn on May 14, 2008, 10:06 pm, in reply to "Bryden Thomson's Bax"
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Tim,
I won't pretend to offer a judgement as to the respective merits of the Handley, Lloyd Jones or Thompson Bax cycles. There are other contributors to Music Web who are far more steeped in Bax than I am and who can offer that kind of informed opinion.
However, for what its worth. I came to the Bax symphonies through the Lyrita LPs and it's been a joy to become reacuainted with these fine performances on CD. But the Thompson cycle was the first complete set I bought - on CD - and I have it still. Since then Handley and Lloyd Jones have come alomng and very fine they are too. However, though on balance I think I'd award the palm overall to Tod I think the Thompson set still has much to offer and I doubt you'll be disappointed if you download them. Anyway, for me a crucial thing is how lucky we are to have choice.
When I was in my teens living in Yorkshire Thompson was chief conductor of the BBC Northern Symphony as it then was and I enjoyed many concerts under his baton - including my first encounter with Prokofiev's Fifth Symphony - a gripping occasion in Huddersfield - and a suerb Elgar Second in Leeds. Thompson did somw very fine work with the BBC Northern.
Some 25 years ago, during a brief membership of the Hull Philharmonic Orchestra I had the good fortune to play in a concert he conducted which included the Dvorak 7th. Jack Thompson came across that day as a modest man and a very fine and conscientious musician.
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