I, too, appreciate Arnold's symphonic works, and his English Dances, whicich were made into a ballet, are my favourites.
He also composed music for TV, and was extrememly prolific in BBC radio.
Ease up on Julian Webber. He is a fine cellist. Nothing like his over-played, under-talented father, whose music sets my teeth on edge.
R.I.P. Malcolm Arnold - Oscar-winning composer
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Ah, crap...
I liked Arnold, more for his concert pieces than his film scores, and often visited his website for reference. He retired from composing and spent the last fifteen years convelscing, so it's not like we'll be denied any more Malcolm Arnold pieces. But every time I think all the composers from the last so-called "golden age" of classical music have gone, another one leaves us. This year, we lost David Diamond and Malcolm Arnold. Very sad.
Anyone who is intimidated by twentieth century classical music may do well to start with a CD of Arnold's symphonies or concertos. He wasn't the greatest or most profound of composers, but his inventiveness breathtaking. He's one of the most flexible orchestrators I've ever heard, and it never fails to grip. Call it Classical Music for Beginners, and I don't mean to be condescending. It's a good stepping stone before moving on to prickly Prokofiev or strident Stavinsky. Arnold speaks in the same, complex tonal language of the moderns but his music makes less demands on the listener.
Get your station to play his Scottish Dance, no. 1 in his honor. It totally rocks!
And tell Webber to shut up. He should only strive to a level of unevenness.
I liked Arnold, more for his concert pieces than his film scores, and often visited his website for reference. He retired from composing and spent the last fifteen years convelscing, so it's not like we'll be denied any more Malcolm Arnold pieces. But every time I think all the composers from the last so-called "golden age" of classical music have gone, another one leaves us. This year, we lost David Diamond and Malcolm Arnold. Very sad.
Anyone who is intimidated by twentieth century classical music may do well to start with a CD of Arnold's symphonies or concertos. He wasn't the greatest or most profound of composers, but his inventiveness breathtaking. He's one of the most flexible orchestrators I've ever heard, and it never fails to grip. Call it Classical Music for Beginners, and I don't mean to be condescending. It's a good stepping stone before moving on to prickly Prokofiev or strident Stavinsky. Arnold speaks in the same, complex tonal language of the moderns but his music makes less demands on the listener.
Get your station to play his Scottish Dance, no. 1 in his honor. It totally rocks!
And tell Webber to shut up. He should only strive to a level of unevenness.
"What the hell?"
Win Butler
Win Butler
From BBC:
Composer Sir Malcolm Arnold dies
British composer Sir Malcolm Arnold has died in hospital after a brief illness at the age of 84.
Sir Malcolm, who won an Oscar for the musical score to the Bridge on the River Kwai film in 1958, was suffering from a chest infection.
He is most famous for his film scores, composing 132 including Whistle Down the Wind and Hobson's Choice.
Sir Malcolm, who lived near Norwich, also composed seven ballets, nine symphonies and two operas.
Sir Malcolm, one of the most famous composers of the 20th century, leaves behind two sons and one daughter.
He died at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.
Anthony Day, his companion and carer for the last 23 years, praised Sir Malcolm as "the most wonderful man".
"People didn't see the man that I knew because he had frontal lobe dementia over the last few years which slowly developed but, being with him, he was a happy, lovely man who enjoyed his music and enjoyed his life," he told BBC News.
Mr Day also paid tribute to Sir Malcolm's achievement in winning an Oscar for Bridge on the River Kwai.
"They couldn't find anybody else to do the music in time because they wanted to release it to the Oscars," Mr Day said.
"They gave him 10 days and he managed to write the complete score in 10 days."
Cellist Julian Lloyd Webber described Sir Malcolm as a "genius" who was never entirely appreciated.
He said: "I think he was a very, very great composer but uneven in his output.
"Because he had humour in his music he was never fully appreciated by the classical establishment."
Lord Richard Attenborough, the director and actor, said Sir Malcolm was a "totally outstanding composer".
Sir Malcolm's music continues to be performed and recorded extensively by leading orchestras both nationally and internationally.
He was awarded the CBE in 1970.
Saturday night was the premier of his version of the Three Musketeers at the Alhambra in Bradford.
The performance, which was dedicated to him, went ahead as planned.
Composer Sir Malcolm Arnold dies
British composer Sir Malcolm Arnold has died in hospital after a brief illness at the age of 84.
Sir Malcolm, who won an Oscar for the musical score to the Bridge on the River Kwai film in 1958, was suffering from a chest infection.
He is most famous for his film scores, composing 132 including Whistle Down the Wind and Hobson's Choice.
Sir Malcolm, who lived near Norwich, also composed seven ballets, nine symphonies and two operas.
Sir Malcolm, one of the most famous composers of the 20th century, leaves behind two sons and one daughter.
He died at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.
Anthony Day, his companion and carer for the last 23 years, praised Sir Malcolm as "the most wonderful man".
"People didn't see the man that I knew because he had frontal lobe dementia over the last few years which slowly developed but, being with him, he was a happy, lovely man who enjoyed his music and enjoyed his life," he told BBC News.
Mr Day also paid tribute to Sir Malcolm's achievement in winning an Oscar for Bridge on the River Kwai.
"They couldn't find anybody else to do the music in time because they wanted to release it to the Oscars," Mr Day said.
"They gave him 10 days and he managed to write the complete score in 10 days."
Cellist Julian Lloyd Webber described Sir Malcolm as a "genius" who was never entirely appreciated.
He said: "I think he was a very, very great composer but uneven in his output.
"Because he had humour in his music he was never fully appreciated by the classical establishment."
Lord Richard Attenborough, the director and actor, said Sir Malcolm was a "totally outstanding composer".
Sir Malcolm's music continues to be performed and recorded extensively by leading orchestras both nationally and internationally.
He was awarded the CBE in 1970.
Saturday night was the premier of his version of the Three Musketeers at the Alhambra in Bradford.
The performance, which was dedicated to him, went ahead as planned.