by Ben Hogwood photo by Herbert Lambert, public domain work used courtesy of Wikipedia
On this day in 1883, the composer Sir Arnold Bax was born.
It is a good moment to mark one of his most enduring orchestral works, the tone poem November Woods, completed in 1917. In spite of its evocative title Bax said it “may be taken as an impression of the dank and stormy music of nature in the late autumn, but the whole piece and its origins are connected with certain rather troubled experiences I was going through myself at the time….”
You can enjoy it below in a performance with the Ulster Orchestra conducted by Bax specialist, the late Vernon Handley:
The Sick Man Of Europe may be an anonymous musical act, but there is a strong identity to their work. Having released a self-titled debut album last year, they quickly follow up with a sequel that looks to explore a more processed means of communication.
“Through repetition the message has gained weight and become something more urgent,” The Sick Man Of Europe explains on the album’s press release. “The vehicle for this message needed to evolve, grow to attain the strength to carry it. We’ve landed on something more expansive, immediate and immersive. Less is more. Until it isn’t.”
What’s the music like?
There is an impressive assurance about this music that grabs the listener right from the word go, a poise and stature to the production that is only enhanced by the vocals.
There is an extraordinary voice behind this work – The Man bringing a resonant, doom-laden and authoritative voice to music that brings to mind some of the 1980s’ leading vocalists. None more so than Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan, though this instrument has a power to its lower register that even he would be proud of. The music has a Germanic feel; sleek and clinical like a well-polished automobile.
The songs are powerful and very much of their time, harnessing formidable Krautrock beats in the likes of Cadogan Gate, a superb song, or the coruscating Love Song. Apathy hammers out its conclusions in an unusual meter, while the title trackbuilds with real purpose, the voice and electronics a thrilling mixture.
Does it all work?
It does. Powerful and distinctive, this music makes a strong impression.
Is it recommended?
It is. An album whose impact only deepens with repeated listening, The Intermittent Signal is darkly uplifting, with a deep resolve that is ultimately inspiring.
For fans of…Depeche Mode, Interpol, Blancmange, The Human League, The Cure
Listen / Buy
Published post no.3,071 – Saturday 7 November 2026
by Ben Hogwood public domain image, used courtesy of Wikipedia
On this day 90 years ago, the first performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff‘s Symphony no.3 in A minor took place, with Leopold Stokowski conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra.
The symphony, one of the composer’s final published works, did not find favour immediately with the public, and has proved to be something of a slow burner. Yet now it has proper recognition as one of Rachmaninoff’s finest works – and indeed was one of his own favourites.
The symphony has had a number of champions over the last few decades, with few more passionate than Vladimir Ashkenazy, whose recording with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is included below:
Ilya Gringolts (violin), City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Ilan Volkov (above)
Prokofiev Violin Concerto no.1 in D major Op.19 (1915-17) Bruckner Symphony no.7 in E major (1881-83)
Symphony Hall, Birmingham Tuesday 3 November 2026
Reviewed by Richard Whitehouse Photos Ilan Volkov (c) Hannah Blake-Fathers, Ilya Gringolts (c) Kaupo Kikkas
This first concert in November by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra was also its first with newly appointed principal guest conductor Ilan Volkov – continuing an association which has brought much innovative programming and music-making these past two decades.
A comparable amount of time, indeed, since Ilya Gringolts (above) recorded Prokofiev’s First Violin Concerto which, on the basis of this performance, remains a work for which he feels no little empathy. Almost coaxed into existence, the initial Andantino exuded a rapt calm that was by no means effaced as this movement arrived at its livelier second theme then accrued impetus prior to an ethereal revisiting of its main melody. Lithe and incisive, the brief central Scherzo provided the necessary contrast; during which, Gringolts’s passagework was a joy to behold.
Much the most difficult movement to realize, the final Moderato was ideally paced through its brief if stirring orchestral climaxes then the gradual reappearance of earlier ideas before a transformed restatement of the work’s opening music. Throughout, the integration of soloist and orchestra was abetted by the latter’s fastidious response under Volkov’s astute direction. ‘Old fashioned’ this piece may have seemed in the context of Prokofiev’s music during this period, but its unforced lyricism and formal poise make it a highpoint of his output overall.
Prokofiev and Bruckner rarely share the same programme, but the coupling worked ideally on this occasion. At just under 63 minutes, this was a taut yet never inflexible account of the latter’s Seventh Symphony as recalled that by Hans Rosbaud (remembered primarily for his advocacy of contemporary music but a fine exponent of Bruckner and Sibelius) in its innate Classicism and tensile rhetoric. Not least an opening Allegro moderato that proceeded as an unbroken span – the expressive character of its themes underlined with no real modifying of pulse; prior to a development whose disjunct contrasts made its ultimate cohesion the more tangible, then a coda whose surging grandeur brought this movement fervently full circle. A reminder, too, that broad(er) tempos are an option though never a prerequisite for Bruckner.
This was reinforced by the Adagio, if not its composer’s most profound such movement then certainly his most endearing. Its threnodic main melody duly gained in eloquence with each reappearance but it was Volkov’s easeful handling of its songful secondary theme and, most especially, the gravitas of its coda which lingered longest in the memory. A fine showing for the CBSO brass, with a quartet of Wagner Tubas effortlessly integrated tonally and texturally into the ensemble. Bracingly exuberant in its outer sections yet warmly ingratiating in its trio, the Scherzo struck a more worldly tone enhanced by the Finale’s moving from anticipation, via solemnity, to ominousness in Bruckner’s shortest while most ingenious such movement. Its coda linked hands with that from the first movement for what was a majestic peroration.
A commanding end to an impressive performance and one that bodes well for Volkov’s future concerts with this orchestra. These focus on Mendelssohn then Messiaen, and hopefully there will be a contemporary element introduced as the partnership continues over ensuing seasons.
To read more about the CBSO’s 2026/27 season, visit the CBSO website. Click on the names to read more on violinist Ilya Gringolts and conductor Ilan Volkov
Published post no.3,069 – Thursday 5 November 2026
by Ben Hogwood Image unknown credit, used courtesy of Wikipedia
On this day 150 years ago, the first performance of Brahms’s Symphony no.1 in C minor took place in Karlsruhe, under the baton of his friend Felix Otto Dessoff.
Just four days after the premiere of his lesser known String Quartet no.3, Brahms crossed a significant threshold in his life with the first airing of his foray into the symphony. It was a fraught process, for Brahms felt the hand of Beethoven on his shoulder, creating a pressure he found almost impossible to evade. With a self critical approach it was a long while before the symphony appeared, but the universal verdict is that it was well worth the wait!
From its grand, darkly shaded introduction, the symphony demands and keeps the listener’s attention throughout. The tautly argued first movement is followed by a slow movement of Autumnal beauty, then an Intermezzo that flows easily, with a soft clarinet solo. The finale is perhaps the most indebted to Beethoven, adopting a similar ‘darkness to light’ journey of the Choral symphony, but Brahms’s themes and their development are original. The final chorale feels like a deserved victory.
You can listen to the symphony in one of my favourite recordings below, with the Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Claudio Abbado:
Published post no.3,068 – Wednesday 4 November 2026
