
A cross between Peter Rabbit and Queen Victoria: Bliss: The Composer Conducts reviewed
There's a classic trajectory for British composers: a five-decade evolution from Angry Young Man to Pillar of the Establishment. Right now, you can watch it happening in real time to Thomas Adès and Mark-Anthony Turnage – inevitably, unwittingly, falling unto the pattern established by Sir Arthur Bliss, who shocked critics in the 1920s but died in 1975 as a KCVO, CH and Master of the Queen's Music. I knew musicians who played under him at the end of his life. One described him as 'a cross between Peter Rabbit and Queen Victoria'.
Bliss was a very capable conductor and this collection of live broadcasts of his own music gives us back the firebrand behind the national treasure. The tapes have been cleaned up by the enterprising indie label Somm, and include fierce accounts of his Colour Symphony and the volcanic Piano Concerto of 1939, with John Ogdon as soloist. In the 1960s, when these pieces were recorded, British orchestras didn't really do lushness, but this is music that demands urgency, and these wiry, sometimes jagged performances convey an authentic inter-war restlessness and bite.
And then there's Morning Heroes, the haunted choral symphony in which Bliss threw everything he had – orchestral laments, explosive choruses and great chunks of the Iliad (declaimed here by the actor Donald Douglas) – into a doomed attempt to find meaning in the first world war. Imagine Britten's War Requiem without the slickness (Bliss was gassed at Cambrai and his brother Kennard died on the Somme). In this live Proms performance from 1968, it makes questions of musical fashion feel very small indeed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


South Wales Guardian
17 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Drake concert cancelled due to ‘unforeseen' travel issues
The Canadian musician was due to perform at Manchester's Co-Op Live Arena on Monday July 28, however, has had to reschedule the gig due to 'unforeseen ferry schedule and travel logistics'. The 38-year old, whose full name is Aubrey Drake Graham, will instead perform at the venue on August 5. The news was shared in a statement on the Co-Op live website, which said: 'Due to unforeseen ferry schedule and travel logistics, tomorrow's performance in Manchester on July 28th has been rescheduled. 'The good news is that Drake will now perform in Manchester on Tuesday, August 5th, and it's set to be an unforgettable night. 'All tickets remain valid for the new date—we can't wait to see you there!' This comes after Drake released a new song, Which One, on Thursday with British rapper Central Cee. Drake is midway through the UK leg of his Some Special Shows 4 U tour with Partynextdoor, marking his first return to Europe in six years. Earlier this month Drake performed at Wireless Festival in London after signing a multi-million pound deal to top the bill each night of the three nights. The Canadian brought out UK heavyweights Dave, Central Cee and J Hus as surprise guests during one of his performances on the main stage in Finsbury Park. He also performed with Lauryn Hill on one of the three nights. The five-time Grammy-award winning artist will head to mainland Europe in August with concerts scheduled in Amsterdam, Zurich, and Milan and Paris. The artist is best known for his hit songs One Dance, Hold On We're Going Home, and Hotline Bling.

Leader Live
30 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Drake concert cancelled due to ‘unforeseen' travel issues
The Canadian musician was due to perform at Manchester's Co-Op Live Arena on Monday July 28, however, has had to reschedule the gig due to 'unforeseen ferry schedule and travel logistics'. The 38-year old, whose full name is Aubrey Drake Graham, will instead perform at the venue on August 5. The news was shared in a statement on the Co-Op live website, which said: 'Due to unforeseen ferry schedule and travel logistics, tomorrow's performance in Manchester on July 28th has been rescheduled. 'The good news is that Drake will now perform in Manchester on Tuesday, August 5th, and it's set to be an unforgettable night. 'All tickets remain valid for the new date—we can't wait to see you there!' This comes after Drake released a new song, Which One, on Thursday with British rapper Central Cee. Drake is midway through the UK leg of his Some Special Shows 4 U tour with Partynextdoor, marking his first return to Europe in six years. Earlier this month Drake performed at Wireless Festival in London after signing a multi-million pound deal to top the bill each night of the three nights. The Canadian brought out UK heavyweights Dave, Central Cee and J Hus as surprise guests during one of his performances on the main stage in Finsbury Park. He also performed with Lauryn Hill on one of the three nights. The five-time Grammy-award winning artist will head to mainland Europe in August with concerts scheduled in Amsterdam, Zurich, and Milan and Paris. The artist is best known for his hit songs One Dance, Hold On We're Going Home, and Hotline Bling.

Rhyl Journal
2 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Drake concert cancelled due to ‘unforeseen' travel issues
The Canadian musician was due to perform at Manchester's Co-Op Live Arena on Monday July 28, however, has had to reschedule the gig due to 'unforeseen ferry schedule and travel logistics'. The 38-year old, whose full name is Aubrey Drake Graham, will instead perform at the venue on August 5. The news was shared in a statement on the Co-Op live website, which said: 'Due to unforeseen ferry schedule and travel logistics, tomorrow's performance in Manchester on July 28th has been rescheduled. 'The good news is that Drake will now perform in Manchester on Tuesday, August 5th, and it's set to be an unforgettable night. 'All tickets remain valid for the new date—we can't wait to see you there!' This comes after Drake released a new song, Which One, on Thursday with British rapper Central Cee. Drake is midway through the UK leg of his Some Special Shows 4 U tour with Partynextdoor, marking his first return to Europe in six years. Earlier this month Drake performed at Wireless Festival in London after signing a multi-million pound deal to top the bill each night of the three nights. The Canadian brought out UK heavyweights Dave, Central Cee and J Hus as surprise guests during one of his performances on the main stage in Finsbury Park. He also performed with Lauryn Hill on one of the three nights. The five-time Grammy-award winning artist will head to mainland Europe in August with concerts scheduled in Amsterdam, Zurich, and Milan and Paris. The artist is best known for his hit songs One Dance, Hold On We're Going Home, and Hotline Bling.