Brian 23

    Also quite brevis, only lasting around 14 minutes. I'll skip the Havergal Brian intro since it is in the previous entry. Both this and Brian 22 have a somewhat militaristic tone to them at times, especially at the beginning of the first movement of 23 with its use of brass and percussion. After the aggressive opening of the first movement it transforms in to a delicate section of woodwinds with absolutely fascinating orchestration. Around here I realized that I think I like Brian because I also have a short attention span when developing ideas. The melodies in this movement are not very strong but the development of motific ideas and use of harmonic complexity drive the arc of the piece.

    The second movement has a darkly triumphant feel at the opening. This movement feels like it is almost its own little microcosm of a symphony. It has a boisterous opening, followed by a simpler section, which leads in to a comic section, and ends big again. The end of the movement in particular has a lot going on and is very daunting sounding.

    Now to figure out the theme for this week, and actually get caught up.