Autumn 2005 No
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FRMS BULLETIN Autumn 2005 No. 143 Ed i tor: CONTENTS Ar thur Baker 4 Ramsdale Road, page Bramhall, Stockport, EDITORIAL page Cheshire SK7 2QA THE REGIONS Tel: 0161 440 8746 The Fu ture 2 or E-Mail: Fare well 2 Cen tral Re gion 19 [email protected] Sus sex Re gion 22 Ed i to rial dead lines: York shire Re gion 23 NEWS Spring is sue — 31st De cem- ber Hyperion Copy right Case 3 Society Regeneration Au tumn is sue — 30th June Toccata Clas sics 3 Mar ket ing Man ager: Christ mas Cards 3 Ickenham & Ruislip 26 Tony Pook (see page 37). West Wickham RMS 27 Ad ver tise ments are avail able LETTERS from £35.00, de tails from THE SOCIETIES him. Wil liam Hurlestone 4 Cir cu la tion Man ager: AGM Motion 4 Eastbourne 28 Allan Child (see back page Classicalmania 5 Thurso 29 for ad dress). E-mail: Wellington G S 31 [email protected] FEATURES BOOK REVIEWS Copies are distributed to all Busoni and Faust 6 Federation affiliates with Red Rays… 9 Cockaigne 32 additional copies through Reverse Tran scrip tion 11 Bay reuth 33 society secretaries. Estimated Rob ert Simpson 13 readership is well over 10,000. CD REVIEWS Individual Subscriptions are DAVENTRY available at £6.80 for four Busoni — Doktor Faust 34 issues. Direct orders and Mu si cal Week end 16 Sibelius — Sympho nies 35 subscriptions for the Bulletin should be sent to the FRMS CROSSWORD Treasurer (see back page). The cover picture is ‘Chess at Cross word 36 Daventry’ ©Arthur Baker. Type set by the edi tor us ing FRMS OFFICERS Corel Ventura. Please Note: No ma terial con - Of fi cers, Board and tent of this mag a zine may be Com mit tees 37 re pro duced else where with - out permis sion from the pub - lish ers, Fed er a tion of Re corded Mu sic So ci eties Ltd. Printed by The Max, de sign - ers and col our print ers, Kettlestring Lane, Clifton Moor, York YO30 4XF Note the ad dress for the FRMS Website is: ISSN 09628150 www.thefrms.co.uk EDITORIAL FRMS EDITORIAL The Future Another issue is new technology, the range of In certain circles it is believed that Recorded fascinating musical material available on DVD is Music Societies and hence the FRMS are doomed amazing. The annual DVD event at my own Society to a lingering death. This scenario is one which I has been very well received: as prices for equipment vehemently reject. The scene will of course change, continues to drop, Societies should prepare it always does but there has never been themselves to use this important new such a large number of people with little technology (as an adjunct, but not to do who are interested in new hobbies, replacement, to sound recordings). especially if they involve meeting people. Fare well These of course are the elderly, who are I am now in my seventh year as now living longer, are sustained in Bulletin Editor and after much heart relatively good health and about 80% of searching have decided to retire from the whom are well off financially in the light post. Accordingly I have tendered my of reduced monetary commitments. This resignation and this will be my last gives ample opportunity for recruitment Bulletin as editor. to Recorded Music Societies (forget the It has been an interesting job which I days of old where legend has it that have enjoyed tremendously. I have met hordes of young people were flocking to join us). numerous people and made many friends. I have had a number of spoken comments on the Technically it has been a challenge which has made it Quo Vadis articles mainly of the nature of even more fascinating — computers are wonderful, “Interesting...Food for thought” nature. I have when working! however had two very detailed letters relating to the Even the Committee work has been rewarding articles. As these largely describe individual although I have found myself less than enamoured Societies, I have included these at the beginning of with some of the ‘political’ aspects. The Committee the Societies Section rather than in the Letters pages. works hard and I am especially pleased with the Pamela Yates in particular, I think sums up the current emphasis in trying to help Societies expand. situation admirably when she says (p28) “a I should like to give special thanks to the talented recorded music society can be very successful people who have written articles etc for publication. when it provides a wide range of musical activity These are the people who have made the Bulletin together with important social events...”. Her what it is. stress on the importance of cultivating friendships Arthur Baker is, I believe, the key factor for a successful society. Federation of Recorded Music Societies — Annual General Meeting Commences 2.00pm. on Saturday 29th October 2005 at The Crown Hotel, High Street, Nantwich, Cheshire Following the meeting, bar facilities will be available. Hosted by The South Cheshire Recorded Music Society A three-course dinner will be followed in the evening by a recital by the Second City Brass Tick ets (£25 each) for the din ner and recita l (£6 for the recita l only) should be obtained from FRMS Sec re tary, Tony Baines, 2 Fulmar Place, Meir Park, Stoke-on-Trent, ST3 7QF Please enclose a DL size stamped addressed en velope with your appli ca tion. All cheques to be payable to the Fed era tion of Recorded Music Soci et ies Ltd. Advice on accommodation has been sent to Society Secretaries 2 NEWS FRMS HYPERION RECORDS FAILS AT APPEAL Hyperion Records has announced that it has lost its defence of the copyright case brought against it by Dr Lionel Sawkins. Dr Sawkins claimed musical copyright in four editions of the musical works of Lalande. He lost at first instance in relation to the recording of one of the pieces of Bringing new au di ences to music but won on the other three. Hyperion ne glected rep er toire appealed with the leave of the trial judge. In spite of the brave efforts of some independent Hyperion’s principal objection to the claim recording companies, there are still enormous gaps made by Dr Sawkins was its contention that a in the classical music catalogues: some important performing edition does not amount to a new and composers are poorly represented, others entirely substantive musical work in its own right unless ignored — and there are surprising lacunae in the the performing edition is original, in the sense that recorded output of some fairly well known names, it amounts to a new musical work. Thus, Hyperion even those as familiar as Handel, Haydn and contended that if an edition is an arrangement or Beethoven. Moreover, the rich musical traditions interpretation of an existing musical work then it of many countries are covered thinly, if at all; may obtain copyright as an original musical work. similarly, a number of aesthetic movements, from Dr Sawkins expressly made clear that he was not the Renaissance onwards, are inadequately contending that his editions were arrangements of documented in recordings. Toccata Classics is a Lalande’s music. new CD label (and download website) which Instead, Dr Sawkins made it clear that his intends to make good these deficiencies. In intention was to faithfully produce the music of consultation with an informal team of some of the Lalande in a modern performing edition. Hyperion world’s leading musicians and musicologists, argued that an edition of Lalande’s music that is a Toccata Classics is building up a recording faithful reproduction of Lalande’s music cannot programme which aims to reveal that the itself be an original musical work. winnowing process of history often takes little In the judgment of the Court of Appeal a account of quality. performing edition where corrections and Toccata Classics is the brainchild of Martin amendments had been made was itself copyright. Anderson, a Scottish-born, London-based, writer This will of course affect all classical record and critic, musicologist and publisher. For over 25 companies in the future as they will have to seek years he has been reviewing recordings and live (and pay for) a licence before performing or performances in a variety of publications, including recording music from an edition. Tempo, The Independent, Fanfare and The financial consequences for Hyperion are International Record Review. For most of that time yet to be determined, but will be severe. They will he has also been publishing a pioneering series of probably be hundreds of thousands of pounds if books on music as Toccata Press, dedicated to not a million. filling the gaps in the musical literature: a Toccata This leaves Hyperion in a very precarious Press publication is often the only one available on position. The company is small and operates its composer. He is now about to start doing the independently of any financial support and same in recorded music with Toccata Classics survives solely on the sales of classical recordings. First Releases: October 2005 includes music by Hyperion now is forced to reconsider its general Charles-Valentin Alkan; Georg von Bertouch; recorded output and will be reducing dramatically Heinrich von Herzogenberg; Wolfgang Amadeus its commitment to many new recordings over the Mozart; Matthew Taylor; Sir Donald Tovey. CDs next year or two to concentrate on fund-raising will be available through normal retail outlets. activities to help with the legal costs. The collateral damage caused by this decision not only will affect The Mu si cians’ Be nev o lent Fund Christ mas card cat- the prosperity of the company but the record a logue is now out.