gavin bryars
ltm catalogue



Gavin Bryars is a leading modern British composer, whose key works include Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet (1971), The Sinking of the Titanic (1975), Medea (1984), Three Viennese Dancers (1986), After The Requiem (1991), Farewell to Philosophy (1996), Cadman Requiem (1998) and 3 String Quartets (2002).


HOMMAGES (LTMCD 2503) £10
Originally released in November 1981 on Les Disques du Crepuscule, Hommages was recorded in Leicester in February 1981 and produced by noted Belgian composer Wim Mertens. The album was conceived as a series of diverse homages to other composers, including Bill Evans, Ferruccio Busoni, Gustav Holst and Percy Grainger. Featured musicians included Andrew Bilham, Ronald Reah, Andrew Renshaw, Nigel Shipway, Dave Smith, John White and Marie Wilson, as well as Gavin Bryars himself on piano and vibraphone. The album documents the important period between Bryars' early experimental music and later works from Medea onwards, as well as his enthusiasm for small composer/performer ensembles. This 63 minute digital remaster now includes two bonus tracks composed and recorded by Bryars during the same period, Danse Dieppoise and Out of Zaleski's Gazebo. The booklet features extensive notes by Gavin Bryars on the origin and performance of all six pieces, and preserves the original album cover artwork by Marc Borgers. Full tracklist: My First Homage, The English Mail-Coach, The Vespertine Park, Hi Tremolo, Danse Dieppoise, Out of Zaleski's Gazebo.

Reviews: "Quiet, intimate music" (Le Soir, 1981); "Quietly restful mood music of appeal to those who harbour a secret liking for the more beautiful and touching corners of classical music" (NME, 1981); "Describing Bryars as the most notable post-experimental composer of his generation to admit jazz influences and techniques is a case of 'stating the bleeding obvious'. More interesting, perhaps, is the dichotomous and ambiguous dialogue into which this music enters with jazz forms, as heard in this engaging and eagerly anticipated reissue of the 1981 LP. Jazz elements scatter across the surface detail of the restrained but beautiful Mr First Hommage, and similar stepwise movements appear in Hi-Tremelo, albeit in slow motion, while the repeating chords and ringing percussive timbres of The Vespertine Park look forward to the dark yet delicate atmosphere of later works such as The North Shore and The South Downs. This is a must-buy for anyone interested in English experimental music" (The Gramophone, 08/2008); "These six miniatures - scored for small, gently percussive chamber formations - date from a period when Bryars was intoxicated by the esoteric pianism of Erik Satie and the Oulipo literature of Raymond Roussel. For all the clever-clever codes, My First Homage, a tribute to the cool jazz piano of Bill Evans, and The Vespertine Park, a midnight stalk, are beautiful, delicately poised Satie-esque delights. Four stars" (Uncut, 06/2008); "A reissue of the album originally released by Les Disques Crepescule in November 1981, Gavin Bryars' Hommages was produced by the celebrated Belgian composer Wim Mertens, The earliest of the pieces here (appropriately titled 'My First Homage') was penned in 1978 for a performance at The Kitchen in New York as a tribute to the work of jazz pianist Bill Evans, and features some beautiful harmonic exchanges across its captivating quarter-hour duration. Both 'The English Mail-Coach' and the quite stunningly beautiful piano and percussion of 'The Vespertine Park' were inspired by Ferruccio Busoni, and you can hear a certain neo-classical approach in these works, although they remain firmly rooted in the 20th century. Significantly, this remastered edition of the album includes two bonus recordings: 'Out Of Zalieski's Gazebo' and 'Danse Dieppoise', both compositions drawn from the same period of Bryars' work. Highly Recommended" (Boomkat, 04/2008); "These pieces still evolve as much from oblique strategies – to borrow a phrase from Bryars' one-time collaborator, Brian Eno - as from specified music, and reap the benefits of Bryars' particular preferences in harmony, his interest in the re-creation of the works of others, and in improvisation. Hommages summarizes this period excellently well; it was originally released on the Belgian Disques du Crepuscule label in 1981, an album very difficult to locate outside of Belgium, though some in the know managed to obtain it. This is a highly valuable re-release for fans of Bryars. Bryars' fellow composers – Dave Smith, John White, perform on these recordings and Christopher Hobbs for example – perhaps as the performing community wasn't quite yet on the same page with Bryars and his style, which emphasizes intuition. A highpoint is "My First Homage" which evokes, and transforms, the idiom of Bill Evans circa 1961, much as Bryars' first collaborative excursion in the group Joseph Holbrooke did a little closer to that point in time. Its relaxed, exploratory ambience should appeal very strongly not only to fans of Evans but also of Brian Wilson; although implacably English, it's just as strongly evocative of California as it is London in 1981. Though written for percussion, The English Mail-Coach has a monolithic efficiency similar to the effect of the Misha Mengelberg pieces that Bryars' close friend Derek Bailey was so fond of playing like "Where Are the Police?" whereas The Vespertine Park is atmospheric and redolent of open field, like My First Homage as reconceived in the daytime. Written for a dance ensemble, of the pieces here, Hi-Tremolo is most easily reconciled to the minimalist idiom of the time. The bonus tracks, Out of Zaleski's Gazebo and Danse Dieppoise, were recorded earlier than the rest for a projected album that did not achieve release at the time, and as these tapes were never used they sound brighter and more immediate than the balance of Hommages. Out of Zaleski's Gazebo is an uncharacteristically loud and extroverted piece that "rocks" in a rhythmic sense; Danse Dieppoise has a wandering sense of intonation unique in Bryars' work, however in other ways it presages his mature style as it began to emerge definitively in the 1990s. It seems appropriate to say that without the piece of the puzzle that Hommages represents, one cannot get a grasp of Bryars' particular musical alchemy; therefore, it is essential. Although unavailable for a long, long time, there is no reason why devotees of Bryars would want to pass Hommages, and for them, its return to the catalogue really is something to write home to "Mom" about" (All Music Guide, 04/2008)


THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC (LIVE 1990) (LTMCD 2525) £10
An extended live rendition of seminal composition The Sinking of the Titantic performed by the Gavin Bryars Ensemble and lasting 60 minutes. Digitally recorded at the Chateau d'eau, Bourges, 12-13 April 1990 by Gavin Bryars, Dave Smith, Roger Heaton, Martin Allen, Alexander Balanescu, John Carney and Paul Bull. Booklet includes detailed descriptive notes by Gavin Bryars. CD originally released through Les Disques du Crepuscule in 1990. To read liner notes click here. Full tracklist: The Sinking of the Titanic (live).

Reviews: "This version is the most romantic and the first to exceed one hour. By removing the shrill edge of the violin that led the strings previously, it gives the mournful moments more depth, especially when a bass clarinet offers a dark counter-lament in the closing stages. There is much light in their performance for such a dark project, much softness in its ripples" (The Wire, 07/2009); "A compelling and often moving piece which draws the listener in through a series of tableaux. Neither rock nor classical nor new age, this release should nevertheless find a place in the hearts of adventurous listeners anywhere" (Top, 03/1991); "The live environment makes for a particularly evocative experience, and the sheer ghostliness of the event translates well onto CD" (Record Collector, 04/1991); "Still a strangely haunting work" (Music Week, 03/1991); 'One of the strangest musical experiences one is every likely to enjoy. Incredible' (Melody Maker, 04/1991); 'A stunningly evocative and moving realisation of Bryars' music, and one that shouldn't be missed - even by those of you already familiar with its various other recordings' (Boomkat, 06/2009)


FROM BRUSSELS WITH LOVE LTMCD 2479 £10
Originally released as a deluxe cassette/book package in November 1980, From Brussels With Love features exclusive tracks from the international avant garde and new wave. Contributing artists include Gavin Bryars, Harold Budd, Dome, The Durutti Column, John Foxx, Martin Hannett, Richard Jobson, Bill Nelson, New Order and Michael Nyman. The programme also includes extended interviews with Brian Eno and iconic French actress Jeanne Moreau. Gavin Bryars contributes White's SS. This new CD edition has been digitally remastered from the original master tapes, and features 76 minutes of material. Most of the tracks featured here remain unavailable elsewhere. The 20 page facsimile booklet features original artwork by Benoit Hennebert, Claude Stassart and Jean-Francois Octave, as well as archive images and detailed liner notes. To read liner note extract click here.

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