By Richard R. Adams

November 2003

Welcome to the newly revised Sir Arnold Bax Web Site.  You’ll see that things have changed a little.  I thought that it was time for the site to get a major renovation in order to make it more attractive and a little easier to maneuver.   We are still in the process of revising the site so a couple of the newer features may not be up and running yet but hopefully the new site will be completed within a month. Of course, the timing of this reorganization isn’t an accident.   I felt that this being the 50^th anniversary of Bax’s death and today being his 120th birthday, it was time for an upgrade to commemorate these occasions.  The release of Vernon Handley’s Bax symphony recordings on Chandos is another monumental event and the revised site opens with my review of these new recordings.    I’ll be adding more reviews of the set within the coming weeks.   Also, the great Bax authority Graham Parlett reviews early chamber works by Bax performed by the Divertimenti Ensemble on the Dutton label; another major release that will add significantly to our understanding of the young Bax and his musical development.  I hope you enjoy these new features.

I think this would be a good time to make a couple of acknowledgments that are long overdue.   This site first appeared on the Internet in 1996.  My original intent was quite simple.  I felt that Bax was horribly underrated and I wanted to use the Internet to help promote his music and disseminate information about new recordings and concert performances.  The best decision I ever made was to contact Rob Barnett, the editor of the British Music Society Newsletter. I found that his enthusiasm for Bax was as great as mine and he advised me on how I could make the site more professional and useful to those researching Bax.  He provided me with a wealth of articles, pictures and reviews that had been published by the original Bax Music Society but hadn’t been circulated in nearly 25 years.   In addition, he agreed to write a biographical sketch, compile a Bax discography (in the process of being updated) and write many new reviews and opinion pieces.   He remained a driving force and inspiration for the site throughout its first few years.  His contributions have decreased lately due to his involvement as editor at Music Web and ongoing commitments to the British Music Society, but he remains a close friend to me and to the site and his contributions have been invaluable.   I am also very grateful to Ian Lace who contacted me early on in the development of the Bax site.   I am particularly grateful for his allowing me to publish his fascinating reports on his visits to many of the areas around the British Isles that were very important to Bax.  Currently he writes regularly for FanFare magazine and Music Web.

I have been extremely fortunate to secure the services of two very eminent musicologists whose reviews and writings for the site have elevated it to a level I never imagined possible when I first created it.    Christopher Webber is a writer, director, actor, singer and all-around artist who is regarded as one of the world’s leading authorities on Zarzuela and Spanish music in general.  His range of musical interests is enormous and Bax has always been a special love of his.   What I love most about Chris and his writing, which is remarkably fluent and a joy to read, is his willingness to challenge popular notions and argue his positions with unerring logic and a comprehensive knowledge of the subject.   There is a freshness to his writing that I find extremely enjoyable and I’m particularly grateful for his contributions to the site.   Chris has also become one of my closest friends and I have this site to thank for bringing us together.

There is no greater authority on Bax’s music than Graham Parlett and I am most proud to have him contributing to the site.   In addition to providing the most informed reviews of Bax’s music available, Graham also supplies me with a lot of the news items and information about forthcoming releases; many of which he himself has been involved with – as a writer or editor of the music parts.   The site is very fortunate to receive his support and I am also particularly pleased to be able to call him a friend.   Indeed, the friendships that I have developed with Graham, Chris and also Ian and Rob (who I don’t get to see as often as they live outside London ) have been the most rewarding part of managing this site over the last seven years.

In addition to making new friends, I’ve also met several extraordinary musicians who have been more than willing to meet with me (with the exception of one very cantankerous British pianist who will remain nameless!) in person or by telephone to discuss their interest and affection for Bax.  Among these musicians I include David Lloyd-Jones, Douglas Bostock, Michael Endres, Myer Fredman, Raymond Leppard, John McCabe, the members of the Maggini Quartet and most recently, the great Vernon Handley.   I’ve been struck by how willing all of these wonderful artists have been to take time from their busy scheduled to help promote Bax’s music.

Finally, I want to mention two more people who have contributed to the technical side of this site and they are Len Mullenger, who is the Web Master for Music Web, and my new web designer Sharon Woolever.    Len has been very generous to allow me space on his server and he has worked with me extensively in the past to maintain these pages.  He has put together one of the finest music sites on the web and has done so out of his enthusiasm and love for music.   I am grateful to be able to continue my association with him.    Sharon Woolever is the artist who has redesigned the site and will be responsible for maintaining it.    My knowledge of web design is very limited and I’ve been wanting to improve its rather flat design for sometime.  Sharon has done a superb job with recreating the site and I’m very grateful for her contributions.  I know there are other individuals who have contributed reviews, features, photos, etc to the site and I would like to thank them as well.  This site has been a collaborative effort, no question.

Finally, I’m most grateful to all of you who have supported the site all these years and who continually come back for more reviews and information.  I’ve enjoyed receiving personal letters from many of you and it has been particularly reassuring to know that Bax’s admirers exist all over the globe.   The number of hits to the site increases each month and that tells me that interest in Bax’s music is growing quickly and steadily.  I hope this site will continue to serve as a resource for all those who wish to familiarize themselves with Bax’s music or better understand this most amazing composer.    I look forward to hearing from more of you.

Richard R. Adams

November 8, 2003