Aphex Twin Perception of Romantic era British classical music

I'm thinking of the music of Ralph Vaughan Williams, Holst and Elgar, and how it's perceived outside the UK, if at all. Within the UK they're very much part of the national consciousness, but I always get the impression that they're seen as parochial or derivative of some of the European heavyweights. It seems they never get the kudos of say Mahler, nor do they have the 'hipster' factor of the impressionists/minimalists like Ravel, Debussy and Satie (I can't imagine you'd get either of the aphex twins citing The Lark Ascending as an influence).

  On 1/24/2010 at 7:43 PM, ieafs said:

well no more so for being british?

 

Well to an extent, it's a simple question of critical perspective. I could just as easily be German and asking the same question of Wagner and asking how non Germans perceive the music which most would argue has an inherent teutonicness.

The three Brits I mentioned always come pretty close to the top in any national 'name your favourite classical music poll' whereas I suspect they would feature a lot less or not at all (in the case of Vaughan Williams) in another country, but I really have no idea, hence the question.

I think your comparison to Greig and Sibelius is probably pretty spot on. Musical nationalism , critically reasonably well respected though not seen as truly seminal, and touching the international public's consciousness through a couple of 'ultimate ever in the world greatest classical musics 2CD' type pieces.

I love Holst's Planet Suite

pretty much what ieafs said.

you lot had some excellent choral composers though.

Benjamin Britten, Edward Elgar and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor springing to mind immediately...