This is the most intriguing disc that I have reviewed (so far) in 2024. Let me explain. Virtually all the works are heard here for the first time. Often, they have been arranged or realised by hands other than Ralph Vaughan Williams. They are an exploration into a corner of his catalogue, that although known to me, I never imagined I would hear.
The press release explains that
RVW was enamoured with Shakespeare and was inspired by him “throughout his long
composing career.”
The concert opens with Richard
III: My Kingdom for a Horse from incidental music written in 1913 for Francis
Robert Benson’s Shakespearean season at Stratford-upon-Avon. Benson (1858-1939)
was an actor/manager who ran his own company. He had a thirty-year association
with Stratford. Michael Kennedy, in his catalogue, notes that the surviving
manuscript includes the Hampshire Dargason, a Requiem derived
from his score to Richard II and the present piece. Lasting for only 47 seconds
this “filmic” music makes a great overture. It was edited by composer, organist
and scholar, Malcolm Riley.
Although RVW had produced a score
for Benson’s 1913 production of Richard II, he did not reuse this
material when he came to prepare the score for a 1944 radio broadcast. Kennedy
notes that there are “thirty-four timed sections to cover fifteen scenes.
Nathaniel Lew has assembled these in a satisfying Concert Fantasy. A précis
of the play would suggest that “In Richard II,’ the titular king wrestles with
his sense of self and confronts the repercussions of his choices. Deposed from
the throne, he reflects on power, fate, and the fragility of authority. The
play weaves political intrigue and poetic introspection, leaving us pondering
the nature of leadership and downfall.” Although Lew does not follow the
progress of the plot, his resultant score is certainly sympathetic to the
play’s temper. It is a worthy addition to RVW’s catalogue.
A bonus on this CD are several
songs. These are all sung with innocent beauty by Eloise Irving.
The Willow Song is an
early, unpublished piece for voice and piano dating from 1897. The tune was
“found” in a book of lute solos. The words are from Othello, with
Desdemona reflecting on love, treachery, and impending tragedy.
Everyone enjoys the story of
Orpheus and Eurydice. RVW set Shakespeare’s Orpheus and his Lute, with a
text taken from Henry VIII, Act III Scene 1. It was completed in 1903
and had its premiere at the Bechstein Hall on 2 December 1904.
Vaughan Williams made another
setting of these words in 1925. It was the last number from his Three Songs
from Shakespeare. The other two are Take, O take, those lips away
and When icicles hang by the wall, the former from Measure for
Measure and the latter, Love’s Labour Lost. All three are gnomic in
impact and certainly the last is more austere than the 1903 edition.
The incidental music for King
Henry IV, Part 2 was also composed for F.B. Benson’s 1913 season. Once
again this “Suite” has been realised by Malcolm Riley. The liner notes explain
that RVW “drew freely on existing folk dances and other sources” as well as his
own music for other plays. The first movement, the reflective Induction
uses a tune from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, Alman in G minor. This
may have been used as an overture to the play. Livelier is Falstaff and
Prince Hal, using Halfe Hannikin, which first appeared in Playford’s
English Dancing Master of 1651. A traditional dance is provided for the Princess
Royal movement. As far as I recall, there is no such character in this
play, but I guess RVW used an eponymous tune. The heart of this Suite is the
beautiful Music to my Weary Spirit which accompanied the king’s death in
Act IV. It is a transcription of Dowland’s Pavane Lachrymae played on
muted strings. It is the loveliest thing on this disc and could well be
excerpted by a well-known classical radio station. The fifth movement, Arrest,
is a fetching arrangement of Lady in the Dark, from Playford’s
later The English Dancing-Master dating from 1657. This is followed
by a lively Gloria Tibi, which is a splendid miniature anthem. The Suite
ends with a lively, Happy Life, which takes its title from King Henry’s
earnest wish for his son: “No prince nor peer shall have just cause to say, God
shorten Harry’s happy life one day!” This is a lovely Suite that should
have a life beyond this disc.
The most significant work on this
disc is the premiere recording of the original Henry V Overture. It was
written for Benson’s 1913 season at Stratford. Long known in its incarnation
for brass band, which was completed in 1933, but not performed until 1979. The
original score has been lost. However, Malcolm Riley and David Owen Norris have
reconstructed the original from the remaining orchestral parts kept by the
Shakespeare Trust. It is quite different to the brass band version. Gone are
the “martial fanfares” and the pastoral section based on an old French melody.
The two main tunes heard are the Agincourt Carol and the Earl of
Oxford’s March. This “vigorously nationalistic medley” is both satisfying
and uplifting as befits Shakespeare’s noble play that examines courage, doubt,
and destiny. It is another important addition to RVW’s discography.
Source-wise, the most complex
work on this fascinating CD is the Stratford Suite, realised by
Nathaniel Lew. It is based on music composed for five plays produced at the
above-mentioned Stratford Festival. These include Henry IV Part II, The
Merry Wives of Windsor, Richard II, Richard III, and Twelfth Night.
The liner notes explain that the “cues used include thirteen arrangements of
folk songs, one hymn tune based on plainchant, three original compositions, two
fanfares, and one phrase of a march from the mid-seventeenth-century Elizabeth
Rogers Virginal Book.” The “original” music includes the Royal March
and the Prelude to Act II of Richard II and the Solemn March
from Richard III. The booklet lists the “found” melodies. The
arrangement of Greensleeves is quite as ravishing as the more famous Fantasia,
but without the central section, Lovely Joan. As a Ricardian who
believes that the misaligned Duke of Gloucester needs to be reassessed and a
balanced view projected, I declare the short Solemn March is a fitting
tribute. I hope that this Suite becomes a favourite with orchestras both
professional and amateur. It is a sumptuous re-creation of RVW’s music by
Nathaniel Lew.
I do wish that Malcolm Riley’s exquisite
transcription of the Dirge for Fidele lasted longer. This beautiful
piece for string orchestra and harp will remind the listener of the sheer
perfection of RVW’s Dives and Lazarus. Originally devised for two
mezzo-sopranos and piano, it was issued in 1922 as a standalone arrangement of Fear
no more the heat o’ the sun from Cymbeline, Act IV.
The final offering is Two
Shakespeare Sketches from The England of Elizabeth. Once again this has a complex
genesis. In 1955, RVW was commissioned to write the score for the British
Transport Film The England of Elizabeth. Some years later, the conductor
and composer Muir Mathieson adapted the score for the concert hall. Three
movements celebrated Oriana as Explorer, Poet, and Queen.
This has been recorded a number of times, by Andrew Penny, Andre Previn, and
others. At around the same time, Mathieson arranged two sections from the Poet
movement. These are adaptations based on two sixteenth-century songs, The
Wind and the Rain and It was a lover and His Lass. The first has a
prominent fiddle part whilst the second is solid and a touch rumbustious. A CD
of nearly all the music from the score was issued on CHAN 10244 in an edition
by Stephen Hogger.
The recording is excellent.
Equally good are the liner notes developed by John Francis and Malcolm Riley,
with additional material from Nathaniel Lew and David Owen Norris. Short
resumes of the performers are included. The booklet is well-illustrated, with a
wonderful painting Richard III by an unknown artist.
Performances by the Kent Sinfonia
and the Albion Chorus, under their director James Ross are outstanding. Soloists
Eloise Irving and Malcolm Riley give ideal performances of the songs.
An essential investment for all
RVW enthusiasts.
Track Listing:Richard III: My Kingdom for a Horse (1913) ed. Malcolm Riley (b.1960)
Richard II Concert Fantasy (1944) arr. Nathaniel Lew (?)
The Willow Song (1897)
Henry IV Part II (1913) arr. Malcolm Riley
Orpheus with his Lute (1903)
Henry V Overture (Original Version) (1913) ed. David Owen Norris (b.1953) and Malcolm Riley
Three Songs from Shakespeare (1925)
Stratford Suite (1913) arr. Nathaniel Lew
Dirge for Fidele (1922) arr. for strings and harp, arr. Malcolm Riley
The England of Elizabeth (1955): Two Shakespeare Sketches arr. Muir Mathieson (1911-75)
Kent Sinfonia/James Ross (Richard III, Richard II, Henry IV Part II, Henry V, Stratford Suite, Dirge, The England of Elizabeth); Albion Singers/James Ross (Gloria Tibi, Henry IV Part II); Eloise Irving (soprano), Malcolm Riley (piano) (The Willow Song, Orpheus, Three Songs)
rec. 16-17 February 2024 St. Gregory and St. Martin’s Church, Wye, Kent (orchestral works); 29 April 2024 St. Leonard’s Church, Hythe, Kent (songs)
Texts included.
Albion ALBCD062