All ‘Tippetians’ will be aware of
the near-catastrophic premiere
of the Symphony No.2 on 5 February 1958 at the
Royal Festival Hall. The almost unheard of event of Boult stopping the
performance at the end of the exposition of the first movement, and admitting
that it was ‘Entirely my mistake, ladies and gentlemen’ is well-remembered. Contemporary critics felt that the orchestra
was ‘taxed to its limit’, however history (almost) absolves their technique.
This was reputedly caused by the leader of the orchestra, Paul Beard’s ‘interference’
with the orchestral string parts: he had altered the bowing. In mitigation, it
is now understood that it was the flautist who misread their part, causing the
cue for disaster.
The BBC Symphony Orchestra was
conducted by Sir Adrian Boult: the performance was recorded and broadcast live
on the BBC Third Programme.
Tippet has explained (this story
has been told a number of times, in slightly differing words) that ‘the exact
moment when the symphony began was when, listening to a tape of a Vivaldi
concerto for strings in C, while looking out over the sunlit lake of Lugano, I
was especially moved by some pounding C major bass arpeggios. I knew them to be
the beginning of a new orchestral work.’
He concluded his note by admitting ‘it was some years after this initial
moment of conception that the musical shape of the whole work finally
established itself. It had taken the form of a symphony in the dramatic
tradition.’ Whilst working on the score,
he (conveniently) received the BBC Commission. Tippett’s Symphony was one of six commissioned
to mark the tenth anniversary of that radio station.
Michael Tippett’s Symphony No. 2
is usually regarded as a watershed between the lyrical music composed up to and
including the opera The Midsummer
Marriage, and the next stage of his career progressing towards King Priam. In the Symphony, he has, on
his own admission, turned to Stravinsky for inspiration. However, it was
composed in a traditional four-movement form and still shows many indications
of Tippett’s admiration of Beethoven.
The present recording is deemed
to be the only one available of the premiere. Wisely, Pristine records have
chosen to include the false start and the applause. There have been three recordings of this work
made over the years, Colin Davis with the London Symphony Orchestra in 1968
(ARGO ZRG 535), Richard Hickox and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra on
Chandos (CHAN 9299, 1994) and Tippett himself conducting the BBC Symphony
Orchestra around 1990 (NMC 104).
I would argue that Colin Davis
has the edge on Boult here: witness especially the ebullient scherzo. The slow movement is given a visionary reading
by Davis. There is also more brilliance in the string playing. However, Boult’s
reading is impressive and thoroughly satisfying. Whatever the faults of the
premiere, it is essential to add this live performance to our understanding of
the music. It is one of the composer’s most exciting and imaginative
compositions at this period.
Bliss’ ‘Music for Lighter Mood’
is a real historical treat. It was broadcast on 21 December 1956 on the BBC
Home Service. As the title implies, it featured some popular and approachable
extracts from the composer’s catalogue. A valuable feature of this recording is
the rather ‘stiff’ conversation made by the composer and his wife, Lady Trudy
Bliss, with presenter Ronald Fletcher. Bliss
conducted the BBC Concert Orchestra in all the pieces. The programme has been
presented in its entirety. Music featured begins with the ‘pomp and
circumstance’ of Welcome to the Queen.
This music was drawn from the Pathé newsreel of the young Queen Elizabeth’s
Commonwealth Tour of 1954 at the moment when she arrives home on the banks of
the Thames. Bliss had composed the march. He declared that it was conceived on
the top of a number 73 London bus, and sketched out on the front of his evening
newspaper. The remainder of the newsreel’s score was provided by Malcolm
Arnold. This is followed by the ‘Ballet for Children’ from the scary science
fiction film Things to Come (1935),
based on H.G. Wells The Shape of Things
to Come. The present ‘light music’ extract features at the start of the
film, during Christmastide. Two dances
from the ballet Checkmate (1937) follow:
‘The Red Knight’s Mazurka’ which is a lively and exuberant number played as the
Knight falls in love with the Black Queen and the second is ‘The Black Queen
Dances’ who performs a ‘kind of tango’ as she teases the doomed and defenceless
Red King.
The Theme and Cadenza (1946) is a
Warsaw Concerto for fiddle. Derived
from the radio play, ‘Memorial Concert’ written by Trudy Bliss, it features an
imaginary composer, beginning in his student days and concluding with his
tragic death as he approaches success. There is the inevitable ‘eternal
triangle.’ The present piece featured in
the ‘memorial concert’ itself and was an ‘early composition.’ This gorgeous Theme
and Cadenza works well as a standalone piece. I understand that only Campoli
ever recorded it: it deserves a modern version.
The final number in this concert is the rarely heard ‘Overture:
Edinburgh composed in 1956 for that year’s Festival. It is an impression of
Scotland composed by an Englishman, but none the worse for that. The only
modern recording is by Vernon Handley and the City of Birmingham Symphony
Orchestra.
Sadly, this excellent CD (in
sound and matter) has been spoilt by the abysmal documentation and
presentation. The CD insert looks as if
it has been printed on a basic ‘home’ printer on low weight paper. The notes
are near illegible: this does not really matter, because the text discussing
the Tippett has been lifted (acknowledged) from Wikipedia.
There is no commentary on the Bliss whatsoever.
Included is a paragraph by Andrew Rose on the history and technicalities
of the actual recording.
This is a must-have CD for all
aficionados of British music. I can easily forgive the dreadful liner notes for
the opportunity to hear the Bliss concert and the premiere of Tippett Symphony
No.2 in such ideal conditions.
Track Listing:
Michael TIPPETT (1905-98)
Symphony No.2 (1956-7)
Arthur BLISS (1891-1975)
‘Music for Lighter Mood’ (includes dialogue)
Welcome to the Queen (1954)
Ballet for Children (from Things to Come) (1935)
Two Dances from Checkmate (1937), The Red Knight’s Mazurka,The
Black Queen’s Dance
Theme and Cadenza for violin and orchestra (1946)
Overture: Edinburgh (1956)
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Adrian Boult (Tippett)
BBC Concert Orchestra/Arthur Bliss (Bliss)
Rec. 5 February 1958, Royal Festival Hall, live broadcast on
BBC Third Programme (Tippett); 21 December 1956, live studio broadcast on BBC
Home Service (Bliss)
PRISTINE AUDIO PASC460
With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published.
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