Benjamin
Britten’s Movements for a clarinet concerto is one of the most enjoyable pieces
that the composer never (quite) wrote. As Christopher Palmer said (liner
notes, Hyperion CDH 55060) it is ‘definitely a work that should have been finished.’
During Britten’s wartime sojourn
in the United States he had discussions about the possibility of composing a
Clarinet Concerto for the famous American band-leader and clarinettist Benny
Goodman. Goodman had recently
commissioned the exiled Béla Bartok to write the trio Contrasts. He was to invite Copland, Morton Gould, Poulenc and
Arnold to compose works for his performance.
When Britten left the USA to
return to the United Kingdom in 1942, the manuscript sketches of his concerto
were impounded by customs: it was believed that they contained secret code. Work was suspended as Britten completed Peter Grimes, and Goodman latterly decided
not proceed with the project, due to America entering the war.
In 1979 Colin Mathews completed
and orchestrated the sketches as Movement for clarinet and orchestra. It was
first heard during March 1990 and was subsequently recorded on the above
mentioned Hyperion CD. In 2007, Mathews decided to extend the work by adding
two additional movements. The second,
‘Mazurka elegiaca’ is an arrangement of the eponymous work for two pianos,
op.23 no.2. This had been composed in
New York in 1941, in memoriam of the pianist Jan Paderewski. The finale is ‘an
adaptation for an orchestral piece thought to be the Sonata for orchestra
Britten was working on this during 1942/3.
The ‘completed’ concerto was first heard in Gateshead during May 2008.
This is a beautifully balanced
work that unearths much attractive music.
It is good to have what is effectively a ‘new’ concerto by Britten.
Another version of this work appears on NMC NMCD140 with the same soloist as
here, but accompanied by the Northern Sinfonia under Thomas Zehetmair. I have
not heard this recording.
Partially due to their discovery
by Classic FM, Gerald Finzi’s Five Bagatelles, op.23a (1938-43) have more than
a dozen recordings in the catalogues. Some of these are for the clarinet/piano
arrangement, which was the work’s original incarnation. In 1989 the composer Lawrence Ashmore
(1928-2013) transcribed the piano part for string orchestra. This was at the
behest of the American clarinettist Richard Stoltzman, who wanted an orchestral
piece to accompany his recording of the Finzi Clarinet Concerto, op.31
(1948-9).
In spite of their short duration,
these five pieces encompass a wide range of emotion and stylistic variety. There
is a nod to Poulenc in the opening Prelude. The ‘Romance’ is restrained, and,
typically for the composer, quite introverted. Diane McVeigh has noted that the
third movement ‘Carol’ was originally a song setting of Gurney’s ‘Winter now
has bared her trees.’ The ‘Forlana’ which is a gently lilting dance was formerly
of Italian extraction, once ‘popular with Venetian gondoliers’, but was most
famously used by J.S. Bach in his orchestral suite in C major and by Ravel in
his Le Tombeau de Couperin. The
influence of William Walton’s overture Portsmouth
Point has been noted in the vivacious final ‘Fughetta’ which was the only
movement written especially for this set of bagatelles.
Arnold Cooke’s Concerto No. 1 for
clarinet and string orchestra was composed in 1955. Eric Wetherell, in his
study of the composer, notes that Cooke once confessed in a radio broadcast
that his favourite instruments were the clarinet and the oboe. Certainly, over the years he wrote widely for
these. There are sonatas for clarinet (1959), oboe (1957), two concertos for
clarinet (1955 and 1981/2) a concerto for oboe and strings (1954) as well as a
number of chamber works featuring these instruments.
The Concerto No. 1 was first
performed at the 1957 Cheltenham Festival by Gervase de Peyer and the Goldsborough
String Orchestra under Charles Mackerras. It made a ‘favourable impression by
its lyrical aptness and fine craftsmanship.’ It is written in traditional three
movement form.
Cooke is often dismissed as being
‘sub-Hindemith’ in his musical style. He is criticised for lacking any
‘Englishness’. This present concerto lays that myth to rest. Especially so with
the gorgeous middle movement which evokes the English countryside to the extent
that the composer indulges in an exact transcription of a blackbird’s song. The opening movement is complex, founded on
four separate themes that evolve in sequence and in dialogue. In spite of this
complexity, the general mood is one of lyricism and a feel of the open air. The
finale is typically vivacious, however there is a reflective middle
section. This is happy music, without a
care in the world. It may not be Delius or Vaughan Williams, but Arnold Cooke suggests
the spirit of place as well as either of them. It is not dry as dust or
pedantic, as his critics would have listeners believe. Arnold Cooke’s Clarinet Concerto No.1 is also
available on Hyperion Helios CDH55069
played by Thea King with the North West Chamber Orchestra of Seattle under Alun
Francis.
The latest work on this CD is William Mathias Clarinet
Concerto for string orchestra and percussion op.68 which was written in 1975.
It was dedicated to Gervase de Peyer to whom he Mathias been promising a
concerto since the mid-sixties. The concerto was premiered in St Asaph
Cathedral on 22 September of that year with the dedicatee and the BBC Welsh
Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Atherton.
This is a work that combines Mathias’ neo-classical style with
jazz and encompasses a satisfying structural balance. The percussion (both
pitched and unpitched) is used to ‘add atmospheric colouring and to highlight
the use of jazz rhythms’ especially in the finale. There is much here to enjoy: Bartokian rhythms,
blues infused melodies as well as some delicious harmonies. The middle movement
is ‘nocturnal’ in mood: it is, as the composer wrote ‘highly introspective,
sometimes tender, [and] sometimes passionate.’
As usual with Chandos, the production of this CD is
excellent. The liner notes by Anthony Burton reflect the history, analysis and
impact of all four works. They are given in English, German and French, so one
hopes that these superb British clarinet concertos will penetrate far into
Europe. The booklet has a number of photographs of the performers and the
composers (except for some reason Finzi).
Michael Collins’s playing in these four concertos is
revelatory: he equals his acknowledged triumph in Volume 1 of this series. This
is reflected in the ideal sound quality of the recording. I look forward to volumes 3, 4, 5 and more of
this exciting and essential series of British Clarinet Music.
Track Listings:
Benjamin BRITTEN (1913-1976)
Movements for a clarinet concerto (1941-2)
Gerald FINZI (1901-1956)
Five Bagatelles, op.23a (1938-43)
Arnold COOKE (1906-2005)
Concerto No.1 for clarinet and string orchestra (1955)
William MATHIAS (1934-1992)
Clarinet Concerto, op.68 (1975)
Michael Collins (Soloist/Conductor); BBC Symphony Orchestra
CHANDOS CHAN 10891
With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published.
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