I found a short review in the Daily Mail dated 8 May 1950. The article opened with a quotation from
Robert Browning:
That’s the wise
thrush; he sings each song twice over,
Lest you should think
he never could recapture
The first fine
careless rapture.’
I wonder how many of the readers
of this newspaper clocked that it was a taken from ‘Home-thoughts from Abroad’?
Probably several more then than in 2019.
Anyway, the review by Maurice
Wiltshire explains. Concert-goers at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday, 7 May were
‘allowed two bites at the same cherry.’ Wiltshire felt that ‘such luck rarely
falls to composers of serous music.’ The novelty was William Alwyn’s new work,
the Concerto Grosso for strings in G, No.2. It was performed twice at the same
concert: a rare honour indeed. The review quotes the composer as saying: ‘It
was Sir Malcolm Sargent’s idea. He felt an audience ought to be given the
opportunity of hearing a new work twice before giving judgement on it. So few
new works receive a second hearing [before] they have almost been forgotten.’
The article also cites Stanley Bayliss: The Concerto Grosso was ‘capably
played…it began happily reminding us of Bach’s Third Brandenburg Concerto,
though I generally followed the plainer [Humph!] of Handel. The review
concluded with Maurice Wiltshire’s thought that ‘Mr Alwyn seemed to be
presenting the visiting cards of several composers but never actually his own.’
The Scotsman (8 May 1950) takes a less-dramatic and more balanced
view of the proceedings. It notes that the idea of performing new works twice
in the same programme in not new. The unsigned critic believes that it is a
good idea and laments the fact that conditions (business considerations) does
not allow it is unfortunate. The possibility of a double performance ‘increases
the composer’s chances of being understood, for few listeners would claim an
immediate and complete comprehension of any piece of music at one
hearing.’ But turning to Alwyn’s
novelty, he suggests that ‘it is hard to see why [it] should have been chosen
to be performed in this manner, for it is a pleasant and unpretentious work of
direct appeal, containing little that required clarification by a second
performance…’
The London Symphony Orchestra was
conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent. The first half of the concert included Mozart’s Figaro Overture. The
main work in the second half was Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 which was
played with ‘purpose and efficiency’ (The
Scotsman, 8 May 1950) by Moura Lympany.
William Alwyn’s Concerto Grosso
for strings in G, No.2.was dedicated to Muir Mathieson, who had a long
association with William Alwyn’s film music. It is written for strings only
which features a string quartet contrasting with the full string orchestra. This
is seen to best effect in the slow movement. The work is presented in a strict
classical form.
Listen to the Concerto Grosso No.2
on YouTube.
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