Benjamin Frankel’s Overture “May Day”: Worker’s March or Rustic Ramble Part 2

A second key performance of the Overture: May Day was heard during the 1950 Promenade Concert Season at the Royal Albert Hall on 25 August 1950. The London Philharmonic Orchestra under Basil Cameron gave an ‘irresistible’ account of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony and an ‘equally distinguished’ presentation of his Piano Concerto No.4 with Moura Lympany as soloist. Colin Mason (Manchester Guardian, 26 August 1950, p.3) noted that this Overture, at least to London audiences, reveals Frankel’s leanings toward the film music, rather than his recent string quartets. He concluded that ‘it is a fine work, entirely un-symphonic in character, but convincingly justifying its sub-title ‘panorama.’’ Other music heard that evening included Beethoven’s Fidelio Overture, John Ireland’s Concertino pastorale and J.S. Bach’s Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 537, op 86 in the Elgar orchestration. 

A long review of this Prom Premiere was given in The Stage (31 August 1950, p.12). The author develops the notion of the worker/reveller dichotomy. They consider that ‘Panorama’ may give a ‘clearer indication of the scope of the work.’ The title ‘seems rather arbitrarily chosen as a fulcrum for a roving, occasionally satirical, comment on life.’ The critic felt that the work was ‘characterised by finished craftsmanship’ and that is a ‘sincere expression of contemporary thought.’ Finally, Basil Cameron’s conducting of the work was ‘unobtrusive, self-assured and comprehensive…’

Harold Truscott, recalling the Proms performance felt that the Overture ‘was attractive, but [displayed] no integration.’ He concludes by suggesting that ‘form is a much-abused word, but it has a meaning, which is the coherence that gives speech a connected significance. There is none here: a pity for the work is worth it.’  (Music Survey, December 1950, p.136)

An important review of the Overture’s score was given in Music Survey (March 1951, p184-5). Ralph W. Wood considered that ‘the obvious fault to find with ‘May Day’ is that it is ‘bitty’ (15 changes of tempo in some 240 bars), that in fact it bears all too much resemblance to [Donald] Tovey’s bête noire, a series of introductions to introductions.’ Tovey was a well-known musicologist, musical analyst, and composer.  On the other hand, Frankel’s response to this criticism would be that the work is subtitled ‘panorama’ and that ‘it is futile’ to ‘base a judgement on standards irrelevant to his intentions.’  Wood, like many other critics, picks up on the ‘brilliance of the orchestration.’ Elaborating on this, he suggests that this ‘brilliance is of a rather special kind, extraordinarily economical, extraordinarily sure and clear and quite Berliozian in its persistent thrusting towards each instrument’s technical idiosyncrasies and favourite sonorities.’

It was to be two years later, in 1952, that Benjamin Frankel resigned from the Communist Party of Great Britain. Frankel became concerned about the Party’s ‘illiberal attitude towards culture, and music in particular’. Like several other party members, he was outraged by the ‘show trials’ and executions of alleged spies in Prague.           

In the mid-1990s, CPO Records bravely began to issue a series of CDs devoted to Benjamin Frankel’s music. It was a joint project with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. This included all the Symphonies, the Violin Concerto, the String Quartets and a good selection of other orchestral pieces and chamber works. Sadly, with one or two exceptions the project stopped there. Apart from a few film scores and the inevitable Carriage and Pair, and an early recording of the String Quartet No.5, Frankel has been left high and dry by the recording industry. One important exception was the remarkable Hyperion disc (CDH55105) featuring the Clarinet Quintet. Other composers on this CD included Arnold Cooke, Elizabeth Maconchy, Herbert Howells, and Josef Holbrooke.

The first CD in the cycle of symphonies, features the Symphony No.1, op.33 and Symphony No.5, op.46. As a ‘filler’, the Overture: May Day, op.22 is the final track. See below for details.  Three reviews of this performance of the Overture will be of interest.  Hubert Culot (MusicWeb International, 2 September 2002) wrote that ‘The earliest work on the first CD is the Overture May Day op.22 written in 1948 and performed at the Proms in 1950. It is comparatively light - full of vitality and colour. It would have become a popular item; had it been performed more regularly.’ In another review (MusicWeb International, 2 August 2002) of this work, Rob Barnett, thought that ‘the Mayday Overture is a work of cleanly blown crystal fanfares, militaristic, bustling, not carefree, even the final triumph glares and whinnies.’ Looking at the overall production of the CD, The Gramophone (July 1994, p.44) reviewer MEO reported that ‘The performances are first-class and so are the recordings.’

Bibliography:
Kennaway, Dimitri, British Music Society Lecture-Recital on Saturday, 6th May 2006
Kennaway, Dimitri, Biography of Benjamin Frankel, www.benjaminfrankel.org (Wayback Machine)
Orr, Buxton. Liner Note CPO 999 240-2, 1995
Pages of The Times, Music Survey, Liverpool Post, The Stage, etc.

Discography:
Frankel, Benjamin, Overture: May Day, op.22, Symphony No.1, op.33; Symphony No.5, op.46 Queensland Symphony Orchestra/Werner Andreas Albert CPO 999 240-2, (1995). Included in the boxed set of the Complete Symphonies CPO 999 661-2 (2002) and on the compilation CD Discover New Worlds with Werner Andreas Albert CPO 999310 (1995).
Concluded.