Malcolm Arnold: A Centenary Celebration

This CD celebrates the Centenary of the British composer Sir Malcolm Arnold. He was born on 21 October 1921. The disc includes seven first recordings of arrangements of Arnold’s music made by various hands for the duo.

I followed a structured plan for listening to this CD. The liner notes divide the batting order into four groups. I explored it as such, taking each section at a time. 

 First up are the “Three Serious Pieces”. This includes all the original music (I think) that Malcolm Arnold wrote for the violin and piano, designed to be played in the recital room. The “gritty” Sonata for Violin and Piano No.1, op.15 composed in 1947 has little of the tunefulness or wit normally associated with the composer. To be sure, he does try to lighten the mood in the finale, a Tarantella. Hugo Cole has noted that the slow movement introduces “one of the most violent and dissonant passages Arnold has ever written”.  This comes in the middle of some bars of relatively relaxed music.

The Sonata for Violin and Piano No.2, op. 43 (1953) is relatively short. Although presented as a single movement, four sections are clearly audible. Once again, this music is often terse and sometimes downright aggressive.

A lot of contrast occurs in the Five Pieces for Violin and Piano, op. 84 (1964) written for Yehudi Menuhin. It ranges from an Indian rāga to Bebop Jazz. This may have reflected the legendary violinist’s interest in a wide variety of “world” music. It will be recalled that he duetted with the equally fabulous Ravi Shankar at the 1966 Bath Festival and made a best-selling LP Jealousy (1973) with the celebrated French violinist Stéphane Grappelli. I agree with the liner notes that the Five Pieces should appear regularly in the recital room.

The second grouping is labelled “Three, not so serious pieces.” The first of these is the Suite derived from the score to the film Hobson’s Choice. This 1954 British romantic comedy starred Charles Laughton, John Mills and Brenda de Banzie, and was directed by David Lean. Other arrangements have been made of this score, the most important being by Christopher Palmer in 1992. This was subsequently released on Chandos (CHAN 9100). The present Suite is much shorter, and majors on the “jaunty opening 6/8 theme” that Arnold borrowed from his own one-act opera, The Dancing Master (1952).  The second in this group is the lovely “standard” Lola’s Theme heard in the love triangle movie Trapeze (1956). Lola was played by the gorgeous Gina Lollobrigida. The final bit of film music is the fetching Madrigal from the psychological thriller, The Chalk Garden (1964) starring Deborah Kerr and Hayley Mills. This piece, both lyrical and melancholic, perfectly evokes the enigmatic governess Miss Madrigal.

The “Three Dance Arrangements” come next. Little need be said about the English Dances. Paul Harris has selected five from the two sets, op.27 and op.23. I am not sure why all the dances were not arranged for violin and piano. Several other transcriptions exist for wind band and piano duet. The Four Scottish Dances, op. 59 composed in 1957, work well for the duo. The third movement Allegretto is particularly charming with its evocation of the misty Hebrides.  Lastly, the near-perfect jewel Solitaire opens the proceedings on this disc. This was one of two pieces specially written for the eponymous ballet first performed at Sadler’s Wells in 1956. The rest of the score comprised the two sets of English Dances.

Finally, the Thème pour mon Amis dates from 1984. I understand that it was to be used at some point in the BBC TV programme My Music. Alan Poulton explains in the notes that he resurrected it from an earlier Theme for Players written by Arnold for whistler and piano in 1965. It was meant for a cigarette commercial. The Thème is dedicated to the British broadcaster, classical music critic, music administrator, and writer, John Amis. The present version dispenses with the originally intended “whistler” and replaces them with the violin. It is a wistful number with a melody that sticks in one’s mind.

All the music is splendidly played by Peter Fisher, violin and British music champion Margaret Fingerhut, piano. The recording is ideal. The liner notes by Alan Poulton, Chairman of the Malcolm Arnold Society, give a splendid introduction to the music on this CD. It is both informative and sometimes quite personal. Dates of when all the arrangements were made would have been helpful. I do wish that the “arrangers” were not shy about their date of birth: it helps the reviewer to have them included in the track listing.

This is essential listening for all Malcolm Arnold enthusiasts. No more need be said.

Track Listing:
Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006)
Solitaire – Sarabande (arr. Alan Poulton (b.1943)) (1956/1984)
Trapeze – Lola’s Theme (arr. Alan Poulton) (1956/?)
Sonata for Violin and Piano No.1, op.15 (1947)
Four Scottish Dances, op. 59 (arr. David Gedge (b.1960)) (1957/2016)
Five Pieces for Violin and Piano, op. 84 (1964)
Hobson’s Choice Suite (arr. Alan Poulton) (1954/?)
Sonata for Violin and Piano No.2, op. 43 (1953)
Five English Dances (arr. Paul Harris (?)) (1951-52/?)
Thème pour mon Amis (arr. Alan Poulton) (1967/1984)
The Chalk Garden – Madrigal (arr. Alan Poulton) (1964/?)
Peter Fisher (violin; Margaret Fingerhut (piano)
rec. 21 November & 4 December 2020, Henry Wood Hall, London
SOMM RECORDINGS SOMMCD 0640