In 1956 the miniature score of
William Alwyn’s Autumn Legend was published by Alfred Lengnick. It was reviewed in Music & Letters (October 1956) by
Peter Pirie: -
“The title and specification of
this work explain themselves: given this and the tone-quality of the cor
anglais one knows what to expect. Here is a typical atmospheric piece, with the
shadow of Sibelius and Bax not far off. The music is simple, and when the
strings are divided (as they often are) it is for the purpose of playing chords
and waving figures, not by reason of any contrapuntal complexity. There is a
good solo part, and the music has a pleasant, gentle melancholy. Readers of the
miniature score (who should have exceptional eyesight) should not be put off by
the poem on the fly-leaf; the music that follows is much better.”
The Autumn Legend has been likened to the impressionistic compositions of Debussy, such as “Nuages” from the Three Nocturnes. There is an echo of Sibelius’s The Swan of Tuonela in the melancholic mood of this music. However, there is also a sense of improvisation about this work. On the other hand, Mary Alwyn (CHAN 9065, liner notes) insisted that the composer made a thorough exploration of the technical resources of the cor anglais and “weaves it into a magical score that exploits ever-changing and unexpected possibilities in writing for strings.”
T.H. (Trevor Harvey) reviewing the Lyrita recording for The Gramophone (April 1979, p.1695) writes that Autumn Legend sounds like a title of a composition by Arnold Bax and suggests that ‘frankly, the music sounds like it.’ The reviewer of the Lyrita CD reissue (SRCD230) in The American Record Guide (July 2007) suggested that “The English horn writing in the first half recalls [Debussy’s] La Mer. About midway, after some ruminations of the English horn player, the strings sigh until only the low basses are heard. The mood darkens, then explores the territory of the final trio of Der Rosenkavalier.
In 1992 I.M. (Ivan March) writing in The Gramophone about the Chandos edition (October 1992, p.54) notes the works ‘particularly lovely opening, with shafts of sunlight on the strings piercing the clouds…’ He suggests that the ‘disconsolate manner has an underlying romantic feeling, rather than conveying pessimism.
The CD Review (November 1992) states that “Autumn Legend … amply reflects the composer's ability to produce those sudden moments of suspended rapture…”
Personally, I put Autumn Legend in a small collection of pieces by William Alywn that epitomise an idealised landscape (whether English of not): - The Magic Island, the Pastoral Fantasia, the early tone-poem Blackdown, and Lyra Angelica. They all may be described as derivative however they are all beautiful creations that serve as a fine introduction to the more romantic side of William Alwyn’s’ orchestral music. Perhaps most significantly, he regarded the Autumn Legend as one of his most beautiful works.
The Naxos version of William Alwyn’s Autumn Legend can be heard on YouTube.
There have been several
recordings of this work made: -
- Lyra Angelica, Symphonic Prelude: The Magic Island, Autumn Legend. rec.1954. 2013 Barbirolli Society SJB1077
- Autumn Legend, Concerto Grosso No.2 in G, Lyra Angelica. April 1979. LP Lyrita SRCS108
- Legend, Lyra Angelica, Pastoral Fantasia, Tragic Interlude. 1992. CD. Chandos CHAN9065
- Autumn Legend, Concerto Grosso No.2 in G, Lyra Angelica. 1992. CD. Lyrita SRCD230 [released from Lyrita LP SRCS108]
- Autumn Legend, Concerto Grosso No.1 in B flat, Five Preludes for Orchestra, Overture to a Masque, Pastoral Fantasia, Suite of Scottish Dances, Tragic Interlude. 2008. CD. Naxos 8.570704
Ed. Palmer, Andrew, Composing in Words: William Alwyn on his Art, Toccata Press, Chippenham, 2009)
Wright, Adrian, The Innumerable Dance: The Life and Work of William Alwyn, The Boydell Press, Woodbridge, 2008)
No comments:
Post a Comment