One of two major highlights on this CD is Adrian Boult’s 1954 recording Holst’s of Ballet Music from The Perfect Fool, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. It was originally released on Decca LXT5015. This is a thrilling, “crisp, and sparkling” performance of this well-loved work. Boult would later make another recording in 1961.
One of the great film scores of the 1940s is William Walton’s Henry V written for Olivier’s iconic production of the play for the silver screen. I have always felt a strong sympathy for Sir John Falstaff. Certainly, I am offended by the way that Prince Hal latterly treated the elderly knight – at least in Shakespeare’s account. Walton has created a beautiful, if modest, miniature Passacaglia commemorating his death. Interestingly, Falstaff does not have a death-scene in Shakespeare’s’ play: it was interpolated into the film by Olivier. Along with its sad companion piece, Touch her Soft Lips and Part it is some of the finest, most poignant, music that William Walton created. It is heard here in the composer’s 1945 recording with the Philharmonia String Orchestra.
Two short numbers by William Alwyn are included. The first is the main theme from The Cure for Love (1949) which takes the form of an exquisite “salon waltz.” Equally attractive is the Malcolm Arnold-esque Calypso from The Rake’s Progress (1945). It perfectly complements Rex Harrison’s portrayal of Vivian Kenway, the roué, when he was working as a coffee grower in Latin America. Both are performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, under Muir Mathieson.
It is unfortunate that Clifton Parker is usually only recalled for his gripping score to the 1944 film, Western Approaches. Other important film scores include Robert Newton’s version of Treasure Island, Kenneth More in Sink the Bismarck! and the Walt Disney feature The Sword and the Rose. Equally interesting are the soundtracks to the British Transport Films, The Elizabethan, the Blue Pullman, Ocean Terminal, and The Long Night Haul. He did indulge in other genres, including the delightful Glass Slipper Overture (1944), the Thieves Carnival (1959) and his Two Choreographic Studies (1940). The present Seascape is a short, but effective, tone poem assembled by Parker from the score. It is in three sections, beginning tranquilly as the merchant ship leaves its berth in an American port. As the boat reaches the mid-Atlantic it begins to get stormy, and this is reflected in more expansive music. The last joyful section alludes to the rescue of the mariners and their safe arrival in ‘blighty.’ There are definite hints of Arnold Bax in this wonderful evocation of the sea.
Although the score for the 1934 movie Lorna Doone was composed by Cecil Armstrong Gibbs, for an unknown reason, the producer, Basil Dean, asked Rutland Boughton to create a romantic song for the eponymous heroine to sing. It is performed here by the film’s star Victoria Hopper. It is very much of its era: I can take it or leave it.
The day is saved by a riveting performance of the March from Things to Come by Arthur Bliss. This 1936 film was based on H.G. Wells’s novel, envisioning progress, technological leaps, and resilience in the face of a war-torn future. This is one of the most imposing, if menacing, “English” marches.
Although an enthusiast of Delius, I have never warmed to the incidental music written for James Elroy Flecker’s prose-play, Hassan (1920-23) – except for the Serenade and Interlude. The “plot” does not excite me. The current excerpts from the work include the Serenade ‘la-la’d’ by the tenor, H. Farrar and concluding with the almost comic final chorus. His Majesty’s Theatre Chorus & Orchestra were conducted by Percy Fletcher and recorded in 1923.
I agree with John Quinn (reviewed here) that the most significant recording on this disc is Manuel de Falla’s El Amor Brujo played by the Studio Orchestra (Rome Radio Orchestra) under Thomas Beecham. This was recorded in Rome during 1958 for use in the film Honeymoon (1959). This movie was essentially a travelogue for Spain. The stars included Anthony Steel, Ludmilla Tchérina and the Spanish ballet dancer Antonio as well as the renowned Russian choreographer and ballet dancer, Léonide Massine. Sadly, Beecham’s recording was not complete: five minutes of the Suite were omitted.
The present recording is derived from the film’s soundtrack, replete with “noises off.” But do not let that put you off this outstanding performance, especially from the mezzo soprano, María Carla Alcalá. The liner notes remind the listener that this ballet exudes “the primitive force, the magic character and the tragic essence of this art, whose roots are buried in a distant past.” It is a great characterisation of Beecham’s account. I echo John Quinn’s disappointment that Thomas Beecham never made a studio recording of El Amor Brujo.
The concert concludes with the Epilogue from the 49th Parallel (1941). Stephen Connock is correct in stating that “nothing in [RVW’s] film music genre surpasses for breadth and nobility this rousing finale.” It is heartbreakingly beautiful.
The liner notes have been prepared by Stephen Connock. They give details about each piece, as well as essential information about context. The booklet’s cover features star of Lorna Doone, Victoria Hopper. All the tracks have been “improved” by Pete Reynolds of Reynolds Mastering. They give the best possible account of this worthy music.
Folks may wonder why Albion
Records, which is an offshoot of the Ralph Vaughan Williams Society have only
included two items by the man himself. It matters not. What is heard here is a
valuable contribution to the recorded legacy of British music that deserves to
be heard. RVW would surely have approved.
Ralph VAUGHAN WILIAMS (1872-1958)
Prelude to 49th Parallel (1941)
London Symphony Orchestra/Muir Mathieson (rec. November 1949)
Gustav HOLST (1874– 1934)
Ballet Music from The Perfect Fool (1918-22)
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Adrian Boult (rec. November 1954)
William WALTON (1902-1983)
Excerpts from Henry V (1944), Death of Falstaff, Touch her Soft Lips and Part
Philharmonia String Orchestra/William Walton (rec. October 1945)
William ALWYN (1905-1985)
Main Theme from The Cure for Love (1949) (rec. November 1949)
Calypso Music from The Rake’s Progress (1945) (rec. June 1946)
London Symphony Orchestra/Muir Mathieson
Clifton PARKER (1905-1989)
Seascape from Western Approaches (1944)
London Symphony Orchestra/Muir Mathieson (rec. June 1946)
Rutland BOUGHTON (1878-1960)
Lorna’s Song from Lorna Doone (1934)
Victoria Hopper (soprano) with Orchestra (rec. November 1934)
Arthur BLISS (1891-1975)
March from Things to Come (1934-35)
London Symphony Orchestra/Arthur Bliss (transferred from film soundtrack, February 1936)
Frederick DELIUS (1862-1934)
Excerpts from Hassan (1920-23)
H Farrar (tenor); His Majesty’s Theatre Chorus and Orchestra/Percy Fletcher (rec. November 1923)
Manuel DE FALLA (1876-1946)
El Amor Brujo (1915-25) (abridged) from Honeymoon (1959)
Studio Orchestra (Rome Radio Orchestra)/Thomas Beecham (rec. 1958, Rome)
Ralph VAUGHAN WILIAMS
Epilogue from 49th Parallel (1940)
London Symphony Orchestra/Muir Mathieson (rec. June 1946)
rec. 1923-1958
ALBION RECORDS ALBCD041
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