A Few More Surprises

This disc is like a buffet, rather than a four-course meal. Do not try to listen to these works one after the other. Pick out tracks that catch your eye, savour them, then return to explore deeper. There is much value here that a cursory hearing would miss. And that would be a pity. A lot of imagination has gone into creating this fascinating album. As can be seen from the track listing, there are several well-kent composers, and not a few that may be new to the listener.

I began with the remarkable Sonata in F major, op.4, no.5 for recorder and piano (1745) by John Stanley and realized by Gerald Finzi. This performance makes no great attempt at creating “an historically correct performance.” For one thing Finzi has specified the use of a piano, rather than a harpsichord and the original called for either flute of violin. But do not be deceived: this arrangement for the recorder (transposed up a minor third) succeeds remarkably well.

Going back to the opening track, I listened to Anthony Hedges’s last substantial composition: the Elegy for Tony, op.167, for recorder and piano. The Tony in question was the English pianist Anthony Goldstone, who died in 2017. It was played at a memorial concert given in his memory. This is a heartfelt tribute, blending melancholy with a romantic sound. It strikes a balance between sorrow and beauty, evoking longing, and intimacy. An orchestrated version by Hedges has been recorded on Prima Facie PFCD101, reviewed here.

In 1952 Howard Ferguson completed his charming Three Sketches for flute and piano. They had been gestating for 20 years and had their origins in unpublished piano pieces. The sophisticated Poco allegro is succeeded by a refined Andante. The third Sketch incorporates a Hindu melody, "Cuckoos sing in the mango tree", adding an exotic and lyrical touch. Other editions were prepared for the oboe and recorder.

Robin Stevens’s undated Variations on Bobby Shafto for recorder and piano is just a bit of fun. Do not take it too seriously, especially after the grandiose opening bars on the piano. Look out for loads of harmonic twists and turns and a little bit of instrumental overblowing.

David Blake’s touching setting of The [A Ballad of] Mulberry Road by Ezra Pound is well wrought. It is based on the tale of Rafu, a silkworm feeder. The text seeks to portray her delicate beauty and industrious nature. There is a “voices off” comment at about 1.20, which John Turner assures me is in the score!

I was pleasantly surprised by the two pieces written by Stephen Banfield. Renowned primarily as a musicologist affiliated with several prestigious universities, he is celebrated for his authoritative volumes, including Sensibility and English Song (1985) and the essential biography of Gerald Finzi (1997). The Capriccio, which was completed in 1972, has a French feel to it, and includes a quotation from Henri Duparc’s underrated tone poem Lénore. The Three Miniatures for descant recorder and piano (1974) will remind the listener of Finzi’s music. They all deserve to be in the regular recorder repertoire.

Three compositions are included by Douglas Steele. The liner notes explain that he was the present recorderist’s music teacher at Stockport Grammar School. The first is High Noon for recorder and piano (1987) featuring a potpourri of “memorable melodies.” It outstays its welcome. This is followed by an evocative song, Hark Shepherds Awake for soprano and recorder (n.d.), with words adapted from the Wakefield Mystery Plays. The last of Steele’s offerings is the miniscule Serenade for recorder and piano (1973). It is a little gem.

My favourite work on this disc is the late Peter Dickinson’s Homage to Poulenc, for recorder and piano (2008). The liner notes explain that it is a transcription from one of Dickinson’s Five Forgeries for piano duet dating back to 1963. It has all the polish and urbanity of the French master. The Air, for solo recorder (1958/2021) was originally devised for solo flute. Its Theocritean pastoral mood is strangely captivating.

There is an entertaining back story to Ashton-under-Lyne born John Golland’s contribution to this disc. His Caprice for solo recorder (1987) was jotted down on a train journey from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly after he had attended a recital given by John Turner and Neil Smith at the London College of Music. This rondo-like number contrasts a variety of moods in a short space of time. It is surprising that Golland was able to find the peace and quiet on the train to create such a lovely miniature.

Mátyás Seiber’s Pastorale, for recorder and piano (1941/1952/2010) began life as a work for recorder and string trio. It was later expanded into a Pastorale and Burlesque for flute and string orchestra. At the same time, a piano reduction was made. John Turner plays a version of the first section only, using the original recorder part and with the piano score. It does not strike me as being particularly “bucolic.”

The Deux Bouches, a Vocalise for soprano and recorder (2023) by Lesley-Jane Rogers is a haunting piece where the two soloists “bend/blend” around each other. It is the most challenging work on this disc.

Two tiny pieces are heard by the Moravian-born composer Vítězslava Kaprálová. Lasting less than two minutes in total, the Tales of a Small Flute, for recorder and piano (n.d.) are delightful. John Turner suggests that these winsome numbers may be a tribute to her husband, whom she married in 1940. Sadly, she died a couple of months later.

Max Paddison’s After Orpheus, for recorder and piano had its genesis in a 1966 setting of William Shakespeare’s Orpheus with his lute. He later arranged it for the present forces. The original portrayed Orpheus, the legendary musician, whose melodies enchant nature itself. However, this revision seems to major on the darker elements of his life. Whilst not musically describing his violent end, the music highlights the inevitability of death and the vulnerability of hope.

Oldham-born Michael Baron’s offering looks back to the Northern School of Music’s Annual Picnic. These included visits to the Peak District and the Cheshire Plain with staff and pupils. Baron’s Picnic, for recorder and piano (2021) ably captures the delight of these occasions, with its elegance and charm.

Gerald Hendrie’s Cassoulet Rag, for recorder and piano (2019) is relaxed and ticks the ragtime boxes. Originally a number in a book of piano rags written for friends and neighbours, this arrangement was made for the present soloists. Cassoulet is the name of the piece’s original dedicatees house: it is the Gascon language (southwest France) word for a young oak.

The final track on this disc is by John Turner himself. Wedding Notes for solo recorder is a short, humorous set of variations based on the ubiquitous Here comes the bride. It was written for the wedding of friends, held at Northcliffe Chapel in Styal in 2024.Whatever would Wagner have thought?

The liner notes by John Turner provide information about the composers and their musical contributions. The text of songs would have been helpful. There are extensive resumes of the three performers. The recording is always clear and bright, enhancing outstanding performances all round.

This smorgasbord of previously unrecorded (I think) music is a valuable addition to the recorder repertoire. It is a sound and sophisticated production from the first note to the last.

Track Listing:
Anthony Hedges (1931-2019)
Elegy for Tony, op.167 for recorder and piano (2017)
Howard Ferguson (1908-99)
Three Sketches, op.14 for recorder and piano (1932-52)
Robin Stevens (b.1958)
Variations on Bobby Shafto, for recorder and piano (n.d.)
David Blake (b.1936)
The Mulberry Road, for soprano and recorder (2014)
Stephen Banfield (b.1951)
Capriccio, for recorder and piano (1972)
Douglas Steele (1910-99)
High Noon for recorder and piano (1987)
Hark Shepherds Awake, for soprano and recorder (n.d.)
Serenade, for recorder and piano (1973)
John Stanley (1713-86), arr. Gerald Finzi (1901-56)
Sonata in F major, op.4, no.5, for recorder and piano (1745)
Stephen Banfield
Three Miniatures, for descant recorder (1974)
Peter Dickinson (1934-2023)
Homage to Poulenc, for recorder and piano (2008)
Air, for solo recorder (1958/2021)
John Golland (1942-93)
Caprice for solo recorder, op.76 (1987)
Mátyás Seiber (1905-60)
Pastorale, for recorder and piano (1941/1952/2010)
Lesley-Jane Rogers (?)
Deux Bouches, a Vocalise for soprano and recorder (2023)
Vítězslava Kaprálová (1915-40)
Tales of a Small Flute, for recorder and piano (n.d.)
Max Paddison (b.1945)
After Orpheus, for recorder and piano (1966/2000)
Michael Baron (b.1958)
Picnic, for recorder and piano (2021)
Gerald Hendrie (b.1935)
Cassoulet Rag, for recorder and piano (2019)
John Turner (b.1943)
Wedding Notes for solo recorder (2024).
John Turner (recorders), Lesley-Jane Rogers (soprano), Stephen Bettaney (piano)
rec. 2024, Heaton Moor Studios, Stockport, Cheshire
Prima Facie PFCD246