tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78070187005994893262024-03-19T06:00:31.847+00:00British Classical Music: The Land of Lost Content‘Smart, well-written and knowledgeable’ – Saga MagazineJohn Francehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661182422946581010noreply@blogger.comBlogger2117125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807018700599489326.post-92014532443824454712024-03-19T06:00:00.027+00:002024-03-19T06:00:00.135+00:00It's not British, but...20th Century Middle European Flute Music<p><span style="text-align: justify;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRchDF0gHp0KR5LJKRH1FuvRZFckD8352dwDnrcikKCZASR79_7n3nec_VkFO7XHVLicNKuTB-VlM-dH-X6TPDlNyspXgP6yhfa1uVplQzcgTh6C6d88h5mcQGMMdzOAolPdUZyhlQ0Vssf2dlZlRYUhvo7s1w_LVEvKZgmPjDpMCHjhpVfOJV6joui48/s600/CDS7995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRchDF0gHp0KR5LJKRH1FuvRZFckD8352dwDnrcikKCZASR79_7n3nec_VkFO7XHVLicNKuTB-VlM-dH-X6TPDlNyspXgP6yhfa1uVplQzcgTh6C6d88h5mcQGMMdzOAolPdUZyhlQ0Vssf2dlZlRYUhvo7s1w_LVEvKZgmPjDpMCHjhpVfOJV6joui48/w316-h316/CDS7995.jpg" width="316" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This CD features diverse works by four “Middle-European” composers. This can be loosely defined as countries to the west of Russia and to the east of France. The disc includes music by an Austrian of Czech origin, a Czech, a German, and an Austrian. Each of these men share a personal history that is “marked by persecution and emigration.” One, Emil František Burian was a prisoner in three concentration camps.</div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Born in Vienna on 23 August 1900, Ernst Krenek moved to the United States in 1938 to escape Nazi persecution. There he taught in several universities. Stylistically, he is hard to pin down: at one time or another, he adopted atonality, serialism, neo-classicism, jazz, and electronics. His later music tended to be more accessible.<span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The Suite for flute and piano
dates from 1954. Composed in a neo-classical style, it does have a few atonal
moments. It makes an attractive introduction to Krenek’s music. Despite being
recorded here as a single track, it has four movements: <i>Andante</i>, <i>Allegretto
moderato</i>, <i>Andante con moto</i> and <i>Allegro vivace</i>. It was
premiered in Santiago, Chile on 5 July 1956. Krenek later arranged it for flute
and string orchestra. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Emil František Burian is a new
name to me. He was a bit of a polymath. Born in Plzeň in the Czech Republic during
1904, he became actively involved in music, poetry, film making, and the
theatre. He was also a journalist, a political activist in the Czech Communist
Party and, latterly, a parliamentarian. Burian was interned by the Germans
between 1941 and 1945, but survived Theresienstadt, Dachau and Neuengamme. The present <i>Ztracené Serenády</i>
(Lost Serenades) was completed in 1940. It is easy going and presents no problems
for the listener. Once again, it is devised in four movements: <i>Cantabile</i>,
<i>Na jednu, volně a zpěvně, velmi zpěvně</i>. The last three titles do not
translate into idiomatic English - at least on Google! The present recording of
this charming <i>Serenade</i> is a World Premiere. I will look out for other compositions
by Emil František Burian.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Guernica will ever be remembered
for one of the worst atrocities committed during the Spanish Civil War
(1936-39). The German Condor Legion and the Italian Aviazione Legionaria
blitzed this defenceless northern Spanish town in support of General Franco’s
Nationalists. There were many deaths and injuries. Pablo Picasso was moved to
paint his eponymous anti-war masterpiece in 1937.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Hamburg-born composer and
conductor Paul Dessau (1894-1979) suffered from persecution by the Nazis. In
1933 he fled Germany, taking refuge first in Paris, then in the United States.
After the cessation of hostilities, he eventually returned to East Berlin. His
piano solo, <i>Guernica</i>, was produced in 1938. At the time he was living in
Paris, so it is possible that he may have seen Picasso’s painting. This piano
piece has all the hallmarks of 12-tone music. Yet, there is nothing overtly
challenging here. Dessau uses the technique with flexibility, resulting in some
lyrical passages as well as harder edged moments. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The major event on this CD is
Felix Greissle’s transcription of Arnold Schoenberg’s Wind Quintet, op.26. It
has been renamed “Sonate” for flute and piano. At the time, Greissle was a
student living at Schoenberg’s house: he would eventually marry his eldest
daughter, Trudi.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">To be sure, the Quintet is one of
“the most abstract, most brittle” of Schoenberg’s compositions. Its long
duration of three quarters of an hour, make it quite a trial. Yet, historically,
it is deemed to be a “classical work of the twelve-note-technique.” <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The Quintet was written between
1923-1924. It is in four movements (<i>Allegro, Scherzo, Adagio</i> and <i>Rondo</i>).
Despite the use of serialism, there is a profound continuum between classical
sonata form and modernism.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">When Felix Greissle came to
transcribe the Quintet, Schoenberg was adamant that no note of the original
should be lost. To this end, every note not played by the flute was to be
included in the piano part. I have not seen the score of the Sonate, but it must
make it difficult for the pianist. One way or another, Greissle has managed to
syntheses all five wind parts for the solo flute. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The opening movement presents
themes, developments, recapitulations and even a coda. It may not seem obvious
to the listener, though. Equally traditional, at least formally, is the
quicksilver <i>Scherzo</i>. It may just be that it outstays its welcome. The
heart of the Quintet is the Adagio, which is in “ternary form.” The concluding <i>Rondo</i>
is the most congenial part of the work. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As part of my preparation for
this review, I listened to the “original” Wind Quintet. Although it is
difficult, I did begin to enjoy it. Certainly, I feel that the Sonate version
is more approachable, and would serve as a worthy introduction for the stronger
meat of the Quintet.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The Duo, featuring Luisa Sello
(flute) and Bruno Canino (piano) give commanding performances of these four
works, abetted by an excellent recording.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The liner notes by Danilo Prefumo
give a good outline of the music and its context. They are a little too long-winded
on the definition of “Middle-European” for the interests of most listeners.
Suffice to say the former Austro-Hungarian Empire and Germany is a good
approximation as a locus. The booklet is printed in Italian and English. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">This is a fascinating CD,
featuring four composers who are quite different in character but are united in
their response to political extremism.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<b>Track Listing:<br />Ernst Heinrich Krenek (1900-91)</b><br />Suite for flute and piano (1954)<br /><b>Emil František Burian (1904-59)</b><br />Ztracené Serenády for flute and piano (1940)<br /><b>Paul Dessau (1894-1979)</b><br />Guernica for piano (1938)<br /><b>Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)</b><br />“Sonate” for flute and piano (1923-24/1926) arr. Felix Greissle (1894-1982)<br />Luisa Sello (flute), Bruno Canino (piano)<br />rec. 3-4 February 2023, Black Mirror Studios, Udine, Italy<br /><b>Dynamic CDS7995</b>John Francehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661182422946581010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807018700599489326.post-56086791864468372112024-03-16T06:00:00.022+00:002024-03-16T06:00:00.139+00:00Hidden Holst No.1: Seven Scottish Airs (1907)<p><span style="text-align: justify;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKNdr6-4tm4u9QQGdDQFUdjPcNCdwL02XdehH3Jgq7sJbQmW196o4JCQrhuWoHRZKEkXi2fIMAI02hlSUB1xKCmh3P060lHCF8hLdrIEUayGanWWyFgl-sBxuTvF7tnDVXICYVbE3w7P7yDTej-u-2MimS3Jj2yrlL4osKK_ri_e5u1zlNVzL3m6__7eQ/s521/Poster%20Loch%20Lomond.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="521" data-original-width="362" height="407" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKNdr6-4tm4u9QQGdDQFUdjPcNCdwL02XdehH3Jgq7sJbQmW196o4JCQrhuWoHRZKEkXi2fIMAI02hlSUB1xKCmh3P060lHCF8hLdrIEUayGanWWyFgl-sBxuTvF7tnDVXICYVbE3w7P7yDTej-u-2MimS3Jj2yrlL4osKK_ri_e5u1zlNVzL3m6__7eQ/w282-h407/Poster%20Loch%20Lomond.png" width="282" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the coming days and months there will no doubt be many events to celebrate the Sesquicentennial Anniversary of Gustav Holst’s birth. <i>The Planets</i> may well feature at this year’s Proms. The English Music Festival has already programmed the <i>Cotswold Symphony, A Song of the Night</i>, and the <i>Hymns from the Rig Veda, 3rd Group</i> as well as some short choral pieces for their May Festival. Hopefully, there will be a raft of CDs, articles, and essays.</div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In <i>Cobbett’s Cyclopaedia
Survey of Chamber Music</i> (1929) Edwin Evans mentions that Holst’s only
published chamber work at that time was the <i>Seven Scottish Airs</i> written
during 1907. The composer did not want it mentioned in the <i>Survey</i>. He
was equally reticent about <i>Three Pieces</i> (1896/1910), a Wind Quintet in A
minor (1896) and a Quintet for winds in Ab major (1903). Since that time, much
of Holst’s chamber music has been published, and virtually all of it recorded.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The year of composition saw the
birth of Gustav and Isobel’s only child, Imogen. He had also been appointed
Director of Music at Morley College for Working Men and Women. Important works
from around this time included <i>A Somerset Rhapsody</i>, popular <i>Two Songs
Without Words</i>, and <i>Songs of the West, </i>all for orchestra.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>Seven Scottish Airs</i> was
originally composed for piano and strings and was deemed suitable for “school
purposes.” In a letter (15 April 1929) Holst told Evans that it was published
“because I was hard up.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
dedicated “To H.S.,” probably Harriet Solly, leader of the Solly String Quartet
and the Morley College Orchestra. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Michael Short (1990, p.80) states
that the piece was probably premiered at Leighton House by the Israfil Sextette
under the German title <i>Schottische Skizze</i> and was described by one
newspaper as ‘curious and eccentric’.” This information came from an undated
newspaper clipping found at the Holst Birthplace Museum, ostensibly from the <i>Daily
News</i>. I was unable to find this reference in the files of that publication.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<div style="text-align: justify;">Structurally, the Seven Scottish Airs is a rhapsody, with little development. The “airs” unfold one after the other. It includes the tunes: <i>The Women are a’ gane wud</i>, <i>My love’s in Germany, O how could ye gang, lassie, Stu mo run </i>(Red is the Path)<i>, We will take the good old way, O! gin I were where Gadie rins </i>and <i>Auld lang syne.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The work was published as No. 28 of <i>Novello's Albums </i>for pianoforte and stringed instruments. (Novello & Co., Ltd.). <i>The Musical Times</i> (1 April 1909, p.256) reviewer of the score stated that “Gustav von Holst has skilfully arranged seven Scottish airs as a quintet for pianoforte and strings. The setting should find favour in school circles where there are string orchestras. With the exception of Auld lang syne, which effectively concludes the whole, the chosen tunes are well away from the beaten track…The string parts present no special difficulties.”</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Michael Short (op. cit.) further explains
that Holst later wrote (5 November 1916) to his pupil Irene Bonnett, suggesting
that a chorus could be added to the ensemble: “You can get the words of the 7
Scot: Airs from almost any book of Scottish tunes. It just depends on how many
you want to use. A good way is to begin with the Stu mo run…then do “We will
take the good old way” <i>without</i> chorus: bring the latter in on “O Gin I
were” and then let them wait until the final entry of Auld Lang Syne. But probably
you'll hit on a better way.’! To my knowledge, this “version” has not been
performed or recorded.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The chamber edition of <i>Seven Scottish Airs</i> has been given at least one recording: Angèle
Dubeau & La Pietà – Les Violons Du Monde Analekta – MRK 8722 (2002), on <i>YouTube</i>,
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qunWsH1mR7w">here</a>.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In 2006, Alfred Publishing issued
Bob Phillips’ arrangement for full string orchestra and optional piano
accompaniment. The advertising blurb explains that this is a “great musical find...technically
easier than the <i>St. Paul's Suite</i>, but with a similar feel, <i>Seven
Scottish Airs</i> is the perfect introduction to the music of Holst.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Bob Phillips edition can be heard
on YouTube, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuNNubyJrWQ">here</a>. It
includes the full score. <o:p></o:p></p>John Francehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661182422946581010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807018700599489326.post-66069038191295239162024-03-13T06:00:00.022+00:002024-03-13T06:00:00.142+00:00Ravel, Berkeley and Pounds Orchestral Music on Chandos<p><span style="text-align: justify;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6d3DBnj5ClgG5Zj9KFg1g7_kb1ZJ0z6urr-m4FedrismvChzeeZbrz6R_G1nrdsY6D0Ub-af6U73BIa7iUvfiWaVf5cZ8iSA5hbIdPXqrWVy7u-RwcZXbvqkzcm7tclqnLt1mi3uHpzOeGwF-Ja79bWjEPuJDDe1Qojz0oyMwz0yZ_8Dua-hGs_MfdE/s225/Pounds%20Berkeley%20Ravel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6d3DBnj5ClgG5Zj9KFg1g7_kb1ZJ0z6urr-m4FedrismvChzeeZbrz6R_G1nrdsY6D0Ub-af6U73BIa7iUvfiWaVf5cZ8iSA5hbIdPXqrWVy7u-RwcZXbvqkzcm7tclqnLt1mi3uHpzOeGwF-Ja79bWjEPuJDDe1Qojz0oyMwz0yZ_8Dua-hGs_MfdE/w308-h308/Pounds%20Berkeley%20Ravel.jpg" width="308" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The ethos of this remarkable CD is to create a lineage between Maurice Ravel and Adam Pounds, by way of Lennox Berkeley, and, in the background Nadia Boulanger. To be sure, Berkeley did not formally study with the French master, but they had “firm bonds between mentor and protégé.” Through this relationship he was introduced to the artistic circles in pre-war Paris, and he did take lessons from Nadia Boulanger. The liner notes explain that “Ravel admired the sensuous side of Berkeley’s music when he was shown it, but felt it lacked technical finesse.”</div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">First up, is Ravel’s<i> Le
Tombeau de Couperin</i> (The Tomb of Couperin) (1914-17), which was originally
a piano suite. The composer insisted that it was “a tribute not so much to
Couperin himself as to Eighteenth Century French music in general.” Certainly,
each movement’s title nods to the 17<sup>th</sup>/18<sup>th</sup> century clavecinists
but uses “modern French harmonies.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Despite being written during the
First World War, this is not a depressing or even elegiac piece. That said,
each movement was dedicated to one of the composer’s friends who had been
killed in the fighting. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Ravel orchestrated <i>Le Tombeau</i>
in 1919, omitting the last two movements, the <i>Fugue,</i> and the <i>Toccata</i>.
The orchestral suite was first performed under Rhené-Baton, conducting the
Pasdeloup Orchestra on 28 February 1920. The neglected movements were
orchestrated by Kenneth Hesketh in 2013, using the same orchestral forces as
Ravel.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The Sinfonia of London give a
wonderful performance here, with especial magic created by the woodwind
department.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Lennox Berkeley’s <i>Divertimento</i>
for orchestra in B Flat Major, op.18 (1943), was commissioned by the BBC and is
dedicated to his teacher, the redoubtable Nadia Boulanger. The piece is in four
movements: <i>Prelude</i>, <i>Nocturne</i>, <i>Scherzo</i> and <i>Rondo</i>. It
was premiered at the Bedford Corn Exchange on 1 October 1943 by the BBC Symphony
Orchestra conducted by Clarence Raybould. The <i>Divertimento</i> has been well
summed up by the critic Alan Frank, (cited by Peter Dickinson, sleeve notes,
SRCD.226) who considers that Berkeley found “a light way of expressing serious
thought…illuminated by a Latin clarity.” Alec Robertson (<i>The Year’s Work in
Music, 1948-49</i>) states that the “<i>Divertimento…</i>is, at least in the
outer two movements, an excellent answer to the objection that the contemporary
composer leaves out so many things that people enjoy and includes so many that
they do not.”</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">There is always going to be a
discussion as to whether this work is to be regarded as “light music” or
something a little more serious. Certainly, the melancholy slow movement, and the
astringent scherzo, go beyond what would have been standard on <i>Friday Night
is Music Night</i>. It is given a powerful performance by the Sinfonia of
London.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Between 1946 and 1968 Lennox
Berkeley was Professor of Composition at the Royal Academy of Music. Adam Pounds
had sent some early scores to him, including his prize-winning Oboe Quartet by
way of “self-introduction.” Although retired from teaching, the elder man was
prepared to offer Pounds “a little general advice” beginning in 1976. This
arrangement lasted for three years. The booklet explains that “Berkeley
constantly impressed…the importance of always composing with the needs of
performers in mind, and above all with clarity and economy: ‘write only the
notes you need!’ was his defining mantra.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I am beholden to Mervyn Cooke’s
liner notes for background details to Adam Pounds’ Symphony No.3. This grew out
of his reaction to the succession of national lockdowns engendered by the
Covid19 pandemic beginning early 2020. Actual composition was between February
and May 2021, during the second major lockdown. Pounds has stated that he has
captured the “<span style="background: white;">sadness, humour,
determination and defiance” which was the emotional response by the public at
large.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">The Symphony is conceived in four contrasting movements, reflecting
the above-mentioned sentiments. The orchestra is small and devoid “of vast
ranks of percussion, or multiple brass instruments.” Stylistically, the work is
tonal, with little in the way of harsh dissonances and few modernistic melodic
or rhythmic devices. </span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">The opening movement presents three ideas that are occasionally
Ravelian in mood and at times echoing the redoubtable “Cheltenham Symphony” –
and none the worse for that. It creates a sense of “the dawning of a new,
uneasy day.” There are “two interruptions by fast, powerfully dynamic music
suggestive of what Pounds has termed ‘a driving force of determination.’” The
second movement is a “waltz.” Cooke states that it is in the “well-established
tradition of unsettling <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">danses macabres </i>to
which composers as diverse as Saint-Saëns, Britten and Shostakovich memorably
contributed.” I am not sure just how ghoulish I found it. It is certainly a
tour de force of orchestral writing, which, dare I say, could easily become
excerpted on <i>Classic fM</i>. The heart of the Symphony is the slow <i>Elegy</i>
which is dedicated to all those who lost their lives during the pandemic. I am
not a fan of Anton Bruckner, but I get Pounds’ point that it has the “strong
influence” of that composer. It is quite beautiful and deeply moving. The
finale, which projects “defiance,” opens with a march that nods to
Shostakovich. Echoes of earlier movements emerge, bringing the symphony to a fulfilling
and bold conclusion. Whatever the impact of Covid19 on this work, it is filled
with optimism and never gives in to hopelessness. It is a splendid addition to the
British symphonic repertoire.</span>The
performances are both authoritative and satisfying, complimented by an
outstanding sound recording. Mervyn
Cooke’s programme notes are helpful at all times. They are printed in German
and French as well as English. Resumes of the Sinfonia of London and John
Wilson are included.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">This
remarkable new CD explores three fulfilling works by three composer that are
interconnected by pedagogical history. </span><o:p></o:p></p><b>Track Listing:<br />Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) </b><br />Le Tombeau de Couperin (1914-17, 1919) <br /><b>Lennox Berkeley (1903-89) </b><br />Divertimento in B flat major, op.18 (1943) <br /><b>Adam Pounds (b.1954) </b><br />Symphony No.3 (2021) <br />Sinfonia of London/John Wilson <br />rec. 22-24 November 2022, Church of St Augustine, Kilburn, London. <br /><b>Chandos CHSA 5324 SACD</b><br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"></span></p>John Francehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661182422946581010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807018700599489326.post-32392791228364923702024-03-10T06:00:00.000+00:002024-03-10T06:00:00.239+00:00Bruce Montgomery/Edmund Crispin: A Life in Music and Books by David Whittle<p><i style="text-align: justify;"></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_GswYimhyphenhyphenUQvNH6DQBtUgBHTMWfdKDRj4_LMfotZoXNcMkyenyMQXPdhhAGAg6AQJsMEdYi3QNePWLpS4XyUhNbgkLoBeWF2b7chxL3CBrxQXjkVgP7f-SkBzXRYcUkCj6_IVaWs-eYexF16Uq8wJBbLTnJ1mEtsnAlYBfnBQI1guMV5YMJDnlzlTxc/s500/Bruce%20Montgomery_Edmund%20Crispin_A%20Life%20in%20Music%20and%20Books%20by%20David%20Whittle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="330" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_GswYimhyphenhyphenUQvNH6DQBtUgBHTMWfdKDRj4_LMfotZoXNcMkyenyMQXPdhhAGAg6AQJsMEdYi3QNePWLpS4XyUhNbgkLoBeWF2b7chxL3CBrxQXjkVgP7f-SkBzXRYcUkCj6_IVaWs-eYexF16Uq8wJBbLTnJ1mEtsnAlYBfnBQI1guMV5YMJDnlzlTxc/w253-h383/Bruce%20Montgomery_Edmund%20Crispin_A%20Life%20in%20Music%20and%20Books%20by%20David%20Whittle.jpg" width="253" /></a></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>This book review was originally published on MusicWeb International during June 2007. Despite David Whittle’s volume being an excellent study of Bruce Montgomery, there seems to have been little revival in the performance of his music. On the other hand, virtually all his detective novels and short stories are available in print or Kindle. I have made several corrections to the review.</i></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It was on the former P&O
liner <i>Oriana</i> that I discovered Bruce Montgomery. In fact, it was quite a
coincidence, with three strands coming together at once. Let me explain. The
cruise's first ‘leg’ was the long but relaxing journey from Southampton to
Barcelona. I spent most of the time eating, reading, swimming in the Riviera pool,
and listening to a carefully chosen play list on my iPod. An annoying habit I
developed was whistling the ‘hornpipe’ as I walked round the promenade deck.
But not just any ‘hornpipe’ – it was the catchy version used in that comedy
classic - at least I think so - <i>Carry on Cruising</i>. I could talk for
hours about this film. There are so many ‘classic’ lines – "I’ve been up
to the sharp end; I’ve been to the blunt end…" "Italy has nothing to
offer me I cannot get here (the bar!) – break out the Chianti …" etc. etc.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Recently, I had been reading an
article about detective novels in general and so-called ‘locked room’ mysteries.
One of the texts mentioned was a book called <i>The Moving Toyshop</i> by an
author called Edmund Crispin. This was part of my holiday reading. And last,
but not least, I listened to a certain Concertino for String Orchestra. It was
not part of my plan to make connections – but I did. I soon realised that all
three of the above indulgences were written or composed by a remarkable, if melancholic
man called Bruce Montgomery. So, the opportunity to review this masterly book
by David Whittle was a most welcome, educational, and thoroughly enjoyable
opportunity.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I imagine that few folks will
have heard of Bruce Montgomery, yet there will be hardly a person in the United
Kingdom who is not acquainted with at least half a dozen of his film scores. I
have already alluded to <i>Carry on Cruising</i> – add to this <i>Constable</i>,
<i>Nurse</i>, <i>Regardless</i>, <i>Sergeant</i> and <i>Teacher</i>. I can only
presume that most people (of a certain age) must respond to at least one of
these classic excursions into camp British comedy. But it was not just music
for the <i>Carry On</i> films: he provided scores for the equally enjoyable <i>Doctor
</i>movies starring the redoubtable Dirk Bogarde, Leslie Phillips, and James
Robertson Justice. How often do we look for the composer’s name in the credits
of a film? I guess rarely.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Bruce Montgomery was born in
Chesham Bois in 1921. He had a good education both locally and at St John’s
College, Oxford. He studied modern languages and subsequently filled the vacant
post of organ scholar there – the incumbent had gone off to fight Hitler.
Montgomery was inspired to write his first detective novel after reading a book
by one of the mid-century doyens of that genre, John Dickson Carr. He finished <i>The
Case of the Gilded Fly</i> in an unbelievably brief time, and it was equally
speedily published by Victor Gollancz in 1944. It was the first foray of the
detective/don Gervase Fen into the criminal complexities of Oxford. Fen, a
professor of English Language, was to feature in most of Montgomery’s
subsequent crime writings. The detective novels were all authored using the
pseudonym of Edmund Crispin.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It is surprising that nowhere in
this book does Whittle suggest that Gervase Fen may have had a profound
influence on Colin Dexter and his ‘scholarly policeman’ Detective Chief
Inspector Endeavour Morse.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Concurrently with his authoring,
Montgomery was keen to follow a musical career. His early works were small
scale piano pieces and anthems. His magnum opus is <i>An Oxford Requiem </i>which
was commissioned by the Oxford Bach Choir to celebrate the Festival of Britain
in 1951. Whittle quotes <i>The Times</i> critic as thinking that this is
“Montgomery’s most considerable achievement to date; it confirms the suspicion
that he is a composer with something of real significance to say."
According to Whittle’s evidence and the contemporary assessments, a recording
is long overdue.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It is clear from reading the
musical analyses in this book that Bruce Montgomery was not a major ‘concert
hall’ composer. He had twenty-four pieces published – most of which was choral
or vocal music. However, two key works stand out for me – the above-mentioned <i>Concertino</i>
(an overly modest title) and the <i>Overture to a Fairy Tale</i>. In addition,
there are the attractive <i>Scottish Aubade</i> and the <i>Scottish Lullaby</i>
– both adaptations of film scores. These would be a feather in the cap of anyone.
They are interesting, well-wrought and full of character. In fact, apart from
the film scores, they represent everything that is recorded and easily
available on CD.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">When Bruce Montgomery turned his
hand to the lucrative business of film music, his career really took off. In
total, he provided the scores for some forty odd films of greater or lesser
importance. His biggest achievement was in producing both the score and the
screenplay for <i>Raising the Wind</i> – a humorous story about music students.
Whittle tells the tale that Kenneth Williams and Leslie Phillips were coached by
him on how to conduct Rossini’s <i>William Tell Overture</i>. Montgomery
himself had a cameo role in this film.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Alas, Montgomery had a propensity
to fail to meet the strict deadlines that the film producers imposed. This came
to a head when the score for <i>Carry on Cruising</i> had to be completed by
Eric Rogers. The years after <i>Carry On Cruising</i> marked a decline in his fortunes.
Poor health and alcoholism led to long stays in clinics, minimal work, and
financial insecurity. He spent the last fifteen years of his life contributing
reviews to <i>The Times</i>, editing collections of Science Fiction stories and
finishing his ninth and last novel, <i>The Glimpses of the Moon</i>. Bruce
Montgomery died on 15 September 1978.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The story presented in these
pages is not really one of poor to rich or vice versa. It is a survey of a man
who struggled with several problems – some of his own making and others that
were just part of his lot. Montgomery had his moments of fame in the first four
decades of his life. The last sixteen or so years seemed to many of his friends
to be a let-down, yet Whittle rightly insists that it must "not be allowed
to obscure the achievements of his earlier years."</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I read the analysis of the novel,
<i>The Moving Toyshop</i>. There is much useful and helpful information here
that increased my understanding of the book. Yet I wonder if there are ‘plot
spoilers’ lurking around here if I had not already read the novel. I avoided
perusing the detailed studies of the other books and short stories: I do want
to read these stories and I do not want to have the plot revealed or even
hinted at. I recall an edition of Sherlock Holmes and <i>The Hound of the
Baskervilles </i>where the culprit was named and shamed in the introduction!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The study of the musical
compositions is impressive. The important pieces are all treated to two or
three or more pages of close written text. For example, the fine <i>Concertino</i>
for Strings has five pages of detailed discussion and nine helpful musical
examples. It is really a model for discussing an unknown work and raising the
awareness of the listener.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The author discovers significance
in examining Montgomery’s relationship with ‘famous men.’ I did not know for
example that he was close friends with Philip Larkin and Kingsley Amis. These
two men encouraged Montgomery when he was sliding into the unproductive phase
of his career.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The present volume feels good,
although I guess a ‘glossy’ cover may just have improved the first impression.
There are photographs and dozens of musical examples. Whittle has quoted
extensively from the letters of Larkin, Amis, and other key players in the
Montgomery story. Separate appendices provide considerable essays on <i>Detective
Fiction</i> and <i>Film Music</i>. There is a list of works – both literary and
musical and a brief (necessarily so) discography. A short bibliography
concludes the documentation.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">David Whittle has been involved
with music from an early age. He was Head Chorister at Peterborough Cathedral
and studied music at Nottingham University. At present, (2007) he is Director
of Music at Leicester Grammar School. Whittle regularly gives organ recitals
and is also interested in performing ‘big band’ music. Yet another facet of his
musical interest is the harp: he plays with an Irish folk music group in the
school. The author enjoys British Music of the 20th century and has an interest
in an earlier age in the 16th century which goes with the territory of spending
much time in the organ loft. He is interested in detection fiction – he has
contributed to the <i>Oxford Companion to Crime and Mystery Writing</i>. The
author told me that he is minded to pen a detective story of his own.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>Bruce Montgomery/Edmund
Crispin: A Life in Music and Books </i>is a fine volume. It is extensively
researched and is written in an approachable style. However, it is a scholarly
book and will have a limited market. Notwithstanding, this market will reach
out in quite a few directions – including students of film and classical music,
detective fiction, Philip Larkin, and Kingsley Amis.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<b><i>Bruce Montgomery/Edmund Crispin: A Life in Music and Books</i>: David Whittle </b><br />Ashgate 2007 £60 314pp <br />ISBN-13: 978-0-7546-3443-0 <br />ISBN-10: 0-7546-3443-4John Francehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661182422946581010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807018700599489326.post-60478187057095378002024-03-07T06:00:00.009+00:002024-03-07T06:00:00.151+00:00Alan Rawsthorne: Elegiac Rhapsody (1964)<p><span style="text-align: justify;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLd_N4ItObcemqqlZGrrsqIyqs5SKtF0as-n7-5cFTHDd4GhmzaAzL-ZTZkRFlwcJBjP3eQ3Nj7V1HzsYyKnlycHs3lR1Kvf42kg3sNIvZdvslK3a59hxViQVmt7AvCbFnFNApLeqpRtxbSR7R-_-2n1rYUpW3j0UXm5ce5SCpezfn_4YqXpFD6yZzE28/s286/ALAN%20RAWSTHORNE%20%20image%20from%20MWI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="286" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLd_N4ItObcemqqlZGrrsqIyqs5SKtF0as-n7-5cFTHDd4GhmzaAzL-ZTZkRFlwcJBjP3eQ3Nj7V1HzsYyKnlycHs3lR1Kvf42kg3sNIvZdvslK3a59hxViQVmt7AvCbFnFNApLeqpRtxbSR7R-_-2n1rYUpW3j0UXm5ce5SCpezfn_4YqXpFD6yZzE28/s1600/ALAN%20RAWSTHORNE%20%20image%20from%20MWI.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The <i>Elegiac Rhapsody</i> (originally titled <i>Rhapsody for String Instruments, Elegiac Fragments</i>) was written “In Memoriam Louis MacNeice,” who had died on 3 September 1963. The Irish poet and playwright was a long-standing friend of the composer. John M Belcher (Liner Notes 8.553567) explains that it consists “of two elegiac statements stated at the outset, the first expressing sorrow and resignation, the second vehement protest.” The progress of the Rhapsody is an “exploration of their contrasting relationships and gives the work its rondo-like structure of alternating slow and quick sections, with the slow sections becoming slower as the work progresses, patterning the ebb and flow of grief.”</div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Rawsthorne’s other compositions around
this time, included the Symphony No.3, String Quartet No.3, a Suite for Brass Band,
and the film score for <i>Messenger of the Mountains</i>.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The <i>Elegiac Rhapsody</i> was
premiered at the Victoria and Albert Museum on 26 January 1964. The Hirsch
Chamber Players were conducted by their leader Leonard Hirsch. Other music
heard included Grieg’s <i>Holberg Suite</i> and Sibelius’s Romance in C. There
was also a performance of Mozart’s Adagio and Fugue in C minor, and extracts
from Bach’s <i>Art of the Fugue</i> arranged by Robert Simpson.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Donald Mitchell from the <i>Daily
Telegraph</i> (27 January 1964, p.14) noted that Rawsthorne was in the audience
at the previous evening’s concert. An important observation explained that the
as the work progressed, the two ideas presented at the start are “gradually
blurred” and that what “was fragmentary at the outset has achieved a quite
impressive degree of unification.” A
common thread in criticism of the <i>Elegiac Rhapsody</i> was that there were
“a few passages which seemed mechanically, rather than naturally extended.”
This was odd for such a short work. The critic heard the influence of Bartok.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Colin Mason, writing in the <i>Manchester
Guardian</i> (27 January 1964, p.9) was impressed with the concert’s “eclectic
programme.” About the <i>Rhapsody</i> he states: “Belying its title [Elegiac
Fragments] it is a continuous piece in several sections, which cling fairly
closely to the thematic material expounded in the first two of them, expressive
respectively of ‘sorrow and resignation’ and ‘vehement protest.’ Mason thinks that “both musical ideas are
quite striking, and [that] Rawsthorne develops them with characteristic skill,
though without making them yield a higher emotional temperature than at their
first statement and not without sometimes lapsing into merely decorative
flourishes.” It was given an outstanding performance by the ensemble.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>The Times</i> reviewer (27
January 1964, p.5) notices the contrasting sections. He considers that it is
the “sorrowful resignation” mood that predominates, rather than that of
“vehement protest.” He spots various Bartokian elements including the “almost
rhythmless imitative treatment of three note figures” in the works opening
pages. Negatively, the faster sections that “one senses a certain flagging in
the music’s impulse.” Perhaps Rawsthorne adopted “routine” development
processes. A highlight is “a passage of uncommon beauty, where four solo
instruments have sustained notes against groups of throbbing chords.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Donald Mitchell’s colleague, John
Warrack at the <i>Sunday Telegraph</i> (1 February 1964, p.13) felt that the
Rhapsody “mourns Louis MacNeice, in a tone of voice whose quiet grace of
utterance he would have appreciated.” Top of his praise was the “beautiful
craftsmanship” of the piece with Rawsthorne demonstrating “the really skilled
composer’s ability to move at the right pace and with the right means between
the different sections s that the listener is carried with the composer’s
thought, here coming to share the double mood of mourning.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The score of the <i>Elegiac
Rhapsody</i> was published by Oxford University Press during 1964. In an assessment
by E.R. (<i>Music and Letters</i>, July 1965, p.283), he states that “…one [is]
conscious of a really musical mind shaping the somewhat Bartokian material to
personal ends…the mood is, therefore, in spite of changes of tempi,
consistently sombre. It is, nevertheless, sensitively varied in texture, and is
nowhere less than interesting.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In 1999, Naxos Records issued the
only recording of the <i>Elegiac Rhapsody</i> to date (8.553567). The work was
played by the Northern Chamber Orchestra conducted by David Lloyd-Jones. Other numbers
on the disc include Rawsthorne’s Concerto for Orchestra, the <i>Concertante
pastorale</i> for flute, horn and strings, <i>Light Music</i> for strings
(based on Catalan tunes), the <i>Divertimento</i> for chamber orchestra, as
well as John McCabe’s orchestration of the Suite for recorder. This version of
the Rhapsody has been uploaded to YouTube, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX7LU10Z6Qw">here</a>. Also online, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7cFjupqn0o">here</a>, is Raymond Leppard
and the English Chamber Orchestra recorded in Gloucester Cathedral. No date is
given.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>John Francehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661182422946581010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807018700599489326.post-27367937547959532182024-03-04T06:00:00.027+00:002024-03-05T07:29:22.520+00:00The Great Organ of Aarhus Cathedral<p><span style="text-align: justify;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEnOkRQ2pEvCCl7FJ5VelAL0ALB6AZqGI5NbDUWsACNO9vJHwN45tsrYEwFhhginghj9rEgVQixDxaY-Q6EbrABV1J1gjLye5CI-V-LLsMhkSE4pvwn7rdbkxPxxl0kEdhxRLat1FHCdHTiDXkq6OyUHgotbs2lDdrmJ2hU4y3DsMkCiU34yGi2RWpsY8/s1000/DACOCD-971-972-Cover-scaled.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEnOkRQ2pEvCCl7FJ5VelAL0ALB6AZqGI5NbDUWsACNO9vJHwN45tsrYEwFhhginghj9rEgVQixDxaY-Q6EbrABV1J1gjLye5CI-V-LLsMhkSE4pvwn7rdbkxPxxl0kEdhxRLat1FHCdHTiDXkq6OyUHgotbs2lDdrmJ2hU4y3DsMkCiU34yGi2RWpsY8/s320/DACOCD-971-972-Cover-scaled.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The raison d’être of this two CD
publication is to celebrate the recent restoration of the organ in Aarhus
Cathedral, Denmark. This is brilliantly achieved through text, photographs and
two recitals. The packaging includes a sumptuous 70-page hardback book, which
tells the story of the restoration. There are also descriptive notes for all
the pieces, as well as resumes of the two performers. Naturally, the organ
specification is also given.</div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The instrument is the largest in
the country, with ninety-six speaking stops. Its history ranges over four
centuries, with the most recent rebuild and restoration by the Danish company,
Marcussen & Søn Orgelbyggeri, conducted between 2018 and 2020. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Kristian Krogsøe is the organist
of Aarhus Cathedral, as well as a guest professor at the Royal Danish Academy
of Music in Copenhagen. He presents the first recital.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The performance gets off to a splendid
start with British composer Percy Whitlock’s <i>Fanfare, </i>the last of his <i>Four
Extemporisations</i> (1933). It is in ternary form, with an exuberant opening
and closing sections characterised by rhythmical energy, bookending a quiet, reflective
passage with hints of Delius. This recording is a “showcase” for the organ’s
powerful Tuba Mirabilis.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Johann Sebastian Bach’s <i>Partite
diverse sopra "Sei gegrüßet, Jesu gütig</i>, BWV 768, was written over a
number of years. Beginning around 1705, Bach was still developing it when he
was at Weimar between 1707 and 1717. The partita is based on the “given” choral
melody played, incidentally, on the original 18<sup>th</sup> century façade
pipes. This is followed by eleven variations which allow for considerable
exploration of the organ’s timbres. Overall, it is a masterclass in the art of
variation.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">French composer Jean-Baptiste
Robin is a new name to me. <i>Regard vers l’Air</i> (Looking towards the Aïr)
was published in 2007. The liner notes explain that this is a “homage to the Aïr
Mountains in Niger.” Despite the booklet’s suggestion that the piece depicts
“various soundscapes and elements [that] blend together in an imaginative
whole” it is hard going. To be fair, Robin uses a vast range of the “colours of
the organ” in his exposition of his tribute. The texture and dynamics range
from “light arabesques” to “massive tuttis.” The impact of <i>Regard vers l’Air</i>
is just a little too eclectic for its own good.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">For me, Marcel Dupré’s <i>Symphonie-Passion</i>
is the highlight of this first recital. It began life as an improvisation made during
a concert at Wanamaker’s Department Store in Philadelphia, during 1921. The
themes were handed to Dupré by members of the audience. He immediately began to
improvise a four-movement structure which followed the life of Christ. The four
are <i>The world awaiting the Saviour</i>, <i>Nativity</i>, <i>Crucifixion</i>
and <i>Resurrection</i>. When Dupré returned to France he began to “write up”
the work based on his recall of the concert. The restless opening section, suggesting
anticipation, is followed by the Christmas story, imagining cribs and wise men.
This is gentle and pensive. The <i>Crucifixion</i> is “doom-laden” with angular
harmonies and plodding pedals. It comes as no surprise that the finale, <i>Resurrection</i>,
is a full-blown Toccata in the finest “French Manner.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The second recital is given by
Anders Johnsson, who is currently organist at St Andrew’s Church in Malmö,
Sweden. He is also associate professor in organ playing at the Malmö Academy of
Music.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Dietrich Buxtehude’s <i>Magnificat
primi toni</i> BuxWV 203 is based on a Gregorian Magnificat melody. “Primi
toni” means that it is set in the Dorian mode (White notes on D). The resulting
piece is a combination of eight sections, with some being improvisatory or
fantasia-like and others being fugal. It ends with a virtuosic finale.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">American organist, composer and
professor Searle Wright’s <i>Lyric Rhapsody</i> pushes the stylistic
boundaries. Every so often it is ethereal, then climactic. Does it nod to film
music, jazz, or modernism? Plenty of opportunities for the soloist to exploit
various solo stops and colourful combinations.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Beethoven wrote no major works
for the organ. There are, apparently, a few fugal exercises. The <i>Suite für
eine Spieluhr</i> Wo0 33 (1799) was originally devised for a large
“self-playing” organ in Vienna. Andre Isoir has realised the three movements
for a “normal” organ. These miniatures sound well here, with imaginative
registrations.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">César Franck’s <i>Deuxième Choral</i>
in B minor (1890) opens with a short passacaglia which builds up from the
opening pedal notes, before embarking on an involved exploration of moods and
emotions. There are interludes, fugal passages and a “fantastical recitative”
for full organ. The overall impression is one of gloom or deep introspection.
Positive moods do occur as the work progresses, and there are some stupendous
climaxes. Yet, it is the serenity of the conclusion that captures the
imagination.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">If I were to declare what I
considered to be the ultimate piece of “pure” or “absolute” music, it would
have to be J.S. Bach <i>Chaconne</i> in D minor, from the Partita II for violin
solo, BWV 1004. Many years ago, I first heard it in Busoni’s renowned
transcription for piano solo – I was seriously impressed. It has been arranged
for multiple combinations of instruments, including Stokowski’s for full
orchestra. This version for organ was made by Ulisse Matthey, onetime organist,
and professor of music in Milan. This is a successful transcription in every
way that preserves the “spiritually powerful, emotionally powerful,
structurally perfect” nature of the original.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Léon Boëllmann is best recalled
for his <i>Suite Gothique</i> (1895) with its uplifting <i>Toccata</i>. In
fact, he produced concertos, a symphony, chamber works and piano music. His <i>Ronde
Française</i> (op.37 (1896) was originally written for piano (or cello and piano?)
and was arranged for organ by Gaston Choisnel. It is a charming modal work that
never strays from the white notes on the keyboard and pedals.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Anders Johnsson concludes his
recital with three wonderful pieces of Vierne taken from two books of <i>Pièces
de Fantasie</i> dating from 1926-27. <i>Naïades</i> is justly regarded for its
sheer virtuosity, evoking the doings of the mythical daughters of the god
Poseidon. This performance shimmers with rapid scales, and overt impressionism.
The <i>Sicilienne</i>, from the second Suite, is more thoughtful but never
morose. It is a little rondo, with a theme introduced by a soft reed stop on
the swell. There are three refrains and two episodes, with the chromatic
accompaniment getting more complex as it progresses. The final piece is a
warhorse. From start to finish the <i>Toccata</i> is an unrelenting perpetuum
mobile, that tests the organist’s skill to the extreme. It ends in absolute triumph.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Little more needs be said. The
organ sounds magnificent. This is an excellent package: superb performances,
great sound quality, brilliant documentation and rewarding programming. In the
opening days of 2024, this CD and book are already on my list of recordings of
the year.</p><b>Track Listing:<br />CD1<br />Percy Whitlock (1903-46)</b><br />Fanfare, from Four Extemporisations (1933)<br /><b>Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)</b><br />Partite diverse sopra "Sei gegrüßet, Jesu gütig, BWV 768 (c.1705)<br /><b>Jean-Baptiste Robin (b.1976)</b><br />Regard vers l’Air (2007)<br /><b>Marcel Dupré (1886-1971)</b><br />Symphonie-Passion, op.23 (1921/25)<br /><b>CD2<br />Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707)</b><br />Magnificat primi toni BuxWV 203 (?)<br /><b>Searle Wright (1918-2004)<br /></b>Lyric Rhapsody (1957)<br /><b>Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)</b><br />Suite für eine Spieluhr Wo0 33 (1799) arr. André Isoir (1935-2016)<br /><b>César Franck (1822-1890)</b><br />Deuxième Choral en si mineur (1890)<br /><b>Johann Sebastian Bach</b><br />Ciaccona in re minore from Parita II for violin solo, BWV 1004, realised for organ by Ulisse Matthey (1876-1957)<br /><b>Léon Boëllmann (1862-1897)</b><br />Ronde Française, op.37 (1896) arr. Gaston Choisnel (1857-1921)<br /><b>Louis Vierne (1870-1937)</b><br />From Pieces de Fantaisie (1926-27): Naïades, op.55, no.4; Sicilienne, op.53, no.2; Toccata, op.53 no.6<br />Kristian Krogsøe (organ) CD1, Anders Johnsson (organ) CD2<br />rec. 2022-2023 Aarhus Cathedral<br /><b>Danacord DACOCD 971-972<br />With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published. </b>John Francehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661182422946581010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807018700599489326.post-73433095089974249122024-03-01T06:00:00.010+00:002024-03-01T06:00:00.143+00:00Alun Hoddinott: Jack Straw: Overture for orchestra, op.35 (1964)<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05HQjuWjjd9w37IKP3qZU_9mRCK7-miA64gDm6ATOKhM2BR8m0BxYO5nJE4ZWu2afq0f8eZrQcDRIaq7qqSxqtXB31J74ulJwjoSBoDXj_80exI53TW-5nflmZoBEgf_MsoP9ylHoHd0yowtpixn2QXS4yrfHlsVe3cq-Nx-YXnEHZnJzr1sW6ahVfcM/s1000/Jean_Froissart,_Chroniques,.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="964" data-original-width="1000" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05HQjuWjjd9w37IKP3qZU_9mRCK7-miA64gDm6ATOKhM2BR8m0BxYO5nJE4ZWu2afq0f8eZrQcDRIaq7qqSxqtXB31J74ulJwjoSBoDXj_80exI53TW-5nflmZoBEgf_MsoP9ylHoHd0yowtpixn2QXS4yrfHlsVe3cq-Nx-YXnEHZnJzr1sW6ahVfcM/s320/Jean_Froissart,_Chroniques,.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Sixty years ago, on 1 May 1964, Alun Hoddinott’s <i>Jack Straw: Overture for orchestra</i>, op.35, was premiered at the King’s Hall in Aberystwyth. The New Philharmonia Orchestra was conducted by Walter Suskind. The work had been commissioned by the Welsh Committee of the Arts Council.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;">Jack Straw was a fourteenth century
English revolutionary, associated with the Peasant’s Revolt. He is a shadowy
character who may be an alias of Wat Tyler or possibly identified with fellow
insurgent John Rakestraw. In 1381, with an army of 100,000 men, Straw, Tyler,
and John Ball marched on London. Much damage was done to the Temple, there were
burnings of prisons and the destruction of the Monastery of St John of
Jerusalem in Clerkenwell. The Archbishop of Canterbury, in residence at the
Tower of London, was executed. Wat Tyler was killed in Smithfield by the Lord
Mayor of London, William Walworth.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Reasons for the uprising included
the aftermath of the Black Death, inept government and church, lack of equality
under the law, as well as the “third poll tax” which levied one shilling per
head of population. The aims of the Peasant’s Revolt were manifold, including
the abolition of serfdom and rescinding of the Third Poll Tax. </span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Jack Straw is remembered today at
the eponymous tavern on Hampstead Heath. </span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;">Hoddinott completed his overture
during April 1964. It was later published by Lengnick and Co. The </span><i>Overture</i><span style="background-color: white;">
was rescored during 1980 for a larger orchestra.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;">There has been a single recording of
the </span><i>Overture</i><span style="background-color: white;">. In 1982 it was included on the Unicorn LP (RHD 401) along
with the </span><i>Sinfonia Fidei</i><span style="background-color: white;"> (1977) and the </span><i>Nocturnes and Cadenzas</i><span style="background-color: white;"> for
cello and orchestra (1968). The Philharmonia Orchestra was conducted by Charles
Groves. In 2009, the Overture was reissued on CD (Lyrita SRCD.334). This album
included several works by Alun Hoddinott, William Mathais, and Daniel Jones.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;">Rob Barnett (</span><i>MusicWeb
International</i><span style="background-color: white;">, 9 July 2009) reviewing the Lyrita CD, considered that “This
[Overture] is …thorny [and] replete with gawky impudence, conspiratorial asides,
and explosively dissonant expostulations.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Steven J Haller, writing in the <i>American
Record Guide</i> (May/June 2011, on-line edition) reflected that “</span>Hoddinott is
almost too effusive for his own good, lavishing so many good tunes on a piece
that's over almost before it begins.”<span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;">In a brief review of the Lyrita
release, </span><i>The Gramophone</i><span style="background-color: white;"> (November 2012, p.91) David Threasher revealed
that “Alun Hoddinott was allegedly most amused when his overture’s latter-day
namesake [the Labour politician, Jack Straw]…rose to the exalted position of
Home Secretary... His 1964 overture (revised in 1980, just in time for the
Revolt’s 600th anniversary) starts ominously but soon opens out into a
winningly jaunty main section full of Hoddinott’s characteristically deft orchestration.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is not programme music. There
is no suggestion that Hoddinott was trying to create a character sketch akin to
Richard Strauss’s </span><i>Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks</i><span style="background-color: white;">, op. 28 or even Walton’s
</span><i>Scapino.</i><span style="background-color: white;"> The </span><i>Overture</i><span style="background-color: white;"> can be listened to with no reference to
historical events.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;">Rob Barnett (op.cit.) has suggested
that <i>Jack Straw</i> “hangs together only loosely” and is not completely convincing.
Fundamentally, there is nothing wrong with this piece, but a large amount of
material seems have been used in what is only a five-minute work. It seems
terribly wasteful and can lead to a feeling of unease. If only Hoddinott could
have expanded it a wee bit: there are so many promising ideas here that just
cry out to be developed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;">The Philharmonia Orchestra/Charles
Groves recording can be heard on YouTube, </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpI3_a6EzRE">here</a><span style="background-color: white;">.</span></p>John Francehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661182422946581010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807018700599489326.post-54389597138801380252024-02-27T06:00:00.007+00:002024-02-27T06:00:00.147+00:00Lennox Berkeley: Sonatina for piano duet, op.39 (1954)<div style="text-align: justify;">Seventy years ago, on the 8 July 1954, Lennox Berkeley’s elegant Sonatina for piano duet, op.39 was given its premiere performance by Michael Linsey and Sybil Jones at the College of Art, Stoke on Trent. I was unable to find any reviews of this recital.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The Sonatina was composed shortly
after he had completed his operas <i>A Dinner Engagement</i>, op.45 and <i>Nelson</i>,
op.41. Other pieces written at this time include the incidental music to
Goethe’s play, <i>Iphigenia in Taurus</i>, the motet <i>Crux fidelis</i>,
op.43, no.1 and the anthem <i>Look up, Sweet Babe</i>, op.43, no.2. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020;">Alec Rowley in </span><em style="color: #202020;">Musical Times</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020;"> (December
1954, p.660) succinctly summed up Lennox Berkeley’s Sonatina: “a minimum of
notes, [and] refinement of taste […] in texture, it is a true Sonatina, and in
appearance, ingenuous and stark in outline.” </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020;">This bleakness becomes less fearsome on repeated hearings. In
fact, there is significant warmth and elegance in much of this refreshing
music. The three nicely contrasted movements feature lively syncopation in the
opening </span><i style="color: #202020;">Allegro moderato</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020;">, well-considered lyricism in the </span><i style="color: #202020;">Andante</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020;">,
and a conclusion with a definite nod to Poulenc in the Allegro finale.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The first London performance was
given at the Wigmore Hall, by Uza Fuchsova
and Paul Hamburger on 18th January 1955. A wide-ranging recital included
Beethoven’s <i>8 Variations on a Theme by Count Waldstein</i>, WoO 67 and
Schubert’s <i>Variations on a Theme from Hérold's 'Marie',</i> Op. 82, No. 1
(D.908). There were other works by Mozart, Mendelssohn, Dvorak and Moszkowski.
The only other modern piece was Peter Racine Fricker’s <i>Nocturne and Scherzo</i>,
long since disappeared from the repertoire.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>The Times</i> (24 January 1954, p.3) reviewer was impressed by the Berkeley duet: “In
his Sonatina Berkeley again revealed his blessedly welcome gift of never
writing a note too many, either from viewpoint of length or clarity of texture.
All three movements were most cunningly disposed for the four hands,
particularly the limpid middle <i>Andante</i>.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 290.6pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Equally complimentary was the brief assessment by
Mosco Carner in the <i>Daily Telegraph</i> (19 January 1955, p.8): “[The]
Sonatina was terse in expression without being blunt, admirably clear in form
and transparent in sonority. The last movement in particular, with its discrete
contrapuntal interest was a model of four-hand piano writing.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 290.6pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Donald Mitchell in the <i>Musical Times</i> (March
1955, p.151) reported that “Lennox Berkeley's three-movement Sonatina sounded
marvellous throughout and its invention was as crisp as its textures. The work
offered Mr. Berkeley's customary charm and elegance but perhaps rather less
than his usual amount of memorable composition.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 290.6pt; text-align: justify;">Lennox Berkeley’s Sonatina for piano duet, op.39 can be heard in live
performance on YouTube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHwKKlHWPzc">here</a>.
The soloists are not credited in the video.</p>John Francehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661182422946581010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807018700599489326.post-11991211209080992642024-02-24T06:00:00.024+00:002024-02-24T06:00:00.233+00:00It's not British, but...Édouard Lalo Orchestral Music on Chandos<p><span style="text-align: justify;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9K4isRrKl7P2bpjTISd_cVk3H_6QDj_sskhIzvRMA_2SW8G_rW7I8iKs1GgB2yETOsz__vDNq7-4bb-tpYsMYEt2IRA7uGTdMqAM3RNvmB0ewibp53Gpav1TlcTsNqEmpcGJy2MYFXYgkcUlF3G0lSvghNuM5vB9ozWGjKzlMcpSe1QnXZ-3OUcRuRU/s1000/CH20183%20Lalo%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9K4isRrKl7P2bpjTISd_cVk3H_6QDj_sskhIzvRMA_2SW8G_rW7I8iKs1GgB2yETOsz__vDNq7-4bb-tpYsMYEt2IRA7uGTdMqAM3RNvmB0ewibp53Gpav1TlcTsNqEmpcGJy2MYFXYgkcUlF3G0lSvghNuM5vB9ozWGjKzlMcpSe1QnXZ-3OUcRuRU/w304-h304/CH20183%20Lalo%202.jpg" width="304" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sadly, Édouard Lalo would be classified by <i>Classic fM</i> as a “one work wonder” composer. To be sure his <i>Symphonie Espagnole</i> remains his best-known piece. It has received many recordings which are listed in the Presto and the Arkiv catalogues. Opera lovers, who enjoy exploring rare repertoire may well have heard his important <i>Le Roi d’Ys</i> first presented at the Opera-Comique in Paris during 1888. It was to enjoy success in the rest of Europe and the United States.</div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Briefly, Lalo was born in Lille
on 27 January 1823. He studied violin and composition in his hometown and at
the Paris Conservatory. In 1848 he was violinist in the Arminaud-Jacquard
Quartet, which introduced much Germanic music to France. Although now largely forgotten
in the United Kingdom, he enjoyed success with his orchestral and dramatic
works. Sadly, his later life was marred by ill-health and paralysis. Édouard Lalo
died in Paris on 22 April 1892.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The CD opens with the overture to
<i>Le roi d’Ys. </i>The opera was based on the old Breton legend of a city
under the waves. This was also an inspiration for Claude Debussy’s <i>La Cathédrale
engloutie</i>. Interestingly, the Overture had already received a performance
during 1876: the opera was not heard until twelve years later. The progress of
the overture naturally includes various themes from the opera, including the
return of the hero, Mylio, the wicked Margared and the romantic theme of
Rozenn. Whether <i>Le roi d’Ys</i> demands revival is another matter, however,
as a standalone <i>Overture</i> it deserves its place in the concert
repertoire.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The ballet <i>Namouna</i> was
premiered at the Paris Opera on 6 March 1882. The choreography was by Lucien Petipa,
who also devised the libretto along with Charles Nuttier. The backdrop of the
ballet is the Isle of Corfu, and concerns a certain Lord Adriani, who, in a bet
with Count Octavio loses all his money, his boat and his beloved slave girl,
Namouna. For better or worse, she falls for the Count, frustrates Adriani’s
attempts to get her back, and finally escapes from the island on a boat. Lalo wrote
an Introduction and twenty-three numbers. The liner notes explain that some of
these dances “advance the action” while other are simply for dancing. After the
initial run of performances, Lalo felt that there was little chance of a
revival, so he extracted three Suites. Only the first and the second were
published.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Musically, these “dances” are
eclectic. Echoes of different composers find their way into these pages –
Grieg, Tchaikovsky, Bizet… Contemporary critics railed against its “Wagnerian”
passages, as being “noisy and intrusive.” It seems pointless to try to
extrapolate the plot of the ballet onto the ten movements included on this CD.
Besides, the extracts do not follow the order of the story. I guess that
listeners to these two <i>Suites</i> will simply enjoy them as standalone
creations. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The Third Suite from <i>Namouna</i>
was never published, but the <i>Valse de la cigarette</i> from the first act
was issued separately, no doubt in the hope that it would become a potboiler.
The “visuals” featured the lead ballet dancer rolling her own cigarette “so she
finishes the dance while smoking.” It is an enchanting Valse lente.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Lalo’s Symphony in G minor (1886)
is the only one published. I understand that there were/are two unpublished
examples. The present work was premiered in Paris, on 7 February 1887 during
the Concerts Lamoureux. It was conducted by the dedicatee, Charles Lamoureux.
The symphony is classically constructed in the traditional four movement form.
The liner notes call attention to the “cyclic” theme used in the “solemn
introduction” that recurs at the end of the <i>Adagio</i> and is used to
develop material for the finale. The <i>Scherzo</i> is typically
will o’ the wisp in its lightness, although the “trio” section is based on a
lament from Lalo’s opera <i>Fiesque</i> (The Genoese Conspiracy). Then, a
romantic slow movement which is quite beautiful, complete with touches of
Wagner. The finale is dance-like with a few magical moments of repose. The
scoring throughout is masterful.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Echoes of Brahms, Schumann and
Mendelssohn may be heard throughout; nevertheless, Lalo has produced a work
that stands in its own right: it is neither a parody nor a synthesis of other
composer’s music. It is a symphony that can stand proudly beside the
contemporaneous examples by César Franck, Ernest Chausson and even Saint-Saëns <i>Organ
Symphony</i>. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">These works are played with
sensitivity balanced by enthusiasm. The Chandos recording is excellent. The
liner notes by Hugh Macdonald give a good introduction to the repertoire. They
are printed in English, German, and French. A detailed resume is given of the
Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and their conductor for this recording,
Neeme Järvi. Their current maestro is Olari Elts.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">This is a splendid introduction
to the music of Édouard Lalo for those who wish to explore beyond the
ubiquitous, but brilliant, <i>Symphonie Espagnole.</i></p><div><b>Track Listing:</b></div><b>Édouard Lalo (1823-92)</b><br />Overture to <i>Le roi d'Ys</i> (1875-88)<br /><i>Valse de la cigarette from Namouna</i> (1868-71)<br />Suite No.1 from <i>Namouna </i>(1868-71)<br />Suite No.2 from <i>Namouna </i>(1868-71<br />Symphony in G minor (1886)<br />Estonian National Symphony Orchestra/Neeme Järvi<br />rec. 6-8 June 2022, Estonia Concert Hall, Tallinn, Estonia<br /><b>Chandos CHAN 20183<br />With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published.</b><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>John Francehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661182422946581010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807018700599489326.post-25081450653549799742024-02-21T06:00:00.008+00:002024-02-21T06:00:00.129+00:00Lennox Berkeley: Suite for String Orchestra (1974)<div style="text-align: justify;">Whatever happened to Lennox Berkeley’s <i>Suite for String Orchestra</i>, op.87? According to Stewart R. Crags (Lennox Berkeley: A Source Book, Ashgate, Aldershot, 2000, p.115) this work was completed in 1974. It had been commissioned by the Westminster Cathedral String Orchestra, with funds from the Arts Council. It was duly performed at St John’s Smith Square, London on 1 June 1974, under the baton of Colin Mawby. Concertgoers also heard Berkeley’s <i>Antiphon </i>for string orchestra, in two movements. The evening included music by Corelli, Boyce, and Handel as well as an “inane” harp concertino by Jean-Michel Demase, with Ossian Ellis as soloist.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The <i>Suite</i> is in four
movements: Introduction (Lento) and Fugue (Allegro); Air (Andantino); Scherzo
and Epilogue (Lento sostenuto). It had a duration for about 11 minutes.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The manuscript is dated
“Nov:1973-Jan:1974.” It was published in 1974 by J.& W. Chester Ltd. Other music
written around this time included the Guitar Concerto, op.88<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The <i>Daily Telegraph</i> (3
June 1974, p.12) gave an excellent complimentary review of the <i>Suite</i>: “The
new piece…proved delightfully ingratiating to listen to, if no doubt tricky to
play.” The critic considered that “the most immediately memorable movement, <i>Scherzo</i>,
contained a trio melody of heartwarming luminosity, and the work opened and
closed in a quiet serenity which, together with the flowing spun-out <i>Air</i>
stamp the work with the composer’s typically reticent poetry.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">And then the Suite disappears.
There is no recording listed on the Lennox Berkeley Website. I was unable to
find an assessment of the score. Furthermore, there is no discussion of it in
Peter Dickinson’s <i>The Music of Lennox Berkeley</i> (Woodbridge, Boydell
Press, 2003) nor in Tony Scotland’s <i>Lennox and Freda</i> (Norwich, Michael
Russell, 2010). I was unable to locate any subsequent concert performances or
BBC radio broadcasts.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">This is clearly a major work by
one of Britain’s senior composers that has simply disappeared. Perhaps it is
time for a revival?<o:p></o:p></p>John Francehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661182422946581010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807018700599489326.post-78680414532369651632024-02-18T06:00:00.019+00:002024-02-18T06:00:00.245+00:00Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) Canadian Carnival (Kermesse Canadienne), op.19<p><span style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFlpAm_Olh4JHCLEA5Clg34bVXxZ-5zCFuhyphenhyphenkwACka-Vy_VlutbaFOLTyQUCFyWdW5FlDaNCNoL7b2PV2cWGr7t1WAV6JdX4Fc3jv-ofJ1TeKc96nu1YcD4vrvisxoUVxCLxY2Xx62T7_9V1_63Zex6021otoIGG3fmRm4zbVSY8CQxU1O2hO59o_FoQk/s628/Britten%20Canadian%20Carnival.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="400" height="413" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFlpAm_Olh4JHCLEA5Clg34bVXxZ-5zCFuhyphenhyphenkwACka-Vy_VlutbaFOLTyQUCFyWdW5FlDaNCNoL7b2PV2cWGr7t1WAV6JdX4Fc3jv-ofJ1TeKc96nu1YcD4vrvisxoUVxCLxY2Xx62T7_9V1_63Zex6021otoIGG3fmRm4zbVSY8CQxU1O2hO59o_FoQk/w263-h413/Britten%20Canadian%20Carnival.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Benjamin Britten composed <i>Canadian Carnival (Kermesse Canadienne),</i> op.19 shortly after his arrival in the United States prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. Britten had left England with his companion Peter Pears during May 1939 and had initially spent several weeks together in Canada. Here they heard a performance of the <i>Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge</i> given by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Britten and Pears declared themselves lovers at Grand Rapids and arrived in New York late June 1939. There they quickly began to move in various artistic circles, numbering Aaron Copland, W.H. Auden and the composer Colin McPhee as their friends. Other important works from this time include the choral setting <i>Ad majorem Dei gloriam,</i> the Violin Concerto and <i>Young Apollo</i>. The same period saw work commence on the Sinfonia da Requiem Op.20.</div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Canadian
Carnival</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> has been described as a ‘Rhapsody on French Canadian
folk-tunes’ based on some songs Britten had heard in the Province of Quebec. The
programmatic content begins by evoking the Canadian landscape at dawn. It is
the day of the great Carnival. Slowly people begin to arrive. A number of
‘songs and snatches’ of folk tunes are presented. The fair grows more
boisterous and eventually, after a significant climax it begins to calm down.
Slowly the villagers disperse and the night falls. All is peaceful once more. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Typically, this work has
been regarded as a ‘light-hearted frolic for symphony orchestra.’ However, David Matthews regards it as ‘a more
serious piece than it appears.’ He notes the ‘disturbingly ironic setting of
‘Alouette’ which is provoked by the sadistic words of this disingenuous
children’s song’. The burden of this song cruelly suggests that the singer will
pluck the feathers, the eyes and the beak off the skylark for daring to sing
and waken her from sleep. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Negatively, <i>Canadian Carnival</i> has been described by
Peter Evans as ‘little more than a sophisticated pot-pourri of folky song and
dance, arranged inside a quasi-programmatic frame.’ This seems unfair. It is a
fine, vivacious example of the ‘rhapsody’ genre with some excellent
orchestration and a clever and subtle manipulation of the folk-tunes. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Aaron Copland had met
Benjamin Britten at the 1938 <em><span style="background: white; font-style: normal;">International
Society for Contemporary Music festival in London</span></em> where the
American’s <em><span style="background: white;">El Salón</span></em><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><i><span style="background: white;">México</span></i>
and Britten’s <i>Variations on a Theme of
Frank Bridge</i> were both performed. After the Festival, Copland visited
Britten’s home at Snape. On Pears and
Britten’s arrival at New York they gravitated to Woodstock to be close to
Copland and his partner Victor Kraft. At
this time Britten regarded Copland as ‘the American spokesman.’ It is not surprising that critics have
detected an ‘open-air prairie’ mood in <i>Canadian
Carnival</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The first performance was
given on 6 June 1940 by the BBC Orchestra conducted by Clarence Raybould from
the BBC studios in Bristol. The first concert
performance was at Cheltenham Festival on 13 June 1945 with the composer
conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;">Benjamin Britten’s <i>Canadian Carnival</i> (</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;">Kermesse Canadienne</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;">),
Op.19 </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;">can be heard on
YouTube, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXIcij-wL18">here</a>. The City
of Birmingham Orchestra is conducted by Simon Rattle</span></p>John Francehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661182422946581010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807018700599489326.post-39579612218167028552024-02-15T06:00:00.031+00:002024-02-15T06:00:00.194+00:00Luminos: Contemporary Music for Clarinets<p><span style="text-align: justify;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89iAGxHrVzMQPIGQtZmiC5xO4nefvT5jtk_aW_DvkLip6CP9U_5JZ6vtWH-15JI7BRGA5KBI3FAjpDHggquec5zkZ7I0Ed862Hhya6LHgDL2rE7QIVyGyungpXQuDMkcWMIXlyXZb2q_VUGvkDh59UpfMOPycFY3kr8nFDOexc9NqficcWtqjlF6IbTI/s1417/cover77118%20Luminos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1417" data-original-width="1417" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89iAGxHrVzMQPIGQtZmiC5xO4nefvT5jtk_aW_DvkLip6CP9U_5JZ6vtWH-15JI7BRGA5KBI3FAjpDHggquec5zkZ7I0Ed862Hhya6LHgDL2rE7QIVyGyungpXQuDMkcWMIXlyXZb2q_VUGvkDh59UpfMOPycFY3kr8nFDOexc9NqficcWtqjlF6IbTI/s320/cover77118%20Luminos.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This CD is based around four new pieces that clarinettist Ronald Woodley had written for him since the beginning of the first Covid lockdown in 2020. Alongside these there are three compositions dating from an earlier period. I reviewed this disc in chronological order.</div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The earliest work on this CD is
Elisabeth Lutyens’s <i>Five Little Pieces</i>, op. 14/1 for clarinet and piano,
dating from 1945. It is not surprising that “Twelve Tone Lizzie” has conceived
these gnomic numbers as serial music. That said, she has brought her own unique
interpretation to this modernist technique that does not eschew lyricism. They
are short and concise and reflect on a single idea: <i>Lirico</i>, <i>Drammatico</i>,
<i>Doloroso</i>, <i>Pastorale</i> and <i>Declamatorio</i>. And do not worry,
the “pastorale” does not have a cow pat in sight or sound. They were written
for Frederick Thurston.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Percussionist and composer Morris
Pert is barely recalled nowadays. His career was wide-ranging, from classical
to jazz fusion by way of being a sidesman to Bryan Ferry, Wings and Caravan
amongst many other pop and rock performers. <i>Luminos</i> completed in 1972 is
a significant study for basset horn and piano. It is certainly a work of its
time, with a functional balance between modernism and nods to past eras. The
liner notes explain that the “[musical] lines are at times questing and
lyrical, at other times rising to a relentless energy; Messiaen-like block
chordal movement sits alongside jazz-inflected points of relaxation and rather
trippy, semi-improvised wanderings…” Certain “extended” techniques are used
such as playing inside the piano with fingers and mallets. It is a valuable
exposition in classical terms of the “cosmological" inspiration that was
informing progressive rock bands fifty years ago.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Three years later Lutyens wrote
her <i>This Green Tide</i>, op. 103 for basset horn and piano (1975). It was
inspired by the eponymous book of verse published by the artist Valentine
Dobrée (1894–1974). The book title itself was derived from a pamphlet published
by John Ruskin during the 1870s and 80s, <i>Fors Clavigera</i> which set out
his “social and moral vision [for] the workforce in Britain.” The sound-world
balances moments of tranquillity, with much protest and defiance. The liner
notes provide a good hermeneutic for appreciating this piece. They cite Ruskin
scholar Paul L. Sawyer’s view that “Comparing the “green tide” with the “black
and sulphurous tides” of English rivers and with “Death, and Hell also, more
cruel than cliff or sea”, [Ruskin] presents a world on the brink of that Moment
when “the Sea shall give up the dead which are in it, and Death, and Hell, give
up the dead which are in them.” There is, therefore, a spiritual as well as an
environmental aspect to this music.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<div style="text-align: justify;">Despite Christopher Fox’s pretentious programme note, I found his <i>This has happened before</i>, for four multitracked bass clarinets (2020) long-winded and frankly boring. It may be played by four clarinettists or one multi-track performer. The technicalities involve canonical entries, variable speeds of “melodic” patterns and “accidental” harmonies. It does not inspire or entertain. Hopefully, it won’t happen again…</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<div style="text-align: justify;">Angela Elizabeth Slater’s piece for bass clarinet and piano was specially commissioned by the present performers in 2020. Slater writes that she “felt a sense of relentless timelessness and disconnection, with an overriding sense of foreboding about what was to come, almost as though world events were spinning out of control. At this time, I came across an article by NASA which reported that the sun is getting dimmer year on year, inspiring the title <i>Around the Darkening Sun</i>.” All very depressing musings. It is hardly surprising that there is little optimism in the progress of this music. That said, there is often considerable beauty in the interaction of the soloists. There is supressed energy at every turn, which is packed into just over five minutes duration.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Four brief numbers go to form Liz
Dilnot Johnson’s <i>The Space Between Heaven and Earth</i> for basset horn and
piano (c.2020). She explains that it is “a glowing, positive statement of
hopefulness, embracing Greek mythology, medieval song, and a very modern
response to human healing from trauma.” It majors on the story of the Greek
nymph Daphne, her metamorphosis into a tree, her ability to heal and, finally,
the restitution of her body. The movements are seasonal. <i>Winter</i>, the
longest, is slow and expressive. <i>Spring</i> is vibrant, whilst <i>Summer</i>
is a jocund dance. The finale, <i>Autumn</i> is positive and reflects the
moment that “the healing role of the deep-rooted tree is complete – and Daphne
is able to skip away.” Johnson displays
a deep understanding of the performative characteristics of the basset horn.
The overall impact is positive. The style is modernist, often chromatic but
always lyrical.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The longest piece on this disc is Edward Cowie’s <i>Heather
Jean Nocturnes</i> completed for the present CD during April 2023 at “white hot
speed.” These <i>Nocturnes</i> are a response to five paintings by Cowie’s
wife, Heather. To get to grips with these five imaginative movements it is necessary
to see the illustrations that inspired them. Fortunately, the CD cover features
<i>Earth Nocturnal</i> as an example of her style. The booklet contains
photographs of the other four. Cowie gives a long, detailed descriptive
analysis which bears reading before exploring the music. The first four
movements are <i>The Singing Stream</i> – <i>Evening, Sun and Moon Dancing</i>,
<i>Okavango Dream Streams</i> and <i>Lake Eacham Blue</i>. Heather Cowie,
discussing the work declared that “what
moved me profoundly was the fact that the sense of mood and colour, as well as
their formal integrity, was so beautifully articulated by the sonic
(inter)relationships of the bass clarinet and piano.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The liner notes by Ronald Woodley
are helpful in every way. Dates of compositions in the track listing would have
been helpful. They include resumes of both soloists. The recording is ideal. I
found the performances illuminating and typically inspiring.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The advertising blurb perfectly
sums up this disc: “T<span style="background: white;">his collection
is a valuable addition for clarinet enthusiasts and music lovers, shedding
light on the lesser-known gems…and showcasing the power of artistic
collaboration across mediums, offering a glimpse into the evolution of British
music.”</span></p><b>Track Listing:</b><br /><b>Elisabeth Lutyens (1906-83)</b><br />This Green Tide, op. 103 for basset horn and piano (1975)<br /><b>Angela Elizabeth Slater (b.1989)</b><br />Around the Darkening Sun for bass clarinet and piano (2020)<br /><b>Morris Pert (1947-2010)</b><br />Luminos, op. 16a for basset horn and piano (1972)<br /><b>Christopher Fox (b.1955)</b><br />This has happened before, for four multitracked bass clarinets (2020)<br /><b>Elisabeth Lutyens</b><br />Five Little Pieces, op. 14/1 for clarinet and piano (1945)<br /><b>Liz Dilnot Johnson (b.1964)</b><br />The Space Between Heaven and Earth for basset horn and piano (c.2020?)<br /><b>Edward Cowie (b.1943)</b><br />Heather Jean Nocturnes for bass clarinet and piano (2023)<br />Ronald Woodley (clarinet, basset horn, bass clarinet); Andrew West (piano)<br />rec. 3–5 April and 24 July 2023, Ayriel Studios, North Yorkshire<br /><b>Métier MEX 77118<br />With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published. </b><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>John Francehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661182422946581010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807018700599489326.post-87288337638220559822024-02-12T06:00:00.010+00:002024-02-12T06:00:00.131+00:00Germaine Tailleferre: String Quartet (1917-19)<p><span style="text-align: justify;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis9KLWHPTMwTFbMsNktBWCHQGIGe7qsk3x8rCVSfQRaLFPZGw_vIeAU11TKWcKRl06Kf14cp6eNybkgGI9iTEdNhYeqWjMMaDZ-lc_6Cit0E7yH3LyBv3vsNL5sKwhWGSoffVOqRaQsRlburSNmvtiaxpwx3YqdeyrayX7LweaBl7thXVsyeOANRNl4As/s600/Germaine%20Tailleferre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis9KLWHPTMwTFbMsNktBWCHQGIGe7qsk3x8rCVSfQRaLFPZGw_vIeAU11TKWcKRl06Kf14cp6eNybkgGI9iTEdNhYeqWjMMaDZ-lc_6Cit0E7yH3LyBv3vsNL5sKwhWGSoffVOqRaQsRlburSNmvtiaxpwx3YqdeyrayX7LweaBl7thXVsyeOANRNl4As/s320/Germaine%20Tailleferre.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983) was in her mid-twenties when she composed her String Quartet. It was around the end of the First World War. At this time, Tailleferre was in the same artistic set as Pablo Picasso and Amedeo Modigliani. It was these connections that led to her early successes. She was introduced to the Paris musical establishment during a concert given in the studio of one of her painter friends. Her <i>Sonatine for String Quartet</i> along with the <i>Jeux de Pleine Aire</i> were well received, along with pieces by Louis Durey and Francis Poulenc. After the concert, the Sonatine was revised into the present String Quartet – with the addition of the finale.</div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Listeners may detect echoes of Ravel’s String Quartet in F major
(1902-03). There are specific similarities and dissimilarities from the Ravel’s
essay. For a start, Tailleferre’s Quartet is one movement shy of Ravel’s and is
a full 10 minutes shorter! However, the opening <i>Modéré</i> is
certainly reminiscent of the model. There is an intimate feel about her quartet
that epitomises chamber music at its best. Some mild dissonances in this first
movement add spice and interest to a well-wrought piece. The <i>Intermède</i>
is mysterious rather than dark or depressing. Perhaps enigmatic is the best
description? Yet there is cross-referencing to the <i>Modéré</i> in
these pages. The <i>Final</i> is by far the lengthiest – being as long as the
previous two together. This music is quite aggressive and even dissonant in
places. There are some quasi-motor rhythms used although they do not last for
long before being cast aside. These are interspersed with moments of repose. A
chorale type phrase emerges before the work comes to a quiet but memorable
conclusion.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There is considerable variety in this Quartet – one could even argue there
is a stylistic disparity between the parts. Yet one way or another it does have
unity. Is this created by internal self-referencing? And one final comment -
any comparison with Ravel must bear in mind that the world had moved on since
1904 – the First World War was still raging across Europe when Germaine
Tailleferre penned this composition. And then there was Schoenberg…</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Is this a great work? I do not know but it is certainly beautifully
written, intellectually satisfying and quite moving which suggests that this
could well be the case.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Listen to Germaine Tailleferre’s String Quartet on YouTube, </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_a5ms8L_BuY"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">here</span></a><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">. It is played
by the Fanny Mendelssohn String Quartet and features the score. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>John Francehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661182422946581010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807018700599489326.post-19126212834786740462024-02-09T06:00:00.027+00:002024-03-05T07:28:16.609+00:00Wigmore Soloists play chamber music by Ferguson, Bliss and Holloway<p><span style="text-align: justify;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1EShymfrpQ_uXZpyR54ejH2vtZ16C1vuWc-GX8UNsxJ6AKe2oECy2wth3apLjVnlupfE8iCYOf9GwwGdp82siBR3jBdg70apb1O5JJ6GkM6mekoregIe2PygdmYPMMo1ju-3AlL06Wseiy_AetTuYlvy5FDg0w0Yt0W50bKIlX_b8gqwUoS7GhaZ0d78/s3000/BI2547%20Wigmore%20Soloists.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1EShymfrpQ_uXZpyR54ejH2vtZ16C1vuWc-GX8UNsxJ6AKe2oECy2wth3apLjVnlupfE8iCYOf9GwwGdp82siBR3jBdg70apb1O5JJ6GkM6mekoregIe2PygdmYPMMo1ju-3AlL06Wseiy_AetTuYlvy5FDg0w0Yt0W50bKIlX_b8gqwUoS7GhaZ0d78/w305-h305/BI2547%20Wigmore%20Soloists.jpg" width="305" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Nailing my colours to the mast, I suggest that Howard Ferguson’s Octet, op.4 is one of the most significant chamber music works from the 1930s. The equilibrium of the movements is key to this work’s ultimate success. There is a thoughtful opening <i>Moderato</i>, complete with its allusion to the horn theme from the slow movement of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.5. This is followed by a vibrant, if uneasy, scherzo with quite a few melodic episodes. There is a definite Celtic feel in these pages, which may reflect Ferguson’s birthplace, Belfast. The lyrical slow movement is full of pastoral charm with just the hint of something a touch more demanding. This serenity is destroyed by the rhythmic intensity of the <i>Allegro feroce</i>. However, all is not so strict, as there are sweeping “big tunes” of an almost filmic nature to interrupt the proceedings.</div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">To be sure, much of the Octet
nods at various characteristics of English music current at that time. It is
not “pastoral” as such but does have several passages that can be so described.
Equally so, are nods to neo-classicism and even the “modernism” of Bliss and
Walton. What is absent is any hint of serialism or atonality. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The Octet was finished in 1933
and was dedicated to R. O. Morris, Ferguson’s composition teacher at the Royal
College of Music. It was originally conceived as a quintet for clarinet and
strings and then modified into a septet with the addition of the bassoon and
the French horn. At Morris’s suggestion, the instrumentation of the piece was
expanded to include a second violin. This made it the ideal companion to
Schubert’s Octet in F major, D.803.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Two other versions of Howard
Ferguson’s Octet are in circulation: The Nash Ensemble on Hyperion, CDA66192
(1990) and Dennis Brain with the Griller Quartet et al, on Dutton Epoch
CDAX8014 (1937/2019).</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Arthur Bliss reminded the potential
listener that “the personality of a great player has often been the incentive
for me to compose a work.” He cites as examples the Oboe Quintet for Leon
Goossens, the Viola Sonata for Lionel Tertis, the Piano Concerto for Solomon,
and the Violin Concerto for Campoli. The Clarinet Quintet, F.20, was written in
1932 and was premiered the following year by Frederick Thurston and the Kutcher
String Quartet. It was dedicated to the composer, Bernard van Dieren. But a
deeper inspiration can be sensed in these pages: Bliss’s brother Kennard, who
was killed during the First World War, was an accomplished clarinettist.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The overall temper of the Quintet
is one of lyricism and to a certain extent resignation. Various moods are
inherent in the four movements including serenity, animation, and drama, but as
the advertising blurb suggests, “the sunny, extrovert aspects of Bliss’s
character ultimately prevail in the brilliantly energetic finale.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Contemporary criticism noted that
with the Clarinet Quintet, Bliss had moved on from his “enfant terrible”
period. It is fair to say that this is one of his masterpieces, certainly
within the genre of chamber music. It is given a wonderful performance by the
Wigmore Soloists and Michael Collins, clarinettist. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There are other satisfactory
performances of Bliss’s Clarinet Quintet on disc, including David Campbell
(clarinet) with the Maggini Quartet (Naxos, 8.557394, reviewed <a href="https://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2004/nov04/Bliss_clarinet.htm">here</a>)
and Janet Hilton (clarinet) with the Lindsay String Quartet (Chandos, Chan 8683).
There are also two releases of Frederick Thurston and the Griller Quartet’s
1930s recording (Testament SBT1366 and Clarinet Classics CC0037)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">My review of Robin Holloway’s <i>Serenade</i>
in C for octet, op.41 (1979) is beholden to the liner notes. The <i>Serenade</i>
has five movements. The opening <i>Marcia</i> is full of “quirky cross-rhythms”
complimented by a pleasant trio section. The short <i>Menuetto alla tarantella</i>
is vigorous and dynamic with a big tune for the bassoon and jazz like pizzicato
on the double bass. Despite being the official slow movement, the <i>Andante</i>
is characterised by curious wit and tongue in cheek commentary. It is a wayward
set of variations based on a “touching, sincere, naïve…” melody discovered in a Methodist hymnbook. Then,
a second <i>Menuetto</i> follows with its nods to Poulenc and Schubert. Once
again, it is contrary, with the conventional repeats “[going] off in different
directions.” The <i>Serenade</i>
concludes with another tarantella where “scraps of silly tune are put through
the textural, tonal and rhythmic mincer.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The listener will be charmed by
the <i>Serenade’s</i> humour and mischievousness. Holloway has stated that it
is full of clichés, parodies, and “commonplace” musical devices. That said, the
piece is characterised by “compositional rigour” as well as a profound
understanding of the possibilities of the various instruments.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It is interesting that the
scoring is the same as that of both Ferguson’s and Schubert’s Octets. Holloway
acknowledges the latter as a model. This is music for entertainment, “making
few intellectual demands.” It is at a stylistic distance from the composer’s
more modernist offerings (I recall hearing one of his Concertos for Orchestra
and being baffled). That said, I doubt <i>Classic fM</i> will be playing this <i>Serenade</i>
anytime soon. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The liner notes by Philip
Borg-Wheeler are helpful in every way. They are printed in English, French and
German. There is also a short resume about the Wigmore Players.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">This outstanding survey of three
characteristic chamber works are splendid examples of “deeply personal”
utterances from composers of different stylistic mores. All are superbly
written for their medium. The performances are committed and inspiring in every
case and are complimented by an excellent recording.</p><b>Track Listing:<br />Howard Ferguson (1908-99)</b><br />Octet, op.4 (1933)<br /><b>Arthur Bliss (1891-1975)</b><br />Clarinet Quintet, F.20 (1932)<br /><b>Robin Holloway (b.1943)</b><br />Serenade in C for octet, op.41 (1979)<br />Michael Collins (clarinet) (Bliss), Wigmore Soloists<br />rec. 17-19 December 2021 (Ferguson, Bliss), 13-14 April 2023 (Holloway), Menuhin Hall, Stoke d’Abernon, Surrey, England<br /><b>BIS BIS-2547 SACD<br />With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published. </b><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>John Francehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661182422946581010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807018700599489326.post-29956082358241652512024-02-06T06:00:00.014+00:002024-02-06T06:00:00.139+00:00William Walton’s Overture: Portsmouth Point<p><span style="text-align: justify;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfWfzkH_3492hCjJwGlEhFH2yFT4hLHGHugdkDkjPDSgi3RWyhjFpRjJ0AfX-JU7ytyz22ggd92HQwEs5DT7C0H2LvkUD_UxzUTe01D7V4qZ2EklStAqOlv0jhCwzLhOaKqkbZmGDujEYhnhzleF2x5q7LZ1QhX2qK3nDHv9RrhyphenhyphenIOe0BYkLlK3jFx8U/s599/Slatkin%20Portsmouth%20Point.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="599" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfWfzkH_3492hCjJwGlEhFH2yFT4hLHGHugdkDkjPDSgi3RWyhjFpRjJ0AfX-JU7ytyz22ggd92HQwEs5DT7C0H2LvkUD_UxzUTe01D7V4qZ2EklStAqOlv0jhCwzLhOaKqkbZmGDujEYhnhzleF2x5q7LZ1QhX2qK3nDHv9RrhyphenhyphenIOe0BYkLlK3jFx8U/w302-h300/Slatkin%20Portsmouth%20Point.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The overture <i>Portsmouth Point</i> was composed between spring and November 1925 and dedicated to the poet Siegfried Sassoon. The immediate inspiration for the Overture was a print made by the English artist, caricaturist and printmaker, Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827), published by T. Tegg in 1814. The etching presents a bustling view of Portsmouth Harbour with a clothes shop on the left-hand side, with a pawnbroker, above. To the right of the image is the Ship Tavern. The fleet in the background is arriving and departing into the port. Ships are being victualled, a busker plays the fiddle, lovers caress and carouse. But note the elderly gentleman in the upstairs window of the inn. He views the scene with equanimity.</div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">David Drew, in the liner note for
the 1955 London Philharmonic Orchestra/Adrian Boult recording, (London, LL 1165)
explains that formally, “[<i>Portsmouth Point</i>] follows the broad outlines
of sonata-form, having a clear-cut exposition (whose thematic material falls
into two groups), a short development (the exposition was already developmental
- this music has no time for leisure) and a compressed recapitulation. However,
the tonal scheme is anything but academic.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Alan Frank has suggested that
“Walton’s Overture is not to be taken realistically in its detail, but it is
from beginning to end music of extraordinary liveliness and vigour, often
deliberately shrill in scoring: there is no moment of repose. It abounds in
cross-rhythms and syncopations: indeed, from a rhythmic point of view it is the
most complex piece of music Walton has ever written. We need not be worried by
that, nor is technical analysis needed to enjoy the Overture’s stimulating high
spirits. Walton has interpreted Rowlandson’s roistering scene in the most vivid
musical terms.” (Angel Records ANG.35639)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Constant Lambert stated that “…melodically
speaking, the work derives to a certain extent from traditional nautical tunes and
from the more breezy English 18th century composers… another melodic influence
was the sardanas [communal dances] of Catalonia. The folk dances have nothing
in common with the rest of Spanish music, under distinguished by their
clear-cut form and vigorous melodic line; the tunes are often curiously English
in atmosphere, and therefore their influence has in no way caused an
inconsistency of style. From the harmonic point of view the work raises no
problems. The style is broadly diatonic, with free use of diatonic discords but
with nothing approaching atonality or polytonality, we are presented with
neither cliches nor innovations.” (Cited in Ewen, David, <i>The Encyclopaedia
of Musical Masterpieces</i>, Grosset and Dunlap, New York, 1949)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Here and there Walton pokes fun
at academicism. He uses chords and rhythmical variety that would have raised
eyebrows in the 1920s, both at home and abroad. Yet, it is clear that Walton is
in full command of his orchestral forces.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The Overture was premiered on 22
June 1926 during the Zurich International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM)
Festival. The Tonhalle Orchestra was conducted by Volkmar Andreae. Other works
heard at that concert included Paul Hindemith's Concerto for orchestra, op. 38,
Alfredo Casella's Partita for piano and orchestra, Ernst Levy's Fifth Symphony
for violin, trumpet and orchestra, Pierre-Octave Ferroud's <i>Foules</i> for orchestra
Alexandre Tansman's <i>Danse de la Sorcière</i> for chamber ensemble.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The London Philharmonic
Orchestra/Adrian Boult recording of Walton’s Portsmouth Point can he heard on
YouTube, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLqUM9l-P48">here</a>. A more
modern recording with the same orchestra can be found in Leonard Slatkin’s 1988
on the Virgin Classics label <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">(VC7 90715-1).</span> The LP front cover features Thomas Rowlandson’s
etching.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p>John Francehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661182422946581010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807018700599489326.post-19175686369305007362024-02-03T06:00:00.001+00:002024-02-03T06:00:00.157+00:00It's not British, but...Claude Debussy's Études on Hyperion<p><span style="text-align: justify;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtlu6GO3irfi9bqZT-C-e8DQLQFeet_15Npu7q5UxNp1Wi3i80qu2t8JpoQQFndDgzvKN1OZi3VlH2UpHaOYUzd9L93sJhWHGIL9iSHdORjpM-rIn2XJyMc8uV9sD008oZmi1Bn2w2FOU9Ij6zmdAw4ZbV1y6pL5t0SVaHKEzVPeHh2Ly2WgiQSHeusdg/s699/Debussy%20CDA68409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="684" data-original-width="699" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtlu6GO3irfi9bqZT-C-e8DQLQFeet_15Npu7q5UxNp1Wi3i80qu2t8JpoQQFndDgzvKN1OZi3VlH2UpHaOYUzd9L93sJhWHGIL9iSHdORjpM-rIn2XJyMc8uV9sD008oZmi1Bn2w2FOU9Ij6zmdAw4ZbV1y6pL5t0SVaHKEzVPeHh2Ly2WgiQSHeusdg/s320/Debussy%20CDA68409.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Contrasted to Debussy’s <i>Préludes</i> and <i>Images</i>, the <i>Études </i>are hardly popular. Listeners and recital goers may have been led to believe that these “Studies” are dry, academic, and having no independent artistic worth. Listening to the present recording puts this misapprehension to rest.<span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The twelve <i>Études,</i> L143, date
from 1915, at a time when Debussy was producing a new edition of Chopin’s <i>Studies</i>.
They were dedicated to the memory of the Polish composer. As is clear from the
titles, each one addresses a particular pianistic “difficulty” of “finger
gymnastics.” The first set includes the Czerny-inspired five fingers “exercise”
followed by several explorations of harmonic intervals: double thirds, fourths,
sixths, and octaves. The last <i>Étude</i> in Book One calls for eight fingers
and is supposed to be played without the use of the thumb of either hand. It is
a tour de force that involves rapid scales, glissandi, variable time signatures
and accurate phrasing. The second book features complex
chromaticism, ornamentation, repeated notes, the opposed sonorities of “light
and shade,” arpeggios and massive chordal structures.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: #202020;">Debussy himself remarked that the <em>Études</em> must
serve as “a useful warning to pianists not to take up the musical profession
unless they have remarkable hands.” In the preface to the score, which is meant
to discuss fingering, he omits any reference to this problem and suggests that
“If you want a thing well done, do it yourself.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: #202020;">The question that begs itself is whether these <i>Études</i>
are suitable for the recital room or are the preserve of the conservatoire. They
are challenging at every level, and, within the confines of formal exercises,
they incorporate much of Debussy’s earlier piano styles including
Impressionism, and his idiosyncratic used of “rhythm, harmony, tone colour and
dynamics.” </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020;">Debussy’s biographer, Edward Lockspeiser, has insisted that
the </span><i style="color: #202020;">Études</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020;"> are “perhaps the greatest of his piano works...representing a
summary of the composer’s entire pianistic creation.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: #202020;">Listening to Steven Osborne’s performance on this CD, gives a
definite sense that these late piano pieces are artful rather than just an
academic exercise. There is a perfect fusion of technical prowess and artistic
subtlety. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: #202020;">As a little bonus, Osborne has recorded the six-page sketch, </span><i>Étude
retrouvée,</i> also dating from 1915. It has been realised by Roy Howat. This
is an early version of the eleventh study, <i>For compound arpeggios</i>. It
has little in common with the published study, save the key of A flat, and the
use of arpeggios. It abounds with Debussy-ian magic.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>Pour le piano,</i> L95, was
completed in 1901. The suite consists of three numbers: <i>Prelude</i>, <i>Sarabande</i>
and <i>Toccata</i>. Once again, he has eschewed picturesque titles in favour of
something more “classical.” The central stately <i>Sarabande</i> was originally
written in 1894, and was dedicated to Yvonne Lerolle, the daughter of the
painter Henri Lerolle. It was reworked for the present suite in 1901, with the
removal of “some slightly obtrusive chromaticisms.” Osborne has recorded the
original <i>Sarabande</i> on Hyperion <span style="background: white;">CDA68390.
The first and final pieces reflect the harpsichord writing of the eighteenth-century
composers François Couperin and Jean-Phillipe Rameau. Debussy has brought his
own melodic and harmonic language, including the whole tone scale. The <i>Prelude</i>
and the <i>Toccata</i> feature brilliant bravura figurations and a vibrant
perpetual motion, respectively.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Some commentators belittle <i>La
plus que lente</i>, L128, regarding it as “one of the least consequential of
Debussy’s piano compositions.” This “slower than slow waltz” was written in
1910 and may have been intended for a projected third volume of <i>Images</i>.
This was never fulfilled. It has an almost Poulenc-ian sense of being “half
parody, half earnestness.” Certainly, it
gives the impression of having all the charm of a Parisian café waltz, imbued
with a touch of Hungarian Roma flair, as well as hints of jazz.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I guess that the <i>Berceuse
héroïque,</i> L140, is seldom played. Its full title is <i>Berceuse héroïque
pour rendre hommage a S.M. le Roi Albert 1 er Belgique et à ses soldiers</i>.
It was included in <i>King Albert’s Book</i> published by the <i>Daily
Telegraph</i> in 1914. This was a tribute to the Belgian King and People “from
representative men and women throughout the world.” It was designed to raise
funds for the embattled nation. It included tributes by <span style="background: white; color: #333333;">Thomas Hardy, Winston Churchill, the Archbishop of
Canterbury, Arthur Rackham, and the Aga Khan. There was prose, verse, illustrations,
and Debussy’s <i>Berceuse</i>. This is a desolate, war-weary piece, despite the
attempt to include the Belgian national anthem in the middle section which does
little to raise the spirits, despite a few “distant fanfares.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The liner notes, printed in
English, French and German, are devised by the French music specialist, Roger
Nichols. They give a splendid insight into the pieces on this CD. There is a
resume of Steven Osborne. The cover features an evocative <i>Textile Design</i>
(c.1915) by the Scottish architect and designer, Charles Rennie Mackintosh.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">Steven Osborne brings
technical agility and remarkable interpretative skills to these performances. They
are replete with magic, great beauty, and a sympathetic understanding. This is complimented
by a vibrant recording.</span></p><b>Track Listing:<br />Claude Debussy (1862-1918)</b><br />Études L143 (1915)<br />Pour le piano L95 (1894-1901)<br />La plus que lente L128 (1910)<br />Berceuse héroïque L140 (1914)<br />Étude retrouvée (1915) (early version of L143 No.11, realised by Roy Howat, (b.1951))<br />Steven Osborne (piano)<br />rec. 4 August 2021 (Étude retrouvée), 7-9 December 2022, St Silas the Martyr, Kentish Town, London<br /><b>Hyperion CDA68409</b><div><b>With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published. </b></div>John Francehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661182422946581010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807018700599489326.post-17797081057907262932024-02-01T06:00:00.030+00:002024-02-01T06:00:00.137+00:00Organ Masterworks III: Healey Willan’s Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue.<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #030303; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; text-align: justify;"></span></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEVxLTkI397rqCgOJyMKhWyr24ZvSuC97RwQGzxU4FVIgr1oT4tJQRdU51toh1CR8S_IjpBFbUDJELyptJYR20ihMkN0FQ4rgZtfWCfHVyX4Q4bxlzO_klgj3CmFf3JAye5Qy0XFFacKw12Zevwqckr0JSIQ6sFX5j8Oy09N80RomM7-8z2a0TGMIBeS0/s338/Healy_Willan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="250" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEVxLTkI397rqCgOJyMKhWyr24ZvSuC97RwQGzxU4FVIgr1oT4tJQRdU51toh1CR8S_IjpBFbUDJELyptJYR20ihMkN0FQ4rgZtfWCfHVyX4Q4bxlzO_klgj3CmFf3JAye5Qy0XFFacKw12Zevwqckr0JSIQ6sFX5j8Oy09N80RomM7-8z2a0TGMIBeS0/s320/Healy_Willan.jpg" width="237" /></a></div>I recently wrote about Sarah Dawe’s 1977 recital at the Wellington Church, Glasgow with her splendid performance of Roger-Ducasse’s <i>Pastorale</i>. At a previous recital in that series, I heard for the first time Healey Willan’s impressive Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue, (I.P.F.) B.149 for organ. This is his best-known composition and has been described as “one of the great organ works of our time.” It was performed at Simon Wright’s (then organist at Ampleforth Abbey) recital on 26 October 1977. Other pieces heard that evening included William Harris’s <i>Flourish for an Occasion</i>, Joseph Bonnet’s <i>Elfes </i>and Maurice Duruflé’s <i>Toccata </i>from the <i>Suite, op.5</i>. I was unable to find a review of the concert in the Glasgow Herald.</div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #030303; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Healey Willan was born on 12 October
1880 in Balham, South London. However, he is usually claimed as an
Anglo-Canadian organist and composer. After choir school in Eastbourne and
organ posts at Wanstead and Holland Park, he emigrated to Canada during 1913, where
he spent the remainder of his life. During this time, he taught in Toronto at
the University and the Conservatory.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: rgb(249, 249, 249); color: #030303; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Willan’s catalogue is vast, with several
hundred entries. There are operas, symphonies, a piano concerto, chamber music
and piano pieces. His current reputation rests on his liturgical and organ works.
One online commentator stated that his “music represents a unique and beautiful
combination of styles: both an homage to the sacred music of five centuries ago
and a reflection of the innovations of the Romantic/post-Romantic period in
which he lived.” </span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #030303; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Healey Willan died in Toronto on 16
February 1968.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Three weeks after Willan had
arrived in Canada, he was offered the post of organist at St Paul’s, Bloor
Street, in Toronto. At first, he played services on a Steinway piano in the
church hall. On 29 April 1914, the new Casavant organ in the church was
inaugurated. At the time it was the largest instrument in the country. It was
to stimulate him to write many fine organ pieces.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Don Michael Bedford, in his
thesis (University of North Texas, 1998) examining the I.P.F. explains that
Willan used to tell two tales about the work. Firstly, after attending an organ
recital in which Max Reger’s <i>Passacaglia</i> in D minor was given, his
friend Dalton Baker jokingly said that “only a German philosophical mind could
compose such a work.” Willan replied,
"To hell with your German philosophical mind - it's a reasonable piece of
thinking - that's all." On the way home that night he figured out the
theme. He further contended that he wrote the variations for the passacaglia
while riding on the inter urban tram between Toronto and the summer cottage he
had rented near Jackson’s Point on Lake Simcoe. This was done at the pace of two
variations per return trip. As an aside, the tramway closed in 1930.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The I.P.F. was dedicated to the
British organist Walter G. Alcock. It was premiered by the Willan at St Paul’s
Church, on 30 November 1916.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The overall structure of the work is straightforward
– the <i>Introduction</i> which begins quietly, is a rhapsodic and
improvisational fantasy. Massive chords and arpeggiated figurations are
followed by the passacaglia theme stated on the pedals, with the eighteen
variations building to a huge climax for solo tuba in the sixteenth and
seventeenth. The final variation acts as a short, quiet chorale-like bridge
passage before the concluding fugue and a ‘forte’ statement of the theme. The
entire composition is characterised by a balance between contrapuntal
development and dense chordal structures. Although ostensibly written in E flat
minor (six flats) it rarely stays in key for long. Chromaticism and wayward
modulations compliment some largely diatonic passages.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It is easy to play spot the
influence in the piece. Willan himself said he was informed by Bach’s <i>Passacaglia</i>
in C minor, BWV 582, Josef Rheinberger’s Organ Sonatas and Reger’s <i>Introduction
and Passacaglia</i> in D Minor and his <i>Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue</i>
in E minor, op. 127. Other models are Liszt’s <i>Fantasy and Fugue</i> on the
chorale "Ad nos, ad salutarem undam", S.259, and his <i>Prelude and
Fugue on Bach</i>, S.260. And there are some nods to British music as well,
including Edward Elgar. Certainly, it concludes with one of that composer’s best-known
musical directions – <i>Nobilmente</i>. Other Elgarian “organ loft”
fingerprints are the massive chords used in the <i>Introduction</i>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Within a few years, the <i>Introduction, Passacaglia
and Fugue</i> was recognized throughout Canada, the United States, and the
United Kingdom as a masterpiece for the organ. In fact, the organist and
composer Joseph Bonnet stated that Willan's <i>Passacaglia</i> was "one of
the most significant since Bach...a rare and admirable composition... this work
does the greatest honour to the organ literature of our time." Francis
Jackson said in a letter to Willan: “By Jove it wears well - it never fails to
thrill me - and the hearers.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">With thanks to the Glasgow Diapason where this essay was first printed. </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p>John Francehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661182422946581010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807018700599489326.post-7211748565292312642024-01-28T06:00:00.025+00:002024-01-28T06:00:00.133+00:00It's not British, but...American Classics on Naxos<p><span style="text-align: justify;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUKza1bd9Wz7JvNqGkcSV8AzLmTRg_YjjV6ykICiFp0J8QpXz4jH7193qFTrxBQ1D9G-x8tLo4N6AhlsaKXETPf7SNcuY8CLQ7gKPayQDnkAo3IY-U-tTaLMmftjn-WGgCxCiR_MIUBZHSIqd-AopciVbdL4AEuPi1gZnwqFR_5_vrOddCDFUM8O0cJNY/s500/8.559911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUKza1bd9Wz7JvNqGkcSV8AzLmTRg_YjjV6ykICiFp0J8QpXz4jH7193qFTrxBQ1D9G-x8tLo4N6AhlsaKXETPf7SNcuY8CLQ7gKPayQDnkAo3IY-U-tTaLMmftjn-WGgCxCiR_MIUBZHSIqd-AopciVbdL4AEuPi1gZnwqFR_5_vrOddCDFUM8O0cJNY/w290-h290/8.559911.jpg" width="290" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Aaron Copland’s only full-scale opera, <i>The Tender Land,</i> was written between 1952 and 1954: the libretto was by the artist Erik Johns. It had been commissioned by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the League of Composers. The opera was set on a midwestern United States farm during the 1930s. Copland himself suggested that the plot is “baby-simple, dealing with familiar family situations…” The score nods to Copland’s popular <i>Appalachian Spring</i>. Stylistically, it is “plain…comparatively uncomplicated and slightly folksy – direct and approachable.” It was premiered in New York on 1 April 1954 but was not an immediate success.</div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>The Tender Land Suite</i> (1958)
is in three movements, which gives this eighteen-minute-long piece an almost
symphonic feel. The liner notes insist that it is not a collection of “best
bits” strung together, but “is a carefully worked-out, independent composition
that restructures, re-orchestrates and, to some small extent, even re-composes
important passages from the opera.” To be sure, a contemporary programme note
insists that this <i>Suite</i> “stands as a lyrical distillation of the opera’s
essence.” Much of it is slow and introspective: it is only in the middle
movement that the vivacious “dance music” comes to the fore. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I was disappointed with Paul
Creston’s Saxophone Concerto, op.26 (1941). I was expecting something
post-Gershwin, with nods to jazz, swing, and big bands. What Creston has
written is a neo-classical concerto that is nearer to French models than
American.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The work is presented in three
movements: <i>Energetic</i>, <i>Meditative</i> and <i>Rhythmic</i>. The finale
comes nearest to my expectations, although there are bluesy moments in the slow
movement. Certainly, there is nothing dull or boring in these pages. There are
plenty of beguiling tunes and fetching harmonies, especially in the more
relaxed passages. The playing by the soloist Timothy McAllister is perfectly
judged and emotionally diverse, ranging from humour to profound reflection. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">This is the premiere performance
of this concerto in its version for full orchestra, as opposed to concert band.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">African American composer Ulysses
Kay’s <i>Pietà </i>(1950)<i> </i>is a deeply felt elegy, inspired by
Michelangelo’s eponymous marble sculpture. This sacred work of art is safely
ensconced in the Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City. The liner notes explain
that “pieta” can also mean “mercy or compassion.” There is certainly no
religious or liturgical impact in this music. <i>Pietà</i> is a “freely
structured cantilena without obvious form,” however there is a melodic motif
that occurs throughout, that gives it audible structure. It is scored for
English horn and strings. Unbelievably, it has had few performances over the
past 70 years. Anna Mattix, the woodwind soloist, gives a moving performance in
this “concertante” piece. Hopefully, this premiere recording will make this
beautiful, tragic composition better known to the public, both in the concert
hall and on the wireless.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I have known about Walter
Piston’s <i>The Incredible Flutist</i> for a long time but have never knowingly
heard it. It was originally conceived as a ballet score and was first performed
by Hans Weiner and his Dancers with the Boston Pops Orchestra on 30 May 1938.
Shortly afterwards, Piston extracted a concert suite, which was premiered on 22
November 1940 by the Pittsburgh Orchestra under the baton of Fritz Reiner. The
basic premise of the ballet features “a marketplace pulsating with activity and
made colourful by the arrival of a circus.” Vendors and customers appear, we
hear a Tango, before the flutist himself arrives. A widow flirts with a
merchant, faints when she is discovered by her lover, and is then revived by
the flutist’s playing. Among the characters danced were several amusing types,
the Picture Peddler, Merry Dame, Busybody, and Blowzy Belle.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Piston has often been accused of
writing “academic” music. It is fair to say that there is not a hint of the
conservatoire here. He has created a witty score that is both colourful and
entertaining. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The liner notes by Frank K.
DeWald provide all the biographical and contextual detail required to enjoy
this CD. The booklet is well-illustrated, including a production picture from <i>The
Tender Land</i> and a rehearsal shot of <i>The Incredible Flutist</i>. There
are resumes of the performers.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">JoAnn Falletta, the soloists, and
the National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic give sterling accounts of all
four works, which express both their Americanism and universal appeal. The
recording is vibrant and atmospheric throughout.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The liner notes are correct in
suggesting that in the 2020s it is now possible to look back “at much music
that failed to find traction with critics, academia, record companies and radio
networks during those turbulent days” when the correct “ism” mattered more than
the finished product.</p><b>Track Listing: <br />Aaron Copland (1900-1990)</b><br /><i>The Tender Land Suite</i> (1958)<br /><b>Paul Creston (1906-85)</b><br />Saxophone Concerto, op.26 (1941)<br /><b>Ulysses Kay (1917-95)</b><br /><i>Pietà</i> (1950)<br /><b>Walter Piston (1894-1976)</b><br /><i>The Incredible Flutist Suite</i> (1940)<br />Anna Mattix (English horn), Timothy McAllister (alto saxophone)<br />National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic/JoAnn Falletta<br />rec. 16-18 June 2022, Elsie and Marvin Dekelboum Concert Hall, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, College Park, Maryland, USA.<br /><b>Naxos 8.559911</b><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p><div><b>With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published. </b></div>John Francehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661182422946581010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807018700599489326.post-48370161756429836262024-01-25T06:00:00.098+00:002024-01-25T06:00:00.247+00:00Introducing Gustav Holst<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCfdRdDxRyBGUU-zqARbGnhFzJNLCgKN6qqugVcM_FwESvvsKoy3wNl8Y1bTH3dJ28hJJtiYOo5zLnymZDwe1bWxHvSx9Lcecwct9b6JthshoZ3eNBc40VK5Oj5mS6EodAFMHUquqzLBEn-aTg6K0gnShWhwxLEn5jFQCj_Nbw71NPmYJA_A9FW7mLF8/s1079/Gustav-Holst-1921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1079" data-original-width="790" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCfdRdDxRyBGUU-zqARbGnhFzJNLCgKN6qqugVcM_FwESvvsKoy3wNl8Y1bTH3dJ28hJJtiYOo5zLnymZDwe1bWxHvSx9Lcecwct9b6JthshoZ3eNBc40VK5Oj5mS6EodAFMHUquqzLBEn-aTg6K0gnShWhwxLEn5jFQCj_Nbw71NPmYJA_A9FW7mLF8/w260-h356/Gustav-Holst-1921.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If Classic fM is taken as the benchmark, then Gustav Holst is a “one work wonder” – <i>The Planets</i>. And even here they typically programme only three of the seven movements: <i>Mars</i>, <i>Venus</i>, and <i>Jupiter</i>. To be fair, there are occasional outings on that wireless station for the <i>St Paul’s Suite</i> and the beloved Christmas carol <i>In the Bleak Mid-Winter.</i> Holst wrote a vast catalogue of music, covering most genres, including opera. The problem seems to be that listeners who love the ubiquitous Planets have been unable to find “more of the same” in the composer’s other pieces. A little unprejudiced exploration will discover much that is interesting, inspiring, and enjoyable.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In 2024 Gustav Holst celebrates the sesquicentennial of his birth.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><b>Brief Biography of Gustav Holst: </b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Gustav von Holst was born at 4 Pittville Terrace, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire on 21 September 1874. </li><li>Early instruction from his father, who wished him to become a violinist or pianist. </li><li>Served as an organist, aged seventeen. Also conducted several choirs and orchestras. </li><li>Entered the Royal College of Music, in 1893, aged 19 years. </li><li>First meeting with Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1895, formed a lifelong friendship. </li><li>Began to play the trombone and performed in the Carl Rosa Opera Company and the Scottish Orchestra. </li><li>Married Isobel Harrison on 22 June 1901. </li><li>Appointed Musical Director at the Passmore Edwards Settlement in 1904. </li><li>Taught at St Paul’s Girls School from 1905 until his death. </li><li>Director of Music at Morley College from 1907 to 1924. </li><li>Only child Imogen, born on 12 April 1907. </li><li>Travelled to Salonica in 1918 on behalf of the Y.M.C.A to organize music for the troops stationed there. </li><li>Further postings to Macedonia and Asia Minor. </li><li>Returned to England in 1919. </li><li>The first complete performance of The Planets at a public concert was on 15 November 1920. </li><li>Peak of his composing, teaching, and conducting. </li><li>Suffered a severe nervous breakdown in 1923. </li><li>In 1924, he relinquished his teaching and conducting duties. </li><li>Spent the remainder of his life writing music. </li><li>Gustav Holst died at Beaufort House, Grange Park, Ealing on 25 May 1934. </li></ul><b>Twelve Selected Works: </b><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Gustav Holst’s compositional achievement divides into three clearly defined, but sometimes overlapping periods. The first lasted from his student days until about 1906. This was largely experimental, on occasion post Wagnerian, with pieces such as the Ballet Suite (1899, 1912), <i>The Mystic Trumpeter</i> (1904) and the <i>Cotswold Symphony</i> (1899-1900). The second phase was his “Sanskrit” period, which was exemplified by an interest in the literature and mysticism of Eastern philosophy and, to a certain extent, Eastern music. Works from this period includes the opera <i>Sāvitri </i>(1908), the <i>Hymns from the Rig Veda</i> (Vedic Hymns) (1907-08) and the <i>Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda</i> (1908-12). The major orchestral piece from this period was the Asian suite for orchestra, <i>Beni Mora</i> (1909-10). The final phase saw Holst writing “Western music stamped with his own individuality.” This was when <i>The Planets</i> (1914-16) appeared. Other important works from this period include the <i>St Paul’s Suite</i> (1912-13), the opera <i>The Perfect Fool</i> (1918-22), the <i>Ode to Death</i> (1919) and the <i>Choral Symphony</i> (1923-24).</div><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><ol><li><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Ballet Suite (1899, 1912)</span></li><li><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Somerset Rhapsody</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> (1906-07)<o:p></o:p></span></li><li><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Beni Mora Suite</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> (1909-10)<o:p></o:p></span></li><li><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">St Paul’s Suite</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> (1912-13)<o:p></o:p></span></li><li><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The Planets</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> (1914-16)<o:p></o:p></span></li><li><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Hymn of Jesus</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> (1917)<o:p></o:p></span></li><li><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The Perfect Fool</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">, ballet suite (1918-22)<o:p></o:p></span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Choral Symphony (1923-24)</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Fugal Concerto for flute, oboe, and strings
(1923)</span></li><li><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Egdon Heath</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> (1927)<o:p></o:p></span></li><li><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Hammersmith Prelude and Scherzo </span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">(orchestral version) (1930-31)<o:p></o:p></span></li><li><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Brook Green Suite</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> (1933)<o:p></o:p></span></li></ol><p></p><b>Bibliography:</b><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">While the literature for Gustav Holst is sparse – compared to a Mahler or an Elgar –it is of excellent quality. Anyone wishing to begin serious study of the composer could do worse than start with Michael Short’s <i>Gustav Holst: The Man and His Music</i> (OUP 1990). In conjunction with this, Imogen Holst’s <i>A Thematic Catalogue of Gustav Holst’s Music</i> (Faber, 1974), and Short’s <i>Gustav Holst, 1874-1934: A Centenary Documentation,</i> (White Lion Publishers, 1974) are essential. For analysis, the reader may turn to Imogen Holst’s <i>The Music of Gustav Holst</i> (OUP, 1951), revised 1986, or <i>Holst's Music: A Guide </i>by A.E.F. Dickinson and Alan Gibbs (Thames, 1995). Most of these books have a bibliography and references to material needed for further study. However, the ‘catalogue’ and the ‘documentation’ were published more than 35 years ago. Much has happened since then.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The most recent major resource for scholars is Mary Christison Huismann’s <i>Gustav Holst: A Research and Information Guide</i> (Routledge Musical Bibliographies, 2011). This volume brings bibliographical information up to 2010.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In addition, there are the usual reference sources such as <i>Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians</i>, the <i>Oxford Dictionary of National Biography</i> and <i>Wikipedia</i>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><b>If you can only hear one CD:</b><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">First things first. There are plenty of outstanding recordings of Gustav Holst’s music – including most of his opus. <i>The Planets</i> has been released on vinyl, cassette, CD, and streaming dozens of times over the past century. Any recommendation is purely subjective. I would suggest the Hallé Orchestra conducted by Mark Elder on Hyperion CDH55350 (2008). This was the first recording of <i>The Planets</i> which included the additional sphere, Pluto, composed by Colin Matthews in 2000. This object was discovered in 1930, some fourteen years after Holst completed his masterpiece. The additional Planet has not always been greeted enthusiastically. This disc also includes the ruminative Lyric Movement for viola and small orchestra.</div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The single recommended CD would be Richard Hickox on Chandos (CHAN 9420) issued in 1996. This disc includes the important Thomas Hardy inspired <i>Egdon Heath </i>and the <i>Hammersmith Prelude and Scherzo</i>. But it also features Holst’s final work, the <i>Scherzo </i>which was to have been part of a projected Symphony. Slightly more obscure but equally rewarding are Hickox’s account of the Fugal Overture and the <i>Somerset Rhapsody.</i> To end, there is the orchestral <i>Capriccio </i>(1932), arranged by Holst’s daughter Imogen, which was originally to have been played by a jazz band.</div><br /><b>Finally, if you can only listen to one work:</b><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Most commentators would choose <i>The Planets.</i> It can be taken as read that most readers of this post will know it well – often from music appreciation days at school. To be different, I suggest the <i>Hammersmith Prelude and Scherzo</i> (orchestral version) (1930) is an interesting alternative. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Holst received a commission from the BBC Military Band. This piece was devised as a tribute to the district of London where he had spent much of his life. In part, it is an impression of the sights and sounds and images and moods of the river Thames as it passes through Hammersmith. Imogen Holst has written that it was the result of considerable meditation on the “changing crowds and the changing river.” It is not as programmatic as parts of Vaughan Williams' <i>London Symphony</i>, but the Scherzo certainly reveals a bustling quarter of the capital. Little imagination is required to conjure up pictures of crowds at the University Boat Race or the ‘buzz’ of Broadway on market day. But it is the Prelude that sets the scene of this work. Critics have long insisted that it suggests the river flowing past Hammersmith Bridge and the pubs on the riverside. Holst has stated that the Thames “goes on its way unnoticed and unconcerned.” As we listen to the opening pages of Hammersmith, we must imagine the Blue Anchor and The Dove are closed for business: it is early on a Sunday morning and two lovers are slowly walking beside the river enjoying a few precious moments before they part. Or is it a dark winter’s night, and the mist is rolling past the embankment and the moored houseboats…ghosts of the past linger…</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The <i>Hammersmith Prelude and Scherzo</i> was rescored for full orchestra, and it was this version that was premièred in London in 1931. The band edition was not heard in public until 14 May 1954.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p></div>John Francehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661182422946581010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807018700599489326.post-2153922208532101892024-01-22T06:00:00.041+00:002024-01-22T06:00:00.261+00:00Dreams, Desires, Desolation: English Song<p><span style="text-align: justify;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABO32xUDEdrY6BdokCk4dWOUxdvd24yExPFj3bBiiP1yOlb7GLmi4LZSIQchrf7d8IqEIM7_tMuh-R-zSxqQ-dkxxCBXxc14kJBCv8W6Zw0Q2Lp8PW0CmMAdzfBtU1m9p1ys-taw0WL4_FbNFQXlrOdoJPoYYOWcO-mw8ar-KrxrrQK8rHKJrsC5z-5U/s628/Dreams,%20Desires,Desolation%20English%20Song%20ddx21114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="628" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABO32xUDEdrY6BdokCk4dWOUxdvd24yExPFj3bBiiP1yOlb7GLmi4LZSIQchrf7d8IqEIM7_tMuh-R-zSxqQ-dkxxCBXxc14kJBCv8W6Zw0Q2Lp8PW0CmMAdzfBtU1m9p1ys-taw0WL4_FbNFQXlrOdoJPoYYOWcO-mw8ar-KrxrrQK8rHKJrsC5z-5U/s320/Dreams,%20Desires,Desolation%20English%20Song%20ddx21114.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Artists’ Foreword in the booklet explains that the ethos behind this recital is to provide a potpourri of songs that are “very familiar…[with] some relatively unknown ones, and a few that were very popular in their day but have fallen out of fashion.” To construct this eclectic selection, they have chosen texts that reflect the emotions of “dreams, desires and desolation.” Three world premiere recordings are included. The project was born out of the enforced isolation caused by Covid19, during which time Trevor Alexander and Peter Crockford learnt many songs “that we had always wanted to work on but had never had the time.”</div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Two of the premieres are by the
Nottingham born composer Clive Pollard. <i>Go song of mine</i> sets a text by
the Italian poet Guido Cavalcanti and <i>The Cloths of Heaven,</i> the
well-known poem by W.B. Yeats. Both show that Pollard has synthesised the
character of English lieder from the early to mid-twentieth century.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I was excited about hearing <i>Autumn</i>
by the émigré German musician Peter Gellhorn, who came to London in 1935, due
to Nazi persecution. His setting of Walter de la Mare’s poem<i> </i>is
atmospheric and bleak. I heard the influence of Britten in these pages. Sadly,
this recording is one of only a handful by Gellhorn available. Surely other
musicians could assume his cause. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Drawing room ballads include <i>Love’s
garden of roses</i> by Haydn Wood and Amy Woodforde-Finden’s <i>Kashmiri Love
Song</i>. Both were immensely popular in their day but now tend to be ignored
by singers. Perhaps they are deemed as too saccharine? I have not heard anything
by Charles Marshall before. The notes explain that he was not prolific, with
only about fifteen songs to his credit. One that became famous was <i>I hear
you calling me</i>: it was one of Count John McCormack signature tunes. That
said, all three are outstanding examples of this forgotten (and often despised)
category.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Amongst the English composers
there are two numbers from the Dutch-born, conductor/composer Richard Hageman
and the American Broadway composer Lucy Simon. Both are responsive to the
character of the genre.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It was good to hear
representative works from Frank Bridge, Frederick Keel and Cecil Armstrong
Gibbs. The latter’s <i>Silver</i> to words by Walter de la Mare is regarded as
definitive amongst nearly two dozen competitors. Cyril Scott is best recalled
for his idiosyncratic piano music however he was also a prolific song writer.
One of his best known is his “lyrical and haunting” Christina Rossetti setting <i>Lullaby</i>.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Big hitters include Butterworth’s
<i>Is my team ploughing</i>, RVW’s <i>Silent Noon</i> from his Rossetti cycle <i>The
House of Life</i>, and his <i>The sky above the roof,</i> as well as John
Ireland’s <i>If there were dreams to sell</i> and Roger Quilter’s <i>Now sleeps
the crimson petal</i>. Little need be said about these save they are beautifully
performed here.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The liner notes have been
assembled by the performers. They give details about the composers and authors
of the poems, but typically only a short paragraph about the actual songs
themselves. It is a pity that texts were not included in the booklet, as many,
if not all, are out of copyright. There are short resumés of both artists.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The performances are well
wrought. Both performers are clearly enamoured by their chosen repertoire. There
is no condescension in the “drawing room” ballads.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I understand that as part of the
original Covid19 project several other songs were rehearsed including some
French chanson. It would be instructive to hear Trevor Alexander and Peter
Crockford turn their attention to Fauré, Duparc and Debussy. Meanwhile, I look
forward to hearing this team in further performances of English song. There is
certainly much to explore, both well-known and forgotten.</p><b>Track Listing:</b><br /><b>George Butterworth (1885-1916)</b><br />Is my team ploughing? <br /><b>Frank Bridge (1879-1941)</b><br />Come to me in my dreams<br /><b>Charles Marshall (1857-1927)</b><br />I hear you calling me<br /><b>Roger Quilter (1877-1953)</b><br />Now sleeps the crimson petal<br /><b>Clive Pollard (b.1959)</b><br />Go song of mine<br /><b>Richard Hageman (1881-1966)</b><br />Do not go my love<br /><b>Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)</b><br />Silent Noon<br /><b>Frederick Keel (1871-1954)</b><br />Remembrance<br /><b>Victor Hely-Hutchinson (1901-47)</b><br />Dream Song<br /><b>Frank Bridge </b><br />What shall I your true love tell?<br /><b>Haydn Wood (1882-1959)</b><br />Love’s garden of roses<br /><b>Peter Gellhorn (1912-2004)</b><br />Autumn<br /><b>John Ireland (1879-1962)</b><br />If there were dreams to sell (Dream-Pedlary)<br /><b>Cecil Armstrong Gibbs (1889-1960)</b><br />Silver<br /><b>Clive Pollard </b><br />The cloths of heaven<br /><b>Ralph Vaughan Williams</b><br />The sky above the roof<br /><b>Cyril Scott (1879-1970)</b><br />Lullaby<br /><b>Amy Woodforde-Finden (1860-1919)</b><br />Kashmiri Love Song<br /><b>Roger Quilter</b><br />I arise from dreams of thee<br /><b>Frank Bridge </b><br />Journey’s End<br /><b>Lucy Simon (1940-2022)</b><br />How could I ever know? (from <i>The Secret Garden</i>)<br />Trevor Alexander (baritone), Peter Crockford (piano)<br />rec. 20 June, 15 August and 17 October 2021, Henry Wood Hall, London.<br /><b>Divine Art DDX 21114</b><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>John Francehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661182422946581010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807018700599489326.post-13109571994520107792024-01-19T06:00:00.014+00:002024-01-19T06:00:00.333+00:00Jacques Ibert (1890-1962): Bostoniana<p><span style="text-align: justify;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9trRdToyL46CscEXKpn9lx-fC-RDmbBHHNy5ZBRrQl-zIvLjQcnwLkuB6oEBZn7jzQoHKErD3RIrOmiGpCw3fcVqinDdulqFMgaEoielV3zKPfvSPsRzo8KXDR3rk0xz3XJiSgzkAnv6-Zdrv-YjYtJZCrp9w1ljrqojk2c4RkmKvG1XBbaqfFsHmano/s275/Boston%20USA.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9trRdToyL46CscEXKpn9lx-fC-RDmbBHHNy5ZBRrQl-zIvLjQcnwLkuB6oEBZn7jzQoHKErD3RIrOmiGpCw3fcVqinDdulqFMgaEoielV3zKPfvSPsRzo8KXDR3rk0xz3XJiSgzkAnv6-Zdrv-YjYtJZCrp9w1ljrqojk2c4RkmKvG1XBbaqfFsHmano/w248-h372/Boston%20USA.jpg" width="248" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The orchestral work, <i>Bostoniana </i>was originally to have been Jacques Ibert’s Second Symphony. It was commissioned as part of the 75th anniversary celebrations of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Sadly, only two movements were completed before the composer’s death on 5 February 1962. To make matters worse, the manuscript was lost whilst the composer was in Rome. Only the first movement was recovered. The work was premiered on 25 January 1963 by the BSO under the baton of Charles Munch.</div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">French composer Jacques Ibert was
born in Paris on 15 August 1890. He was schooled at the College Rollin in his hometown,
then at the Paris Conservatoire. In 1919 he won the coveted Prix de Rome with
his <i>La Ballade de la geôle de Reading</i>, inspired by Oscar Wilde's poem.
Much of his career was spent writing music for the theatre – ballet, opera, and
incidental music, often in an approachable style. He was director of the Académie
de France between 1937 and 1960, and, for a brief period, director of the
Opera-Comique in Paris.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Ibert is best remembered for his witty
orchestral <i>Divertissement</i>, the short piano piece, <i>Le petit âne blanc</i>,
and his sumptuous portrayal of the Mediterranean in <i>Escales</i>. His characteristic
qualities included “brilliant humour, rapier-like wit, charm and originality.” Stylistically,
he ranged from neo-impressionistic, “with subtle moods and delicate effects” to
the satirical. Towards the end of his life, a new tauter mood appeared in some
of his work. Jacques Ibert died in Paris on 5
February 1962.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The programme notes for the premiere
performance of <i>Bostoniana</i> explained that “the movement has the
indication Allegro comodo. After an introduction conspicuous for rhythmic
chords by the woodwinds and brass, the main part of the movement begins, the
signature changing from common time to an established 3/8. The principal theme
is set forth by the strings, marcato. A quieter section, poco piu tranquillo,
begins with a sustained melody from the strings with harp accompaniment. The
music gathers liveliness and substance in development, and at last broadens out
to a close in triple forte.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Andre Jolivet, reviewing the
first Parisian performance of <i>Bostoniana</i> wrote: “The piece is remarkable
for the clear arrangement of its argument and the economy of orchestral
material. When one peruses the score, one is bewildered by its masterful
simplicity and by the easy way in which every resource of an art devoted to
sensibility and logic, to music in short, is brought into play.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Ibert’s <i>Bostoniana</i> can be
heard on <i>YouTube</i> played by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
under Louis Frémaux, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLHDSTOTZvI">here</a>.
The same recording can be heard with the orchestral score, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc439ENOm1Y">here</a>. The version by the
Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal conducted by Charles Dutoit is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cFa1fQxgCo">here</a>.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In fact, compared to some of
Ibert’s earlier music it is more spartan in impact, less witty, but still full
of orchestral magic. Hubert Culot, appraising Frémaux’s account (EMI Classics
Gemini 5176392) suggested that “…this short symphonic movement may be the real
surprise in this compilation of Ibert’s orchestral output, for it has a
muscular and forceful energy reminiscent of the composer’s great friend Arthur
Honegger. It amply shows that Ibert was also capable of great things.” (<i>MusicWeb
International</i> 8 June 2008).</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>John Francehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661182422946581010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807018700599489326.post-81767541290546761042024-01-16T06:00:00.045+00:002024-01-16T06:00:00.126+00:00William Wordsworth's Piano Music played by Richard Deering<p><span style="text-align: justify;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicWE1RcpjBOvr44C4-OfGL3oNOpeUFgM2ge-XmiiqpWp25RlnH-ISgsvJsxUaEJNSTSHRdNCbcSZdCfodb7cqjzojoX59pfepwxmYF0kYc8tDDchXcYai5KhK1lkgnfJDhxwkSSSZoAFU6h8aWlRzyhE-LroH3oMAZyoSJ1AAZIFBOhcbR_3cL5yYTBV4/s900/Wordsworth,%20William.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicWE1RcpjBOvr44C4-OfGL3oNOpeUFgM2ge-XmiiqpWp25RlnH-ISgsvJsxUaEJNSTSHRdNCbcSZdCfodb7cqjzojoX59pfepwxmYF0kYc8tDDchXcYai5KhK1lkgnfJDhxwkSSSZoAFU6h8aWlRzyhE-LroH3oMAZyoSJ1AAZIFBOhcbR_3cL5yYTBV4/s320/Wordsworth,%20William.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Like London buses, recordings of William Wordsworth’s piano music come in pairs. Only a few weeks ago, I assessed Christopher Guild’s edition of the complete edition on the Toccata label (TOCC 0697), <a href="about:blank">here</a>.</div><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;">A previous generation’s approach this repertoire was the subject of an early release by Lyrita Records in 1963 (RCS13). Here Margaret Kitchin played the <i>Ballade</i>, the Sonata and the <i>Cheesecombe Suite</i>. It was subsequently re-pressed in the late ‘seventies and then issued on CD (Lyrita REAM.2106) in 2008. Reviewed <a href="about:blank">here</a>.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In the late 1980s, Richard
Deering published a cassette tape of <i>Scottish Piano Music</i> on the
British Music Society label (BMS 407). It included everything on this present
CD save the Piano Sonata. Despite the cassette’s title only one of the
composers was born in Scotland – Edward McGuire. <o:p></o:p></p>
<div style="text-align: justify;">For details of William Wordsworth’s life and achievement see Paul Conway’s essay, <a href="about:blank">here</a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">The musicologist Lisa Hardy authored the definitive book about <i>The British Piano Sonata, 1870-1945</i> (Boydell Press, 2012). She provides the liner notes for Wordsworth’s Sonata in D minor, op.13. Hardy explains that it was completed in 1939 but was not published until 1984. The implication is that Margaret Kitchin must have made her 1963 recording from the holograph.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The Sonata lasts for about half
an hour. The first movement is as long as the other two combined. It is
emotionally complex and diverse. The opening <i>Maestoso</i> is ghostly but is soon
complimented by a vigorous <i>Allegro deciso</i>. There is a “calm and
intimate” <i>Allegretto</i> which leads to an overwrought development section
with many changes of temper and pace. Towards the end of the movement there is
a reprise of the “calm” music before it comes to a caustic conclusion. I mentioned in my appraisal of
Christopher Guild’s recording of this Sonata that <span style="color: #333333;">Harry
Croft-Jackson, (</span>RCS13, liner notes) <span style="color: #333333;">likens
the ominous slow movement <em><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Largamente e calmato attacca</span></em> to
“a deeply felt, contemplative landscape” with the “quality of a John Piper
water colour.” It is, I think, a good metaphor. </span><span style="color: #333333;">The
final movement follows on without a pause. Hardy observes that this </span><i style="color: #333333;">Allegro
molto</i><span style="color: #333333;"> suggests a military march. I am not sure: for me it is dance-like
with its insistent rhythms. There is a reprise of the “intimate theme” from the
opening movement before the march/dance theme brings the Sonata to a vibrant conclusion.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The parameters are romantic, but
with an occasional nod to the acerbity of Bartók. This is an “epic and
emotional work,” which deserves a place alongside Frank Bridge’s Piano Sonata
(1921-24). Both were conceived as a “response to war”: both men were pacifists. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Richard Deering gives a superb
account of this powerful piece. He brings the stylistic threads together in a
satisfying unity. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The liner notes explain that,
during the Second World War, Wordsworth was sent to work on a farm near Alton,
Hampshire. This was in lieu of military service, as he was a conscientious
objector. Whilst there, he met his wife Frieda and made numerous acquaintances.
The <i>Cheesecombe Suite</i> (1945) is dedicated “To my friends B.A., C.A.,
D.C., and G.E. whose initials provide the theme for these pieces”. Using these
scalar “letters” he created much of the musical material for this absorbing
work. A thoughtful <i>Prelude</i> is followed by a quicksilver <i>Scherzo</i>. Then
comes a deliberately unbalanced <i>Nocturne</i>: the middle section is
despairing surrounded by a restrained presentation of the theme. The final movement,
a moderately paced <i>Fughetta, </i>is not academic in any way. It starts from
a quiet statement of the subject before it moves to a vivid, but hasty,
conclusion. T<span style="background: rgb(247, 247, 247); color: #333333;">he name <em><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Cheesecombe</span></em> may refer to a farm near Lyme Regis
where Wordsworth also did agricultural war-work. (see Paul Conway’s study).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The <i>Ballade</i>, op.41was
completed in 1949 and dedicated to the pianist Clifford Curzon. Wordsworth has
not provided a “literal” programme, although the critic Harry Croft-Jackson’s
comment (Lyrita, RCS 13) is apposite: “the harmonic freedom, rhythmic variety,
and, in the closing pages, restrained tension leaves the listener in no doubt
as to the temper of the work – [it] matured in a period of conflict”. The <i>Ballade</i>
seems to move from angst to resolution, by way of a stormy introduction, a
short soliloquy, followed by an energising and intense Allegro con brio before it
closes in a relative whisper. Recollections of Bax and late Brahms have been
heard here.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The final work by Wordsworth on
this CD is <i>Valediction, </i>op. 82 (1967). This longish piece, lasting for
over eight minutes, is really a journey rather than simply a lament. It was written
after the death of his friend, the socialist activist Joe Green in a car
accident. In the composer’s words, “the mood changes from the backward-looking
idea of a lament to an affirmation of the survival of the spirit of a good
man.” The listener will be beguiled by
Wordsworth’s use of “the kind of music played by a Highland piper at the burial
of a hero.” It was dedicated to the
pianist/composer Ronald Stevenson who gave the first performance. This is a deeply
felt piece that hovers between romanticism and a Scottish vernacular. It is
both mournful and heart-warming at the same time.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<div style="text-align: justify;">Thomas Wilson’s <i>Incunabula</i> (misspelt <i>Incanabula </i>in the booklet text) (1983), had its origins in an idea that he had used in his song-cycle, <i>The Willow Branches</i> (1983). It was later deployed into the Piano Concerto (1984). Musical recycling! The title means “the earliest stages or first traces in the development of anything.” (Oxford English Dictionary). Interestingly, it can also mean “books produced in the infancy of the art of printing; especially those printed before 1500” as well as a third meaning, “the breeding-places of a species of bird.” The liner notes insist that it is the first of these. Certainly, its progress would confirm that “evolutionary” concept. There are six sections which seem to grow or blend into each other, with no “obvious recapitulation” of material. However, there are echoes of previous figurations that may become more obvious with a score in hand. Typically introspective, <i>Incunabula </i>has moments of stress, but never becomes unbearable. It was composed for Richard Deering and was premiered by him in 1984.</div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<div style="text-align: justify;">Edward McGuire’s <i>Prelude 7</i> (f.p.1983) was another Deering commission. McGuire explains that it reflects his interests at that time: the recently new-fangled fad for Minimalism and allusions to Gaelic folk song. It would appear to have been included in the first of his two sets of <i>24 Preludes</i>, many of which were composed between the 1970s and 2015. They feature a wide range of instruments including accordion, clarsach and castanets. The second set, according to McGuire’s <a href="about:blank">website</a>, would appear to be an ongoing project.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The <i>Six Small Pieces</i> in C
major (1971) are once again products of McGuire’s interest in minimalism. Also
prominent are nods to Erik Satie and John Cage. There is significant beauty in
these simple, but subtle and nuanced, miniatures.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The liner notes by Lisa Hardy,
John Dodd and Edward McGuire give the listener all the information required to
enjoy this CD. I am beholden to them in the preparation of this review. There
is a brief resume of Richard Deering’s career. The recording of both the Sonata
(2023) and the other works (1985) is ideal.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The obvious question. What is the
best edition of Wordsworth’s piano music: Richard Deering, Christopher Guild or
Margaret Kitchin. Listeners must realise that the latter was recorded mono. A contemporary
analysis of Kitchin’s recording suggested that “the first two movements [were]
lacking in impetus” and that the break between the end of the second movement
was misjudged: it should “drive loudly and unhesitatingly into the pianissimo
of the <i>Allegro molto</i> [finale]” (<i>The Gramophone</i>, June 1963). Both
Guild and Deering avoid these criticisms. Yet, this early recording was a
landmark of its day, and I am guessing that it was made with the composer’s
blessing.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">One point in favour of Guild’s
recording is that it includes the undated <i>Three Pieces</i> for piano and
Wordsworth’s contribution to the didactic <i>Five by Ten</i>. It is truly a comprehensive
edition. On the other had I was most impressed by Deering’s performances of
this music (and the McGuire and Wilson as well)<o:p></o:p></p>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">As an enthusiast of
William Wordsworth, I would wish to have all three versions in my collection.
It is a rare thing for a relatively unknown composer to have had so much
attention from three outstanding pianists.</span><div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div><b>Track Listing:<br />William Wordsworth (1908-88) </b><br />Piano Sonata in D Minor, op. 13 (1938-39) <br />Ballade, op. 41 (1949) <br />Cheesecombe Suite, op. 27 (1945) <br />Valediction, op. 82 (1967) <br /><b>Thomas Wilson (1927-2001) </b><br />Incunabula (1983) <br /><b>Edward McGuire (b.1948) </b><br />Prelude 7 (f.p.1983) <br />Six Small Pieces in C major (1971) <br />Richard Deering (piano) <br />rec. 16 July 2023 Wyastone Concert Hall, Monmouth (Sonata); 1985 University of Wales, Cardiff <br /><b>Heritage HTGCD142</b> [77]<div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>John Francehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661182422946581010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807018700599489326.post-16579264884432959502024-01-13T06:00:00.000+00:002024-01-13T06:00:00.126+00:00Bruce Montgomery: Concertino for string orchestra, op.10<p><span style="text-align: justify;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj298Tt3Y_sY0__XtKgfExtBrXUWi1W82m1gVJIitw3HQWhrqnUHYY9Lp6OUdwP2H7PR3r6I-lB8Bx94hWc8bR1ckjaJn-sCIQbhYLppEhUPd96VqB1O_51pO_g2U1r_nLKzEhBy78kvMB7PJeZHV1pVD1OKP9_7XQYM_bBZsy88bMplqdZIgdbBRYTQN8/s943/Oxford%20Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="943" data-original-width="600" height="367" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj298Tt3Y_sY0__XtKgfExtBrXUWi1W82m1gVJIitw3HQWhrqnUHYY9Lp6OUdwP2H7PR3r6I-lB8Bx94hWc8bR1ckjaJn-sCIQbhYLppEhUPd96VqB1O_51pO_g2U1r_nLKzEhBy78kvMB7PJeZHV1pVD1OKP9_7XQYM_bBZsy88bMplqdZIgdbBRYTQN8/w234-h367/Oxford%20Poster.jpg" width="234" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Composer and detective story author Bruce Montgomery completed his engaging <i>Concertino </i>for string orchestra on 3 March 1948. Philip Lane, in the liner notes for the work’s only recording, explains that “the [it]…is typical of [Montgomery’s] musical language at this time; there are echoes of the English tradition of the previous fifty years, but it is tinged with post-war realism and a new modernism that breaks away from the language of a previous generation of composers.” The Concertino is in three movements and lasts for just over 15 minutes.</div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The Concertino was premiered at
the Wigmore Hall, London on 10 December 1948. Other works heard that evening
included Montgomery’s <i>Christ’s Birthday</i> for mixed chorus and string
orchestra with piano obligato, and two pieces by Geoffrey Bush – <i>A Christmas
Cantata</i> and his Concerto for oboe and strings. The New Music Group and the
Riddick String Orchestra were conducted by Trevor Harvey.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The <i>Musical Times</i> (January
1949, p.28) reported on the concert: “Mr. Montgomery's Concertino for strings
left an impression of excellent writing coupled with an invention that had not
quite hit upon the right ideas…”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">David Whittle (2007, p.96) quotes
C.G.R.’s review of the concert published in the February 1949 edition of <i>Musical
Opinion</i>: “Both the <i>Concertino</i> of Montgomery and the Concerto of Bush
are based, consciously or not, on well-known models, but are none the worse for
that; both show an intimate knowledge of the medium, the writing is invariably
effective, the harmonic scheme is perfectly suited to the fund of genial
melodic invention, and if neither work says anything very profound and frankly
aims at pleasing the ear and soothing the mind, then so much the better. Not
every composer is intended by nature to become a great master, and
unpretentious works of this order have a far higher expectation of life than
the pseudo-profundities and pathological phenomena with which we have been
surfeited for the last several decades...”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The score of the <i>Concertino</i>
was published on 1 August 1950 by Novello and Co. It was appraised by I.K. in <i>Music
& Letters</i> (July 1951, p.292). He wrote: “Bruce Montgomery's <i>Concertino</i>
is an unpretentious and well-scored composition of but moderate difficulty. Its
distinction rests on its coloured harmony than on melodic invention, and
occasionally there seems to be a too easy acceptance of sequences. Nor are all
joins made with that elegance of carpentry of which the composer is capable.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">David Whittle (2007, p.95f) quotes
the <i>Musical Opinion</i> (May 1951) which considered that “There is an
engaging simplicity of design and economy of material in each of the movements
of this work, which makes for a ready understanding and appreciation, despite
the composer’s free use of dissonance. If the music rarely gets off the ground,
it is always craftsman-like, and its technical competence holds the interest. [The]
three movements, a <i>Moderato quasi allegro</i>, which is mainly fiercely
energetic, with some good contrasting sections; a flowing <i>Lento espressivo</i>,
and a <i>Vivace ed energico</i>, which again has two main contrasting ideas,
one explosively rhythmical and the other a cantabile melody finely developed.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Bruce Montgomery’s <i>Concertino</i>
for string orchestra was recorded by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia under the baton
of David Lloyd-Jones. It was released on <i>English String Miniatures, Volume 3</i>
in 2001 (Naxos 8.555069). The CD included music by Holst, Finzi, Hurd, Martelli
and Haydn Wood. All three movements of the Concertino has been uploaded to YouTube,
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLQJ5UQkjII">here</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1-aGKfa1gM">here</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cSaZy5Gmls">here</a>. (Accessed
19/12/2023)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<b>Bibliography: </b><br />Whittle, David, <i>Bruce Montgomery/Edmund Crispin: A Life in Music and Books, </i>Aldershot, Ashgate, 2007)John Francehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661182422946581010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807018700599489326.post-63929954557610016912024-01-10T06:00:00.000+00:002024-01-10T06:00:00.134+00:00It's not British, but...Ludwig Van Beethoven: The Late Piano Sonatas<p><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhouN1ZhsV35wWXARgZxwGAYLO4uQzmZE5mwTQaMb6lbbZAS6wUYrppbW9_1nzPk4bFfLU31jDnNqF7O8TRD44UyztAhwxtDdmKATtZPELU4M2R6MGsL7wd0jTQv8OtxgoTFakEteBsy23nKRKL3NtWJPkScp5wSqaIZ7jESvrGTb5jbYajiWL1S9EtVf8/s709/DACOCD%20973%20Beethoven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="709" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhouN1ZhsV35wWXARgZxwGAYLO4uQzmZE5mwTQaMb6lbbZAS6wUYrppbW9_1nzPk4bFfLU31jDnNqF7O8TRD44UyztAhwxtDdmKATtZPELU4M2R6MGsL7wd0jTQv8OtxgoTFakEteBsy23nKRKL3NtWJPkScp5wSqaIZ7jESvrGTb5jbYajiWL1S9EtVf8/s320/DACOCD%20973%20Beethoven.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Late Sonatas of Beethoven are usually classified as the final five examples of this genre as listed above. This includes the massive "Hammerklavier” which imposes massive intellectual and technical requirements on the pianist. It is regarded by many as the greatest of all piano sonatas.</div><p></p>
<div style="text-align: justify;">This recording needs to be set in the context of its genesis. Emil Gryesten explains that during the Covid pandemic in 2020, most of his concert and recital bookings were cancelled. He used this “opportunity” to create an “artistic research project” at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. The subject was Beethoven’s late piano sonatas. The methodology of this study involved the application of the Schenker musical analysis system. This complex process that involves musical theory and philosophical and psychological speculation. Simplified, it is based on the principal that all tonal music is reducible to three levels: 1) a background - basic harmonic progressions underlying the piece or movement, 2) a middle ground - the elaboration of the first level which begins to give the work its identity, and finally, 3). the foreground - the detail presented to the listener. (with a little assistance from Paul Griffiths, <i>Encyclopaedia of 20th Century Music</i>, 1992). The work under study is often reduced to its lowest common denominator and presented in diagrammatic form.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;">Gryesten explains that the aim of the project “was to
approach the scores with fresh ears, mind and spirit, allowing the chosen
analysis method to function as the main interpretative lens, leaving behind the
patinated baggage of tradition.” From these studies, it is hoped to build
revitalised and relevant new performances.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black;">With the help of his colleague Thomas Solak, Gryesten applied
this methodology to Beethoven’s late sonatas. The entire undertaking lasted for
two years and resulted in a “deep exploration of the scores and analytical
graphs, consuming powerful doses of esoteric French philosophy…” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black;">Other outcomes of this project included “workshops for
students, an international seminar on Schenker, some articles, a series of
lecture recitals, and this recording.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;">To be sure, Gryesten does give certain clues as to what the
putative listener may expect: an “eclectic style” exhibiting “stylistic
characteristics which could be heard as belonging to quite diverse epochs and
styles.” </span> <span style="background-color: white;">He admits that there are
“elements inspired by historical practice and a close reading of Beethoven’s
scores.” The overall impact reveals a “romantic sentiment,” imbued with
“occasional jazzy or modernistic details.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black;">Finally, Gryesten refers his readers to an article which provides
“a thorough explanation of the profound ways, in which a Schenkerian approach
has shaped these interpretations." A link or a reference would have been
helpful…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;">The booklet, as noted above, is largely concerned with the
rationale of the Schenkerian analysis and subsequent reinterpretation of
Beethoven’s late piano sonatas. Gryesten has chosen not to provide an
“extensive commentary” on each sonata, but to give only some “observations” on
each one. He recommends the study of texts by Charles Rosen, Donald Tovey,
Edwin Fischer and András Schiff for further analysis and technical scrutiny.</span></p>
<div style="text-align: justify;">Emil Gryesten was born in Aarhus in 1985. He studied at the Jutland Academy of Music and later at the Royal Academy of Music in Copenhagen, the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and finally, the International Piano Academy, Lake Como. His notable teachers included Niklas Sivelöv, Erik T. Tawaststjerna and Fou Ts’ong. Over the years he has received numerous rewards including the First Prize at the Hamburg Steinway Competition. Gryesten has given recitals and concert performances in Scandinavia, Europe, and the United States. He is the pianist in the Danish Trio Vivo. Recent recordings include CDs of Liszt’s Piano Sonata and the Grieg Violin Sonatas with Benedikte Damgaard. Currently, he is assistant Professor of Piano and Chamber Music at the Royal Danish Academy.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;">Now where does all this leave the listener? Does this “fresh
approach” nullify the important recordings of these late sonatas made by such
virtuosos as Alfred Brendel, Mitsuko Uchida, András Schiff, or Vladimir
Ashkenazy? I am not a Beethoven enthusiast or cognoscenti, although I enjoy,
and hopefully appreciate much of his work. When I wish to hear any one of the
late sonatas, I turn to Alfred Brendel’s 1975 recording. This has always been
sufficient for me.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black;">So, for the “average” Beethoven listener, will they notice
the difference between this new recording by Emil Gryesten and their usual
fare? I am not convinced they will. I certainly did not, short of comparing many
versions, which I have neither the resources nor the inclination to do. Unless
time is to be devoted to a close reading of these sonatas with the scores and
technical analysis, I guess that listeners will just have to thoroughly enjoy
them. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black;">The bottom line is: did these performances move me; did they
inspire me? The answer is a big Yes! This is a splendid recital with wonderful
playing: I will leave the theoretical underpinnings to the experts and the
pedants. <o:p></o:p></span></p><b>Track Listing;<br />Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) </b><br />CD1:<br /> Sonata No. 28 in A Major, op. 101 (1816) <br />Sonata No. 29 in B-Flat Major, op. 106 "Hammerklavier” (1817-18)<br /> CD2:<br /> Sonata No. 30 in E Major, op. 109 (1820) <br />Sonata No. 31 in A-Flat Major, op. 110 (1821) <br />Sonata No. 32 in C minor, op.111 (1821-22) <br />Emil Gryesten (piano) <br />rec. 3-5 April and 24-26 July 2023, Main Concert Hall, Royal Danish Academy of Music, Copenhagen <br /><b>Danacord DACOCD 973</b> [2CDs 122]<div><b>With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published. </b><br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black;"><br /></span></p></div>John Francehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661182422946581010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807018700599489326.post-37696068516293216962024-01-07T06:00:00.040+00:002024-01-07T06:00:00.141+00:00Arthur Bliss: Edinburgh: Overture for orchestra (1956) Part II<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDwxj5L0XAyagW-svWoDdepB9C9P-awqbPeDG4ssamNPnIsL7qnLZWHhobsYAxjorXPqNtycbNQ6P1jtGHbQQSBfa2Aa4QgxETNbufaWMoED_B49V5MCw49M2KGDHlOeuj5PNcDeaR3zpmViVGZNDKaXVQ64wa8c19Zfr40qAao0r6UWyb2AOBceCxww/s900/Bliss%20Handley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="900" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDwxj5L0XAyagW-svWoDdepB9C9P-awqbPeDG4ssamNPnIsL7qnLZWHhobsYAxjorXPqNtycbNQ6P1jtGHbQQSBfa2Aa4QgxETNbufaWMoED_B49V5MCw49M2KGDHlOeuj5PNcDeaR3zpmViVGZNDKaXVQ64wa8c19Zfr40qAao0r6UWyb2AOBceCxww/w311-h307/Bliss%20Handley.jpg" width="311" /></a></div></b><i>The Daily Mail </i>(21 August 1956) considered that Bliss had given a ‘graceful compliment to the capital city and to Scotland’ with his overture. The fact that the composer conducted the work ‘ensured that the presentation was, so to speak, in his own phrasing.’ The critic (P.J.T.C.) felt that 10 minutes may be overlong for a ‘greeting’ to the Festival, but considered that it was ‘attractive, strong and compact’ and ‘proved of just the right extent for a musical courtesy.’</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Two comprehensive reviews of the
concert were printed in the <i>Manchester
Guardian</i> and <i>The Times</i>. <i>The
Guardian’s</i> (22 August 1956) Colin Mason suggests that the <i>Edinburgh: Overture</i> ‘is an unmistakable
occasional piece of much the same style and musical calibre as the recent
‘Meditations on a Theme by Blow’…’ He felt that ‘…like that [work], it is
marred especially in the introductory and closing bars, by various sharp
discords that are musically quite irrelevant…’ and serve ‘no purpose except to
introduce an entirely bogus harmonic excitement and to pad out the work for a
few extra seconds by keeping us waiting for their easily foreseen and banal
resolution.’ The opening of the overture had a ‘rather manufactured-seeming
exposition based mainly on the rhythm of the name Edinburgh (pronounced
E-din-borough) over which a psalm tune is played.’ Mason considered that the ‘most genuine’ element
of the piece was the ‘quietly elegiac’ pavane. The final section which combined
the ‘Edinburgh’ motto with Scottish dance rhythms was ‘moderately convincing in
its animation, but not without some effect of strain.’ He concludes by insisting that ‘although the
work served its purpose decently, it has not the vitality or inspiration likely
to make it a repertory concert overture.’ This last prediction has become all
too true.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Times</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> (22 August 1956) remarked that the overture was a ‘pièce
d’occasion constructed of various musical emblems of Scotland.’ Three elements,
the rhythm of the word Edinburgh, the psalm tune and a strathspey were ‘strung
together as a pot-pourri.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Interestingly, the critic compared the slow middle section designed to
commemorate Mary Queen of Scots as being akin to Maurice Ravel’s </span><i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Pavane pour une
infante défunte</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He thinks that
Bliss could have been more sentimental in this section, but the ‘general
intention was, of course, to be exuberant…’ rather than elegiac. In conclusion,
the reviewer noted that Scots were asking themselves if ‘the Englishman had
really got the rhythm of the word ‘Edinburgh’ right.’ <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">A less positive view of the
Bliss overture (and concerto) is given by Conrad Wilson (Wilson, 2005). He also relates a little bit of unattributed
anecdote. Sir Thomas had apparently arrived during ‘the dreary first half of
the concert’ too early for his part of the proceedings. Seemingly, he ‘amused
himself backstage by tossing the clothes of the Master of the Queen’s Music
[sic] out of the green room and into corridor of the Usher Hall.’ If this was
not enough, ‘he mounted to platform level while Bliss was conducting and
distracted the players by gesticulating at them through the glass door leading
to the stage.’ Wilson’s musical predilections
become clear when he concludes by noting that the ‘Brahms which followed after
the interval was naturally electrifying…[and] prompted the audience to burst
wildly into applause before the last chord had stopped sounding.’</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Times</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> (22 August 1956) was more prosaic and insisted it had
something to do with ‘doubling the wind and picking up the speed.’ <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Ian Hutton gave a wide-ranging
assessment of the 1956 Edinburgh International Festival in the October edition
of <i>Music and Musicians</i>. After wittily
suggesting that Schoenberg’s <i>Pierrot
Lunaire</i> ought to be allowed to ‘decompose in peace’ and noting that <i>Walton’s</i> <i>Façade</i> had ‘triumphantly survived its initial ferocious opposition’
he turned to the Beecham RPO concerts and the two ‘novelties.’ Alas, he finds
nothing to say about the <i>Edinburgh:
Overture</i> but writes that Arnell’s <i>Landscapes
and Figures</i> made a favourable impression. Presumably he considered that
Bliss did not.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Robert Meikle has given the most
detailed study of the Overture to date in the chapter on ‘Metamorphic
Variation: The Orchestral Music’ (Craggs, 2002, p.21). He notes that the work
was a ‘thank you’ from the composer for the honorary degrees he had recently
received from Glasgow and Edinburgh Universities. He considers that it is ‘for the most part a
bright, celebratory piece, divided by the more reflective Psalm-tune and
pavane, pervaded by the so called ‘Edinburgh’ rhythm, both in its original note
values (2/4 <span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; font-size: 14pt;">♩♩</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">♪</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; font-size: 14pt;">♩</span><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; font-size: 14pt;">.)</span>and
a diminished version.’</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;">In 1980 HMV released the </span><i style="text-align: justify;">Edinburgh: Overture</i><span style="text-align: justify;"> on LP. It was
coupled with the </span><i style="text-align: justify;">Meditations on a Theme
by John Blow </i><span style="text-align: justify;">and </span><i style="text-align: justify;">Discourse</i><span style="text-align: justify;"> for
orchestra. The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra was conducted by Vernon
Handley.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><i style="text-align: justify;">The Gramophone</i><span style="text-align: justify;"> (August 1980) submitted that the </span><i style="text-align: justify;">Edinburgh: Overture</i><span style="text-align: justify;"> was Bliss’s
equivalent to William Walton’s </span><i style="text-align: justify;">Johannesburg
Festival Overture</i><span style="text-align: justify;">. </span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">The critic Edward
Greenfield (E.G.) was impressed by Handley’s performance which ‘swaggers
impressively in the breezy outer sections.’ His observation about the central ‘Pavane
for Mary Queen of Scots’ was that it was ‘a little too much like film music.’ </span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Ten years later, in a review of
the cassette tape release of the same recording of the overture (coupled with
different works-see discography below) <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Gramophone </i>(August 1990) notes that the work has ‘plenty of bustle, [but]
also shows the [composer’s] most attractive lyrical vein.’ <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Diana McVeagh in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Records and Recording</i> (August 1980,
Volume 23, 11) regards the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Edinburgh: Overture</i>
as ‘a lively agreeable piece, nicely allusive…’ She added that it was time
somebody ‘gave us a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cornish Overture</i>
to join this and Cockaigne…’ <o:p></o:p></span></p><b>
Select Bibliography</b><br />Craggs, Stewart R., <i>Arthur Bliss: A Bio-bibliography </i>(Westport Connecticut, Greenwood Press, 1988)<br />Craggs, Stewart R., <i>Arthur Bliss: A Source Book</i> (Aldershot: Scolar Press, 1996)<br />Craggs, Stewart R., ed., <i>Arthur Bliss: Music and Literature</i> (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2002)<br />Foreman, Lewis, <i>Arthur Bliss: Catalogue of the Complete Works</i> (London: Novello, 1980; suppl. 1982)<br />Roscow, Gregory, ed., <i>Bliss on Music: Selected Writings of Arthur Bliss </i>1920-1975 (Oxford, OUP, 1991)<br />Wilson, Conrad, <i>Notes on Brahms: 20 Crucial Works</i> (Edinburgh, St. Andrew Press, 2005) <br />Files of the <i>Daily Mail, Glasgow Herald, The Gramophone, Manchester Guardian, Music and Musicians, The Times, Records and Recording. </i><br /><br /><b>Discography </b><br />Bliss, Arthur: Meditations on a Theme by John Blow, Edinburgh: Overture, Discourse for orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra/Vernon Handley HMV ASD 3878 (1980) (Vinyl). <br /><br />Bliss, Arthur: A Colour Symphony, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Charles Groves; Miracle in the Gorbals, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/Paavo Berglund; Edinburgh: Overture, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra/Vernon Handley EMI EG 7 69388 4 (1988) (Cassette) <br /><br />The Edinburgh: Overture was also included as part of the retrospective Vernon Handley ‘ICON’ boxed set/download, EMI Classics 098 2022 (2011) (5 CDs)<div><br /></div><div><b>Concluded</b></div><div><b>With thanks to the The Arthur Bliss Society Journal where this essay was first published.</b><br /><div><br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></div>John Francehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661182422946581010noreply@blogger.com0