Ralph Vaughan Williams: Royal Throne of Kings

This is the most intriguing disc that I have reviewed (so far) in 2024. Let me explain. Virtually all the works are heard here for the first time. Often, they have been arranged or realised by hands other than Ralph Vaughan Williams. They are an exploration into a corner of his catalogue, that although known to me, I never imagined I would hear.

The press release explains that RVW was enamoured with Shakespeare and was inspired by him “throughout his long composing career.”

The concert opens with Richard III: My Kingdom for a Horse from incidental music written in 1913 for Francis Robert Benson’s Shakespearean season at Stratford-upon-Avon. Benson (1858-1939) was an actor/manager who ran his own company. He had a thirty-year association with Stratford. Michael Kennedy, in his catalogue, notes that the surviving manuscript includes the Hampshire Dargason, a Requiem derived from his score to Richard II and the present piece. Lasting for only 47 seconds this “filmic” music makes a great overture. It was edited by composer, organist and scholar, Malcolm Riley.

Although RVW had produced a score for Benson’s 1913 production of Richard II, he did not reuse this material when he came to prepare the score for a 1944 radio broadcast. Kennedy notes that there are “thirty-four timed sections to cover fifteen scenes. Nathaniel Lew has assembled these in a satisfying Concert Fantasy. A précis of the play would suggest that “In Richard II,’ the titular king wrestles with his sense of self and confronts the repercussions of his choices. Deposed from the throne, he reflects on power, fate, and the fragility of authority. The play weaves political intrigue and poetic introspection, leaving us pondering the nature of leadership and downfall.” Although Lew does not follow the progress of the plot, his resultant score is certainly sympathetic to the play’s temper. It is a worthy addition to RVW’s catalogue.

A bonus on this CD are several songs. These are all sung with innocent beauty by Eloise Irving.

The Willow Song is an early, unpublished piece for voice and piano dating from 1897. The tune was “found” in a book of lute solos. The words are from Othello, with Desdemona reflecting on love, treachery, and impending tragedy.

Everyone enjoys the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. RVW set Shakespeare’s Orpheus and his Lute, with a text taken from Henry VIII, Act III Scene 1. It was completed in 1903 and had its premiere at the Bechstein Hall on 2 December 1904.

Vaughan Williams made another setting of these words in 1925. It was the last number from his Three Songs from Shakespeare. The other two are Take, O take, those lips away and When icicles hang by the wall, the former from Measure for Measure and the latter, Love’s Labour Lost. All three are gnomic in impact and certainly the last is more austere than the 1903 edition.

The incidental music for King Henry IV, Part 2 was also composed for F.B. Benson’s 1913 season. Once again this “Suite” has been realised by Malcolm Riley. The liner notes explain that RVW “drew freely on existing folk dances and other sources” as well as his own music for other plays. The first movement, the reflective Induction uses a tune from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, Alman in G minor. This may have been used as an overture to the play. Livelier is Falstaff and Prince Hal, using Halfe Hannikin, which first appeared in Playford’s English Dancing Master of 1651. A traditional dance is provided for the Princess Royal movement. As far as I recall, there is no such character in this play, but I guess RVW used an eponymous tune. The heart of this Suite is the beautiful Music to my Weary Spirit which accompanied the king’s death in Act IV. It is a transcription of Dowland’s Pavane Lachrymae played on muted strings. It is the loveliest thing on this disc and could well be excerpted by a well-known classical radio station. The fifth movement, Arrest, is a fetching arrangement of Lady in the Dark, from Playford’s later The English Dancing-Master dating from 1657. This is followed by a lively Gloria Tibi, which is a splendid miniature anthem. The Suite ends with a lively, Happy Life, which takes its title from King Henry’s earnest wish for his son: “No prince nor peer shall have just cause to say, God shorten Harry’s happy life one day!” This is a lovely Suite that should have a life beyond this disc.

The most significant work on this disc is the premiere recording of the original Henry V Overture. It was written for Benson’s 1913 season at Stratford. Long known in its incarnation for brass band, which was completed in 1933, but not performed until 1979. The original score has been lost. However, Malcolm Riley and David Owen Norris have reconstructed the original from the remaining orchestral parts kept by the Shakespeare Trust. It is quite different to the brass band version. Gone are the “martial fanfares” and the pastoral section based on an old French melody. The two main tunes heard are the Agincourt Carol and the Earl of Oxford’s March. This “vigorously nationalistic medley” is both satisfying and uplifting as befits Shakespeare’s noble play that examines courage, doubt, and destiny. It is another important addition to RVW’s discography.

Source-wise, the most complex work on this fascinating CD is the Stratford Suite, realised by Nathaniel Lew. It is based on music composed for five plays produced at the above-mentioned Stratford Festival. These include Henry IV Part II, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Richard II, Richard III, and Twelfth Night. The liner notes explain that the “cues used include thirteen arrangements of folk songs, one hymn tune based on plainchant, three original compositions, two fanfares, and one phrase of a march from the mid-seventeenth-century Elizabeth Rogers Virginal Book.” The “original” music includes the Royal March and the Prelude to Act II of Richard II and the Solemn March from Richard III. The booklet lists the “found” melodies. The arrangement of Greensleeves is quite as ravishing as the more famous Fantasia, but without the central section, Lovely Joan. As a Ricardian who believes that the misaligned Duke of Gloucester needs to be reassessed and a balanced view projected, I declare the short Solemn March is a fitting tribute. I hope that this Suite becomes a favourite with orchestras both professional and amateur. It is a sumptuous re-creation of RVW’s music by Nathaniel Lew.

I do wish that Malcolm Riley’s exquisite transcription of the Dirge for Fidele lasted longer. This beautiful piece for string orchestra and harp will remind the listener of the sheer perfection of RVW’s Dives and Lazarus. Originally devised for two mezzo-sopranos and piano, it was issued in 1922 as a standalone arrangement of Fear no more the heat o’ the sun from Cymbeline, Act IV.

The final offering is Two Shakespeare Sketches from The England of Elizabeth. Once again this has a complex genesis. In 1955, RVW was commissioned to write the score for the British Transport Film The England of Elizabeth. Some years later, the conductor and composer Muir Mathieson adapted the score for the concert hall. Three movements celebrated Oriana as Explorer, Poet, and Queen. This has been recorded a number of times, by Andrew Penny, Andre Previn, and others. At around the same time, Mathieson arranged two sections from the Poet movement. These are adaptations based on two sixteenth-century songs, The Wind and the Rain and It was a lover and His Lass. The first has a prominent fiddle part whilst the second is solid and a touch rumbustious. A CD of nearly all the music from the score was issued on CHAN 10244 in an edition by Stephen Hogger.

The recording is excellent. Equally good are the liner notes developed by John Francis and Malcolm Riley, with additional material from Nathaniel Lew and David Owen Norris. Short resumes of the performers are included. The booklet is well-illustrated, with a wonderful painting Richard III by an unknown artist.

Performances by the Kent Sinfonia and the Albion Chorus, under their director James Ross are outstanding. Soloists Eloise Irving and Malcolm Riley give ideal performances of the songs.

An essential investment for all RVW enthusiasts.

Track Listing:
Richard III: My Kingdom for a Horse (1913) ed. Malcolm Riley (b.1960)
Richard II Concert Fantasy (1944) arr. Nathaniel Lew (?)
The Willow Song (1897)
Henry IV Part II (1913) arr. Malcolm Riley
Orpheus with his Lute (1903)
Henry V Overture (Original Version) (1913) ed. David Owen Norris (b.1953) and Malcolm Riley
Three Songs from Shakespeare (1925)
Stratford Suite (1913) arr. Nathaniel Lew
Dirge for Fidele (1922) arr. for strings and harp, arr. Malcolm Riley
The England of Elizabeth (1955): Two Shakespeare Sketches arr. Muir Mathieson (1911-75)
Kent Sinfonia/James Ross (Richard III, Richard II, Henry IV Part II, Henry V, Stratford Suite, Dirge, The England of Elizabeth); Albion Singers/James Ross (Gloria Tibi, Henry IV Part II); Eloise Irving (soprano), Malcolm Riley (piano) (The Willow Song, Orpheus, Three Songs)
rec. 16-17 February 2024 St. Gregory and St. Martin’s Church, Wye, Kent (orchestral works); 29 April 2024 St. Leonard’s Church, Hythe, Kent (songs)
Texts included.
Albion ALBCD062

John Ireland Prelude in E flat for piano (1924)

Amongst John Ireland’s (1879-1962) better-known compositions for piano such as Sarnia, Decorations and the Piano Sonata, there is the enigmatic Prelude in E flat. Completed whilst he was living in London, it was dedicated to Arthur George Miller (1905-86), the son a Chelsea antique dealer and chorister at St Luke’s Church. It was one of seven pieces dedicated to this young man, although not specifically noted on the score, the clue is the date at the end of the score, 22 February 1924, which was Miller’s birthday. Other works dedicated to Miller include On a Birthday Morning (1922), Bergomask (1925) and February’s Child (1929).

The Prelude was originally entitled Penumbra, but this was crossed out in the score. It is difficult to know what sense of the word Ireland meant but possibly “a penumbra of secrecy?” Fiona Richards (** p.230) has identified two further “fainter pencil mark” on the holograph – ‘Long Dawn’ and ‘Before Sunrise.’ She has suggested that there may be a literary link with a poem by Algernon Swinburne entitle ‘Prelude,’ from his Songs before Sunrise. This poem is “about youth, and the passing of pleasure and passion.”

Conceived as a ‘processional,’ the Prelude opens with a descending five note scale richly harmonised. (Fig.1). From this motif develops much of the ongoing material. The chords are dense, with many added notes. In fact, this could be described as “turgid.”   

Fig.1

There is a secondary theme, presented in the right hand as a single line of melody, (Fig.2) with triadic accompaniment. The work ends after a short cadenza with a quiet close.  

Fig.2

Alan Rowlands has stated that “…it comes closest to revealing something of Ireland the man. It is written in an intensely subjective vein, and it is characteristic that the serene E-flat tonality of the opening phrase turns almost at once to C minor. This music has strong links with that called up in Ireland by his settings of some of the most tormented poems of Hardy and Housman, and it needs many hearings to reveal fully its extraordinary qualities. One most beautiful passage is that written in small notes on the second page- it occurs again at the end, a succession of descending chords, (Fig.3) each dissonance dissolving into the next, is followed by a nostalgic modal cadence, plaintively repeated. No other composer could have written this.” (Liner Notes, REAM 3112).

Fig.3

The Prelude in E flat was premiered on 13 January 1925, by Harriet Cohen, at the Wigmore Hall during a concert of music by William Byrd, John Bull, Josef Haydn, and Arnold Bax. It was published by Augener & Co. during 1925.

The Daily Telegraph (15 January 1925, p.4) reviewer considered that “The chief interest in the modern compositions centred in a Prelude of Mr. John Ireland, which Miss Cohen played last night for the first time "on any stage." Like other compositions of Mr. John Ireland's it does not reveal all its worth at a first hearing. Miss Cohen made it evident that it is effectively written and quite up-to-date technically. Whether the ideas expressed really need such an elaborate apparatus, and whether clarity is one of its qualities, are questions which could only be answered after a second performance. Last night it was very well received, hut the reticent composer, who was present, did not acknowledge the applause of the audience.”

In a long assessment of “New Music” in the Musical Times, (March 1925, p.230) the critic suggested that “John Ireland's Prelude in E flat is a grimly serious bit of work, with some characteristic clashings. It is not extremely difficult in regard to technique, but it calls for a good deal on the mental side.”

Colin Scott-Scott Sutherland (in Foreman, 2011, p.14) remarked that “the Prelude in E flat [was] given no other title, The term ‘Prelude’ has little relation to Chopin or Scriabin but is used by Ireland as if it were a programmatic title, implying the opening of some sombre ritual with his dark incantations.”

Listen to John Ireland’s Prelude in E flat for piano on YouTube, here. The piano soloist is Eric Parkin.

Bibliography:
Craggs, Stewart R., John Ireland, A Catalogue, Discography and Bibliography 2nd edition, Ashgate, 2007.
Richards, Fiona, Meanings in the Music of John Ireland, Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2000. Ed. Foreman, Lewis, The John Ireland Companion, Boydell Press, 2011

That Sweet City: Music by Kenneth Leighton and Ralph Vaughan Williams

The liner notes succinctly sum up the impact of this new disc: “Both [works] are evocations of the pastoral and bucolic, Leighton’s…celebrates young love in the spring…while Vaughan Williams’s is filled with nostalgia for an idyllic past…”  The two pieces are connected by their link to Queen’s College, Oxford, where they were premiered in the early 1950s.

Kenneth Leighton’s Veris Gratia, op.6 is a celebration of the coming of Spring. To be sure, he wrote two compositions with the same title. The present Cantata was completed in December 1950 and is a setting of classical and medieval verse whilst the second was a Suite for oboe, cello and strings written earlier that year.

The Cantata was inspired by the Latin poet, Catullus and poems chosen from Helen Wadell’s Medieval Latin Lyrics (1933). It was dedicated to his teacher, Bernard Rose, and the Eglesfield Musical Society. The premiere performance was given at Queen’s College, Oxford by the dedicatees on 8 June1951. The title Veris Gratia can be translated in many ways: the ‘Grace/Beauty of Spring’ or ‘For the sake of spring,’ or as Wadell translated it “O Spring most fair.”

The Cantata opens with a short instrumental Prelude, suggesting dawn and the break of day. The first chorus, Aubade is a panegyric of praise, to love, and to the arrival of summer. This is followed by a setting of Catullus’s Lament on the death of his mistress, Lesbia’s sparrow. The two thousand years after this poem was penned has not diminished the words’ pathos, as well as revealing an incipient eroticism. It is sympathetically sung by the tenor solo. A short instrumental Elegy leads to the Eclogue for choir. This is an adaptation of Leighton’s Coventry Carol. It is a meditation for chorus and solo soprano, considering the coming of the muse with a “sweet melody” and observing various birds in the countryside, which are parodied by the solo flute. An “earthy and energetic” Paean follows which is the most dramatic part of the cantata, with nods toward Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana whilst the Hymn to Cypris is a gentle, lilting Arcadian idyll for women’s voices. The next movement, Erotikon, is the saddest part of the cantata, where the tenor soloist laments unrequited love. Finzi’s vocal style is apparent here. An orchestral Nocturne is “brooding and impassioned.” Here some of Leighton’s future development may be glimpsed. The cantata has travelled the whole swing of the day, with the last chorus, an Epilogue, providing a long summation of the foregoing thoughts. It evokes “Diana’s crystal lamp [which] rises at dusk,” leading to the “Blessed…antidote of sleep.” Yet not before the peroration where the choir “applaud the novelty of things” and gives thanks that “Happy is he who is loved/And has achieved his welcome desire.” The music used here also appears in the glorious Veris Gratia Suite, op.9.

It is fair to say that it is the last of Leighton’s works to explicitly exhibit his debt to Vaughan Williams, Edmund Rubbra and Gerald Finzi.

It does not state on the CD cover that this is a premiere recording of Veris Gratia, op.6, however, I was unable to find any reference to an earlier edition. It is a major contribution to Leighton’s discography.

Ralph Vaughan Williams’s An Oxford Elegy is an appealing choral composition that brings together elements of narration, choir, and a small orchestra. This was written between 1947 and 1949, taking its text inspiration from two poems by Matthew Arnold: The Scholar Gipsy (1853) and Thyrsis (1865).

It reflects both nostalgia and acceptance, evoking the spirit of Arnold’s time and place. The first poem examines the life of a young scholar who leaves his studies at Oxford University to seek wisdom and truth beyond conventional education. The titular character, the Scholar-Gipsy, encounters a group of Romani who possess their own unique way of learning and understanding life. Amongst other things, Arnold examines the fast-paced, fragmented nature of modern life in the Victorian period. He portrays the Scholar-Gipsy’s rejection of the “sick hurry” and “divided aims” then (as now) widespread in society. There is a sense of weariness about the verses. Thyrsis is an encomium for the poet Arthur Hugh Clough. Both poems vividly celebrate the beauties of the landscape.

An Oxford Elegy was given a private performance at RVW’s home, White Gates, Dorking on 20 November 1949, with its public premier at Queen’s College, Oxford, on 19 June 1952. The narrator was Steuart Wilson, and, like the Leighton, the Eglesfield Musical Society was conducted by Bernard Rose.

Listeners will associate Rowan Atkinson with a variety of persona. One thinks of the recent sadly truncated Maigret series, or with one of the incarnations of Blackadder. Children of all ages will love Mr Bean. Johnny English, a parody on the spy genre, was deservedly popular. And then there was the satirical Not the Nine O’clock News which ran from 1979-1982. Atkinson’s alma mater was Queen’s College, Oxford, so the connection is clear. It was with great interest that I listened to his performance of An Oxford Elegy. His diction and timing are perfect. Atkinson’s style is tentative and intimate, rather than declamatory. He is suffused with wonderment with the Scholar’s story and the Oxfordshire landscape. It is beautiful, often bringing a tear to the eye. The singing by the Choir of the Queen’s College is not intrusive but acts as a perfect foil to the narration. Where necessary, they can be expansive, but typically they create an impressionist ‘take’ on “all the live murmur of a summer’s day.”

The liner notes by Owen Rees provide a major essay with detailed analysis of each piece’s progress. All texts and translations are included. There are the usual resumes of the performers.

The recording is splendid and well balanced, especially between the narrator and the choir in The Scholar Gypsy.

Listeners of a certain vintage will recall the John Westbrook narration of An Oxford Elegy, ably accompanied by the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, the Jacques Orchestra, under the watchful eye of David Willcocks. This was released in 1970 on HMV ASD 2487. Since that time there have been several recordings made of this work, with narrators including Jack May, Simon Callow, Gerard Killebrew, and Jeremy Irons. I guess that lovers of this composition will have their favourite.

For me, Westbrook’s was the first recording I heard of An Oxford Elegy, and it will always be my go-to version. That said, I can highly recommend this present recording, with its sense of tenderness and reflection. And the fact that it is coupled with Kenneth Leighton’s outstanding Veris Gratia makes it a must buy for enthusiasts of British Music.

Track Listing:
Kenneth Leighton (1929-88)
Veris Gratia, op.6 A Cantata based on Medieval Latin Lyrics (1950)
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
An Oxford Elegy (1947-49)
Rowan Atkinson (narrator), Nick Pritchard (tenor), David Cuthbert (flute), Alaw Grug Evans (soprano)
Choir of the Queen’s College Oxford, Britten Sinfonia/Owen Rees
rec. 22-24 September 2023, SJE Arts, St John the Evangelist Church, Oxford
Texts included.
Signum Classics SIGCD917

With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published. 

Hidden Holst VI: A Fugal Overture (1922)

I first heard Gustav Holst’s A Fugal Overture, op.40/1 (H.151) on record in about 1976. It was part of Lyrita SRCS 37, performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Adrian Boult. Coming only a few weeks after hearing a performance of The Planets during the Summer Proms at Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall, it came as a big surprise. Here, there were no romantic passages like Venus or some mystical moments from Neptune. Nor did it offer any folk tunes or hints at pastoralism, found in A Somerset Rhapsody. It was full-on neo-classical.

In 1922 Holst began writing a neo-classical work, after the example of Paul Hindemith’s or Igor Stravinsky’s explorations into this genre. Yet, Stravinsky had yet not penned his Octet for Wind (1923), and Hindemith had not embarked on his series of Kammermusik, op.36 (1925). The composer’s daughter, Imogen Holst, suggests that he was not following fashion, but that “his inquiring mind had led him up this particular path at that particular moment.”

In August 1922, Holst wrote to his pupil W. Probert-Jones saying: “As soon as I got to work…I unexpectedly wrote a thing that was meant for an overture and even now is in strict sonata form: but it happens to be a Fugue! Also, it is a Dance! At present I’m calling it a Bally Fugue, although perhaps Fugal Ballet would be more correct.” (Cited Holst, 1974, p.147)

A Fugal Overture was completed the following year, on 4 January, (Short, 1990, p.207) and was dedicated to Holst’s pupil and confidante, Jane M. Joseph. It was duly published by Novello the following year.

Musically, the Fugal Overture which is not in the least ‘academic’ but is full of cross rhythms and syncopation, which makes for a lively and interesting work. Yet, as Michael Short (Short, 1990, p.203) has pointed out, “the mood [of] vitality and gaiety, [is] made all the more so by the inclusion of a brief poignant interlude of bleakness which gives a foretaste of Egdon Heath.”

The piece was originally conceived as an overture to the ballet The Perfect Fool, “if one should be needed.”  It was premiered in this form on 14 May 1923, at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. The first concert performance was given on 11 October 1923, at the Queen’s Hall, London, by the New Queen’s Hall Orchestra, conducted by Holst. The Times (12 October 1923, p.7) reviewer, was less than impressed, considering that “The Overture had less ideas in it than the [Fugal] Concerto, and such as it has, have been expressed by the composer before.” Earlier in the evening concertgoers had heard his Fugal Concerto for flute, oboe and strings, op.40, no.2 (1923).

For the contemporary listener, A Fugal Overture is a fascinating exploration into part of Holst’s catalogue that remains hidden, save to enthusiasts of his music. Gustav Holst is always in danger of being a “One Hit Wonder” with his The Planets. It is good to move beyond this undoubted masterpiece.

Bibliography:

• Dickinson, A.E.F., Holst’s Music: A Guide, (Thames Publishing, London 1995)
• Holst, Imogen, A Thematic Catalogue of Gustav Holst’s Music, (Faber Music Limited, London, 1974)
• Short, Michael, Gustav Holst: The Man and his Music, (Oxford, OUP, 1990)

Discography:

• Holst: A Fugal Overture, Moeran: Sinfonietta; Bax: November Woods, London Philharmonic Orchestra/Adrian Boult Lyrita. SRCS 37, 1968.
• Holst: A Fugal Overture, The Planets, St Paul's Suite, London Festival Orchestra/Ross People. ASV. DCA 782, 1992.
• Holst: A Fugal Overture, with A Somerset Rhapsody, Scherzo, Egdon Heath, Hammersmith, Prelude and Scherzo, Capriccio, London Symphony Orchestra/Richard Hickox, Chandos CHAN 9420, 1996.
• Holst: A Fugal Overture with Beni Mora, Somerset Rhapsody, Hammersmith, Egdon Heath, Invocation for Cello and Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra/David Lloyd-Jones Naxos. 8.553696, 1998. 

Listen to Hickox’s account of Gustav Holst’s A Fugal Overture on YouTube, here. It comes complete with score.

Music for Stage and Screen

This pot-pourri of “stage and screen” music is derived from RVW Society Vice President Stephen Connock MBE’s personal collection of recorded material. The one exception is Lorna’s Song, which has been provided by David Michell.

The first track is Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Prelude to 49th Parallel, a 1941 British war drama film directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. The plot involves German U-boat survivors evading capture in Canada and trying to escape to the neutral United States. The broad tune that dominates the Prelude epitomises the wide-open spaces of Canada as well as alluding to its people’s bravery. The entire score has been issued on Dutton Epoch, CDLX7405, reviewed here.

One of two major highlights on this CD is Adrian Boult’s 1954 recording Holst’s of Ballet Music from The Perfect Fool, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. It was originally released on Decca LXT5015. This is a thrilling, “crisp, and sparkling” performance of this well-loved work. Boult would later make another recording in 1961.

One of the great film scores of the 1940s is William Walton’s Henry V written for Olivier’s iconic production of the play for the silver screen. I have always felt a strong sympathy for Sir John Falstaff. Certainly, I am offended by the way that Prince Hal latterly treated the elderly knight – at least in Shakespeare’s account. Walton has created a beautiful, if modest, miniature Passacaglia commemorating his death. Interestingly, Falstaff does not have a death-scene in Shakespeare’s’ play: it was interpolated into the film by Olivier. Along with its sad companion piece, Touch her Soft Lips and Part it is some of the finest, most poignant, music that William Walton created. It is heard here in the composer’s 1945 recording with the Philharmonia String Orchestra.

Two short numbers by William Alwyn are included. The first is the main theme from The Cure for Love (1949) which takes the form of an exquisite “salon waltz.” Equally attractive is the Malcolm Arnold-esque Calypso from The Rake’s Progress (1945). It perfectly complements Rex Harrison’s portrayal of Vivian Kenway, the roué, when he was working as a coffee grower in Latin America. Both are performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, under Muir Mathieson.

It is unfortunate that Clifton Parker is usually only recalled for his gripping score to the 1944 film, Western Approaches. Other important film scores include Robert Newton’s version of Treasure Island, Kenneth More in Sink the Bismarck! and the Walt Disney feature The Sword and the Rose. Equally interesting are the soundtracks to the British Transport Films, The Elizabethan, the Blue Pullman, Ocean Terminal, and The Long Night Haul. He did indulge in other genres, including the delightful Glass Slipper Overture (1944), the Thieves Carnival (1959) and his Two Choreographic Studies (1940). The present Seascape is a short, but effective, tone poem assembled by Parker from the score. It is in three sections, beginning tranquilly as the merchant ship leaves its berth in an American port. As the boat reaches the mid-Atlantic it begins to get stormy, and this is reflected in more expansive music. The last joyful section alludes to the rescue of the mariners and their safe arrival in ‘blighty.’ There are definite hints of Arnold Bax in this wonderful evocation of the sea.

Although the score for the 1934 movie Lorna Doone was composed by Cecil Armstrong Gibbs, for an unknown reason, the producer, Basil Dean, asked Rutland Boughton to create a romantic song for the eponymous heroine to sing. It is performed here by the film’s star Victoria Hopper. It is very much of its era: I can take it or leave it.

The day is saved by a riveting performance of the March from Things to Come by Arthur Bliss. This 1936 film was based on H.G. Wells’s novel, envisioning progress, technological leaps, and resilience in the face of a war-torn future. This is one of the most imposing, if menacing, “English” marches.

Although an enthusiast of Delius, I have never warmed to the incidental music written for James Elroy Flecker’s prose-play, Hassan (1920-23) – except for the Serenade and Interlude. The “plot” does not excite me. The current excerpts from the work include the Serenade ‘la-la’d’ by the tenor, H. Farrar and concluding with the almost comic final chorus. His Majesty’s Theatre Chorus & Orchestra were conducted by Percy Fletcher and recorded in 1923.

I agree with John Quinn (reviewed here) that the most significant recording on this disc is Manuel de Falla’s El Amor Brujo played by the Studio Orchestra (Rome Radio Orchestra) under Thomas Beecham. This was recorded in Rome during 1958 for use in the film Honeymoon (1959). This movie was essentially a travelogue for Spain. The stars included Anthony Steel, Ludmilla Tchérina and the Spanish ballet dancer Antonio as well as the renowned Russian choreographer and ballet dancer, Léonide Massine. Sadly, Beecham’s recording was not complete: five minutes of the Suite were omitted.

The present recording is derived from the film’s soundtrack, replete with “noises off.” But do not let that put you off this outstanding performance, especially from the mezzo soprano, María Carla Alcalá. The liner notes remind the listener that this ballet exudes “the primitive force, the magic character and the tragic essence of this art, whose roots are buried in a distant past.” It is a great characterisation of Beecham’s account. I echo John Quinn’s disappointment that Thomas Beecham never made a studio recording of El Amor Brujo.

The concert concludes with the Epilogue from the 49^th Parallel (1941). Stephen Connock is correct in stating that “nothing in [RVW’s] film music genre surpasses for breadth and nobility this rousing finale.” It is heartbreakingly beautiful.

The liner notes have been prepared by Stephen Connock. They give details about each piece, as well as essential information about context. The booklet’s cover features star of Lorna Doone, Victoria Hopper. All the tracks have been “improved” by Pete Reynolds of Reynolds Mastering. They give the best possible account of this worthy music.

Folks may wonder why Albion Records, which is an offshoot of the Ralph Vaughan Williams Society have only included two items by the man himself. It matters not. What is heard here is a valuable contribution to the recorded legacy of British music that deserves to be heard. RVW would surely have approved.

Track Listing:
Ralph VAUGHAN WILIAMS (1872-1958)
Prelude to 49th Parallel (1941)
London Symphony Orchestra/Muir Mathieson (rec. November 1949)
Gustav HOLST (1874– 1934)
Ballet Music from The Perfect Fool (1918-22)
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Adrian Boult (rec. November 1954)
William WALTON (1902-1983)
Excerpts from Henry V (1944), Death of Falstaff, Touch her Soft Lips and Part
Philharmonia String Orchestra/William Walton (rec. October 1945)
William ALWYN (1905-1985)
Main Theme from The Cure for Love (1949) (rec. November 1949)
Calypso Music from The Rake’s Progress (1945) (rec. June 1946)
London Symphony Orchestra/Muir Mathieson
Clifton PARKER (1905-1989)
Seascape from Western Approaches (1944)
London Symphony Orchestra/Muir Mathieson (rec. June 1946)
Rutland BOUGHTON (1878-1960)
Lorna’s Song from Lorna Doone (1934)
Victoria Hopper (soprano) with Orchestra (rec. November 1934)
Arthur BLISS (1891-1975)
March from Things to Come (1934-35)
London Symphony Orchestra/Arthur Bliss (transferred from film soundtrack, February 1936)
Frederick DELIUS (1862-1934)
Excerpts from Hassan (1920-23)
H Farrar (tenor); His Majesty’s Theatre Chorus and Orchestra/Percy Fletcher (rec. November 1923)
Manuel DE FALLA (1876-1946)
El Amor Brujo (1915-25) (abridged) from Honeymoon (1959)
Studio Orchestra (Rome Radio Orchestra)/Thomas Beecham (rec. 1958, Rome)
Ralph VAUGHAN WILIAMS
Epilogue from 49th Parallel (1940)
London Symphony Orchestra/Muir Mathieson (rec. June 1946)
rec. 1923-1958
ALBION RECORDS ALBCD041

Arnold Bax: Romantic Overture (1926) Part 2

The Romantic Overture was first performed at the New Chenil Galleries in the King’s Road, Chelsea, London on 18 January 1927. The then-young John Barbirolli (1899-1970) conducted the Chenil Chamber Orchestra and Rae Robertson played the ‘concertante’ piano part.

Fortunately, there is a sequence of letters that Bax sent to Harriet Cohen, describing his reaction both before and after the premiere of the work. I am grateful to Graham Parlett for permission to quote them here.

In a letter to Cohen (10 January 1927), Bax wrote: ‘My overture for small orchestra is being played (and broadcasted) by Barbirolli on Tuesday week at the Chenil Galleries—only one rehearsal—so it can’t be good especially as it is pretty complex.’

A few days later (14 January 1926), Bax was still troubled about the work’s prospects: ‘Barbirolli is doing my piece with only one full rehearsal - the usual bestial conditions of course - and what it will be like I can’t think. I certainly don’t want it broadcast at the first performance.’

But on 18 January, despite some sad news, he was much more optimistic: ‘I have just heard from mother that Señor Sobrino [his father-in-law, the Spanish pianist Carlos Sobrino] died to-day of cancer…Barbirolli rehearsed my piece the whole morning and let everything else in the programme go to the devil with the result that it really sounds what I mean. One is so unaccustomed to any trouble or real enthusiasm on the part of a conductor here that it is quite moving. I wish you could hear it. (Rae [Robertson] is playing the piano part.)’

On 19 January, Bax wrote enthusiastically about the concert: ‘My Romantic Overture went brilliantly last night, and Barbirolli really accomplished something quite wonderful with it. Old Vaughan Williams was there of course but I did not see him to speak to. I wish you could have heard it - especially as (since it is scored for a medium sized orchestra) there cannot be many opportunities for its performance.'

Finally, Graham Parlett (1999) cites a letter from Bax to fellow composer Cecil Armstrong Gibbs (21 January 1927) stating that ‘The performance was fine, and I think that if he remains as enthusiastic and conscientious as he is at present Barbirolli is going to be a very important figure in the conducting world’. It was a perception that was justified by time. On the same day, Bax also wrote to Cohen: ‘Everyone seems to have liked my orchestral piece the other night I am glad to say - That comes of a really good performance.’

The reviewer in the Musical Times (March 1927) of the premiere, regarded the Romantic Overture as ‘small and excellent’ just like the venue. He thought that ‘one title is as good as another, and Mr. Bax had never yet used this one.’ What impressed him most was the composer’s successful attempt as ‘dabbling with orchestral economy on the part of a usually spendthrift composer was a hopeful sign, for retrenchment is often a first symptom of maturity.’  He amusingly wrote that ‘we want Mr. Bax to mature and to sow oats a little less wildly.’  The work was deemed to be typical Bax, despite not alluding to any actual Irish tune. He understood that there was ‘live motion in melody, middle, bass, harmony and rhythm.’  The ‘gifted’ pianist Rae Robertson gave an effective performance of the piano part.

Other works heard at the concert included a very ‘slow-paced’ Delius On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, Mozart’s Symphony No.40 in G minor K550 and a Concerto Grosso by Handel.

The first provincial performance of the Romantic Overture was given during the 1927 ‘Hastings Music Festival’ at the White Rock Pavilion. On Thursday afternoon, April 7, Edward Elgar had been booked to conduct some of his orchestral works including ‘The Wand of Youth Suite No.2’ and the Violin Concerto with the solo part played by Miss Margaret Fairless in lieu of Albert Sammons who was ‘indisposed’. A premiere at the concert was Alexander Brent-Smith’s Barton Fair Overture which has disappeared into the mists of time.

Allan Biggs commenting on the Romantic Overture in the Hasting and St Leonards Observer (Saturday 9 April 1927) observed that Basil Cameron, the resident conductor, ‘extracted every ounce of musical significance that it possesses.’  He continued: ‘every player engaged in its performance has to be very much on the alert for it abounds in snatches of small talk between the instruments employed.’ The work, characterised by ‘…successions of unresolved discords suggests a somewhat distorted view of ‘romance’ and the broad impression is one of feverish energy rather than beauty per se.’ Biggs thought that there was an ‘abundant purpose in the themes, and no lack of originality in them or in the striking orchestral effects to which they gave rise.’ Basil Cameron gave a ‘masterly’ performance and had memorised the work.

The Musical Times (1 May 1927) reviewing the same concert pointed out that there is ‘much good music in Bax’s work- too much, in fact for it to hang together properly.’

The Recording

In January 1992 Chandos were running an advert for the latest CD in their series of Arnold Bax recordings. It was presented as a ‘unique release, featuring premier recordings.’ Included on this disc were the Violin Concerto, the incidental music to Clifford Bax’s play Golden Eagle, the tone-poem ‘Legend’ and the present overture. Unfortunately, M.K. (Michael Kennedy) did not choose to mention the work in his review of the CD in the April 1992 issue of The Gramophone magazine. This journal also appears to have been silent about the CD’s subsequent re-release in 2003.

Guy Rickards, reviewing the CD in Tempo (March 1992) states that the Romantic Overture is ‘…not-quite-concertante, not-quite-orchestral piano, [and] is a dud’. Rickards regards this failure as ironic as the work dates from ‘the middle of the composer's richest period.’  He believes that the work’s ‘longueurs [dull and tedious parts] fall just short of the early Festival Overture (1909-11) …’

The most extensive critique of this recording of the Romantic Overture is by Steve Arloff on the website MusicWeb International (4 April 2004). After a summary of the work’s genesis and a consideration of the Franck ‘quotation,’ he concludes by stating, ‘Whilst I’ve never been a particular fan of Delius, whose music seems to meander aimlessly rather than making a statement, this Bax piece is a delight and once again is teeming with ideas that are fully explored though it is a scant thirteen minutes in length’.

Finally, The American Record Guide (March 2004, Roger Hecht) comments that the Romantic Overture ‘is a pleasing combination of dance and an afternoon wandering around dedicatee Frederick Delius's house in France’. It may not reflect the true facts of the work’s origin, but it does sum up the effectiveness of the music.

Brief Bibliography
Foreman, Lewis, Bax: A Composer and his Times (The Boydell Press, Woodbridge, 1983, 1987, 2007)
Parlett, Graham, A Catalogue of the Works of Sir Arnold Bax (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1999)
Scott-Sutherland, Colin, Arnold Bax (London, J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd, 1973)

Discography:
Bryden Thomson/London Philharmonic Orchestra Romantic Overture, Concerto for violin and orchestra, A Legend: Symphonic Poem, Golden Eagle: Incidental Music, Chandos CD: CHAN 9003, 1991; rereleased on CHAN 10159, 2003.

With grateful thanks to the late Graham Parlett for permission to quote liberally from his research and for much help and encouragement in drafting this essay.

Concluded
With thanks to the Delius Society Journal where this essay was first published.

Arnold Bax: Romantic Overture (1926) Part 1

In the July 1966 edition of Musical Opinion, Lewis Foreman examined the ‘Unperformed works of Sir Arnold Bax.’ Amongst many pieces discussed, was the Romantic Overture. Foreman noted that this was one of several smaller orchestral works “dating from the period between the wars [which] have been almost totally neglected.” Others in this category included Summer Music, the Rogue’s Comedy Overture and Cortège. At present, even with an expanded appreciation of Bax’s music that has developed over the past 55 years, these works are hardly well known: they are rarely performed and feature on only one or two recordings.

Genesis & Composition
Anecdotally, music historians (in rare discussions of the work) have understood that the genesis of the Romantic Overture was the result of a short visit that Bax made during April 1926 to Frederick Delius in Grez-sur-Loing. The exact date of this visit in unclear. Incidentally, en route to Grez, Arnold Bax had met his lover, the pianist Harriet Cohen, in Paris: she was returning from treatment for TB in Geneva. (Foreman, 1983/2007)

Later, in an undated letter to Cohen (Foreman, op.cit.) written from Delius’ home, Bax wrote: “This is an old house – sixteenth century - and last night in the dimness of candles and somewhat feeble lamp light seemed rather eerie...” Bax had been left alone in the “shadowy music room.” Earlier, he had admired “the neglected and overgrown garden” where “spring is marvellous...” and had enjoyed ‘the river [which] flows at the bottom of it and bluebells, pansies, wallflower and apple-blossom riot in the pouring sunlight.” It has been assumed that this inspired the Romantic Overture.

Following detailed research by Graham Parlett, the “received” origin of the work has been modified considerably. The first indication that Bax was working on the Overture is presented in a letter to Harriet Cohen (15 March 1926). He wrote: “I can’t get on with my choral thing [Walsinghame] at all - so I am revising I think successfully a work which I thought was no good and may score it for Barbirolli’s small orchestra.”

The score must have been completed, at least in draft, sometime before this date. This indicates that the work had been sketched out before Bax’s trip to Grez.

Furthermore, it has been presumed that the scoring of the Romantic Overture was completed whilst Bax was staying with Philip Heseltine (Peter Warlock) and E.J. (Jack) Moeran in the Kent village of Eynsford. Warlock had moved to a small cottage in the High Street, next to the Methodist Chapel and, more appositely, a few yards away from the Five Bells public house.

Several days after returning from Grez to his home in Fellows Road, near Swiss Cottage, Bax wrote to Cohen: “I have just finished orchestrating a thing for very small orchestra. It is a piece that I very nearly tore up at one time, but just at the moment I am rather pleased with it. I expect Barbirolli will do it.” (Wednesday, 28 April 1926).

On the previous Monday (26 April 1926), Bax had written to Warlock asking if he could visit the cottage “next Saturday to Monday.” Parlett presumes that this implied as 1-3 May. The full score was complete, therefore, before Bax’s trip to Eynsford.

Interestingly, another letter to Harriet Cohen written from Fellows Road and postmarked 3 May 1926, suggested that his visit to Eynsford was shortened: “I came back with [Lionel] Jellinek last night [2nd], partly in order to see about your francs, and also because the perpetual boozing of Heseltine [Warlock] and [Cecil] Gray was a gloomy and irritating spectacle.”

The work’s ‘official’ title is Romantic Overture for Chamber Orchestra: in the short score it is referred to as being ‘for Small Orchestra.’  The orchestral forces are two flutes (one doubling on piccolo), oboe, two each of clarinets, bassoons, and horns with trumpet, piano and strings. There is no percussion. The full score was published by Murdoch, Murdoch & Co. in 1928. On the printed score, it was dedicated to ‘To Frederick Delius’ presumably in memory of Bax’s April visit to Grez-sur-Loing.

‘Programme Note’

Three things should be grasped about the Romantic Overture. Firstly, the rare use (in 1926) of a piano in a work of this kind. This part is complex and requires a considerable technique. It is effectively an ‘obligato’ that is integral to the work: it is not a piano accompaniment that can be omitted from a performance. Clearly, Bax’s use of the piano, presages his imposing Winter Legends dating from 1930. Secondly, much study could be given to examining whether this Overture is a parody or a pastiche of Fred. Delius. It is common knowledge that Bax’s influences included Richard Wagner, Richard Strauss and Jean Sibelius as well as the Russian nationalists, Irish folk-music, and Impressionism. Personally, I find intimations of Delius’ music at many points in this score. I imagine that these are the ‘impressionistic’ influences, where Bax creates a moody, misty sound often with muted horns or sometimes with woodwind. I do not believe that this work is an attempt at sounding like Delius: it is just that there are moments that could have come from the pen of the elder composer. And thirdly, the utilisation of the small or chamber orchestra makes the texture seem brighter than that often associated with Bax’s music.

Most commentators include reference to a musical quotation from César Franck that Bax used in this work. This Belgian composer was not a favourite of Bax’s, but there is a two-bar’ allusion to the Franck’s Symphony at ‘Letter H’ in the score. It is assumed that Bax was “put up to it” by Peter Warlock, who had recently composed The Old Codger which had parodied Franck’s Symphony in D minor. It was the fourth of his Cod-Pieces.

Brief Bibliography
Foreman, Lewis, Bax: A Composer and his Times (The Boydell Press, Woodbridge, 1983, 1987, 2007)
Parlett, Graham, A Catalogue of the Works of Sir Arnold Bax (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1999)
Scott-Sutherland, Colin, Arnold Bax (London, J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd, 1973)

 
To be continued… With thanks to the Delius Society Journal where this essay was first published.

Romance and Reverie: Holst and his Contemporaries

The publicity for this CD states that the repertoire “is based on chamber works written or arranged for violin with either voice or another instrument, by Holst himself and four composers who were contemporary with him – with a focus on neglected works but including a new arrangement of one very popular piece.”

Appropriately for the sesquicentennial anniversary of Gustav Holst’s birth, three of his works are given here. All are in slightly different versions from what many listeners will be used to. Invocation was originally conceived for cello and small orchestra in 1911. He later arranged it for cello and piano. The present edition for violin and piano was devised by Hannah Roper. Even though Holst was employed on his Rig Veda settings at that time, the overall impression is one of Englishness – and possibly ascending larks! Invocation was originally titled A Song of Evening, which suggests that it may have been deemed a companion piece to A Song of the Night (1905), also heard in this recital. Originally this latter work was conceived for violin and small orchestra but is heard here rescored for violin and piano. I do not know if this version is in Holst’s hand. It does not offer an evocation of England, but something more mystical and nodding to India.

The final track is an arrangement of Holst’s Lyric Movement for viola and small orchestra (1933). This was one of his final compositions and was dedicated to the violist Lionel Tertis. Once again, it has been arranged by Hannah Roper for violin and piano. This nocturnal piece presents shifting harmonies, clear textures, and soaring melodies. It is not austere, but neither is it a pastoral rumination. Imogen Holst considered it to be one of her father’s finest works.

William Yeates Hurlstone displayed remarkable musical talent from an early age. Despite his premature death, he left behind a small but excellent body of work. His catalogue includes the Variations on a Swedish Air, a Piano Concerto, the Magic Mirror Suite, an important Piano Sonata in F minor, and the Cello Sonata in D.

The liner notes suggest that the Four English Sketches are “miniatures which paint almost idyllic musical portraits of English country life, like scenes on a Royal Worcester porcelain dinner service.” Certainly, there is an inherent innocence here. The Pastoral is more Edward German than RVW, whilst the Caprice has a beautiful ‘big tune’ in the middle eight. Romance is melancholy but ending enigmatically: A story rather than a love affair? The finale, A Revelry is the most technically demanding of the Sketches. Bouncy and playful, Hurlstone has introduced a bit of a fugal passage in the Trio section.

Two other pieces by Hurlstone are included – his Revery and Romance. I like the programme notes suggestion that they have a “charming sepia-toned quality.” They are much deeper and profound in impact than the Sketches. It is not explained in the notes that these two numbers would appear to be part of Three Pieces for violin and pianoforte. They are all undated, but the manuscript carries a date of 12 August 1894, for one of them. There is also an Intermezzo, which is not included in this recital.

Rebecca Clarke’s quixotic Midsummer Moon echoes Claude Debussy and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Written in 1924, it is just a little bit eclectic in its stylistic integrity. However, she has managed to express an entire range of emotions, from playfulness to the dream-like magic of a warm summer’s night.

Clarke’s Three Irish Country Songs (1926) are scored for soprano and violin, based on folk tunes. The first, I know my love utilizes a delicate counterpoint between the soloists. I know where I’m going is a gentle rumination on love sullied by her sweetheart Johnny’s bad reputation. The final number, As I Was Goin’ to Ballynure, is a good old Irish romp. A wonderful violin obligato here.

Ethel Barns was an English violinist, pianist, and composer. Her Valse Caprice (1894) is virtuosic, with nods towards the Polish violinist and composer Henryk Wieniawski. It is an involved number, which sounds very English despite the French title. Barns’s Lament (also called Chanson Indienne) is an involved mood picture, drawing on Indian scales with nods to modalism. It is undated.

I first heard The Lark Ascending in the Bean/Boult version dating from 1972 (HMV ASD2847). It has been my go-to recording whether on vinyl, cassette, or CD since then. Despite listening to Valeria Clarke’s arrangement on two occasions in the preparation of this review, I am not convinced. The liner notes explain that “With the carefully considered addition of extended techniques for harp, the music takes on a feel which can only be described as even more English, with the folk inspiration for the melodies and harmonies on clearer display through the recognisably ancient timbre of the harp.” To be sure it is a faithful account of this ever-popular work and deserves to be successful. It is just not for me.

The liner notes by Chris Cope, Hannah Roper and John Francis are helpful, and include backgrounds of the composers and brief notes on the repertoire. Not all dates are given: I have provided these where possible. The booklet is illustrated with publicity shots of the recitalists and photos of the composers. Brief biographies of the performers are given. The picture on the CD cover was previously used on ALBCD038 – Time and Space.

I cannot fault the performances on this CD. The heavy lifting is done by Hannah Roper (violin) and Martin Jacoby (piano), ably assisted by the soprano Emma Tring and the harpist Valeria Clarke. The playing is always sympathetic and well balanced. The songs by Rebecca Clarke are sung with clarity and imagination without an overly exaggerated Irish accent.

It is useful to have these relatively unknown works made available, especially the Rebecca Clarke, Ethel Barns, and the William Hurlstone. The three arrangements of Holst’s early concerted pieces are a valuable contribution to his birthday honours. Listeners will make up their own mind about this latest incarnation of The Lark Ascending.

Track Listing:
Gustav Holst (1874-1934)
Invocation for violin and piano (1911), arr. Hannah Roper
William Hurlstone (1876-1906)
Four English Sketches for violin and piano (pub. posth.1910)
Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979)
Midsummer Moon for violin and piano (1924)
Ethel Barns (1873-1948)
Valse Caprice for violin and piano (1894)
Hannah Roper (violin), Martin Jacoby (piano)
Rebecca Clarke
Three Irish Country Songs for soprano and violin (1926)
Emma Tring (soprano), Hannah Roper (violin)
Gustav Holst
A Song of the Night for violin and piano (1905)
Hannah Roper (violin), Martin Jacoby (piano)
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
The Lark Ascending for violin and harp (1914), arr. Valeria Clarke (b.1992)
Hannah Roper (violin), Valeria Clarke (harp)
William Hurlstone
Revery and Romance for violin and piano (c.1894)
Ethel Barns
Lament (?)
Gustav Holst
Lyric Movement for violin and piano, (1933) arr. Hannah Roper
Hannah Roper (violin), Martin Jacoby (piano)
rec. 28-29 May 2024, Ruddock Performing Arts Centre, Edgbaston, Birmingham.
Albion ALBCD065

Eric Coates's Tribute to Arnold Bax

Eric Francis Harrison Coates (1886-1957) was a significant English composer known for his light music. Born in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, Coates grew up in a musical family. Despite initial reluctance from his parents, he pursued a musical career, studying at the Royal Academy of Music under Frederick Corder and Lionel Tertis.

Coates began his career as a violist, playing in orchestras conducted by notable figures like Thomas Beecham and Henry Wood. However, in 1919, he shifted his focus entirely to composition due to neuritis in his left hand. His works are characterized by their melodic charm and orchestral colour, often reflecting the light music tradition of Arthur Sullivan and Edward German.

Among his most famous compositions are the ‘Knightsbridge March’ from the London Suite (1932), By the Sleepy Lagoon (1930), and The Dam Busters March (1954). Coates’s music was widely popular, with pieces like “Knightsbridge” becoming synonymous with BBC Radio’s In Town Tonight.

Coates’s legacy endures through his contributions to light music, blending traditional orchestral elements with contemporary influences, including jazz and dance-band music. His work continues to be celebrated for its enduring appeal and melodic brilliance.

Eric Coates contributed to the Arnold Bax memorial letters published in Music & Letters, January 1954. Although the two composers were quite different in their aims and styles, there was clearly sympathy and genuine friendship between the two men. Bax had died on 3 October 1953 aged 69 years.

Sir Arnold Bax's death on October 3rd has meant a great loss to English music, for we had hoped to have many more lovely works from the pen of this shy, retiring composer. Arnold Bax was a great musician with a vivid imagination and a superb command of the orchestra. Whichever instrument he wrote for, it was as if he played that instrument himself, so well did he seem to write for it. He always wrote grateful and interesting parts for every member of the orchestra, and his music is therefore a delight to listen to and to play. I first became friendly with him in 1907 at the Royal Academy of Music, and during the years between that time and his death I saw him frequently. He was a kindly, lovable, companionable person, tolerant of others and loyal to his friends. His words were few but always to the point, and he had a delightful way of telling a story. Sometimes, when with others, he would lapse into a long silence and, just when one thought he was fast asleep, he would rap out some pithy remark showing how closely he had been following the conversation. He detested parties and public functions and avoided them when he could, though I often found myself seated next to him at official banquets, dinners, and luncheons. He had a habit of turning up at my flat on festive occasions, and he was with me on VE Day. He was also with me on the Board of the Performing Right Society where, when bored by the proceedings, he would push his writing-pad towards me with the words: "Eric, draw me a ship!" To which request I would oblige by sketching a liner at full steam, and he would add some clouds and a few seagulls. I remember asking him one day how he managed to think of his fascinating orchestral effects - to which he replied, with a "What does it feel like to have written world-famous melodies?" The last time I saw him on the concert platform was last year at Cheltenham [1] when he received an ovation from a delighted audience after Sir John Barbirolli and the Halle Orchestra had given a magnificent performance of his Sixth Symphony. Well, he has gone. The slightly stooping, diffident, shy figure we all knew so well will be seen no more, but the music that came from that imaginative and creative mind will still live on. Dear Arnold Bax - the world has lost a great musician and I, personally, have lost an old and loved friend.  Music & Letters, January 1954.

Notes
[1] The concert was held at the Cheltenham Town Hall on Wednesday, 16th July 1952. Besides Bax’s Symphony No.6 there was a performance of E.J. Moeran’s Serenade in G and John Gardener’s Variations on a Waltz of Carl Nielsen. This latter work, despite positive reviews, has fallen by the wayside

Highways and Byways: Rarities for Recorder

This 2-CD set gets off to a great start with Lennox Berkeley’s Sonatina op. 13 dating from 1939. Typical of his style, it is a successful fusion of baroque and neo-classical sensibilities as well as a touch of Gallic charm. The three movements entertain with lovely melodies, and alluring harmonies.

Sheffield-born Wilfred Heaton is best recalled for his contribution to the brass band repertoire, although he did produce works for many other genres. The Little Suite for recorder and piano was premiered in 2001 at the Royal Northern College of Music. The Suite presents five “contrasting cameos” which reflect the “dance-based instrumental suites of Bach and Bartók.” Moods encompassed include a vibrant Courante, a lugubrious Cantabile and a humorous Bourée. These are bookended by a brilliant Toccata and a will o’ the wisp Gigue.

The booklet states that Peter Pope’s Sonatina No.2 was composed in Croydon during April and May 1980. There is no information concerning any early performances. The piece is gentle and thoughtful throughout its three complementary movements. Gary Higginson, in his review of this CD, here, reminds the reader that Pope was a pupil of John Ireland, and that his influence can be seen in the sad slow movement.

The undated The Summer Triangle by David Butler was inspired by three stars seen in the night sky, Vega, Altair, and Deneb. And is The Eagle (mentioned in the notes) a fourth? To be sure, the CD cover is supposed to illustrate this phenomenon, but I am not sure I can quite see it. Add to this, Butler’s exploration at night of the beaches around Lowestoft and witnessing a rising moon, has inspired this attractive and absorbing composition. It does not need the astronomical programme to enjoy.

Igor Stravinsky’s Lullaby (1960) for two recorders is an arrangement of Ann’s Lullaby from The Rake’s Progress (1951). It involved “an ingenious reduction of both song and chorus throughout to just two parts.” All I will say it would not send anyone off to sleep – just too piercing.

The brief Sonatina (1978), by John Locke was dedicated to the present soloist, John Turner. It comes as a gentle relief after the astringency of the Stravinsky. Even so, this is no pastoral ramble, but an exploration of some complex chromatic phrases. The central Adagio is particularly redolent. The final movement is played on the descant recorder, giving a brighter, bouncy conclusion.

The final work on CD1 is Thomas Pitfield’s Dancery (1974). This suite was inspired by Tielman Susato’s collection of dance tunes made popular by early music expert David Munrow. Pitfield has formulated five contrasting melodies which, although short, are always musically significant. My favourite is the smoky Pavan in Three Notes (Hommage à Poulenc). Equally attractive is the Finzian second Pavan. Altogether a delightful work that ought to be in the repertoire of all recorderists.

The second CD is a pot-pourri of miniatures. John Turner’s A Sad Pavane was written in 2022 as part of a collection designed for a video supporting the Ukrainian people. It is sad in mood, but ultimately positive. The second of Two Pieces is a rumbustious little Hopscotch (2012). Curiously, in Scotland we call this game ‘peever.’

The liner notes explain that John McCabe’s Domestic Life is “an arrangement of tunes from an ‘entertainment,’ This Town’s a Corporation Full of Crooked Streets, for voice and ensemble,” dating from 1969. It is interesting to note that the texts (not provided here) of the original were derived from poems authored by the Mersey Sound poets, Adrian Henri, Roger McGough, and Brian Patten and, also, included children’s rhymes. McCabe’s contribution is a fascinating little selection of tunes, all played without a break. McCabe himself referred to it as a “pièce d’occasion.” It would make a splendid encore at any recorder and piano recital.

John McCabe’s Sam’s Tune was originally penned in 1973 for a Granada TV production. It is untypical of his style, but quite catchy.

The liner notes explain that Christopher Ball “was a musical polymath, being a clarinettist, conductor, composer, arranger, publisher, recorder virtuoso, teacher and photographer.” His Two Pieces for recorder and piano were originally intended to be part of a sonatina, which never materialised. A Cheerful Little Piece, with a few neat twists and turns, does what it says on the tin, whilst the Homage to Dvořák is slower, thoughtful and has hints of Grandmother’s Songs and Hovis.

For any railway enthusiast, memories of Stockport Edgeley with it signal boxes, large station, and impressive viaduct bring back happy memories. Peter Hope has evoked The Edgeley Tram (2019) in his short contribution. It presents musical onomatopoeia of a journey from Mersey Square in the centre of town up the hill to the suburb of Edgeley. Sadly, the network of trams closed in 1951. Fortunately, Mersey Square has remained very much the same, despite town council planning. David Jepson also recalls the locality with his bewitching Edgeley Fold (2020). It is a “meditation on an excerpt from a poem by the native poet Anthony Warren Bardsley…” It balances wistful reflection with some “memories of a darker hue” created by wartime memories. A lovely little creation.

I am not sure why Alexander Gretchaninov’s Concertino, op. 171 (1944) has been included in this collection of largely British music. It is a “short and happy” number for two recorders and piano which is fun, but hardly essential.

American composer William Bergsma’s Pastorale and Scherzo (1943) brings a touch of variety to the prevailing instrumentation of this CD set. He has devised them for recorder and two violas. The Pastorale is a little too profound, whilst the Scherzo lets zip. A good encore.

Conversation Piece (1996) for two recorders by Dorothy Pilling is a pleasant little exercise that is full of summery delight. My only criticism is that it is too short!

David Ellis’s Mount Street Blues (2015) is in “memory of his friend from childhood, John McCabe.” Mount Street in Liverpool is the location of the Liverpool Institute where both men studied. There is only a hint of the “blues” about it, but it is an exquisite tribute.

The second contribution from Ellis is his Fipple-Baguette: Three Encores for Solo Recorder op. 76 for solo recorder. (2004). The titles are Round Dance, Sarabande with Doubles and End-Piece. These exceedingly difficult miniatures were dedicated to John Turner. I do not know what the relevance of “Baguette” is, but “Fipple” is the mouthpiece of a ducted flute, i.e. a recorder.

The final number in this recital is Thomas Pitfield’s A Little Caribbean. This undated work was originally scored for clarinet and piano. It is a charming miniature that presents a memorable melody and clever rhythmic patterning.

The helpful liner notes have been written/assembled by John Turner. They are clear and legible. Not all the dates of composition have been given, which is a pity. The playing on this disc is outstanding throughout. Most of the burden falls on John Turner, recorder, and Stephen Bettaney, piano, but additional resources are provided by the recorderist Laura Robinson, and the violists Catherine Yates and Alex Mitchell. Brief biographies are included for all performers. The cover is an attractive photo of (for me) an unknown series of constellations.

All the music on this new CD is of interest. Clearly individuals will make their own choice as to what are their favourites and what they can live without. What is clear is that this latest production overseen by the eminent recorderist John Turner reveals what a wonderful treasure chest exists of music that is found in the repertoire’s Highways and Byways. Long may these explorations continue.

Track Listing:
CD1
Lennox Berkeley (1903-1989)
Sonatina op. 13 (1939)
Wilfred Heaton (1918-2000)
Little Suite (f.p.2001)
Peter Pope (1917-1991)
Sonatina No. 2 (1980)
David Butler (b. 1953)
The Summer Triangle
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
Lullaby (arr. 1960)
John Locke (1907-1980)
Sonatina (1978)
Thomas Pitfield (1903-1999)
Dancery (1974)

CD2
John Turner (b. 1943)
Two Pieces (2022 and 2012)
John McCabe (1939-2015)
Domestic Life (1969/2000)
Sam’s Tune (1973)
Christopher Ball (1936-2022)
Two Pieces
Peter Hope (b. 1930)
The Edgeley Tram (2019)
David Jepson (1941-2021)
Edgeley Fold (c.2020)
Alexander Gretchaninov (1864-1956)
Concertino op. 171(1941)
William Bergsma (1921-1994)
Pastorale and Scherzo (1943)
Dorothy Pilling (1910-1998)
Conversation Piece (1996)
David Ellis (1933-2023)
Mount Street Blues (2015)
Fipple-Baguette: Three Encores for Solo Recorder, op. 76 (2004)
Thomas Pitfield
A Little Caribbean
John Turner (recorder), Stephen Bettaney (piano), Laura Robinson (recorder), Catherine Yates (viola), Alex Mitchell (viola)
rec. 22-23 May 2023, St. Elizabeth’s Church, Ashley, UK; 11 October 2023 St Paul’s Church, Heaton Moor, Stockport (Bergsma); 16 September 2008, St. Thomas’s Church, Stockport (Fipple-Baguette, Ellis)
Divine Art DDX21245

Alfred Reynold: Suite: Alice through the Looking Glass (1947)

As long as I can remember, I have been a fan of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and its sequel, Alice through the Looking Glass. I owned a copy of both books before I could read, but enjoyed the ever so slightly scary illustrations by John Tenniel. My favourite character was the gentle, eccentric White Knight, who rescues Alice from the Red Knight.

Liverpool born composer Alfred Reynolds (1884-1969) is recalled for his contributions to theatrical productions and light music. He studied composition in Berlin under the Engelbert Humperdinck (of Hansel and Gretel fame). In 1910, he conducted Oscar Straus’s The Chocolate Soldier thus becoming one of the youngest operatic conductors in England. Most of Reynolds’s creative work was for the theatre, and included several comic operas, often with librettos devised by A.P. Herbert. Some of his most successful pieces were written for stage productions of 1066 And All That and The Swiss Family Robinson. Alfred Reynolds died in Bognor Regis on 16 October 1969.

The 1947 Christmas Show at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatres in Stratford-Upon-Avon was a production of Alice in Wonderland which seemed to be a compilation of both books. The story had been adapted by Herbert M Prentice and the performance was directed by Sir Barry Jackson. The show ran for three weeks beginning on Boxing Day. Alfred Reynolds provided the incidental music, which was later assembled into two Suites: Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking-Glass.

The Alice Through the Looking-Glass Suite opens with an evocation of the mythical Jabberwocky. This scary creature was the subject of a nonsense poem introduced into the story. Reynolds’s ‘take’ opens with a passage for woodwind, which nods towards Paul Dukas’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and even the Teddy Bears’ Picnic. Listen out for the siren whistle. The loveliest movement is the elusive waltz, The Ballet of Talking Flowers. This piece opens with a short piano cadenza, is followed by swirling strings, then a melancholic cello solo and concludes with a vibrant coda. The nursery song, Humpty Dumpty is used in The Parade of the Hobby Horses. Memory does not recall this episode from the book. However, it probably reflected “all the king’s men, and all the king’s horses.” The March of the Drums, is just that: opening with a timpani ‘cadenza’ it is a slow march, with brass fanfares, and chipper strings, eventually fading into the distance. The Finale is another march, this time rumbustious, but with the tiniest trio sections.

The Suite: Alice Through the Looking-Glass was issued in 2002 on the Marco Polo British Light Music series, 8.225184. This disc includes various characteristic works by Reynolds, including The Sirens of Southend, the Overture: The Taming of the Shrew, the Swiss Lullaby and Ballet from Swiss Family Robinson, and a splendid Festival March. The Royal Ballet Sinfonia is conducted by Gavin Sutherland.

Writing in The Gramophone, (October 2002, p.61), Andrew Lamb suggests that “There’s perhaps not a lot that distinguishes Reynolds’ music for one play from that for another…Yet I do find this an extremely relaxing and rewarding collection‚ ideal for those who enjoy undemanding, but well-­crafted light music played by the sort of full orchestra that would have flourished in Edwardian days.” Turning to the present Suite he considers that The Ballet of the Talking Flowers for instance‚ is a lovely waltz…Altogether it is music that meets its modest aspirations admirably‚ and it’s beautifully played here by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia.”

Find Alfred Reynolds’s Suite: Alice through the Looking Glass on YouTube, here.

 

Discovering Joan Trimble (An Ulster-born composer) Part 3

Possible Works to Revive? The orchestral miniature In Glenade was composed in 1942. Commissioned by the Dublin String Orchestra (DSO), it was premiered by them at a Royal Dublin Society Concert on 16 February of that year, conducted by Terry O’Connor (Jamieson, 2017). The work is scored for solo violin and strings and is written in ternary form with a ‘cantabile’ middle section. It lasts for only four minutes. In Glenade was never published, however the score is available from the Contemporary Music Centre of Ireland. ‘Glenade’ is in County Leitrim, in the north-west of Eire. There is a lough at the end of the valley. The name is an anglicization of Loch Ghleann Éada, meaning ‘lake of the glen of jealousy’. This does not really give a clue to Trimble’s music, which is a wistful, but largely untroubled idyll.

Joan Trimble’s final major composition was the Three Diversions for wind quintet: flute, oboe, clarinet in B flat, horn, and bassoon. This three-movement work was composed in 1990, some years after she had moved to Enniskillen to run The Impartial Reporter. It was commissioned with the support of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. The work was premiered by the Belfast Wind Quintet on 8 June 1990 (Jamieson, 2017).   The Diversions are largely in Trimble’s slightly more astringent style with her usual Irish sympathies. It begins with a ‘Preamble’ featuring fugal writing, an introspective ‘Pastoral’ and the final ‘Burlesque’ utilising Scottish and Irish dance rhythms and including a discrete nod to ragtime. The score was issued by Rosewood Publications (England) in c.2000. It deserves to be in the repertoire and on CD.

Finally, is there a possibility of a revival of her opera Blind Raftery? It was premiered on BBC Television, on 21 May 1957.  At this time, it was only the second TV opera to have been produced in the UK. The first was Arthur Benjamin’s Mañana. The libretto for Trimble’s opera, was written by Cedric Cliffe, who also wrote for Benjamin. The Times (23 May 1957) noted that ‘the chief virtue of…[the] music is its complete rightness of style for the subject.’  Eschewing serialism, Trimble provided ‘lyrical melody which has its roots in the folksong of her native country.’ The reviewer felt that the entire opera was characterised by ‘generously singable’ tunes and ‘orchestral writing that reveals the…craftsman’s understanding of what is immediately clear an effective.’ Finally, the entire score is imbued with the ‘potent emotional persuasiveness of an old ballad or folksong.’ On this basis it would seem to deserve at least a detailed perusal by an operatic group - professional or amateur.

Select Bibliography

• Burn, Sarah M., ‘Joan Trimble’ The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians Stanley Sadie (ed.) 2^nd revised edition (London, 2001).
• Jamieson, Alasdair, Music in Northern Ireland: Two Major Figures: Havelock Nelson (1917-1996) and Joan Trimble (1915 - 2000), Grosvenor House Publishing Limited, Surrey 2017
• McCarroll, Lisa, The Celtic Twilight as Reflected in the Two-Piano Works of Joan Trimble (1915-2000), DMus dissertation, University of Houston, 2013
• Percival, Fay, The Life and Works of Joan Trimble – A Study in Context. (BMus dissertation, Queen’s University Belfast, 1997. (not inspected)
• Stanley, Ruth, Joan Trimble (1915-2000) and the issue of her 'Irish' musical identity (MA Thesis, University of Limerick, 2003)
• Trimble, Joan, ‘Joan Trimble’, Contemporary Music Review, vol. 11, 1994, pp. 277-84.
• Files of The Times, The Irish Times, etc.

Select Discography

There is only one CD devoted entirely to Joan Trimble’s music. This album includes the Phantasy Trio, several original works for two pianos and some songs, including the song cycle The County Mayo. Reviews for this disc have been favourable. Michael Oliver in the International Record Review (June 2000) wrote: ‘[Trimble's] work has something of the pastoral quality of the English music of her youth, but more than a touch of French elegance - her Pastorale, subtitled 'Hommage a F. Poulenc,' is a slowish ‘mouvement perpetuel’ which would have pleased its dedicatee... All the performances are good…Una Hunt and Roy Holmes are audibly grateful for Trimble's idiomatic and resourceful two-piano writing.’ (Cited Naxos Website).

Most of the recordings listed below are available on CD or download. It may be possible to find copies of deleted discs on Amazon.

• Trimble, Joan, Two Pianos: Songs and Chamber Music, includes, Three Traditional Songs arrange for two pianos, My Grief on the Sea, Green Rain, Girl’s Song,  Sonatina for two pianos, Pastorale - Hommage à F. Poulenc, Phantasy Trio, Puck Fair, The Green Bough, The County Mayo (song cycle), Buttermilk Point (Reel), The Bard of Lisgoole, The Humours of Carrick (Hop-jig). (Marco Polo 8.225059, 1999)
• Trimble, Joan, Celtic Keyboard Duets by 19^th and 20^th century Irish Composers, includes The Humours of Carrick, The Bard of Lisgoole, Buttermilk Point, Sonatina, The Green Bough, The Gartan Mother’s Lullaby, The Heather Glen, with works by George Alexander Osbourne and John Field (KOCH International, 3-7287, 1994)
• Trimble, Joan, Silver Apples of The Moon, Suite for Strings, includes works by Arthur Duff, Thomas C. Kelly and John Francis Larchet (Black Box BBM1003,1998). This CD has gone out of print and is only available as an MP3 download.
• Trimble, Joan, Frederick Delius: Orchestral music arranged for two pianos, Volume 1, ‘La Calinda’ from Koanga, includes Dance Rhapsody no.1, On hearing the first cuckoo in spring, Brigg Fair, Poem of Life and Love and A Song of Summer transcribed by several hands. (SOMM SOMMCD 0112, 2012)
• Trimble, Joan, Composing the Island: A Century of Music in Ireland, 1916-2016, Phantasy Trio, with works by Norman Hay, Hamilton Harty, Ina Boyle, Brian Boydell, Aloys Fleischmann, Gerald Victory, et al. (RTÉ LYRIC FM, RTECD153, 2016)
• Trimble, Joan, Calen-O: Songs from the North of Ireland, Green Rain, Girl’s Song, My Grief on the Sea, with songs by Hamilton Harty, Howard Ferguson and Charles Wood. (Delphian, DCD 34187, 2018)
• Trimble, Joan, Irish Holidays, includes The Pool among the Rushes for clarinet and piano, with works by Arnold Bax, Eric Sweeney, Gerald Barry, Howard Ferguson, Charles Villiers Stanford, James Wilson and Christopher Moriarty, (GENUIN Classics GEN 18495, 2018)

With thanks to Spirited, the Journal of the English Music Festival where this essay was first published.

Concluded.