World Premiere.
The world premiere
of Alan Rawsthorne’s Concerto for String Orchestra was given during a Hilversum
radio broadcast on 13 June 1949. I located
a single newspaper review of this work presented in the local Dutch language Hilversum
newspaper, De Gooi dated Tuesday 14
June 1949.
The critic (J.d.v.H) wrote that ‘yesterday, the Dutch
String Orchestra led by Gerbrand Schürmann had the honour of broadcasting…the
world premiere of the Concerto for String Orchestra by the English composer
Alan Rawsthorne.’ He thought that ‘the conductor well-interpreted this
fascinating score, assisted by players of great talent and enthusiasm…[with] a flawless
technique and clear concentration.’ The
chamber-music quality of the Concerto was prominent: the scoring was ‘delicately
nuanced with precisely balanced parts and accuracy of attack.’ The stylistic
parameters of the work impressed the reviewer: ‘This ingenious structure of
beautifully-themed material reflects a strong constructive spirit which
expresses itself with warm sentiment and clear…thematic development. [This is]
vital music utterly devoid of that nervous, sometimes overwrought, mood that
so-called present day composers try to take advantage of and which are a
reflection of the prevailing chaos and frenzy of the 'modern' setting.’ The
reviewer concluded by maintaining that ‘this first performance was a remarkable
success: hopefully this work will find its way into the hearts many
music-lovers, whilst also being an incentive to Dutch composers.’
One short review was provided by W.R. Anderson in his ‘Round about Radio’ (Musical Times December 1949) feature: ‘Rawsthorne's string concerto (1949) is among his most accomplished essays in what seems to me nervy, dark, acrid, uncomfortable music. I wished for more rests, and was glad of the long one when it ended. Alas, some of us will never be fit for this order of art, which may be destined to rule the future.’
Unfortunately, it is not possible to know if this was
based on the Hilversum production or (more likely) the Norman del Mar/BBC
Symphony Orchestra concert, broadcast on 12 November 1949. (Dressler, 2004).
At the Proms. Two months later (Thursday, 11 August, 1949) the Concerto was heard at an Albert Hall BBC Promenade Concert with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Basil Cameron. Other works performed that evening included Arnold Bax’s Symphony No.4, Tchaikovsky’s Francesca da Rimini, Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor (soloist Cyril Preedy) and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Overture: The Maid of Pskov.
The Times (12 August 1949) reviewer (possibly Frank Howes) felt that Rawsthorne’s work is ‘a concerto in the sense that it exploits its players to the full and, as in the eighteenth-century concerti grosso, there are some solo passages for the principals.’ The music was ‘contrapuntal and harmonically individual, [and] tonal without being oppressively diatonic…’, which is both ‘thoughtful’ and ‘effective.’ He considers that the ‘admirably varied’ string writing ‘is often reminiscent of Bliss or Walton.’ The work was played with ‘commendable drive’ by the strings of the London Symphony Orchestra under Basil Cameron.
The Western Morning News (August 13, 1949) in the syndicated ‘Our London Letter’ reported the premiere and suggested that ‘There is no doubt that the mature Rawsthorne is now emerging, for in this intelligent piece of string composition the blend of ideas is skilfully woven and the composer is less abstract that usual.’ Specific elements that caught the author’s attention included ‘a striking passage for solo violin to pianissimo accompaniment, a fugal section, and occasional broad chordal writing reminiscent of Elgar in [his] Introduction and Allegro.’ He concludes by noting that the ‘opening grim dissonance does not foretell the beauty, ascetic though it may be, which follows.’
Damning with faint praise, The Observer (14 August 1949) pointed out that Bax and Rawsthorne ‘do not pack them in as a solid programme of Tchaikovsky does.’ The Concerto for String Orchestra which was presented as ‘absolute music’ was never ‘abstruse or trying.’ In fact, the solo violin and viola passages are given an ‘almost human eloquence.’ C.F.D. thought that the work’s ‘main achievement’ was ‘its use of great smooth masses of string tone, like cumulus clouds in motion. The effect is hypnotic.’ The performance by Cameron and the London Symphony Orchestra had ‘every sign of personal enthusiasm.’
Martin Cooper, reviewing the work with the Proms performance at the back of his mind (Musical Quarterly April 1950) recorded that ‘the [Concerto] made little mark when it was first performed…in the Albert Hall last August.’ He believed that the venue was ‘too big and the orchestra too little rehearsed, so that the intensity of the first two movements was never communicated to the audience (or else unrealized by the orchestra) and the effect Rawsthorne's close thinking and compressed writing was simply one of crabbedness.’ Referring to a later concert at the smaller Chelsea Town Hall (12 December 1949, Boyd Neel Orchestra conducted by the composer), he wrote that ‘these judgments were entirely reversed and the work stood out as a remarkably strong and typical example of Rawsthorne's music.’
Rawsthorne’s Concerto heard at this concert was
described by Donald Mitchell (Music
Survey, Winter 1950 Vol 2, No.3) ‘as one of our civilisation's few
civilised pieces.’
Finally, William Somervell Mann (W.S.M.) reviewing the Prom concert for the Musical Times (September 1949) gave a lengthy commentary on the work. He held that it was the most important novelty at that year’s Proms. Mann gives a detailed analysis echoing the programme notes. He concluded by stating that: ‘Rawsthorne's technique is not a goal in itself, for the material evokes vital and stimulating emotions in its hearers, while the occasional use of soloists either singly or as a group, adds brilliance to a work that blends logic and sympathy most happily.’
The Score. The score of the Concerto for String Orchestra was published in 1949 by Oxford University Press, It was reviewed (unsigned) in Music and Letters (April 1950)
Rawsthorne's concerto is no
serenade. Indeed, its most obvious feature is the tension brought about not
only by dissonances no less real for being mainly diatonic but also by the
unremitting skill with which a minimum of material is developed into a
large-scale fabric…The whole work is one of Rawsthorne's finest constructions.’
It was also examined by
Richard Bales in Notes (June 1950):
‘Rather than apply the
classic meaning of Concerto to this work, it had better been titled a Suite,
since there is but one short section for solo violins, viola, and cello in the
entire composition. [The only critic to emphasise this point.] Nevertheless,
this is a welcome addition to string orchestra repertoire and it has been
written with a sure hand. If conservative in idiom, it has the virtues of
rhythmic vitality and fine formal proportions. One feels that it is just the
right length, that it is really for the strings and not just piano transcribed.
A good group of players will be required to elicit the maximum effect.’
‘[One cannot] say of [Rawsthorne’s] latest full-scale work, as one
could of the [Piano] Sonatina, that its material is not worked out in all its
possibilities... This is most apparent in the first movement, in strictest
sonata form, with three well-defined subjects, the first contrapuntal, the
second a lyrical passage for solo viola…a short development in
double-counterpoint being followed by an emotional climax of the movement, a
quiet solo-violin passage over a string-tremolo; followed in turn by a
shortened recapitulation. The 2nd movement,
a kind of chaconne, has the same 4-note motto as 'La Folia,' used by Corelli
and others, and has some of the grave charm of those early Italian chaconnes.
Whether the quotation is conscious or not, one thing is certain: Rawsthorne's
musical roots strike very deep. Lastly comes a serious Rondo, thematically related to
the first movement, with a quiet, almost stagnant first episode, and a fugue as
second episode. The main section is progressively shortened until at last the
few firm chords of the 2nd subject
that are left put their foot down and call a halt.’
‘La Folia’ was originally an Iberian dance adapted to several melodies. One of these tunes developed a considerable vogue and has been used by many composers. It is based on the four-note theme D-E-C#D. The best known 20th century work utilising this theme was Sergei Rachmaninov’s Variations on a Theme of Corelli. It is also the thematic paradigm for ‘God Save the Queen’, hence Alan Frank’s comment above.
A.E.F. Dickinson in his ‘The Progress of Alan Rawsthorne’ (Music Review, May 1951) pointed out that the first movement is ‘somewhat unexpectedly, a kind of sonata-form, in which the second subject is distinguished by solo-descants the first time and general counterpoint the second.’ He thinks that the second movement ‘…has a grave principal mood, not unlike the finale of Vaughan Williams’ A London Symphony, and a declamatory, mysterious interlude.’ The finale is unbalanced, and the ‘main refrain thins in repetition.’ Interestingly, Dickinson feels that the concerto ‘suffers audibly from being confined to strings.’ He is surprised to see that the work has been placed beside the Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro by at least one responsible critic (See Western Morning News (August 13, 1949) review above).
Sebastian Forbes in his examination of Rawsthorne’s orchestral music (ed. Poulton, 1986) defines the Concerto and the Symphony No.1 (1950) as two important works from Rawsthorne’s middle period. He states that both have been acclaimed ‘for their fastidious technique and avoidance of anything excessively flamboyant.’ On the other hand, they are ‘equally notable for their nervous energy and busy counterpoint, particularly in their first movements.’ Each work has made great use of ‘slender material.’ The stylistic mood of both works exemplifies a ‘touch of sadness’ which is ‘more telling than merely the fact of a minor key (D minor for the Concerto).’
Forbes thinks that the Concerto’s opening movement
balances a sense of assertiveness with one of introspection. The slow movement
is formally a ‘rondo’ with the development of the first episode emerging directly
from the main theme. This contrasts with the second episode which is ‘more
unsettling.’ There are two ‘passionate climaxes.’
Forbes points out that the ‘finale’ opens with a theme that resembles the ‘basis
of [Rawsthorne’s] Theme and Four Studies for piano solo…’ (c.1940). This ‘easy
going’ opening proceeds with ‘fluency and confidence’ and ‘energetic bravura.’
He feels that ‘the spirit of Vivaldi is not far away.’
The analysis concludes: ‘This [Concerto] and the
Symphony No.1 represent a genuine flowering of neoclassicism: they are
instrumentally conceived, with purely musical terms of reference, functional
tonality and evident manipulative skill.’
John McCabe (1999) considers the Concerto to be an ‘outstanding contribution to that extraordinarily rich repertoire of string orchestra music by British composers.’ He writes that it is ‘coloured by a strong neo-classical impulse, a true concerto grosso influence.’ McCabe explains that this ‘baroque’ effect is only explicit in the finale, where the composer contrasts the solo group with the main ‘tutti.’ Elsewhere in the work the scoring typically calls for a ‘single unit.’ The ‘most arresting’ thing about the Concerto is ‘its emotional directness.’ Rawsthorne has used his trademark augmented chords, but has also made use of major and minor triads in various inversions. As for the slow movement, McCabe feels that this is not so much ‘melancholic’ as ‘full of compassion and imbued with a sense of sorrow that is both personal and universal.’ No explicit mention is made of the ‘La Folia’ theme, but he points out that this music has the ‘air of a funeral procession.’ McCabe notes the ‘sunny freedom’ of the finale achieved by the ‘wider-ranging intervals’ in the melody. This contrasts to much that has passed which is ‘marked by passion and even tragedy.’
To be continued…
Dressler, John C. Alan Rawsthorne: A Bio-Bibliography (Westport, Connecticut, Praeger Publishers, 2004)
Frank, Alan, Modern British Composers (London, Dennis Dobson Ltd., 1953)
McCabe, John, Alan Rawsthorne: Portrait of a Composer (Oxford University Press, 1999)
Poulton, Alan, ed, Alan Rawsthorne, Essays on the Music (Hindhead, Bravura Publications 1986)
The files of De Gooi, The Observer, The Times, Western Morning News, The Creel, The Gramophone, Music Review, Musical Quarterly, Musical Times, Notes, The Radio Times and Tempo.
This essay was first published The Creel: The Journal of the Friends of Alan Rawsthorne Volume 8, No.3, 2017
No comments:
Post a Comment