Ralph Vaughan Williams Mantegna London Mozart Players, Dulwich Choral Society, William Vann (conductor) ALBCD067 Highly Recommended
This disc bears the apt subtitle Hymnody and Beyond, interspersing hymns with hymn-inspired works. It opens with Vaughan Williams’s majestic Old Hundredth in an impressive, albeit rather slow and weighty, rendition (although I very much enjoyed the trumpets and drums). The gorgeous and atmospheric Into the Woods My Master Went (Mantegna), again by Vaughan Williams, is followed by the most substantial work on the disc. Francis Jackson’s Variations on Mantegna, entitled Homage to Vaughan Williams, depicts Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane talking to his disciples, Judas’s arrival, Christ’s arrest, and his departure from the garden. It is a beautiful work, well worth hearing. The Prelude on ‘King’s Lynn’ by Percy Whitlock (orchestrated by Malcolm Riley) is also a good piece, appropriately followed by the hymn itself. Other stand-out works include William Harris’s Eternal Ruler and his Fantasia on an English Folk Tune, which is quite magnificent. The disc concludes with For All the Saints, in another orchestration by Malcolm Riley. On the whole the disc contains some beautiful and fascinating pieces. My only criticism is the tuning and blend of the Dulwich Choral Society, which sometimes let down the performances.
CHANDOS
Sir Arthur Bliss Miracle in the Gorbals; Metamorphic Variations BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Michael Seal (conductor) CHSA 5370
Highly Recommended
This important and valuable addition to the Sir Arthur Bliss catalogue pairs Miracle in the Gorbals with the world première recording of the complete Metamorphic Variations. The BBC Philharmonic are on top form in the opening Miracle in the Gorbals, a ballet with a scenario by Michael Benthall about a Messianic figure (the Stranger) who revives the Girl Suicide after she has thrown herself into the River Clyde. The Official, however, jealous of the Stranger’s success where he has failed and his adulation by the public, first attempts to sully the Stranger’s reputation and then gathers together the local ruffians, who slash the Stranger to death with razors and broken bottles. It is a work of tremendous emotional range and colour: Bliss skilfully portrays the different scenes with great drama and intensity.
The disc also contains the Metamorphic Variations, and it seems incredible that this is the first recording of the complete work, including the two movements cut by Bliss at the première performance and subsequently published as supplementary material in the score’s appendix. The Metamorphic Variations was Bliss’s last orchestral work, written just three years before his death in 1972. It was commissioned by the Croydon Arts Festival and inspired by a triptych of paintings by Bliss’s friend George Dannatt based on the Tristan and Isolde legend. Here Bliss adopted Dannatt’s method of producing artistic variations for his own composing purposes, and he dedicated the work to Dannatt and his wife. It is striking and dynamic, again full of vitality and variety. These superb performances of two important pieces perfectly capture the vibrancy of Bliss’s brilliant scores. Hats off to Chandos, Michael Seal, and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.
Sir William Walton Violin Concerto, Symphonic Suite from Troilus and Cressida, Portsmouth Point Sinfonia of London, John Wilson (conductor), Charlie Lovell-Jones (violin) CHSA 5360
Highly Recommended
This disc opens with the Symphonic Suite from Troilus and Cressida, arranged from Walton’s opera by Christopher Palmer at the invitation of Lady Walton and Oxford University Press, the brief being to present the score’s most memorable music. The result is still a substantial work at just short of half an hour, here given a good performance by the Sinfonia of London with committed and sympathetic playing. It is followed by the Concerto for Violin and Orchestra with Charlie Lovell-Jones as the soloist. The latter gives a good, muscular account of the work, albeit lacking the insight that Heifetz, who had a deep intellectual understanding of the music, brought to his own later recording. However, Lovell-Jones proves himself a very technically capable soloist and all the performers give a fine rendition of the Concerto. The disc concludes with a nicely jaunty performance of the wonderful Portsmouth Point, with excellent ensemble from the orchestra: a fabulous way to end an overall excellent disc.
Overtures from the British Isles, Vol. 3 BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Rumon Gamba (conductor) CHAN 20351
The third volume in Chandos’s Overtures from the British Isles series opens in effervescent style with Havergal Brian’s colourful Comedy Overture The Tinker’s Wedding – a strong start to an enjoyable and interesting release. Alan Rawsthorne’s Street Corner is one of the disc’s highlights, with its swagger and masterful composition. I also greatly enjoyed Clifton Parker’s Overture to The Glass Slipper: although one of the shortest pieces on the disc, it is also one of the most charming. The disc also contains the world première recordings of Daniel Jones’s Comedy Overture, Alan Bush’s Resolution, and Robin Orr’s The Prospect of Whitby – actually a five-hundred-year-old pub in Wapping where the notorious pirate Captain Kidd was executed in 1701 rather than the famous Abbey, despite the image on the front cover. The recording ends with Eric Fenby’s Rossini on Ilkla Moor, which is mildly amusing for the first minute or so, but starts to wear a bit thin after that. Performances from the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra under Rumon Gamba are strong and assured.
Sir William Walton Cello Concerto, Symphony No. 1, Scapino Sinfonia of London, John Wilson (conductor), Jonathan Aasgaard (cello) CHSA 5328
This disc of works by Walton opens with the Comedy Overture Scapino in its revised (reduced orchestration) 1950 version. Commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for its fiftieth anniversary, the work was inspired by the etching series by Jacques Callot Balli di Sfessania from 1622, which depicts Scapino – a character from the commedia dell’ arte – in a voluminous white costume, complete with sword and feathered hat. It is an effervescent score, here given a dynamic and almost aggressive performance.
The Cello Concerto received poor press reviews at its première but is now considered one of Walton’s finest works. It was written for the cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, who had commissioned it, but whose performances of it were somewhat blighted by misfortune. The Norwegian cellist Jonathan Aasgaard here gives an excellent account of the piece. The cello is placed quite far forward, which enables us to hear touches that are not always audible (but has the drawback of producing a slightly unbalanced effect). The First Symphony, commissioned by Sir Hamilton Harty for the Hallé Orchestra, is probably the best-known work on the disc, and here we have a superb opening to the work, with John Wilson at first demonstrating an excellent grip on the piece. However, things do go a little downhill afterwards: the rest of the first movement is not quite relentless enough, and the timpani are insufficiently prominent. The third and fourth movements in particular were disappointing --they require a lot more intensity but also greater precision and ensemble from the orchestra-- while the ending lacked the sense of excitement and exhilaration that it should have.
Sir Richard Rodney Bennett Concerto for Orchestra, Sonnets to Orpheus, Diversions BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, John Wilson (conductor), Jonathan Aasgaard (cello) CHSA 5266
Richard Rodney Bennett’s Concerto for Orchestra opens this disc of recordings by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and John Wilson. The work was composed in 1973 following an invitation from the Denver Symphony Orchestra which read “There is no tradition in Denver... we don’t have to conform,” so that Bennett was free to write whatever he wished without fear of rocking any boats. The first movement is spiky, noisy, and dissonant, preceding a more lyrical Adagio – ethereal and mysterious in places, but still quite chromatic-- while the third movement is a set of quicksilver variations followed by a radiant Finale. The whole piece features much acerbic polytonality and dramatically vertically-separated textures.
The Sonnets to Orpheus for cello and orchestra, commissioned by the Edinburgh International Festival in 1979, come next. This work was inspired by five of Rilke’s Sonnets to Orpheus, with the score including brief quotations from the poems associated with each movement. It did nit meet with a particularly good reception and, perhaps consequently, received no London première and no recording, so that this is the world première release. It is similarly a spiky and acerbic work, but with occasional otherworldly interludes and a playful Capriccioso. The soloist is Jonathan Aasgaard, who plays well although there is a slightly uncentred feeling to his performance and his intonation is (occasionally) slightly off. The final work on the disc – radically different from the previous two works - is Diversions. A set of variations based on Scottish folk-songs, this was composed in 1988 when Bennett had moved on from more avant-garde music and said “I want to write music that people will need, and which preferably will sound beautiful and be interesting.” This certainly ticks the boxes: a beautiful and very tonal work, with a frequently expansive, cinematic feel, and a lovely ending to the disc.
Maurice Greene Jephtha Early Opera Company, Christian Curnyn (conductor) CHSA 0408(2)
Maurice Greene was a celebrated composer and musician in his time, holding a number of very high-profile positions including Organist at St Paul’s Cathedral, Organist and Composer to the Chapel Royal, Professor of Music at Cambridge University, and Master of the King’s Musick. He was, however, in his forties when he composed his second oratorio, Jephtha, here recorded (incredibly) for the first time ever. The libretto was written by John Hoadly, a clergyman and dramatist and the son of the Bishop of Winchester, and it tells the story of the honourable and fearless Israelite warrior Jephtha, forced to sacrifice his daughter to God in fulfilment of his vow to kill “the first creature of virgin blood” that he sees should he return victorious from battle. Greene exploits the dramatic possibilities to the full, creating an oratorio brimming with interest. However, the recording seems to be let down by the main performer, Andrew Staples, who plays Jephtha. From the start he comes across as very underpowered (especially compared to the other singers), and his delivery seems lacking in character, colour, and passion. His intonation can also be an issue, especially noticeable in Item 33, the recitative “I vow’d, before I fought the war.” Mary Bevan plays the daughter and is generally good, although also occasionally on the flat side. Bass Michael Mofidian is the First Elder and copes impressively well with the very wide tessitura in his aria “But oh! Behold the princely pair.” This is an important release, and the orchestra and chorus are excellent – I just wish that the interpretation of Jephtha were stronger.
Cipriani Potter Complete Symphonies Vol. 3 BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Howard Griffiths (conductor), Mélodie Zhao (piano) cpo 555 637-2
Volume Three of the Complete Symphonies by the London composer Cipriani Potter features his Symphony in C minor of 1834 and his Symphony in D major of 1833, with the Ricercate on a Favourite French Theme for Piano and Orchestra in F major sandwiched in between. The symphonies are just what one would expect from Potter’s pen: well-crafted, substantial works with memorable and tuneful themes that he works hard, repeating them to extract maximum value. I was rather more struck by the delightful Ricercate on a Favourite French Theme, which Potter wrote in 1830 to include in his own concert programmes as a professional pianist. A set of variations, it is here performed with aplomb by the aptly-named Swiss pianist Mélodie Zhao. All the performances on this disc are of a high standard.
DIVINE ART
Thomas Pitfield, His Friends and Contemporaries Victoria String Quartet, John Turner (recorder), Lesley-Jane Rogers (soprano) ddx 21246
This double-disc set presents a number of works by Thomas Pitfield and his circle. The first disc opens with Pitfield’s Divertimento for oboe and string trio. It is quite a charming work but I found the sound balance slightly odd, with the oboe foregrounded and the string trio rather recessed. John Joubert’s haunting Remember for soprano, recorder, and string quartet follows, while E. J. Moeran’s Fantasy Quartet for oboe and string trio stands out as the most confidently-composed work on the disc. It is recognisably Moeran, with his characteristic wistful quality enhanced by the plangent oboe, but the sound picture overall is rather two-dimensional; the string playing is somewhat unengaged and there is not enough contrast between the different sections in the music. Two other works complete the first disc: Now, Voyager, an ode for voice and string quartet by the Berlin-born composer Ernst Meyer (a near-contemporary of Pitfield’s who had immigrated to Britain to escape the Nazis), and the delightful Three Nautical Sketches by Pitfield. The second disc contains more of a medley, featuring works by Robin Walker, Jeremy Pike, Nicholas Marshall, Anthony Gilbert, John Turner, Richard Pantcheff, Stuart Scott, Geoffrey Poole, Gordon Crosse, Christopher Cotton, and Pitfield himself, with the latter’s enchanting little Carol Lullaby the standout piece.
LYRITA
William Sterndale Bennett Complete Piano Concertos London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Nicholas Braithwaite (conductor), Martin Yates (conductor), Malcolm Binns (piano), Simon Callaghan (piano), Hiroaki Takenouchi (piano)SRCD 2449
This three-disc set from Lyrita presents all six piano concertos by William Sterndale Bennett, alongside the Adagio, Caprice, and Concerto for Two Pianos. The first disc features pianist Malcolm Binns with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Nicholas Braithwaite, and opens with the First Piano Concerto, an attractive work written in 1832 when Bennett was just sixteen. This recording was made at Walthamstow Town Hall in 1986, albeit on a slightly out-of-tune piano; the playing is sadly rather colourless, and there is a lack of depth to the sound. It is followed by the Caprice, recorded at the same time, while the Piano Concerto No. 3 completes the first disc. This was recorded at the Henry Wood Hall, also in 1986 and with the same orchestra and conductor and a better-tuned piano, although now the sound is rather too boomy and bathroom-y. The second disc includes the second and fifth piano concertos, recorded in the same year with the same pianist and conductor, but with the Philharmonia Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios. The piano and sound are both much better, possibly due to having a different sound engineer. Sandwiched in between these is the brief but lovely Adagio, recorded back at the Henry Wood Hall; however, the music-making is again rather uninspired.
Almost forty years have passed between the recordings of these two discs and the third disc, which completes the set and was recorded in January 2025 at the Glasshouse International Centre for Music in Gateshead. This time Martin Yates conducts the Royal Northern Sinfonia with pianist Simon Callaghan. The disc features the fourth and sixth concertos – the latter completed by Martin Yates – as well as the Concerto for Two Pianos, which was composed collaboratively with George Alexander Macfarren. I would have liked a little more incisiveness and vibrancy in the playing throughout the disc, and more distinctiveness between the two pianos in the double concerto. Nevertheless, this is an important set for lovers of Sterndale Bennett’s music, very pleasant to listen to, if (possibly) not the most inspired compositions.
NAXOS William Shield Complete Chamber Works Volume 2 The Dorrit Ensemble 8.574444
Highly Recommended
Although the County Durham-born William Shield was apprenticed to a boat-builder as a boy, following the death of his parents, his love of music won out, and he learnt the violin and studied composition under Charles Avison. He was an important musical figure of his time, progressing from violinist in Newcastle’s subscription concert series to principal violist at Covent Garden, and Master of the King’s Musick in 1817. He was a friend of Haydn’s and said that he learnt more about music from Haydn’s company than from any other source. Shield was buried in Westminster Abbey and left his violin to King George IV, who then gave his widow the instrument’s full value. He travelled widely and enjoyed picking up innovative ideas, collecting folk-songs, and experiencing new music. Although he was perhaps best known for his operas and pantomimes, string trios, as featured on this disc, were an important part of his repertoire. Here is the full set of nine trios, six of which were composed for a series of private performances to polished and cosmopolitan audiences in Rome, all completed within the space of a few weeks in 1791 --the remaining three, written twenty years later, remained unpublished on Shield’s death. They are all tremendously enjoyable works, full of vivacity and interest, and given generally good performances here by the Dorrit Ensemble. William Shield is not a composer with whom I was intimately familiar before reviewing this disc, but I am now very glad indeed to have made his acquaintance. This is music of elegance and poise, well worth hearing.
Music from the Peterhouse Partbooks The Choir of Peterhouse, Cambridge, Simon Jackson (director) 8.574700
The Peterhouse partbooks are one of the most important collections of English sacred music. They comprise works dating from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, including pieces by well-known composers such as Byrd, Tallis, and Gibbons, as well as the less-familiar William Child, Thomas Wilson, and William Smith. Here is a good overview of the riches in this glorious collection, performed, appropriately enough, by the Choir of Peterhouse. The disc includes several important world premières, mainly of works by Thomas Wilson, including his Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis from the Evening Service in C, but also one by Tallis – O God Be Merciful Unto Us. I was, however, slightly disappointed by the performances: the music-making is not exciting or dynamic enough, and there is insufficient separation between the different voices, with the result that everything comes across as a bit muddy.
OPUS ARTE
Gilbert and Sullivan The Gondoliers The Orchestra and Chorus of Scottish Opera; Derek Clark (conductor) OA 1393D Highly Recommended
A wonderfully lively and traditional production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers, this DVD is full of life, joy, and fun. The costumes are superb (especially the Duchess’s impressive dress) and the set is very good too. The cast is a strong one, with Richard Suart as the Duke, Yvonne Howard as the Duchess, and Ben McAteer (Don Alhambra) as the stand-out roles. The ensemble occasionally lapses (both in terms of the dancing, and between the singers and the orchestra), but the overall experience is so enjoyable that this can be overlooked. A glittering, funny, and vivacious production, this is highly recommended.
Gilbert and Sullivan Utopia, Limited; King Arthur The Orchestra and Chorus of Scottish Opera; Derek Clark (conductor) OACD9053D
Subtitled The Flowers of Progress, Utopia, Limited is a comic opera about a country (Utopia) which transforms into a limited liability company, turning its back on its relaxed attitude to life and instead adopting and imitating Great Britain as the model of efficiency and progress. This recording was made in 2021 with the Orchestra and Chorus of Scottish Opera under conductor Derek Clark, with an excellent cast including Neal Davies as King Paramount, Richard Suart as Scaphio, Arthur Bruce as Phantis, Ellie Laugharne as Princess Zara, and Yvonne Howard as Lady Sophy. The enunciation from the entire cast is impressively good, the voices are well differentiated --which is of course particularly desirable in duets-- and they all work well together. The orchestra is quite good, with a pleasingly light touch throughout, although the ensemble is not as tight as it should be. However, the recording is let down by the ladies of the chorus, who are very warbly and wayward. This is even more pronounced in the incidental music to King Arthur, which forms the second half of the second disc: here both the ladies’ warbling and the chorus’s ensemble are far from ideal. The booklet notes are also very disappointing, containing no detailed information about the works (there is only a brief synopsis of Utopia, and nothing about King Arthur) nor any singer or conductor biographies, but instead a cast listing and notes on Scottish Opera and the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company. On the whole, a bit of a missed opportunity. --Em Marshall-Luck
