Sir Arnold Bax: Northern Ballad No. 1, Mediterranean, Symphonic Poem

Shut-up

I must confess at the outset that in common with many music lovers I have been guilty of a tendency to accept the verdict of commentators in regarding the music of British composers of the second half of the 19th century as "re-hashed Brahms" or "too Germanic", or whatever. I read once that Parry and Stanford were "in thrall" to Brahms. I have in fact had this CD for a few years now, but I have re-evaluated it recently and have come to realise what fine music this is.Before going on to discuss the works on the disc, I need to talk about comparisons of one composer`s music with that of another. Just as, for example, Raff`s symphonies are compared to the work of Mendelssohn, Schumann and, yes, Brahms, and found wanting somewhat, mainly due to their neglect, there are tendencies to compare the work of Parry and Stanford with that of Germanic composers, and as far as the Piano Concerto here is concerned, even with those of Rachmaninov! Comparisons are often odious, and are probably what led to the century of neglect of Stanford`s music in the first place. So, let us try to consider the music here for what it is.There are three works, and I will take them in order of length, the shortest first. That is the Funeral March from the incidental music to Tennyson`s "Becket", Op.48. It was written at the request of Tennyson for a performance of his play featuring Irving. It is a solemn piece as one would expect, but it is not dirge-like; at the outset I fancy I detect the attack of the knights on the defenceless Becket, the rest is a dignified farewell to the title character.Then we have the Fourth Irish Rhapsody, to which Stanford suggests a title, "the fisherman of Lough Neagh, and what he saw." The opening depicts a misty morning on the huge Lough in Ulster. Stanford`s orchestration here is masterly, with a prominent cor anglais and support from flutes and muted violins. The work lasts almost twenty minutes and is really a symphonic poem in a style inspired by Liszt. The colours and the moods of the piece are brought out by superb use of the orchestra. Stanford was born in Dublin, and there are reminders of his Irish beginnings; after all, he did compose six Irish Rhapsodies, the title "Rhapsody" perhaps a little misleading here.The second of the three Piano Concertos dates from 1911. This is a large-scale Romantic concerto with three substantial movements. The very opening bars might recall the style of Rachmaninov`s great Second Concerto, but certainly not the thematic content. A horn fanfare turns out to be a kind of `motto` that pervades the whole work. A beautifully sensitive slow movement leads to a rumbustious finale that closes the Concerto emphatically. Great British Piano Concertos are not, for some reason, ten a penny, and this one deserves a place back on our concert platforms.Malcolm Binns is a fine advocate here, and the London Symphony and the London Philharmonic under Nicholas Braithwaite and a tireless Adrian Boult are also excellent. As usual Lyrita`s sound recordists did a first class job. I recommend this disc to all lovers of Romantic concertos; here you have a neglected work that will reward your interest, and to my ears at least music that comes from a very talented British composer to whom the years have not been kind. Re-hashed Brahms it is not. Stanford it is.

I first encountered the magical piece Tintagel on a mono *L.P. reissue (was it Decca Ace of Clubs or Eclipse...it's so long ago, I just can't remember ?) that my father purchased when I was still a young teenager in the late 1960's. Anyhow, a few decades later, C.D.'s gradually began to appear on the market and shortly afterwards he had amassed a reasonable selection of shiny new Compact Discs.One day though and totally unbeknown to me, he simply decided to dispense with his entire collection of classical vinyl records at a local jumble sale....aarrrrgh....had I known, obviously I could have intervened !!!If my hazy memories serves me right, I believe that the L.P. also included a truly superb version of Sir Malcolm Arnold's delightful set of Eight English Dances, Op. 27 and 33, as well as two Chansons by Sir Edward Elgar.If you are searching for a DEFINITIVE modern portrayal of Tintagel, then look no further than the superlative Lyrita SRCD231 C.D...(buy with absolute confidence)...or to put it another way, as far as I'm concerned, this stereo disc, conducted by Sir Adrian Boult is the nearest thing you're going to get to the original Decca mono recording !Apart from Boult's stunning Lyrita stereo offering, the finest contemporary recording of these English Dances imho is undoubtedly the one produced by the Chandos label (CHAN 8867), featuring the Philharmonia Orchestra marvellously conducted by Bryden Thomson and captured within the church of St. Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, London in February 1990.In fact I can clearly recall all too well the very first occasion that I actually played this stereo CD, because as the music began to start, an uncontrollable shiver shot straight up my spine at the precise moment that the hairs at the back of my neck stood on end. Despite the four decades that had passed since I last heard that mono record, the entire stereo rendition by Bryden Thomson was EXACTLY as I recollected Boult's interpretation ......totally astonishing yet quite disquieting at the same time !!!In addition to the English Dances Set Op.27 and Set Op.53, for good measure the orchestra also play Arnold's Four Scottish Dances Op.59, Four Cornish Dances Op.91, Four Irish Dances Op.126 and finally 2 pieces from the Ballet 'Solitaire'.But I digress for one moment...the initial mono *L.P. of Bax's Tintagel took place under the baton of Sir Adrian Boult and was recorded at the Kingsway Hall in London with the London Philharmonic Orchestra during 1955. Without a shadow of a doubt, this old *L.P. still remains the personal benchmark by which I measure ALL other performances.Whilst in Cornwall during the summer of 1917, Bax was involved in a deeply passionate affair with the pianist Harriet Cohen and it is generally accepted that it was this romance which motivated him to compose such an evocative tone-poem. His other inspiration for Tintagel must surely have been due to the site of the 'Arthurian' castle ruins, magnificently perched on the dramatic windswept coastline of northern Cornwall.FWIW I also own the EMI 3799832 C.D. version with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir John Barbirolli, which rates a close 2nd in my book.Best regardsRichard

Introducing the "British Rachmaninov" -- Sir Charles Villiers Stanford. Seriously, although you probably never heard of him, he is incredibly good and composed three world-class piano concerti in the late Romantic style, very similar to Rachmaninov.The Stanford #2 is SOOOOOOOOOOO incredibly British, it makes me feel really patriotic (which I am not). Exquisite melodies, lush orchestration, foot-tapping rhythms. Equal in every respect to Rachmaninov but unmistakably British, with mood a similar to Rule Brittania!After many years of neglect, Stanford (who is buried next to Purcell in Westminster Abbey) is being rediscovered. Join the party! This outstanding British composer easily holds his own against Brahms, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky -- any of the great Europeans or Russians. You will be pleasantly surprised.