Eric Coates: Television March

Eric Coates’ Television March is a work that has not often been recorded. There are some 15 versions of the Knightsbridge March from the London Suite listed in the Arkiv catalogue. I have found four for this work the march dotted around the ‘net. Not all will be easily available. 

To be fair, the Television March is not in the same class as some of the more famous pieces by Coates. It was composed during 1946 at a time when the composer was musing over the idea of writing an operetta.  The March was completed in May of that year and had been specifically composed for the re-opening of BBC Television. It was destined to be the first music heard on the new service. Geoffrey Self notes that the piece was composed in ‘great haste’ as the BBC had given him little notice. He feels that it is one of the ‘least striking or memorable marches.’ 

I rather enjoy this work. For me it is a piece that is bright and breezy. To be fair the trio of the March may not be up to the standard of his later work for ATV. However the piece fairly rolls along. It is probably hard to for any under the age of 70 to imagine what TV must have been like in 1946. But one thing was sure. It was a time of optimism in the world of broadcasting and, in spite of post-war austerity; it was the beginning of a huge adventure. Eric Coates music does contribute to the excitement of the times. 

The Television March can be heard on YouTube [alas the link has been removed]

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John Cranko: The Lady and the Fool / Pineapple Poll

Giuseppe VERDI (1813-1901)

The Lady and the Fool (arr. Charles Mackerras) (1954) 

Svetlana Beriosova, Ray Powell, Ronald Hynd, 

Royal Opera House Orchestra/Charles Mackerras 

Choreographed by John Cranko (1927-1973) 

Studio recording, transmitted 3 May 1959 

Arthur SULLIVAN (1842-1900)

Pineapple Poll (arr. Charles Mackerras) (1951) 

Merle Park, David Blair, Stanley Holden, Brenda Taylor, Gerd Larsen, cast of the Royal Ballet 

London Symphony Orchestra/Charles Mackerras 

ICA CLASSICS ICAD5040

I do not believe that it is the role of the critic to ‘spoil the plot’ of a ballet or an opera whilst writing a review. Even with a work like Madame Butterfly or Sleeping Beauty it would be presumptuous of a writer to assume that all their readers knew the libretto or the ‘book’. However, a few brief observations are probably in order. For example is it a comedy or a tragedy? Does it tell a story or present a series of tableaux? These are questions worth answering. But to give a complete synopsis in the manner of Kobbé’s Opera or Balanchine’s Festival of Ballet is both redundant and unfair. I will confine my remarks to generalisations and concentrate more on the presentation of the story and music rather than the story itself. 

The two ballets presented here are contrasting tales. One, Pineapple Poll, is a gay, light-hearted romp whilst the other, The Lady and the Fool is bittersweet: both are technically comedies. 

It is useful to give a brief thumbnail sketch of the life and career of John Cranko. He was born in Rustenburg in the Transvaal in 1927. From an early age he was interested in dance and movement, developing puppet shows for his friends. His first stage appearance as a dancer was in 1943 in a performance given by the Cape Town University Ballet. After some early ballet training under Dulcie Howes, he produced his first ballet, The Soldier’s Tale. In 1946 he moved to London and worked as a dancer and then as a choreographer with the Sadler’s Wells Theatre Ballet, which was the forerunner of The Royal Ballet. 

Cranko is best known for his collaboration with Charles Mackerras in Pineapple Poll although other triumphs included The Prince of the Pagodas to music by Britten and Harlequin in April with a score by Richard Arnell. Other ballets that he choreographed included Onegin based on music from Tchaikovsky’s The Seasons and Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet. However, his activities were not confined to the ballet. He devised a West End revue called Cranks which opened in 1955 and ran for over 200 performances. He died in 1973 after a reaction to a sleeping pill taken during a transatlantic flight. 

The title The Lady and the Fool along with the intelligence that this is a ‘comedy’ probably gives the game away as to the story line. This work was premiered by the Sadler’s Wells Theatre Ballet at the New Theatre in Oxford on 25 February 1954. However, the original choreography did not satisfy Cranko: the ballet was reworked for Covent Garden and was first given there on 9 June 1955. This is the version presented on this DVD. 

The score that Charles Mackerras devised is based on music from a number of lesser-known operatic works by Giuseppe Verdi. These include Alzira, Jerusalem, I Lombardi and Attila. I confess to never having heard of these operas! 

There is a tremendous danger that this ballet can sink into sheer sentimentality and any interpretation must try to avoid this. Certainly, there is a degree of melodrama in the present realisation, however it does not become overpowering. The tension between the sympathy the audience will feel towards the poverty-stricken clowns Moondog and Bootface who are asleep on a street bench and the antipathy towards the dashing, narcissistic Capitano Adoncino is the basis of any appreciation of this ballet. Any tendency for the ballet to become morbid is offset by the magnificent ballroom scenes where the heroine La Capricciosa dances with her suitors who represent wealth, gallantry and rank. The ‘pas de deux’ between Moondog and La Capricciosa is the highlight of the ballet and is both moving and beautiful. 

The three principals are superb: Svetlana Beriosova as La Capricciosa, Ronald Hynd as Moondog and Ray Powell as Bootface. All the dancers execute their routines with grace, expressiveness, ease and fluency. However the viewer will be moved by Ray Powell’s presentation of Bootface, the clown who does not win the lady’s love. 

Pineapple Poll is a ballet in three scenes or tableaux - all set in Portsmouth. The story derives from ‘The Bumboat Woman’s Story’ which is from one of W.S. Gilbert’s lesser-known works the Bab Ballads. A ‘bumboat’ by the way is a small vessel that is used to ferry stores between the dock and ships at anchor. The score is a glorious collation of Sir Arthur Sullivan’s music devised once again by Mackerras. The tunes are taken from virtually the entire catalogue of G&S comic operas but also include Cox and Boxand the Overture di Ballo. As a score, this work quite simply sparkles like freshly popped champagne. Moreover, Mackerras has presented Sullivan’s great music in a form rarely heard - for full orchestra rather than a theatre ensemble. 

Unlike The Lady and the Fool the title Pineapple Poll gives nothing away about the story. However, it does seem to imply comedy. In fact, this is a comic masterpiece. Any viewer will be impressed with the vivacious dancing and the ‘built in’ humour which pervades the work. The three principal characters are Pineapple Poll, a flower seller, Jasper, a ‘pot boy’ from the local inn and Captain Belaye of the H.M.S. Hot Cross Bun. Other dancers include the captain’s fiancée Blanche and Mrs Dimple, her aunt. 

Merle Park is quite simply stunning as Pineapple. However David Blair makes an excellent captain, a role which he created. Stanley Holden playing Jasper raises the audience’s sympathy. 

Two highlights of Pineapple Poll are the captain’s solo dance based on the hornpipe and the general riot on the deck of the Hot Cross Bun when the scratch crew of women are discovered. Pineapple Poll was first seen at the Sadler’s Wells Theatre on 13 March 1951. 

What criticisms of this DVD can I make? Virtually none. However, a silly bit of wishful thinking: would that it had been in colour! The costumes look as if they would have been absolutely magnificent. Secondly, the studio-based performance means that there is a distinct lack of the atmosphere that an audience would have provided. Thirdly, these performances were created for television over half a century ago with all the limitations that this implies. However, it would be totally wrong to use present day canons of set design and lighting to judge their success or failure. For their time and technical limitations they are definitive. 

It is wonderful to have these two masterpieces of balletomania easily available. At present this is the only version of either work on DVD. It may be for a ballet company in the future to revive one or both of these ballets but at present this is a splendid addition to the catalogues. It is not to be missed by ballet enthusiasts, G&S cognoscenti and lovers of obscure but delightful Verdi! 

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

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Robert Farnon: State Occasion

With the up and coming celebrations for Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee it is a good time to reminisce about music that was written to celebrate other occasions in the Queen’s long and glorious reign. Apart from masterpieces like William Walton’s Orb & Sceptre March and Arthur Bliss’s Welcome to the Queen there are other occasional pieces such as the multi-composer a-cappella choral work A Garland for the Queen and Cedric Thorpe Davie’s Royal Mile: Coronation March. 

Amongst the lesser-known pieces is Robert Farnon’s attractive State Occasion. The work was composed in 1953 and has been heard on a number of occasions. Of particular note was a performance given by The Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines during the Royal tour of Canada in 1984. This celebrated the bi-centenary of the inauguration of New Brunswick and also the 150th anniversary of Robert Farnon’s birthplace, Toronto. 

Robert Seeley writing in The Gramophone September 1992 suggests that this is a ‘mock-Waltonian march’ and I guess that this is a good description. However it does not quite have the bite and rhythmic drive of William Walton. Yet as the 2002/2003 Penguin Guide to Classical Music points out that ‘this short work could hardly sound more imperially British, and it is appropriate, if maybe not now politically correct...’ My own view is that if anyone is troubled by the ‘political’ nature of this work (or any of the ceremonial marches) then that is their problem!

State Occasion is rather short, lasting just under or over three minutes. The score suggests that the music be played ‘marziale pomposo’ and ‘marziale con maesta’. Certainly the ‘big’ tune (trio) is worthy of Elgar and Walton. Interestingly Farnon does not reprise this tune, which I feel may be a slight ‘drop off’ as I imagine most listeners will be desperate to hear it again.  

The piece is reasonably well represented in the CD Catalogues, including on Marco Polo, Reference Recordings, Naxos and Guild Light Music. Some of these links have a short extract of the work. 

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The John Ireland Companion Edited by Lewis Foreman

The John Ireland Companion Edited by Lewis Foreman

The Boydell Press, hardback 74 b/w photographs,34 b/w illus. + musical examples: 568 pages.

£40.00

I have had to wait nearly 40 years for this book: it has been very well worth waiting for. I first came across John Ireland when I was still at school. One of the sixth-formers was performing the song ‘If there were dreams to sell’ as a part of his O-level music practical. Shortly after that, I discovered an old Saga LP that had a good selection of Ireland’s music. I got to know ‘Sea Fever’ and had a friend play to me The Island Spell. I was hooked. However, at that time (1973) there was virtually nothing about the composer in print. All I could find to read (with limited access to libraries) was the Schaeffer interview (included in this present volume) and the relevant entry in the then current Grove. What was lacking was a major biography or study of his music such as A.E.F. Dickinson’s volume on R.V.W. which I had recently devoured.  Over the following years I discovered the somewhat sparse literature about the composer, and was lucky enough to be able to add most of it to my library. More about this literature later.

This Companion ought to have a wide currency. Many groups of people will need to own a copy. Firstly, there are the musicologists, both professional and amateur. There is such a wide variety of historical and critical material in this book that demands to be devoured and understood before any further evaluations of the composer can be made. Secondly, there are the performers: gone are the days that a professional pianist or singer can bash their way through a piece of music without gaining a ‘sitz im leben’ of the work. Thirdly it will serve people who have a passing need to understand some aspect of Ireland’s work. I am not suggesting that every ‘Classic FM’ listener will have this book on their bedside tables, however any enthusiast of British music will find it a helpful compendium of material to improve their enjoyment of the composer’ music. And finally, it will be an essential acquisition for all universities, music college libraries and the larger public institutions.  

One of the key problems with any discussion of the composer’s life and music has been the absence of ‘documentation of Ireland’s early and middle years.’ There has always been a ‘strong suspicion that the companion of his later years Norah Kirby...had sanitised the archive, suppressing letters and documents of which she did not approve’. It is a problem that may never be surmounted.

This present book is not a biography of the composer, in spite of it containing a vast array of biographical information and critical data. That volume, along with an edition of the composer’s letters is still eagerly awaited. The raison d’être of the book is an attempt (extremely successful) to shine ‘a succession of searchlights onto the often hazy Ireland scene, and presenting some of the latest research in the light of performances and recordings of almost all the music.’ Certainly this Companion is a handbook rather than a volume to be read from cover to cover.

One of the earliest contributions to Ireland scholarship was by Joseph Holbrooke in his rather idiosyncratic volume Contemporary British Composers (London, 1925).  Apart from a number of articles in the musical press and the essay in A.L. Bacharach’s British Music in our Time, (1951) the first modern attempt at writing ‘biography’ was John Longmire’s John Ireland -Portrait of a Friend(1969) – this is exactly what it claimed to be, a portrait and not a biography or a study of the music. This was followed in 1979 by Muriel V. Searle’s John Ireland- The Man and his Music which may be seen as skirting around contentious issues: it is to some extent hagiographical.  Two major publications included the John Ireland, A Catalogue, Discography and Bibliography produced by Stewart R. Craggs in 1993 and subsequently updated in 2007. The other major contribution to Ireland scholarship was The Music of John Ireland(2000) written by Fiona Richards. This was the first (and so far, only) study of the composer’s music seen in the light of his life, his character and his times. Finally in 2006 Rachel O’Higgins edited a book of letters between her father, Alan Bush and John Ireland.

There are a goodly number of dissertations and doctoral theses that consider the music of the composer, however these are usually difficult to obtain and are often deeply technical and analytical.

The present volume takes a vitally important place in the relatively sparse bibliographical catalogue of John Ireland’s life and music. Its main value is the sheer diversity of important, learned and often unknown or forgotten writings. The content ranges from newly written chapters by ‘various writers of today’ alongside reprints of material that has already been published but may be hard to locate – even in the digital age. There are plenty of challenging and thought provoking views expressed in this book that will cause the reader to re-evaluate much that they have come to understand about this composer.

There is so much information, discussion, opinion and analysis in this book, written by such an impressive array of historians, musicologists, performers and friends that it is well-nigh impossible to discuss each and every chapter fully. However I will try to give a brief overview of some of the material contained in this book followed by a slightly more detailed description.

The book is organised into five major sections.  Part I looks at the life and times of the composer and his friends and colleagues. Part II considers the musical output of John Ireland. Part III allows some of Ireland’s pupils to discuss their teacher. The next section, Part IV, reprints a number of ‘notable articles’ on Ireland and his music. The final section, Part V is dedicated to a comprehensive selection of writings by the composer, both about his own music and that of other composers and performers.

The main sections of the book are preceded by the usual editorial introductions, acknowledgements and an extremely useful chronology of the composer’s life and times.  The end matter presents an important catalogue of Ireland’s music and a comprehensive discography. Finally, there are excellent indices –both general and of the works. Included in the book is a CD containing historical recordings of John Ireland and his music.

Part I is largely historical and biographical. If I could only read one essay in this book, it would be Colin Scott Sutherland’s ‘John Ireland: A Life in Music’. This would be followed by the same writer’s somewhat briefer study of ‘Arthur Machen and John Ireland.’  It is not possible to fully understand the composer’s music without some knowledge of Machen’s writings.  As Scott-Sutherland remarks, ‘...Machen is not so much an influence as an impact –a catalyst that brought to the surface that spirit of place which Ireland...had felt from quite an early dare.’

Fiona Richards has contributed an impressive chapter on ‘Helen Perkin: Pianist, Composer and Muse of John Ireland.’ It is unfortunate that Perkin is largely remembered only for her connection with Ireland’s Piano Concerto. She had an important career in her own right: it is good that it is recognised here. It may lead to the rediscovery of some of her compositions.

Another key chapter is the dialogue between the pianist Alan Rowlands who is one of the major champions of Ireland’s piano works and the editor. The discussion ranges across the music, the composer’s personality and interests and stories about Rock Mill, the composer’s last home.

I noted above that Murray Schaeffer’s interview with Ireland had been included: it is another good place to begin a study of this volume. The editor has also collected a number of interviews with diverse friends of the composer, including the critic Felix Aphramian, the composer Alan Bush and the Rev. Kenneth Thompson, who was Ireland’s friend and confidant for over 30 years.

The longest chapter in the book is about John Ireland’s relationship with the BBC. Lewis Foreman considers this from the point of view of composer, performer and speaker and his participation in the BBCs musical advisory panel. This is a closely-written chapter with many tables and quotations from letters, but well-rewards study.

Other articles include Freda Swain’s ‘Remembering John Ireland and his World’, a study of the creative relationship between ‘John Ireland and Charles Markes’ by George Dannatt, a short consideration of the composer’s time at Deal by Julie Deller and a look at ‘John Ireland’s Personal World’ from Fiona Richards.

Two interesting essays are provided by the Director of the John Ireland Charitable Trust, Bruce Phillips. The first of these is a discussion of his personal discovery of the composer’s music, his time living at the Mill and his conversations with Ireland’s housekeeper and companion Norah Kirby. The second essay is a helpful, short history of the Charitable Trust and some of the problems associated with Mrs. Kirby’s will.

Part II is concerned with the music in detail. The pianist Alan Rowlands has contributed ‘John Ireland: Some Musical Fingerprints’. Although a wee bit technical this is essential reading for anyone caring to review or comment on the composer’s music. Another advocate of the piano music is Eric Parkin. He provides an excellent overview of the repertoire laced with some anecdotes and recollections of his discussions with the composer.  He also included a useful ‘graded’ list of Ireland’s piano pieces.

Lewis Foreman has collected the programme notes he has written over the years for the orchestral pieces. A similar collection of notes is provided for the major chamber works by Bruce Phillips. Both are extremely helpful to the student and listener.

It is often forgotten that John Ireland wrote an amount of music for the church. Jeremy Dibble explores this repertoire and looks at the works composed for Holy Trinity, Sloane Street, that written at St. Luke’s in Chelsea and also the hymn tunes including ‘Sampford’ and ‘Love Unknown’. Stephen Le Prevost, the Director of Music at the Town Church, St. Peter Port, Guernsey, has given a short article on Ireland’s organ music.

Ireland is probably equally as famous for his songs as for his piano music. In 1973 the late Charles Markes, who was one of the composer’s choristers at St. Luke’s Church, wrote a major essay on the songs. This makes a superb, non-technical introduction to these important and beautiful works. He emphasises the poetic content of the songs, rather than the musical superstructure.  One aspect of Ireland’s music that is usually ignored is the largish number of part-songs. Philip Lancaster has remedied this omission with a good overview of the material. It is to be hoped that these pieces will soon be available on CD.

The well-known baritone, Roderick Williams has made a major contribution to British song in recent years. So it is appropriate that he has contributed an essay on ‘John Ireland and Poetry’ viewed from a ‘singer’s experience. His enthusiasm is palpable he concludes by suggesting the he can ‘think of few better places to start for a singer interested in the English song repertoire’ than those of John Ireland.

Finally in this section Robert Matthew-Walker has given an introduction to the subject of ‘John Ireland on Record’. It is not a discography (this comes later) but an overview. Its aim is not ‘a critique of every important recording...to have been issued in the last one hundred years...but an attempt to trace the more significant achievements of the gramophone in making his art available to the music lover...’     

Part III has two very important chapters by John Ireland’s former pupils. This includes a major essay by the composer Geoffrey Bush from his book Left, Right and Centre (1983). Shorter observations are presented from Richard Arnell, Alan Bush, Benjamin Britten, E.J. Moeran and Humphrey Searle.

Part IV includes two remarkable articles from the author Jocelyn Brooke: there was a mutual admiration between the two men. The first is ‘John Ireland: A Reminiscence’ which is both heartfelt and humorous. The second is a short extract from Brooke’s book The Birth of a Legend, which is a discussion about Ireland and Arthur Machen. Both these pieces are hard to find, as they are buried deep in library archives. Earlier in the book, Brooke’s ‘analysis ‘ of the piano piece Month’s Mind is also given, extracted from his book The Dog at Clambercrown.  

An important analysis of Ireland’s Piano Sonata by the pianist Frederic Lamond is included. It is maybe just a little too heavy on musical examples and light on description, but valuable nonetheless. The musicologist (and composer) Marion M. Scott provides a good review of the Sonata’s first performance by Lamond at the Wigmore Hall.  I am especially grateful for Jack Moeran’s brief introduction to Ireland which was published in The Music Bulletin as part of a series on ‘modern composers’. It is concise, informative and well-written, taking the listener up to and including Mai Dun. However the important essay in this section is by the redoubtable Edwin Evans. This is a reprint of a major two-part article in the Musical Times dating from 1919.

Included in this section are a number of articles, notes or broadcast written or made by John Ireland. Of considerable interest are a small number of programme notes written by the composer. These include the Sonata No.2 in A minor for violin and piano, Sarnia and the Piano Concerto.

Two extremely important features of this book are the catalogue of the composer’s music and an up-to-date discography. The catalogue is presented by genre – orchestra & band, chamber, solo piano etc. and then in alphabetical order.  Details of the published score or the whereabouts of the holograph are also given. Personally, I would have liked this to have been given chronologically, however as the text points out, for a ‘full historical listing’ the reader is referred to Stewart R. Craggs excellent catalogue. In Craggs’ volume the reader will also find details of first performances and a bibliography for each work.  For this level of engagement with Ireland’s music, both books are absolutely essential.

Stephen Lloyd’s discography is a model of its kind. It includes not only currently available CDs but also cassette recordings, vinyl and 78rpm records. It is presented alphabetically by work. The author denies that the discography is exhaustive: it seems to be pretty thorough to me!

I would have liked to have seen a larger bibliography. However the scope suggests that this is only a ‘complete listing of books, pamphlets and thesis’ and a selection ‘of important articles.’ Once again the serious reader will need to refer to both editions of Craggs’ catalogue.

The CD which is provided at the end of the book is significant. There are some 17 tracks exploring a variety of subjects. Perhaps most important are the voice recordings of the composer, including his recollections of Charles Villiers Stanford and his ‘Introduction to Beethoven’. A number of piano works played by the composer are given, including live recordings and piano rolls.  Interestingly, the well-known Sonatina is played by Helen Perkin. After half a dozen songs recorded in the composer’s lifetime on 78rpm’s there is a version of The Forgotten Rite conducted by the composer. Certainly I found hearing the composer speak was quite moving. A great ‘bonus’ to this volume.

Finally, the reader can be extremely confident that this book has been edited to the highest standards. The editor, Lewis Foreman has been the doyen of British Music for many years and has been responsible for promoting and celebrating composers and their music. He is best known for his masterly Bax: A Composer and his Times he has also recently edited the sister publication to this present volume – The Percy Grainger Companion. Equally important is his commitment to the Dutton Epoch recording projects where he acts as an independent advisor and has overseen the production of a wide range of important, but largely forgotten British music. This present volume is a testament to his industry and dedication to his chosen discipline.

This book is a collection of essays, articles and lists. As such it is hardly likely to be read from cover to cover. However the themed nature of the sections makes it an ideal book to dip into and discover new facts, shades of opinion and clues towards the understanding and interpretation of John Ireland’s music. I imagine that most readers will use this book as a reference tool and source book. The indices which allow the reader to track people and musical works through the volume will make this an ideal tool for study of the music. For example, there are some 50 references scattered throughout the book to The Forgotten Rite, one of my favourite Ireland orchestral scores. Following up on these will suggest further avenues of exploration.

The book is priced at £40 which may appear to be expensive. Nonetheless, for an academic book it is actually very reasonably priced. The reader will be completely satisfied with the format and presentation of this book.  The quality of the paper is excellent although the font is just a little bit small. However, this has (probably) allowed more material to be shoehorned into the number of pages. A striking feature of the book is the huge number of photographs, illustrations in the text and musical illustrations. This is a major gallery of material that will hardly be bettered. Only one drop off: the ‘blurb’ issued by The Boydell Press suggests there are only 448 pages - Amazon notes 600: I counted about 568!

This book is essential reading for all enthusiasts of John Ireland’s music in particular and British Music in general. It is one of a triumvirate of major scholarly productions about the composer–the other two being Fiona Richards’ important study and Stewart Craggs’ Catalogues.

Personally I shall enjoy dipping into this book and using it as a reference tool for many years to come. 
With thanks to MusicWeb International where this book review first appeared.

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Highlights from the European Brass Band Championships: 2011

Highlights from the European Brass Band Championships: 2011
DOYEN DOYCD285

This compilation of works played at the European Brass Band Championships 2011 in Montreux cannot fail to impress. There is music here for all tastes – from works especially composed for brass forces through to arrangements of well-known favourites by way of a few novelty pieces. Doyen has wisely left audience sounds and applause on these tracks and this adds greatly to the atmosphere of sheer fun and enjoyment that must have been a huge part of the week’s activities. 

There are a number of major brass band works on these discs that deserve attention. The CD gets off to an impressive start with the Swiss composer Oliver Waespi’s Audivi Media Nocte which was one of the set-pieces. It is a complex and invigorating composition that exploits a volatile mixture of ‘virtuosity and lyricism, frenetic energy and calm expansiveness’. It’s a work that will certainly appeal to the brass band cognoscenti. 

The twenty-year old Jean-Selim Abdelmoula provides a dramatic Toccatafor Brass Band which once again is perfectly tailored to the medium. It sounds extremely intricate in design and makes a fine test-piece. 

The first CD ends with Edward Gregson’s large-scale Of Men and Mountains. Gregson’s website notes that the piece ‘was commissioned by the Netherlands Brass Band championships for their tenth anniversary contest in Drachten in December 1990.’ The notes continue by setting the work in context: ‘In July the previous year ... [Gregson] and his wife took the Trans-Canadian Railway from Toronto to Vancouver.’ The journey through the Rocky Mountains was the starting point for Of Men and Mountains. Gregson writes that: 'its high peaks and shafts of sunlight breaking through the clouds, its canyons and ferocious rapids made me understand a little more about the majesty of nature and the fragility of humanity. The eternal struggle between man and nature was personified in the building of this incredible railway hence my title (after Blake).' This is a major piece of work that has staked its claim to a place in the brass band repertoire. Complex, diffuse and often impressionistic it is a worthy challenge to players and listeners alike. 

Old Licks Bluesed Up by Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen is a long, multi-faceted piece lasting some 18 minutes. The composer explores a number of Bach-like figurations but brings them very much up to date: a good balance between the past and present. The percussion section is very much to the fore with some especially good passagework for the vibraphone. 

Jan Van Der Roost’s From Ancient Times was apparently inspired by the Franco-Flemish School of the Renaissance – artists such as Rubens, Van Dijck, Breughel and Van Eyck and musicians such as Lassus, Willaert, Ockeghem, Obrecht, Isaac, Dufay and de Monte. However this is not a pastiche of any historical piece: this is dramatic, vibrant music of the first order. Modern it is, with a whole array of brass clichés that are both exciting and technically extremely difficult. This is one of the best brass band pieces I have heard for a while. 

 Turning now to the shorter, but equally effective pieces. I loved Simon Dobson’s The Dreaded Groove and Hook. This cool, groovy, up-tempo, acid jazz piece is just what the doctor ordered. It is music that one wishes would go on for ever. Let us hope that we hear much more from this composer. Stephen Hodel’s Vortex is the most ‘modern’ or ‘avant-garde’ sounding piece presented these CDs, yet even here there are some beautiful and quite moving moments of a more traditional nature. If anything, there is a wee bit of an imbalance between the stylistic parameters of this work. 

 I enjoyed Peter Graham’s Brillante with its nods to British patriotic songs making it a kind of updated brass versions of the ‘sea-songs’. Good euphonium solos here too. 

 There are a number of arrangements of music which are always interesting from point of view of hearing brass instrumentation applied to works derived from a range of genres. These include Howard Snell’s take on an old Swiss melody ‘The Old Chalet’, a rumbustious version of Karl Jenkins; popular Stabat Materand a fantasy of Welsh songs written by Gordon Langford and Gareth Woods. This piece certainly swings along with a new twist to some old favourites tunes. 

I was not so convinced by the Duo Synthesis who played an arrangement called Gankino Horo and Benediction by John Stevens. This appears to be a marimba/euphonium combo. Although the music sounds good, to my mind this is a long way off being a brass band! Other good arrangements include Cole Porter’s ‘Be a Clown’, a medieval sounding piece called Agincourt Song by John Dunstable, and aptly arranged by Elgar Howarth, The Lonely Maid arranged by Thomas Rüedi, the nimble Pas Redouble by Saint-Saëns as arranged by a certain Bach – I think Michael and not J.S. or J.C. ‘Es Burebuebli’ Goes Strange is a fun piece of the traditional ‘oompah’ type of tune arranged by ‘James’: it would make a great encore at any brass band concert. 

Finally the double-CD concludes with a good pot-boiler: ‘Hawkins’ arrangement of the ‘Finale’ to William Tell. Certainly a piece to bring the house down. 

In spite of the excellent music and fine recordings, this CD gives the listener and the reviewer a number of problems. Firstly there is a lack of dates – for composers and for their music. Both are essential for a good understanding of the music. I do not believe that it should be necessary to spend much time looking for details on the Internet which should be part of the liner-notes or track-listing. Who, for instance are the arrangers ‘Hawkins’ or ‘James’? It would be good to know. Secondly, the designers of the CD package should take note of the fact that the track-listing is in such a tiny font (black on grey/pink) that it is hard for anyone with any kind of sight impairment to read. Over and above this Doyen have overprinted photographs with text. My eyes are not that bad, but I needed a magnifying glass. Finally, after listening to this CD on my ‘hi-fi’ I wanted to import it onto my iPod for further study. However, the details seemed to come up in Japanese! So end of that idea. 

 All this is a pity, for this is a great compilation of tunes that were given at The Auditorium Stravinski, Montreux. I will not suggest that I enjoyed every single track but on the whole it is an impressive series of performances that explore a huge variety of music. It will be essential listening for all brass band enthusiasts.

With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published

 

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Neville Cardus on William Walton & British Music

I recently found the following comments about William Walton in the ‘Autobiography’ of Neville Cardus. They are worth posting. In his day, Cardus was regarded as being equally important on the worlds of Music and Cricket. (See the extract from Wikipedia below). His thoughts concern the Symphony in B flat minor completed by Walton in 1935 and the lack of ‘passion’ in contemporary (1946) British music.  

‘As proof that I was not, as Manchester Guardian [1] men in bulk are said to be, a friend of every country but his own I must record here that I welcomed with arms not less open than those of my colleagues the advent of an English composition not debilitated and merely ‘cultured.’ Already in 1931 I had praised Belshazzar's Feast [2] in enthusiastic language: ‘It is certain,’ I wrote, after the first stupendous performance at Leeds under Malcolm Sargent, ‘that nowhere on the Continent of Europe at the present time would one be likely to hear a composition of more convincing power than Walton's Belshazzar's Feast.’

To my sorrow and no doubt to my loss, the Walton Symphony has not retained for me its power; the vitality I feel has too quickly hardened into a formula of insistent rhythm and harmonic emphasis, with an obvious disinclination to be easeful, quiet and simple. But at least Walton composes like a man with something to say, even if he is in labour while saying it. [3]

The output of his contemporaries is destined before we are much older to go the way of the mightily conceived tone-poems and choral odes and music dramas of Holbrooke, Bantock, Holst [4] and the rest. If only our Brittens and Tippets and Berkeleys [5] could think of a single melody that would take possession of the memory, one chord that would once and for all pierce the musical consciousness. If only they could hurl us, whether we were ready to be hurled or not, into a new work-as Strauss hurled his contemporaries into Rosenkavalierat one swift attack of the horns, or as Elgar hurled us into the Violin Concerto. Even the admirers of our present-day ‘protégés’ don't pretend they are ever ‘hurled’ rather, they are persuaded by taste and fashion to give their cultured ears to the various ‘Diversions’ and ‘Sinfonias’ and ‘Sinfoniettas’ and the rest. By the side of Kodaly's Psalmus Hunqaricuseven the Belshazzar of Walton is the Old Testament in musical Technicolor. I can think of few examples of convincing English music composed in the last dozen years or so.

Neville Cardus Autobiography (1947) p.262 (with minor edits)

Sir John Frederick Neville Cardus CBE (3 April 1888 – 28 February 1975) was an English writer and critic, best known for his writing on music and cricket. For many years, he wrote for The Manchester Guardian. He was untrained in music, and his style of criticism was subjective, romantic and personal, in contrast with his critical contemporary Ernest Newman. Before becoming a cricket writer, he had been a cricket coach at a boys' school. His writing about the game was innovative; turning what had previously been in general a purely factual form into vivid description and criticism.  Wikipedia

[1] Manchester Guardian was founded in 1821. In 1959 the title was changed to The Guardian to reflect ‘its national distribution and news coverage.’ The offices were relocated in London.

[2] As noted, the Belshazzar's Feast was first given at the Leeds Festival on October 8 1931. The work has remained one of Walton's best loved works and is one of the most popular works in the English choral repertoire.

[3] Interestingly, there are some 30 recordings of Walton’s First Symphony in the catalogues. This compares to 12 recordings for the Second Symphony.  William Hedley writing in the pages of MusicWeb International sums up the current critical acceptance that Walton’s First is a masterpiece:-

'The earliest performance is that of the First Symphony, set down in 1951 with Walter Legge as producer. What a work it is! Walton reportedly had trouble finding a way of ending it, and the first performance was given without the finale. In spite of its somewhat episodic structure, and even a bit of note-spinning, I have never subscribed to the view that the finale is an anti-climax. The slow, triple-time opening is wonderfully majestic, and the close, with its cruelly taxing trumpet solo, is as impressive a symphonic peroration as one will hear anywhere. The third, slow movement is marked to be played “with melancholy”, and the second movement scherzo “with malice”! This is all wonderful music, but the first movement is the most impressive of all. A quarter hour of constant development of two short motifs, it seems to have been conceived in, as it were, a single breath.'

[4] Bantock and Holbrooke have been reappraised in our day, and are not found wanting. The ‘mightily conceived tone-poems and choral odes and music dramas’ are beginning to establish themselves in the repertoire – at least amongst British music enthusiasts.  I wonder which works he is referring to in regard to Gustav Holst?

[5] Nowadays we would not criticise these composers for not ‘hurling’ the listener. However we can possibly see where Cardus was coming from. 

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1962-2012 – Great British Music reaching their Half-Centenary

The year 1962 was an impressive one for British music. A number of senior composers such as Havergal Brian and Cyril Scott were still producing works of considerable accomplishment. However the new generation were coming to the fore. The Manchester Group of composers, Alexander Goehr, Peter Maxwell Davies and Harrison Birtwistle were flexing their musical muscles. In-between these two poles were a number of more ‘conventional’ composers producing music that was challenging but approachable to most concert-goers. These included Richard Rodney Bennett, William Mathias, Kenneth Leighton and Daniel Jones.

Well-established composers such as Arthur Bliss, Lennox Berkeley, Michael Tippett and Alan Bush were all writing considerable amounts of music.

Readers will note a number of names that appear to have fallen by the wayside: few works by Benjamin Frankel, Iain Hamilton, Elisabeth Lutyens and Wilfred Mellers are heard these days – which is more the pity. I certainly think a ‘Hamilton’ revival is long overdue. Fortunately, Richard Arnell has been reappraised- at least in the world of CDs.

Composers such as Gordon Crosse, Thea Musgrave and Robin Holloway are still actively composing music.

Many thanks to the Eric Gilder and his indispensible Dictionary of Composers and their Music. I have simply presented this list in alphabetical (by surname) order rather that chronological (by composer’s age). Please note that 1962 may be the date the work was composed, completed or received its first performance.

• Richard Arnell: Concerto for two violins and strings 
• Richard Rodney Bennett: London Pastoral Fantasy, for tenor and chamber orchestra: Sonata No. 2 for solo violin; Fantasy, for piano 
• Lennox Berkeley: ‘Batter My Heart’, for soprano, chorus, organ and chamber orchestra; Sonatina for oboe and piano; 'Autumn's Legacy', for voice and piano orchestra;
• Harrison Birtwistle: Chorales for orchestra (1962-3) 
• Arthur Bliss: The Beatitudes, cantata 
• Havergal Brian: The Jolly Miller, comedy overture; Symphony No 20 
• Alan Bush: The Sugar Reapers, opera; Variations, Nocturne and Finale on an English Sea Song, for piano and orchestra
• Gordon Crosse: Concerto da Camera, for violin, wind and percussion; Changes, for soli, chorus and orchestra 
• Peter Maxwell Davies: First fantasia on In Nomine of John Taverner, for orchestra; Sinfonia for chamber orchestra; The Lord's Prayer, for SATB unaccompanied; Leopardi Fragments, for voices and instruments; Four Carols, for SATB unaccompanied
• Benjamin Frankel: Symphony No 2; Sonata No 2 for solo violin
• Roberto Gerhard: Concert for Eight, for instruments 
• Walter Goehr: A Little Cantata of Proverbs; Two Choruses for mixed choir a cappella 
• Iain Hamilton: Arias for small orchestra; Sextet
• Alan Hoddinott: Symphony No 2; Variations for flute, clarinet, harp and string quartet; Rebecca, for unaccompanied voices 
• Robin Holloway: Garden Music, for eight players 
• Gordon Jacob: News from Newtown, cantata 
• Daniel Jones: St Peter, oratorio 
• Wilfred Josephs: The Nottingham Captain, music-theatre; Cello Concerto; Five Fictitious Folk Songs, for woodwind quartet; King of the Coast, musical for children (1962-3)
• John Joubert: 'Sweet Content', for unaccompanied chorus; Sinfonietta for orchestra; In Memoriam 1820, for orchestra 
• Kenneth Leighton: Festive Overture; Missa Sancti Thomae, for chorus and organ 
• Elisabeth Lutyens: Music for Orchestra II; Five Bagatelles for piano
• John McCabe:  Concerto Funebre, for viola and chamber orchestra 
• William Mathias: Sonata for violin and piano; Dance Overture; Invocation and Dance for orchestra; Serenade for small orchestra; Partita for organ; All Thy Works Shall Praise Thee, for mixed voices and organ; Variations on a hymn tune for organ
• Nicolas Maw: Chamber Music for five instruments Scenes and Arias for voices and instruments 
• Wilfred Mellers: Trio for flute, cello and piano; Cantilena e ciacone, for viola; Noctambule and Sun-Dance, for wind band 
• Thea Musgrave: Chamber Concerto No.1; The Phoenix and the Turtle, for small chorus and orchestra 
• Andrzej Panufnik: Piano Concerto; Landscape, for string orchestra;  Autumn Music, for orchestra
• Alan Rawsthorne: Medieval Diptych, for baritone and orchestra; Divertimento for chamber Cyril Scott: Sinfonietta for strings;  Quintet for piano and wind;  Piano Trio
• Robert Simpson: Symphony No 3
• John Tavener: Piano Concerto (1962-3); Three Holy Sonnets, for voice and orchestra
• Michael Tippett: Concerto for orchestra (1962-3); Praeludium, for brass, bells andpercussion; Piano Sonata No 2; Songs for Ariel
• William Walton: A Song for the Lord Mayor's Table, song cycle 
• Hugh Wood: String Quartet No 1; Three Elegies, for chorus. 

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