Theodore Holland: Ellingham Marshes for Viola and Orchestra.

I am surprised that the recent Dutton Epoch (CDLX 7295) recording of Theodore Holland’s Ellingham Marshes for viola and orchestra does not appear to have received any major reviews: even MusicWeb International has not [yet] published anything about this piece.  The only notice I can find is from on the Music Review International webpage. It notes ‘the first recording of Holland’s c.1940 work, a 16-minute exercise in English pastoral impressionism, inspired by the misty, dreamy atmosphere of the Suffolk marshes, punctuated by a central sunny period’

What is known about this music? Any information about this piece derives from Graham Parlett’s excellent programme note in the Dutton Epoch recording of this work. Ellingham Marshes was composed during the first year of the Second World War and was given its first performance at the Henry Wood Promenade Concert at the Queen’s Hall on 15 August 1940. The solo part was given by the violinist/violist Winifred Copperwheat (1905-1977) with Sir Henry Wood conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.  A radio broadcast of the piece was made on 7 April 1941 with the same soloist but with the BBC Orchestra (Section A) under Clarence Raybould.  Interestingly, in spite of the austerity of wartime, a facsimile of the score was published by Hinrichsen Edition in 1941.

The first performance of Ellingham Marshes was part of a rather mixed bag of music. The concert began with Edward Elgar’s orchestration of J.S. Bach’s Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 537 and then progressed through a variety of seemingly unrelated pieces, including three numbers from Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust, an arrangement by Henry Wood of Handel’s aria ‘Let the bright Seraphim’ from Act 3 of Sampson. The first half concluded with Benno Moiseiwitsch’s performance of Rachmaninov’s Concerto for Piano No.1 in F sharp minor, Op.1

Holland’s work opened the second half of this programme and was followed by an aria from La Boheme, Richard Strauss’ tone poem Don Juan, Rimsky Korsakov’s Capriccio espagnol. The final orchestral piece was the overture to Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. However before this there were a number of songs by Ivor Atkins, Hubert Parry, Dvorak and Maude Valerie White. It must have been quite a long evening.

Edwin Evans wrote a brief programme note for the first performance, in conjunction with the composer: - ‘The work is the outcome of a sketching holiday in East Anglia. The composer describes it as an attempt to paint a picture of the dreamy and wistful atmosphere of the Suffolk marshes in their changing moods. It opens with the early morning mists which envelop the river and the marshy landscape. These disperse to reveal a lovely sunny day. But gradually the scene fades back in the misty atmosphere as evening falls. There are three cadenzas for solo viola. Two of them are short, but the third which is muted, is more extended, and leads to the coda, in which the mood of the opening is resumed.’

The Times (August 16 1940) reviewer noted that Mr. Theodore Holland is best known for his role as the chairman of the executive committee of the Royal Philharmonic Society and as a distinguished professor of the Royal Academy of Music. Mention is made of Holland’s work as an amateur water-colour artist which has ‘a wistful charm.’ He suggests that the present work might have been called ‘a musical water-colour of Ellingham Marshes in Suffolk.’ He notes that the piece ‘begins and ends in mist with more than a gleam of sunshine by the way. He concludes by describing the work as ‘thoughtful’ and ‘impressionistic’ which was sympathetically played by Miss Copperwheat...’

Few other newspaper reviews exist for Ellingham Marshes; however, the Western Morning Newsnotes the work’s ‘meditative character’ but seemed disappointed that it had no ‘great depths.’

The most extensive discussion was by William McNaught (1883–1953) in the September 1940 edition of the Musical Times it is worth quoting in full:

'Concerts calling for special notice were rare during the first three weeks, most of the novelties of the season being crowded into September.  The only first performance of the period was Theodore Holland’s Ellingham Marsheson August 15.  Mr. Holland is well known to the Philharmonic audience as one of the councillors of the Society; here he reasserts himself as a composer, for it is not his first appearance in that capacity.  His voice is gentle and persuasive.  This poem for viola and orchestra is a daydream from loneliest Suffolk.  Restful thoughts drift through the score, setting up  an atmosphere that  might have  been  unduly  disturbed by  the presence of overt, sharp-edged themes;  some will think, however, that the composer has been remiss rather than fastidious in avoiding them.  Mr. Holland is more concerned with suggestion than with statement, with the result that the meaning of his music penetrates slowly, and it is only after it has passed that you discover how much it has had to convey. Not all of the work is serene.  There are passages of tension and urgency, but they are not foreign to the air of reverie, and it is to a musical intensity that they rise.  Mr. Holland speaks in refined and sometimes close-wrought musical terms by which we know him for a sensitive, if not very operative, artist.  A fiddler himself, he has written a shapely and finely-articulated viola part.  It was exquisitely played by Miss Winifred Copperwheat.’

I look forward to hearing a greater discussion of this piece in the coming weeks and months. Theodore Holland is currently represented by only two works in the CD catalogues – the present ‘Marshes’ and the fine Suite in D for viola and piano. This latter work is available on Naxos 8572761 and 8572579. 

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John McCabe Choral Music on Naxos

I wish that I had heard the opening Three Marian Carols during the Christmas season, for they are amongst the most beautiful examples of the carol writers art that I have come across in a long time.  These evocative numbers have been collected from a number of the composer’s previously published works and are grouped together for this recording: they cover a span of 48 years of musical composition.  The earliest, ‘Mary laid her child’ dates from 1964 and is a setting of a poem by the 20^th century ‘Lakeland’ poet Norman Nicholson.  This is a poetic mediation based on the idea that Jesus was born near a ‘miry frozen farm.’ The location of the the nativity has been moved from Bethlehem to Bassenthwaite, maybe. The music reflects the cold, the frost, and a glimmer of warmth from a fire in the barn. The poem concludes with an intimation of the crucifixion.  ‘Dormi Jesus’ was written nearly a decade later and is based on an anonymous 15^th century text. This is a heart achingly beautiful carol that balances bitter-sweet harmonies with a lovely soprano solo. The most recent is ‘I sing of a maiden’ (2008) which is based on another anonymous text. This well-balanced carol utilises a semi-chorus alongside the main chorus. All three numbers work well as a group. The composer has written in the liner notes that ‘writing carols has been a constant pleasure throughout [his] career, as relaxation from sterner stuff…as a way of participating in the great tradition of music for the community.’

I found the Mangan Triptych difficult to come to terms with.  It is not that the music is ‘difficult’ or unapproachable: it is just that the work as presented here is too long –at least for me. However, this is not a huge problem as each of the three ‘panels’ were composed for a different occasion and appear to have been performed separately. Taking them one at a time would be my recommendation for a listening strategy. James Clarence Mangan was born in Dublin in 1803.  After an education at a Jesuit school, he worked as a lawyer’s clerk, then for the Ordnance Survey and latterly as an assistant in Trinity College Library.  His early poetry was apparently ‘a-political’ but subsequent to the Great Famine, he began to explore Irish nationalistic themes.  He had a tragic life, being afflicted with illness, depression and irrational fears. He was an eccentric – appearing on Dublin streets wearing a long cloak, green spectacles and a blonde wig.  In 1849, he died from of cholera – however his health had been compromised by malnutrition, poverty, opium and alcohol. However, W.B. Yeats considered Mangan to be one of the best Irish poets. 

John McCabe states in the liner notes that he was ‘immediately impressed…with the characteristically Irish rhetorical power and vivid imagery’ [of the poetry]. He considers that it has ‘a powerful visionary quality.’ 

Three things need to be said. The text is full of allusions, metaphors and symbols. The meaning does not jump out to the listener.  I was reminded of the English poet Christopher Smart in the complexity and convolutedness of the imagery. Secondly, John McCabe has brought some impressive music to these settings.  It is characterised by almost continual invention. The musical content has McCabe’s usual characteristic of a wide-ranging harmonic language ranging from the acerbic to the meltingly beautiful. There are times when the the poet’s mental turmoil is reflected in the music, although there is much that is reflective and heart-easing.   Finally, this work could (should?) be regarded as a ‘choral symphony’ for eight-part choir. As such the composer has stated that he prefers the ‘movements’ given in the order presented on this disc. It is a work that will challenge the listener.

‘Amen/Alleluia’ was written in 1981 for the William Ferris Chorale in Chicago for their twentieth anniversary concert.  Apart from the title, there are no words in this composition: it is effectively a ‘deconstruction’ of the the syllables. The ‘amen’ part of the work is slow whilst the ‘alleluia’ begins quietly and builds up to a scorching climax. It could be argued that the repetition of two words over a 5-minute span is either a bit experimental or somewhat Handelian. However, as an exercise in sound it makes an interesting point, even if the text is not too imaginative.

I enjoyed the descriptive setting of Thomas Hardy’s poem ‘Proud Songsters’. It does indeed capture ‘the vigour of young birds singing and the evanescent nature of their existence’.   ‘The Lily-White Rose’ is extracted from a larger work, Songs of the Garden (2004/2009) for soloists, chorus and full orchestra (or ensemble). The present motet is a moving arrangement for SATB.

I imagine that the ‘Morning’ and the ‘Evening Watch’ will be often be performed ‘back to back’ in spite of some 36 years separating their composition. Both texts are derived from the Welsh poet Henry Vaughan (1621-1695) who was a ‘metaphysical’ poet.  There is an interesting stylistic contrast between the two texts and their setting. The organ is used to considerable effect in the latter.

‘Great Lord of Lords’ is a good piece to follow the introverted dialogue between the body and soul of the ‘Evening Watch’.  This is a big powerful setting of a song of praise that creates an impressive balance between choir and organ.

‘A Hymne to God the Father’ (1966) is a reserved setting of a poem by John Donne. The harmony is often bitter-sweet with only occasional relaxation. McCabe uses three soloists to add intimacy to the music.

The final setting, ‘The Last and Greatest Herald’, opens with an impressive organ flourish. The text is by the Scottish poet, William Drummond of Hawthornden (1585-1649) and examines the contribution to the Christian story made by St. John the Baptist during his sojourn in the desert. The choral writing is typically massive and vibrant, with contrasting sections of reflective music. The work ends with a huge climax urging the listener to ‘Repent! Repent!’ Throughout this work, the organ is busy providing an intricate accompaniment that is almost ‘jazzy’ in places.  A great finish to this CD

This is a handsomely presented CD. The singing by the BBC signers under David Hill is perfect. Every nuance of McCabe’s music is clear and well-defined: the words are always audible. Most of the music on this disc is a-cappella; however the remainder has an organ accompaniment – so I must not forget the excellent playing by Iain Farrington, who is also a composer, as well as an organist and pianist. 

The liner notes are by John McCabe – so no potential for argument there. The texts of all the works are included along with a translation of ‘Dormi Jesu’ by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

This CD can be recommended to anyone who appreciates modern but accessible choral music. For those listeners who only known this composer through his large- scale works such as the ballets, the Chagall Windows or Cloudcatcher Fell for brass band, this disc will be an eye opening exploration into a facet of McCabe’s music that is little represented in the CD catalogues. 

Track Listing:

Three Marian Carols (2008/1973/1964) Mangan Triptych (1983/1980/1979) Amen / Alleluia (1991) Proud Songsters (1989) The Lily-White Rose (2009) The Morning Watch (1968) The Evening Watch (2003) Great Lord of Lords (1967) A Hymne to God the Father (1966) The Last and Greatest Herald (2008)

Iain Farrington (organ) BBC Singers / David Hill

NAXOS 8.573053

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

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Harry Farjeon: Idyll for Oboe & Orchestra

The British musical world is full of music that I have never heard. Alas, it is often the case that I probably never will hear much of it. In the depths of winter, on 7 January 1926, a short Idyll for Oboe & Orchestra by the largely forgotten composer Harry Farjeon was performed at Bournemouth. The soloist was Leon Goossens.

I quote the composer’s programme note as one of the few references to this work to have survived. The two places he mentions, Chanctonbury and Amberley, are forever associated with John Ireland – the Legend and the piano piece Amberley Wild Brooks respectively. It would be good to have Farjeon’s work available for comparison. How did he interpret, musically, this strange and fascinating part of the English Landscape?

'This little work is the outcome of a day on the Sussex Downs: one day among many passed in the high altitudes between Chanctonbury and Amberley and the still less frequented hinterland that lies below and to the south of this country. There are two main themes and an episode of some importance to the design. Four bars of introduction herald the principal subject, given to the solo instrument and accompanied by bassoons. The music is somewhat wistful in character, but brightens at the the episode, which leads to the second main theme, a melody in thirds supported by a figure of dropping fifths of which a good deal of use is afterward made.  This second theme combines with the episode to workup to the climax, after which a return is made to the first subject (shortened). The coda contains a semi-recitative passage for oboe, and the work concludes with a reference to the introductory bars. H.F.'

I was taken to task the other day for using a technical term that one of my readers did not understand. So a brief word about the above mentioned ‘episode.’ An episode is a ‘secondary section’ of a piece of music in which the principal themes are not overtly present. A good example would be the ‘subordinate’ sections of a classical rondo. Sometimes an episode can have material derived from elements of the principal themes.

I was unable to find any reference to this work having been published in either World Cat, COPAC or the catalogue of the Royal Academy of Music (where much of their alumni’s music is stored). So I guess that it is yet another example of a work that has remained in manuscript and has possibly disappeared without trace. 

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Some Rare Victorian British Opera Overtures on SOMM

Julius BENEDICT(1804-1885) The Lily of Killarney (1862) John BARNETT (1802-1890) The Mountain Sylph (1834) Michael William BALFE (1808-1870) The Siege of Rochelle (1835) Le Puits D’Amour (1843) Edward LODER (1813-1865) The Night Dancers (1846) William Vincent WALLACE (1812-1865) Lurline (1860) The Amber Witch (1861) Love’s Triumph, prelude (1864?) George Alexander MACFARREN (1813-1887) She Stoops to Conquer (1864) Arthur Goring THOMAS (1850-1892) The Golden Web (1893)

Victorian Opera Orchestra/Richard Bonynge

SOMMCD0123

This is an exciting and innovative CD. Three things need to be said. Firstly, this new SOMM disc adds yet another nail into the still-held adage that Victorian Great Britain was a ‘land without music.’ From the first note to the last, these ten overtures display interest, character and downright tunefulness. Granted that these ‘discoveries’ do not showcase music of the stature of a Berlioz, a Weber or a Mendelssohn there is nothing here that is unworthy of anything being composed in the mid to late nineteenth century.  Note the word ‘opera’ in the CD title: these overtures are from ‘grand’ operas and are not operettas, burlesques or ballad operas. They need to be approached in that light.

Secondly, I do not intend to give a detailed history of the life and work of the the seven composers represented here save to say that all of them are in the category ‘forgotten.’ Furthermore, it would be a brave person who would automatically declare that they were all ‘lost geniuses’ on the strength of these recordings. What can be said is the every one of them deserves re-evaluation.  On the face of it, most opera lovers will be ‘au fait’ with the name Michael William Balfe who is best remembered for one stage work or possibly just two songs: the opera The Bohemian Girl, ‘Killarney’ and ‘Come into the Garden Maud’ respectively.  Enthusiasts of British Music may have recently heard Julius Benedict’s two piano concertos on Hyperion, many of William Vincent Wallace’s piano pieces on Naxos or George Alexander Macfarren’s fine opera Robin Hood and the 4^thand 7^th Symphonies. Nonetheless, I imagine that for all but the most committed aficionados of Victorian music the names of John Barnett, Edward Loder and Arthur Goring Thomas will be simply that – names.

And thirdly, I do not propose to discuss the ‘plots’ of the 10 operas represented on this CD The liner notes give sufficient information on this score.

However, a thumbnail sketch of the period and the genre may be of some help. Most readers will be knowledgeable about the German and Italian operas of Wagner, Donizetti, Verdi and Rossini, however, the home-grown talent may be a little more obscure. In many ways the attitude of opera lovers today is similar to that of 150 years ago. For most, serious opera means/meant Italian opera – (with German, French, Russian and Peter Grimeshaving gained a secure foothold in the intervening years). In the early to mid nineteenth century, Covent Garden staged virtually nothing but Italian opera: German and French productions were sometimes even translated into Italian for ‘convenience.’  Opera producers were not always faithful to the score either, with interpolation of ‘original’ music by the conductor being largely accepted, if not expected.  Ernest Walker notes that at that the time of Henry Bishop (1786-1855) ‘opera had been a sort of third-rate theatrical medley, totally devoid alike of art and of sense’. Things could only get better, although I imagine that one day Bishop himself will be re-evaluated. The lighter operas of Balfe, Wallace and Benedict had considerable successes; however it was with John Barnett’s The Mountain Sylph (overture performed here) that Britain could claim anything approaching ‘grand opera.’ It was at this time that composers began to produce works that that had some claim to musical and dramatic continuity of interest and respectability of stage effect.

The overtures presented on this disc cover a span of some 60 years so fall into the era of early and late Victorian. The earliest is Barnett’s The Mountain Sylph with ‘book’ by Thackeray and the latest is Arthur Goring Thomas’ The Golden Web dating from 1893. Only this last named work was written after the massive achievement of Gilbert and Sullivan.

I enjoyed virtually every work on this CD. I would suggest that the Edwardian music historian Ernest Walker’s dismissal of most of this music as being ‘…artistically …not worth a moment's consideration, the tunes are empty beyond expression, and there is not a particle of any workmanship to carry them off…’ is fundamentally disproved by this collection of overtures. His further consideration that ‘…it is all artistically dead beyond the very faintest hope of resurrection; and we need not feel any cause for lament,’ seems untenable.

What does this music sound like?  It is an unwise question to ask, and an even more difficult one to answer. Each of these composers had their own voice. However, we know so little of their work that generalisations are inevitable. The prevailing mood in all this music suggests Rossini, Weber, Auber and to a certain extent anticipated Sullivan at his more ‘serious.’  I guess that ‘enjoyable’ is a better adjective to describe the effect of this music than ‘challenging’. There is nothing here to cause unease but plenty to give pleasure and delight. This is all good music: it is by no means ‘great’ music, although there are moments when composer seems to approach genius. John Barnett’s The Mountain Sylphbeing a good example.  None of this is a problem. Not every bar of every opera by Verdi or Wagner is ‘great’ music.

This CD is a fine production. The sound recording is always clear and well-balanced.  The Victorian Opera Orchestra is made up of players from around the North West of England. Their president and guest conductor is Richard Bonynge who is an acknowledged expert in Victorian opera: he has made a large number of ballet and operatic recordings over the years.  Orchestra and maestro take each of these overtures seriously: their playing is never overstated or condescending.  Victorian Opera Northwest, the group which has overseen the project, is dedicated to the promotion of ‘the excellent forgotten music of 19th century operas by British and Irish composers’. They also produce scores and performing editions of operas and overtures which are available for hire and include a number of the works recorded on this CD.

The liner notes form a good essay on Victorian opera and ought to be read before exploring the music. The first section is a brief overview of ‘The English Opera movement’ in the nineteenth century and this is followed by a detailed discussion of each opera and its overture.  However, was Love’s Triumph first performed in 1864 as stated here on the track listings, or in 1862?* The booklet features a number of stunning music covers of ‘overtures and popular Dance Selections from the operas’ by courtesy of the Richard Bonynge Archives.  The impressive cover photograph is of Covent Garden circa 1850.

This outstanding CD is an important link in the rediscovery and re-evaluation of a generation of operatic tradition that has been largely ignored, if not quite lost. It is a rediscovery that I would never have guessed would have occurred when I first began to read about British Music in the early nineteen-seventies.  However, there is much to be done. Not everything can be performed. Michael Balfe wrote more than two dozen operas: not all of them can be revived and no doubt not all of them deserve the complex ‘archaeological digging’ required to present them in a costume or concert version for our age. However an important start has been made: witness the recent recording of Macfarren’s Robin Hood on Naxos 8.660306-07 and Wallace’s Lurline and Balfe’s The Maid of Artois by Victorian Opera Northwest. Most of Arthur Sullivan’s operas (as opposed to the G&S collaborations) are now available on CD. Recently a new book has been published by Dr. Andrew Lamb about William Vincent Wallace (Fullers Wood Press, 2012).

There is much to be done, however it is good that a solid start has been made. There are plenty of operas and composers to explore. Let us hope that this work continues with alacrity.

*The London Standard for Saturday 15 November 1862 announces the first performance of Wallace’s new opera Love’s Triumph on that evening at Covent Garden. The booklet, however, gives the correct date.

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

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The Promenade Concerts 1963 – Novelties

A few days ago I posted a résumé of the works that were given their first performance at the Henry Promenade Concerts during 1913.  Today I briefly consider those performed fifty years later at the 1963 series. In some ways not a lot has changed. There are still works by composers who have disappeared from view as well as works by established composers. Please note that not all these works were premieres: a fair few were simply their first outing at a Prom Concert.

Richard Rodney Bennett: A London Pastoral

Lennox Berkeley: Four Ronsard Sonnets (BBC Comm)

Arthur Bliss: The Enchantress

Benjamin Britten: Simple Symphony, Cantata Misericordium, War Requiem

Francis Burt: Fantasmagoria per orchestra (BBC Comm)

Peter Racine Fricker: Song Cycle: O longs desirs (BBC comm)

Roberto Gerhard: Piano Concerto

Henry Purcell: Come ye sons of art away; Welcome to all pleasures.

Arthur Sullivan: Trial by Jury

Michael Tippett: The Midsummer Marriage Act III

William Walton: Variations on a theme by Hindemith

Perhaps the most surprising thing from the above list is the complete disappearance of Richard Rodney Bennett’s A London Pastoral. This work for tenor and chamber orchestra has not been recorded (to my knowledge). It would seem to be a work worthy of some investigation: the review in the times suggests that it the music was ‘poetic and beautiful in abstraction.’ The work is based on poems by William Wordsworth, John Lydgate and Laurence Binyon.

Arthur Sullivan’ Trial by Jury has remained popular since its first performance on 25 March 1875 at the Royalty Theatre. However, it must have made a pleasant evening’s entertainment at the all Gilbert and Sullivan night on 10 August 1963. Other music that evening included extracts from The Pirates of Penzance, The Gondoliers, Iolanthe and ‘that infernal nonsense Pinafore.’

I could find out little about Francis Burt’s Fantasmagoria per orchestra however he earns a place on this blog by being an Austrian/British composer. The work seems to have totally disappeared from view.

Peter Racine Fricker's orchestral song cycle O longs desirs also seems to have vanished without trace – however this is like most of that composer’s music.  He is surely ripe for rediscovery. The work was performed by the composer’s wife the soprano Catherine Gayer. It is a setting of the French poet Louise Labé, (c. 1520 or 1522-1566).

Benjamin Britten’s ‘novelties’ have fared best of all. Certainly the War Requiem is regarded as a 20^th century masterpiece. The Simple Symphony is given many performances around the world, has been recorded countless times (35 versions are currently listed on Arkiv) and is regularly featured on Classic FM. The Cantata Miserecordium is possibly one of the composer’s less popular works.

The Enchantress by Sir Arthur Bliss is rarely heard in the concert hall, however there was a recording of the work issued on Chandos. It is a work that deserves to be in the public domain.

Michael Tippett’s A Midsummer Marriage may not be the most performed English opera, but it has retained a toe-hold in the repertoire.  The first performance of this work was a Covent Garden on 27 January 1955, so the Prom performance of Act III was really a little bit of catching-up. A couple of recordings of this work have been released, the most famous being the Phillips version conducted by Colin Davis dating from 1970. It was subsequently reissued by Lyrita in 1990.

Finally, Lennox Berkeley’s Four Four Ronsard Sonnets, William Walton’s Variations on a theme by Hindemith and Roberto Gerhard’s Piano Concerto have all managed to retain a fragile place in the repertoire. However, I guess that performances are few and far between.  Walton has at least seven recordings of the Variations, and Gerhard two and as far as I can tell Berkeley has one of the Sonnets.

So the 'winner' from the Proms novelties of  1963 would appear to be Benjamin Britten with all three of his works still firmly in the repertoire. 

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British Works for Cello and Piano: Volume 1 on Chandos

Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (1848-1918) Sonata for Cello and Piano in A major (1879-80, revised 1883) 

Frederick Delius (1862-1934) Sonata for Cello and Piano (1916)

Granville Bantock (1868-1946) ‘Hamabdil’: Hebrew Melody (1919) 

John Foulds (1880-1939) Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op.6 (1905, revised 1927) 

Paul Watkins (cello) Huw Watkins (piano)

CHANDOS CHAN10741

A great place to start the exploration of this excellent new CD of cello and piano music is with Granville Bantock’s beautiful ‘Hamabdil’. The work originated as an entr’acte to Arnold Bennett’s play Judith (1919) which was based on the well-known story from the Apocryphal Old Testament.  In the same year, the music was worked up into at least three versions including one for Cello Solo, Strings, Kettledrum and Harp (or Piano) and the present arrangement for Cello and piano (or harp).  This short piece is based on a Hebrew melody which is subjected to a series of ‘continuous variations.’ The mood of ‘Hamabdil’ is rhapsodic and carries the burden of sadness that seems to typify much Jewish melody.

Of all the works on this CD the one that I am most at home with is the gorgeous Sonata by Charles Hubert Hastings Parry. The first (and only) time I have heard this work ‘live’ was at the end of long, but thoroughly enjoyable ‘Parry Day’ at the Royal College of Music.  Raphael Wallfisch and Hiroaki Takenouchi gave a stunning account of the Cello Sonata. At that time I felt that it was unbelievable that this work in not in the cello repertoire: I have since heard the excellent performance by Andrew Fuller and Michael Dussek on Dutton Epoch (CDLX7102)

Parry’s Cello Sonata is a relatively early work, dating from 1879 when the composer was thirty-one years old. Interestingly, it was composed the year before the first performance of the ‘mould breaking’ choral Prometheus Unbound which has been ascribed as being the moment that British music’s self-confidence was restored.  The present Sonata is written in three movements with the slow ‘andante sostenuto’ being especially moving and expressive.  The opening movement is constructed in formal sonata form. However, the final movement has a mysterious introduction before ‘the sun comes out’ and the music becomes much more positive. The work ends with an impressive coda.  Although it is possible to note stylistic allusions to Brahms and Schumann in much of this Sonata, it is a remarkable work that reveals the elusive note of Parry’s ‘Englishness’ for the first time. 

Most of Frederick Delius’ chamber works were composed late in his career. The present Cello Sonata was written in 1916 and was premiered by Beatrice Harrison and Hamilton Harty at the Wigmore Hall on 31 October 1918. The music is expounded in a long single movement that is separated into three contrasting sections ‘Allegro ma non troppo’, ‘Lento, molto tranquillo’ and ‘Tempo primo’.  There is little relaxation in this sonata with an almost continuous development of the music as a long unbroken song. The cello explores the entire compass of the instrument: the accompanist never has a rest.  Delius chamber works have never gained the popularity of the orchestral music. This may be due to the more austere nature of much of the writing. However, this Cello Sonata does have considerable warmth that makes it approachable to people that may prefer the orchestral ‘Cuckoo’ and ‘Paradise Garden.’ It is a beautiful work that is ultimately satisfying, even if it does not quite fit into the Delian mould.

The Guardian Reviewer has noted the five columns of liner notes given to the exposition of the John Foulds' Cello Sonata. It certainly takes a deal of time to read this closely written text. However I disagree with his assessment of this work as ‘unremarkable’ ‘despite the energy and virtuosity it demands.’ I largely sympathise with the first half of Malcolm MacDonald’s contention that this ‘remarkably powerful and original’ sonata is one of the finest, if not the finest Cello Sonata by an English composer.’

The sonata was composed in 1905 when Foulds was 25 years old. It was considerably revised for publication in 1927.  However in the 85 years since it publication it appears to have suffered considerable neglect. Foulds enthusiasts will have the excellent British Music Society (BMS423CD) recording with Jo Cole (cello) and John Talbot (piano)

It is not necessary to give an outline of the Sonatas structure save to note that it is written in three movements – Moderato quasi allegretto, Lento and Molto brioso. The heart of the work is the middle movement. This is a heart-achingly beautiful elegy. The Fouldain fingerprint of ‘quarter tones’ should not put off the listener: it is not a gimmick, but essential to the musical argument.

It is useful to recall that John Foulds was the only professional cellist amongst the composers on this disc. The present Sonata calls for a significant technical skills from both instrumentalists to present the sweeping development of this hugely passionate and expressive work. 

I was hugely impressed by this CD. The two soloists, Paul Watkins and Huw Watkins respond with great sympathy and understanding to these diverse pieces. The liner notes by Calum MacDonald are considerable and tell the listener virtually all that they could wish to know about these four pieces. I felt that the sound quality was excellent and revealed all the nuances of these works. I am delighted that this is Volume 1 of a projected series. Roll on the next release! 

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Josef Holbrooke: A Correction?

I recently came across a ‘delightful’ letter written by Josef Holbrooke to the Musical News and published on March 17, 1900.  Two weeks previously (Saturday, March 3 1900) had seen the first performance of the composer’s symphonic poem The Ravenat the Crystal Place under the baton of Mr. Augustus Manns. The review in this paper had not been too encouraging -it introduced the discussion by suggesting that not much can be said in favour of Mr Josef C. Holbrooke’s symphonic poem… Edgar Allan Poe’s poem is of the dismal order, and so perhaps it is a compliment to Mr Holbrooke to say his music is of the same type…’ However, it was not so much the bad press (in this instance) that angered the young composer, but some ‘facts’ given about him. I quote the letter in full.

A Correction?

To the editor of “Musical News”

Sir, - I must call attention to one or two mistakes in your estimable paper which irritate me.

I am 21 years of age, not 22, neither am I a Royal Academy student, two years ago yes, not now.

I should have thought your worthy critic would have known better to suggest the “Raven” being written at a school of music.

I hope I am not trespassing on you valuable columns.

Josef Holbrooke

Finsbury Park, N. London

The editor replied:

We hardly realise the cause of irritation in being described as 22, instead of 21 years of age, nor yet being thought a student of the R.A.M. Both Sterndale Bennett and Arthur Sullivan were proud to belong to the Academy, and wrote some of their finest works while still being classed as ‘students’. – Ed., M.N.

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