Christopher Palmer’s
booklet notes dwell on the influence
of Stravinsky’s Petrushka on
English music, going so far as to refer
to a ‘Petrushka generation’ (which
includes Vaughan Williams, Holst, Walton,
Bax etc). If some of Stravinsky’s rhythmic
prowess is detectable in Bliss’ Mêlée
fantasque (a tribute to the artist
Claude Lovat Fraser), it is even more
marked in Rout, which begins
with an unashamed ‘crib’ right at the
very beginning before shifting to sound
much more from these shores. Scored
for soprano and orchestra, it was the
last of three ‘experimental’ works for
voice and chamber orchestra (the other
two being Madame Noy and Rhapsody).
The soprano is given various made-up
words to sing and scraps of song – ‘Rout’
refers to revelry, and indeed there
is much that is festive here. Rae Woodland
sings clearly and accurately.
The third of Bliss’s
full-length ballets was Adam Zero.
The composer thought of this as his
‘most varied and exciting’ ballet score.
The three excerpts here are full of
life. The scoring of the Spring Dance
sparkles while the ‘Dance of
Summer’ exudes a healthy optimism,
both contrasting with the more gentle
‘Bridal Ceremony’.
The Hymn to Apollo
has a rather triumphal feel to it, a
triumph born of huge suffering (it is
given here in the 1964 reworking). It
seems to be more experimental than the
preceding works on this disc, with melodic
lines fairly disjunct and Bliss unafraid
of bare textures. In many ways it is
the more interesting piece of the programme,
simply because one can hear Bliss trying
out new things – this gives it a raw
edge.
Interesting to note
that the Serenade is indicated
as for ‘orchestra and baritone’ and
not the other way around, an indication
of the importance of the orchestral
contribution. Two of the movements are
purely orchestral – the ‘Overture: The
Serenader’ (a nice Spanish suggestion
with the use of castanets here) and
the final ‘Idyll’; these depict
the lover and his beloved, respectively.
The second and fourth movements use
texts by Edmund Spenser (‘Fair is my
love’) and Sir J. Wotton (‘Tune on my
pipes the praises of my Love’). The
inestimable advantage of the present
recording comes in the shape of the
baritone soloist, John Shirley-Quirk,
who is surely in his element. His voice
is full and commanding, with every word
expertly enunciated. He brings a real
swagger to the finale.
The choral The World
is charged with the grandeur of God
was commissioned by Peter Pears for
the 1969 Aldeburgh Festival. The text,
also chosen by Pears, is by Gerard Manley
Hopkins. The première was conducted
by Philip Ledger, who also directs the
present recording.
The writing for choir
is superb (almost Waltonian in breadth
and power). One could hardly ask for
a finer advocate than the legendary
Ambrosian Singers who sing with a lusty
belief in every note. This is an impressive
work, given in a recording of much space
and depth.
The playing time is
close on eighty minutes. Given the authority
of the composer’s accounts of three
of the pieces, plus the undeniable advocacy
of the rest, this is a mandatory purchase
for all lovers of the music of Bliss.
Colin Clarke
Sir
Arthur Bliss
The
Lyrita catalogue
bRae Woodland (soprano); cJohn
Shirley-Quirk (baritone); dAmbrosian
Singers; dLSO Wind and Brass Ensemble;
abcLondon Symphony Orchestra/abSir
Arthur Bliss, cBrian Priestman, dPhilip
Ledger.