Produced in association
with the Howells Society, this Naxos
collection offers both novelties (albeit
brief ones) and relatively familiar
chamber works. Everything here is redolent
of the lush greenness of the English
countryside even when it is supposed
to be about The Rockies. Howells’ writing
is soaked in ecstatic solvents and does
not shy away from the creation of rich
and evocative textures. The Quintet
(single movement and of concert
overture proportions), Prelude and Violin
Sonata date from the Great War years
or just after. The two pieces for clarinet
and piano are from just after the second
war. The Quintet sinks blissfully
into a contented Delian sunset. Written
a couple of years after the Piano Quartet
it shares, in its first section, the
head-over-heels joyous excitement of
that work but is finally and predominantly
more reflective. Throughout the Quintet
I did not hear any key action noises
whereas they are irritatingly evident
in the Clarinet Sonata. This
is a pity although a minor cavil in
the face of a heart-easing pastoral
serenade which has some of the sincere
musing and singing of the Finzi Clarinet
concerto without quite matching the
Finzi's memorability. The Sonata was
written for Frederick Thurston who premiered
the Finzi. Remember also that one of
Howells’ clavichord pieces refers to
young Gerald in Finzi's Rest.
Plane, aside from the quibbling annoyance
of the key action, is sympathetic and
mines the work deeply for its pastoral
'juice' as well as for the mercury-winged
caprice of the allegro ritmico.
A Near-Minuet has those
muffled clicks again but mentally filtering
that out we have a piece that is Puck-like,
cheery yet with reflective tendencies.
The harp Prelude is almost
six minutes long. Alison Nicholls reveals
the work's griping mystery with playing
that takes pleasure in silky delicacy
and naturally phrased variation of volume.
The playing is breath-taking; one can
sense the moment by moment care for
colouration and the beating of fancy's
wings. The longest piece here is the
Violin Sonata (his last). This
is up against very strong competition
from the Barritts on a new bargain price
Hyperion Helios disc coupling all three
violin sonatas. The Hyperion is superbly
played and recorded. It has the advantage
of completeness of genre where the Naxos
has the merit of recital balance and
variety. Despite being the furthest
away from the end of the Great War the
Sonata is still keyed into a style we
associate with the English countryside
albeit with a more welcoming but parsimonious
attitude to dissonance. Cold winds must
have been blowing for Howells to embrace
the chirpy pizzicato dance at the start
of the central allegro moderato.
The work’s inspiration is a 1923 visit
to the Canadian Rockies which I hear
more in the piano writing towards the
end of the final movement than anywhere
else. The finale is the movement most
closely in step with Howells’ Great
War style.
Notes are lucid and
eloquent by Howells expert, Andrew Burn.
This disc would have
been irresistible if the Piano Quartet
had been included but as it is this
is a good disc and is essential for
the growing ranks of Howells fans (rare,
though not unique, appearances for the
Near-Minuet and the Prelude
- the former on a Clarinet Classics
CD; the latter on an all-Rubbra ASV
disc). It is also illuminatingly attractive
as a classy and generous bargain price
introduction for interested newbies.
Rob Barnett
Mobius: Robert Plane (clarinet); Alison Nicholls
(harp); Sophia Rahman (piano); Phillippe Honoré
(violin); Lucy Gould (violin); Ashan Pillai (viola);
Josephine Knight (cello) 