It was hearing Paderewski,
no less, that made Cyril Scott decide
to become a musician. Scott was also
to come into contact with both Debussy
and Ravel (apparently Debussy referred
to Scott as ‘one of the rarest artists
of the present’). In
turn, he was to teach Edmund Rubbra.
Eugene Goossens called him the ‘father
of British modern music’.
Much of Scott’s music
is influenced by mystical thought, especially
that of Theosophy (which he took up
after he had heard a lecture by Annie
Besant). Scriabin and Szymanowski are
also invoked by his works..
Scott studied with
Ivan Knorr (an extremely well respected
composition teacher) and also with Humperdinck
in Frankfurt, taking piano with Lazarro
Uzielli – among his peers were Percy
Grainger and Roger Quilter. The Debussy
and Ravel influences are immediately
apparent in the Third Symphony (unsurprisingly,
given his Theosophist leanings, it is
not hard to imagine Scriabin in the
shadows, either).
The Symphony No. 3,
‘The Muses’, (the third of his three
symphonies) is a remarkable work. Each
of the four movements bears the name
of one of the Muses as its title: Melpomene
(Muse of Tragedy); Thalia (Muse of Comedy
and of Playful and Idyllic Poetry);
Erato (Muse of Poetry and Mimicry);
and Terpsichore (Muse of Dance). ‘Melpomene’
begins with the utmost delicacy (almost
Ravelian, in fact). It soon becomes
apparent that Scott has a huge orchestrational
and harmonic palette to choose from,
while a vital rhythmic sense keeps the
music alive. The gentle ‘Thalia’ exhibits
orientalist leanings while ‘Erato’ is
positively fragrant (the beginning is
so quiet as to be near-inaudible). A
wordless chorus graces the final portrait
(‘Terpsichore’) – here we enter the
world of ‘Sirènes’ from Debussy’s
orchestral Nocturnes.
Interestingly the Piano
Concertos have previously been available
on a Lyrita LP recorded in the mid-seventies
(SRCS81/82), where the soloist was John
Ogdon and the conductor Bernard Herrmann.
Here the tireless Howard Shelley is
the protagonist. Scott was an accomplished
pianist himself, and he certainly wrote
with authority (and pulled no punches,
either!). Shelley pulls no punches (a
hard edge to the piano sound on occasion
is, I suspect, deliberate), and together
he and Brabbins bring out the dramatic
in the first movement (somewhat innocently
carrying the tempo designation of ‘Con
moto’). The perfumed harmonies of the
‘Tranquillo pastorale’ act as aural
balm, then become progressively more
impassioned. Shelley’s powers of clear
articulation become apparent in the
finale (‘Energico’) – his staccato can
seem to laugh most appealingly.
Neptune (‘Poem
of the Sea’, a revised version of the
symphonic poem Disaster at Sea)
begins with an ‘Andante’ which includes
Impressionist washes of sound and brass
chorales that are reminiscent of Debussy’s
brass writing in La mer – here
they lead to a massive climactic chord
that Richard Strauss would have been
proud of, coloured by organ. Some of
the ensuing string writing is of almost
preternatural delicacy and a special
mention should go to the oboist, whose
solo is most expressively phrased. A
brief, more agitated ‘Con moto’ (1’40
long) leads to a ‘Tempo di valse’ that
is as elusive as it is sensual. An ‘Allegro
agitato’ begins with an explosion of
Scriabinesque angst – even the quieter
sections of this movement carry turbulent
undercurrents. A final ‘Adagio molto’
(a kind of Wagner with the edges rounded
off) forms a touchingly intense conclusion.
It would appear that
Cyril Scott is a composer who has just
been sat waiting to be discovered. Further
exploration could take one in the direction
of various Cyril Scott CDs. There is
Marco Polo’s orchestral disc (8.223485).
Tremula's piano solo recital by Chris
Howell can be ordered from www.jansmusic.co.uk
or enquiries can be addressed to jan@jansmusic.co.uk;
there is a review at
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2002/Sept02/Scott.htm;
Etcetera issued an all-piano disc played
by Dennis Hennig on KTC1132. This has
been deleted but reissued as reviewed
here at http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2002/May02/Scott_Hennig.htm
and
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2002/Jun02/Scott_Lotus.htm
Scott’s output was large (including
operas and ballets on top of a large
body of solo piano music) – so
there is plenty more to discover. There
is no doubt, though, that Chandos have
done him proud, with superb performances
and a recording of demonstration quality.
The Third Symphony
and Neptune are première
recordings; the Piano Concerto No. 2
appears for the first time on CD. This
is an essential purchase.
Colin Clarke
See also Chris
Howells recording of Scott Piano Music
bHoward Shelley (piano); aHuddersfield
Choral Society