Sir Henry Wood has a secure place in British musical history as
the father of the Promenade Concerts. This has tended to obscure
consideration of his characteristics and abilities as a conductor.
Apart from the splendid and often reissued recording with the
original singers of Vaughan Williams’ Serenade
to Music, discs come into and out of the catalogue without
making much impression. The recent issue on Somm
of part of a 1943 Promenade concert was a welcome exception. This
is partly due to the paucity of his recordings, but also to the
poor technical quality of many of them. The main item here – the
“Eroica” – was recorded in the early days of electrical recording
using the “Westrex” system. This was despite the view of Isaac
Schoenberg, the general manager of Columbia, for whom it was made,
that the system was unsatisfactory. Even with all the very considerable
skill and patience of the engineers responsible for the present
transfer my initial impression each time I listened to it was
of a poor recording partly hidden behind considerable hiss. However
after a few minutes I found that I could ignore this and concentrate
on a performance which is very well worth hearing.
The
Symphony’s first movement is dispatched for the most part
at a fast speed, the direction allegro con brio being
taken very much to heart. Whilst there is some welcome flexibility
over the main speed there is nothing metronomic about it and
overall there is an apparent spontaneity and responsiveness
to the changing character of the music. I do however find
it hard to accept the very pronounced slowing down for the
second subject at bar 83 which seems to go beyond the bounds
of what reasonable flexibility might allow. Even then it is
not difficult to forgive it for the vitality of music-making
which pervades this movement and indeed the rest of the disc.
This did in fact come as a surprise. I remember playing under
one of his pupils from some of his working sets of parts,
now held by the Royal Academy of Music. All are carefully
marked up in thick blue pencil with careful supplementary
instructions to the players. This was clearly essential in
view of the very limited rehearsal times available to him
for the long seasons of the Proms. Even so, I had not expected
that this would leave any room for the kind of apparently
spontaneous music-making that we have here. At the same time
there is a clear sense of direction in all of these performances
as well as what appears to be great care over balance and
phrasing. The few moments where the balance goes astray may
well be a result of the recording apparatus available at that
time. Given the then cost of records the absence of the important
first movement exposition repeat is understandable.
The
rest of the symphony has similar virtues to the first movement
although Wood does not make any more exaggerated unmarked
changes of speed. The scherzo is very fast but the trio is
just about managed by the horns - no mean feat given 1920s
recording technology. The orchestra’s sound is also of its
time, with more portamento than would be usual today
but not to such a degree in the Symphony as to be a problem
to even modern listeners allergic to the practice. There is
much more in the “Air on the G string” but frankly this is
an item best ignored, as is the Gavotte, about whose arranger
there appears to be some doubt.
The
Brandenburg Concerto is another matter. The very interesting
notes by Peter Avis indicate that the Sixth Concerto was a
favourite of the conductor; so much so that he paid for an
extra rehearsal in preparation for this recording, and provided
tea and cakes for the players. It may surprise listeners used
to performances on instruments closer to what the composer
expected, but this is as vigorous and lively a performance
as I have come across anywhere. Despite the doubling of instrumental
lines and, presumably the substitution of violas or cellos
for the specified viols, both of reduce clarity, the sheer
rhythmic drive of the performance manages to avoid any hint
of the dourness that can sometimes be found in this work,
even, or perhaps especially, in the celebrated performance
directed by Adolf Busch. The slow movement is a particular
pleasure, with the second part of the direction Adagio
ma non tanto noted and acted upon for once.
The
Toccata and Fugue was included on the Lyrita
collection of orchestrations by Sir Henry played by the London
Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Nicholas Braithwaite (SRCD
216). I enjoyed that, but enjoyed this even more. It is delightfully
over the top, with every opportunity for bizarre orchestral effects
seized upon. The recording here and in the Bach items is markedly
superior to that for the Beethoven.
I
have played this disc with increasing enjoyment and respect
for Wood as a musician. Arthur Jacobs’ biography makes it
clear that many of the amusing and amazing stories in Wood’s
autobiography “My Life of Music” were the product of his imagination.
It is good to be reminded that this imagination extended also
to his performances. I hope that further discs will fill out
the picture that this very desirable disc gives.
John Sheppard
Other Wood recordings:
Schubert
8 on Pristine
Salute
to Henry Wood on Symposium
