There is an interesting category of music that does not fall into the
realm of what is regarded as modern classical writing, but at the same
time lacks the sheer popular appeal of what is nowadays termed ‘light
music’. By this I mean that it is unlikely to be picked up for
use in television adverts or signature tunes, but at the same time it
lacks the ‘modern’ touches that seem to be essential to
attract promoters of concerts of new music. The results can often be
enthrallingly beautiful, and if taken up by radio stations like Classic
FM could almost certainly achieve a degree of acclaim. There are a number
of such works on this disc, a somewhat belated successor to Fisher’s
earlier collection of English music for string orchestra which was
reviewed
enthusiastically for this site by John France in 2007 but which seems
to have escaped the attention of critics elsewhere.
To begin, perversely enough, at the end, we have what we are assured
by the booklet is the only orchestral work by Peter Fisher, the soloist
and director of this enterprising disc. The
Variations were written
for a personal celebration, and his treatment of the theme of
Widecombe
Fair is great fun. This is the closest thing to ‘light music’
on this disc, and Fisher plays the fiendishly difficult violin part
- definitely ‘in the style of Paganini’ - with aplomb.
The other ‘new’ work on this disc is the
Sinfonietta
by Clive Jenkins, whose
Pastorale and Allegro was featured on
the earlier recording by this ensemble. It is hard to know how to describe
this work - it has elements of Hindemithian neo-classicism in its side-slipping
chromatics, but it also is recognisably from the English school of string
writing - perhaps Tippett’s
Little music might be a good
analogy. It is pleasant; but lacks the ultimate degree of memorable
fibre, although its melodic themes are personable and well presented.
For many the most interesting work here will be the
Fantasy by
Harold Darke, generally known nowadays solely for his setting of Christina
Rossetti’s
In the bleak midwinter which nowadays bids fair
to outshine Holst’s treatment of the same words in the popularity
stakes. Darke’s original score of the string version of the
Fantasy
is lost, and what we are given here is a re-orchestration of the work
(from the published organ score) by Clive Jenkins. It is a work distinctly
of the English pastoral school, with overtones of Vaughan Williams and
- even more strongly - of Finzi and Moeran. It is amazing that it has
had to wait so long for a recording since it is a very beautiful work
indeed. It is given a full-blooded and romantic interpretation which
suits the music perfectly. We need to hear more music by Darke, since
on the basis of this piece he is a seriously under-rated composer.
Bantock on the other hand is making something of a comeback this year,
with a number of his works including his marvellous
Celtic Symphony
being featured in the BBC Proms season. We have already had a recording
of one of his Farnaby arrangements in the shape of a movement from his
English Suite (currently available on Naxos) but here we have
seven other pieces by Farnaby arranged for string orchestra. In fact
the arrangements have been further refined by Peter Fisher to include
a theorbo, and the works are given in the name of Farnaby rather than
Bantock on the sleeve. I am unconvinced by this attempt to relocate
the arrangements back to the sixteenth century in this manner, just
as I was similarly unpersuaded by Sir Neville Marriner’s importation
of a harpsichord into his recording of Warlock’s Capriol Suite many
years ago. It is surely preferable to treat these twentieth century
arrangements of old music as products of their era rather than to add
a spuriously ‘antique’ element that would have been foreign to the arrangers
themselves. As it happens, the theorbo is far less forwardly placed
in the balance than was Marriner’s added harpsichord, so no real harm
is done; and the arrangements are pleasant even if they hardly add anything
to our knowledge of Bantock himself – there are none of Warlock’s quirky
touches – and most of the movements are very short.
The Overture and Rondeau from Purcell’s
Abdelazar have
achieved popularity on the basis of Britten’s employment of the
main theme from the latter in his
Young Person’s Guide to the
Orchestra. They are given lively performances here with a biggish
body of strings and no audible continuo contribution. Ireland’s
The holy boy has been the subject of very many arrangements over
the years, a goodly number of them by the composer himself. Here the
timeless melody is given in a version by Christopher Palmer incorporating
solo cello - beautifully played by Peter Adams - which fails however
to disguise its intrinsic sentimentality especially when it follows
closely on the heels of the Darke
Fantasy. Elgar’s
Elegy
is a very familiar work, not quite in the composer’s ‘light
music’ vein but coming close to it. It is well performed here
even if one might have preferred a greater weight of string tone.
Malcolm Arnold’s
Double Violin Concerto, on the other hand,
is a comparative rarity, although there are three rival versions listed
in the current catalogues including a recording of the première
from Louisville. Of the two modern versions, one under Donald Barra
is slower than this one and the other under Mark Stephenson is faster.
This version is fine enough; but the work itself is not one of Arnold’s
most enjoyable scores with even the slow
Andantino movement lacking
any sense of real repose. That said, the bubbling finale has plenty
of spirit and the soloists play with evident enjoyment of the idiom.
This is a most enjoyable recital of some generally unfamiliar English
string music. The Darke
Fantasy is a real discovery. More please.
The recorded sound is beautifully resonant and well balanced and the
substantial booklet notes by miscellaneous authors are informative.
Paul Corfield Godfrey
