A Western Borderland
Henry WALFORD DAVIES (1869-1941)
Theme and Variations (1890) [5:52]
Richard FRANCIS (b.1946)
Fantasy Sonata (1969, revised 2006) [24:55]
Ivor GURNEY (1890-1937)
Five Western Watercolours (1923) [11:10]
Sir Edward ELGAR (1857-1934)
Concert Allegro (1901) [11:18]
Richard FRANCIS
Characteristic Pieces, Volume 1 (1964-70) [27:13]
Duncan Honeybourne (piano)
rec. Turner Simms Concert Hall, University of Southampton, 27-28 July 2015
EM RECORDS EMRCD034 [79:39]
The advert for this CD notes that ‘the counties on the
borders between England and Wales - Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire
and Shropshire - are rich in spiritual resonance, powerful historical imagery
and a tangible sense of tranquillity and apartness, which continues to appeal
strongly to composers, writers and artists.’ It is one of the locations
of that idealised landscape, 'The Land of Lost Content'. This
fascinating new CD presents four composers from this border-country and includes
a number of first recordings.
Shropshire-born Henry Walford Davies is best known for his setting of ‘O
little town of Bethlehem’: there are currently 130 (January 2016) recordings
of this carol in the Arkiv CD catalogue. The RAF March Past is also
popular and the Armistice Service invariably includes his Solemn
Melody. In recent years, concert and record promoters have pushed beyond
these favourites. In 2009 Dutton Epoch issued his Violin
Sonata No. 2 in D minor and recorded his Everyman
cantata in 2004. Two or three years later, EM Records released the Sonatas
for violin and piano in A
major and in E
flat major. The impressive Symphony No.2 in G major was performed at the
English
Music Festival in 2013.
The present Theme and Variations is therefore a welcome addition
to the small number of pieces available to listeners. This short six-minute
work was composed in 1890. Duncan
Honeybourne (previously admirably heard in Greville
Cooke and Moeran)
writes that he has found no evidence of it having been performed before he
unearthed it from the Royal College of Music Library. It is a delightful work
with a touching theme and inventive variations. It reminds the listener of
Hubert Parry, who was Walford Davies’ teacher at the RCM.
The Five Western Watercolours were written by Ivor Gurney in 1920.
These miniature tone-poems reflect the composer’s love of Gloucestershire
and Worcestershire. The first piece portrays the meandering ‘Twyver
River’ which is maybe less idyllic today than 96 years ago. ‘Alney
Island’, which is now a nature reserve is a darker little piece. There
is a touch of wistfulness about ‘The Old Road’, which could be
anywhere, but perchance echoes the composer’s sense of leaving his beloved
landscape. ‘Still Meadows’ is bewitching in its evocation of an
evening stroll as the darkness descends on the fields. The final ‘Watercolour’
is a musical picture of ‘Sugarloaf Hill’: it is a carefree romp
over the Malverns. These are charming pieces that capture something of the
composer’s younger days, before mental illness began to take such a
severe toll on his life. The collection is dedicated to his friend Miss Marjorie
Chapman, who supported Gurney during his sad decline.
The liner-notes remind the listener that Edward Elgar’s Concert
Allegro is the only substantial piece that Elgar composed for piano solo.
It was written in 1901 for the Guernsey-born pianist Fanny Davies, who was
a pupil of Clara Schumann. Elgar was to make a number of revisions to this
work which included the removal of repetitions from the piece. I feel that
it is an uneven work, which often seems to be improvisatory and lacking in
coherence, but one that also contains some captivating moments.
The big discovery on this CD is the piano music of Richard Francis. As a reviewer
I was quite happy to hold my hand up and admit that I had not (knowingly)
heard any works by this composer. On further reflection, I recalled that I
had reviewed his Introduction and Grand Concert Variations on
a Hymn Tune by Sir Arthur Sullivan (the ‘Not-so-young person’s
guide to the organ’) (Quantum
QM7041). What a treat was in store. I had guessed that as this CD comes
out of the English Music Festival ‘stable’, the music would be
approachable and in the trajectory of the great masters of piano that the
United Kingdom has thrown up over the past 120 years. I was not mistaken.
A brief note about Richard Francis will be of considerable interest: I acknowledge
the liner notes and his webpage
for this information. The composer was born in Herefordshire in 1946. He studied
at the Birmingham School of Music, followed by graduation with a B.Mus. degree
from London University. After various teaching posts at Edinburgh, Ludlow
and Sherborne he continued his studies at the University College of North
Wales with William Mathias. He completed his MMus, LRAM and ARCO diplomas.
A major part of Francis’ life was the post of Organist and Director
of Music at the Parish Church of St Laurence in Ludlow. During this period
he did much freelance recital work and composition. His music include the
orchestral The Adamantine Door, much organ and choral music as well
as a number of chamber and piano works.
The Fantasy Sonata was originally composed in 1969, whilst Richard
Francis was studying at Reading for a Diploma in Education. The work is dedicated
to his piano teacher at the Birmingham School of Music, William Fellowes,
who had died tragically young. Fellowes was a renowned exponent of Franz Liszt,
and this interest is reflected in the present work, especially in the virtuosic
style and its formal design. Francis has written that the Sonata is an attempt
to ‘fuse three movements into a large single whole’. The music
is largely tonal, with considerable interest generated by many changes of
tempo. I was not surprised to learn that Fellowes was, and Francis is, enthusiastic
about the piano music of John Ireland: his musical legacy permeates this work,
which is certainly not a negative comment.
The Fantasy Sonata was revised in 2006 and has been performed a number
of times by the present pianist. I found it a beautiful, moving piece: it
is the masterpiece on this present CD and demands to be introduced to the
British Music repertoire. I look forward one day to perusing the score of
this superb Sonata.
The other work by Richard Francis are the ‘Characteristic Pieces’.
There were composed over a six year period and were ‘extensively’
revised in 2006 when two new numbers were added (‘Forlorn’ and
‘Jack in the Box’).
These are enchanting miniatures: the composer writes, ‘they are all
short vignettes, each with a fanciful name, rather in the nature of Schumann’s
Album for the Young.’ Titles include ‘Waltz’, ‘A Child’s
Tune’, ‘April Shower’, ‘The Old Millwheel’ and
‘Sea-Idyll’. The series begins with little technical difficulty,
but becomes more complex as the numbers unfold. I look forward to being able
to play these pieces (where possible) on my piano.
I am not sure why EM Records did not record the additional movement ‘Forlorn’:
I guess it was space on the CD. Could it be presented as a future download
from the EM CD webpage?
The premiere of the whole set was given by Duncan Honeybourne in a lunchtime
concert at Chepstow Parish Church, Gwent on 23 July 2008.
A brief biography of each composer and a detailed analysis of the music is
presented in the liner-notes written by the pianist and others. This is essential,
as with the exception of Elgar’s Concert Allegro, each work
is receiving its premiere recording.
I disagree with the pianist’s statement in the notes that this may be
a ‘quirky’ recital programme. I found it perfectly satisfying
and a wonderful musical ‘portrait’ of an area of Great Britain
that has provided the inspiration for countless works of art. It was good
to hear the Walford Davies and the Richard Francis for the first time and
to be reintroduced to Elgar’s Concert Allegro and to hear Gurney’s
Five Western Watercolours given a wonderful performance, as opposed
to my attempts to play (murder) them on the piano. Honeybourne has given a
wonderful, inspired account of all these pieces.
Once again, EM Records have drunk deeply into the extensive section of the
catalogue of British music that demands exploration, and has succeeded in
producing a remarkable CD.
John France
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