Review by Rob Barnett:-
If ever there was a generator
and channel of light it is Rubbra's Fourth
Symphony. It is highly Sibelian; both En
Saga and the Fifth Symphony leap to
mind. There are some glorious gear-shifts
as well as one of the crowning climaxes
of British music at 8.33. Hickox’s is a
very communicative performance with a persuasive
and surprisingly Iberian sway (11.15). He
conveys all the tension and release of a
late Tchaikovsky symphony. Time and again
Rubbra twists the emotional cortex although
in the Intermezzo he is light in character,
generally Sibelian but with a staggeringly
Elgarian recollection at 4.34. Hickox adroitly
catches the barely contained excitement
of the finale: assertive, heroic yet wraith-like.
Amid recollections of Bruckner 4 and 8 the
heroic brass leap, surge and rear up in
splendour. The rough, rolling, all-conquering
horns (3.02) cannot help but recall Sibelius
5. The strings cut benevolent swathes through
the canvas and unite in a majestic peak
of ecstasy at 4.10. A 20th century masterwork.
Rubbra’s penultimate symphony
is, by contrast, understated. On the surface
it is not a difficult nut but it is so unassertive
that it defies immediate gratification.
I have lived with this work since first
hearing a radio broadcast (circa 1974) of
a performance by the Tilford Bach Ensemble
conducted by Denys Darlow. This work is
more for devotee connoisseurs. Chandos’s
strings are not as treble-emphasised as
the old Schönzeler version - also on
Chandos. There are moments of recognition
for persistent listeners. These include
desperately intense strings echoing Shostakovich
6 and Finzian references including the sweet
singer of Introit.
The final symphony (no.
11) is dedicated to Colette (his second
wife). Its premiere was by the underestimated
Nicholas Cleobury and the BBCPO at the Proms.
Hickox has done this work before and this
familiarity shows. The Eleventh opens like
Walton's ‘at the haunted end of the day’
(Troilus and Cressida) meshed with
the natural horn sound of Britten's Serenade.
The string writing recalls Tippett (Concerto
For Double String Orchestra at 1.34)
and Finzi. It is amazingly compact at less
than a quarter of an hour. It has a long
richly resourceful melody showing no dimming
of the powers. The work is alive with starry
romance (celesta at 5.00) and some of the
spirit of Finzi's angelic In Terra Pax.
The resplendently dancing horns at the cloud-topped
climaxes are not all that distant from Howard
Hanson. Parallels also can be found with
Pohjola's Daughter (try the brass
at 9.00). How wondrously Hickox and the
orchestra capture this magical microcosm
(13.46) with hallooing French horns and
an exhausted warm falling away speaking
comfort to the world.
A superb disc and very
highly recommended.
Rob Barnett
Review by Paul Conway :-
EDMUND RUBBRA - SYMPHONY no 4 a comparative review of available
recordings
Rubbra's Fourth Symphony is an epic wartime work, as remarkable for its serene,
other-worldly opening movement as the Brucknerian contrapuntal grandeur of
its bipartite Finale. Its first performance was given at a Prom concert on
14th August 1942 by the BBC Symphony Orchestra with the composer himself
conducting in battle dress. This performance was recorded by the BBC, preserved
by them and broadcast on Radio 3 on 25 March 1996 as part of Rubbra's "Composer
of the Week" celebrations. It is a remarkably powerful and well-played
performance with all the unique authority a composer can sometimes bring
in conducting his or her own work.
There are currently 2 versions in the CD catalogue: a Lyrita recording by
the Philharmonia under Norman Del Mar from the late 80s (SRCD 202) and the
Chandos release in their complete cycle of Rubbra symphonies with the BBC
National Orchestra of Wales under Richard Hickox (CHAN 9401). An analogue
live recording by the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Vernon Handley dating
from February 1976 was released on the BBC Radio Classics label (15656 91932)
and is not currently available but may soon be re-released as part of the
BBC Classic Collection and so I have included it here.
The opening Con moto movement begins with one of the most enticing
passages in any British symphony. Robert Layton, in his programme notes to
the Del Mar recording, calls it "one of the most beautiful openings not just
in Rubbra but in all English music". It has an elusive but hypnotic character,
seeming to be in a perpetual state of "becoming" which is notoriously difficult
to capture. The strengths and weaknesses of all three performances are obvious
from the very opening bars: Richard Hickox has the advantage of an alert
and responsive BBCNOW captured in admirably clear Chandos sound. However,
the performance itself feels rather too relaxed to me and also occasionally
carelessly conducted. The important accented, weighted and staccato chords,
alternating root position triads and third-inversion dominant sevenths, are
all delivered with exactly the same weight and emphasis in the Hickox
performance, whereas in the Vernon Handley version, they are perfectly
articulated. Under Handley, every staccato marking is scrupulously observed
and every different type of accent is clearly distinguished. The orchestral
playing of the Handley version is good without being outstanding: the BBC
orchestra of the 1970s is not quite the equal in terms of depth of tone of
their 1990s Welsh counterparts.
Norman Del Mar impresses with an atmospheric reading at a sensible tempo,
giving the music time to breathe without impeding the strong sense of
inevitability this movement creates. The digital Lyrita recording is well
nigh perfect - natural and perfectly balanced. Richard Hickox takes the first
movement too briskly to give it the dignity it deserves and he has a tendency
to gloss over fluctuations in the dynamics and tempo markings (the rallentando
markings on the last pages of the movement hardly register at all). In short,
Handley and Del Mar give considered interpretations whilst the Hickox version
sounds, to my ears, too much like a blueprint for a projected performance.
The second movement is a graceful Intermezzo in waltz-time marked Allegretto
grazioso (sempre delicato). The composer described it as "subdued and delicate"
and "designed to give mental relief and refreshment between two movements
full of tension". Having failed, in my opinion, to deliver a first movement
of sufficient tension, Richard Hickox now misses out on the relief needed
in this Intermezzo with what seems to me to be a stodgy, ponderously paced
performance leading to a timing of 5'02'' compared with Handley's fleet-footed
but occasionally breathless 3'41". Del Mar finds a sensible midway pulse,
clocking in at 4'21". His is the most convincing reading of this Intermezzo,
flexible and flowing. Yet, Vernon Handley's tempi are the nearest to those
in the composer's own 1942 version (not surprising, perhaps, when one considers
the broadcast from which the Handley CD comes was recorded in the presence
of Rubbra himself, the composer being free to advise on matters of tempo
and articulation).
The Finale is made up of a brooding, portentous Grave e molto calmo
introduction which leads directly into a heroic Allegro maestoso section.
Handley's tempos feel just right with sufficient weight in the introduction
to counterbalance the resplendent climax of the concluding Allegro
maestoso section. A shame about the trumpet crack on the very last note
- irritating on repeated listening but forgivable as the performance on the
whole is decently played and sounds very well prepared. Richard Hickox is
at his best in this last movement. He creates a genuine sense of expectancy
in the first half of the Finale (helped by the sovereign brass section of
the BBCNOW) and the ending of the symphony is genuinely exciting and majestic.
However, I feel it comes too late to save the performance as a whole, too
much of which sounds to me like a run-through. Unfortunately Norman Del Mar
disappoints in this Finale, taking it at a brisk tempo that diminishes its
stature and makes the triumphant coda (which should crown not just the last
movement but the whole symphony) into a hollow victory. Whilst I feel the
grandeur of this coda has not been sufficiently hard won in the Lyrita version,
in the BBC Handley version the conductor builds the tension right from the
start, creating a suitably sombre and brooding Introduction. Vernon Handley
also emphasises the maestoso aspect of the Finale's marking rather than the
Allegro so that in his reading the ceremonial peroration feels entirely
justified.
To sum up, Vernon Handley has the advantage of a live performance with fresh
and characterful playing. He manages to observe nearly all the composer's
dynamic markings and phrasing and is true to the spirit as well as the letter
of this important symphony. The disadvantage is comparatively small - the
orchestral playing is not quite up to the highest standards of a studio
recording, with the strings occasionally sounding over-stretched. The Hickox
version is well played by an impressive BBCNOW and sumptuously recorded but
to my ears the performance itself sounds under-prepared: dynamic and articulation
markings are either ignored or smoothed out (the Intermezzo is full of dynamic
fluctuations from piano to mezzo forte and forte back to piano and these
gradations of tempo just don't register). The result of an accumulation of
such oversights is a Fourth frustratingly lacking in personality, at least
in the first two movements. Nonetheless, the Hickox disc also contains the
CD world premiere (and as yet only CD version) of the compact and compelling
one-movement Rubbra Eleventh, making it an essential purchase for all Rubbra
fans and lovers of the British symphony. Del Mar is a safe choice in the
first two movements of the symphony no 4: atmospheric and well recorded,
creating the illusion of letting the music speak for itself (without divesting
the piece of its own personality) but the rushed Finale is fatally lacking
in breadth and rather lets it down.
My final choice has to be the Handley version, an affectionate and authoritative
reading conducted with all the imagination married to a respect for the score
one would expect from this conductor. Just listen to his handling of the
return of the first subject of the first movement (three bars before fig
13) - in his hands the effect is electrifying whereas in the Hickox version
it goes for little in an interpretation which too often disdains from digging
too deeply into the music. Del Mar runs Handley a close second, for his
thoughtful and searching reading also bespeaks a considered approach to the
symphony based on long study. Why the BBC hasn't also released the historic
1942 Rubbra version (which sounds remarkably good for its age) or a 1970s
broadcast conducted by Malcolm Arnold is a mystery. Perhaps one day the BBC
will do so and then my first choice may well have to be reconsidered. It
may be that Haitink, Previn or Slatkin will broaden their exploration of
British music from RVW and Walton to Rubbra and produce a new recording to
challenge the existing releases. Inevitably this is merely an interim
pre-millennial review and I hope the future will see a plethora of recommendable
recordings, both new and re-released, of this mysterious, grand and unique
British symphony.
Paul Conway
Review by Michael Freeman
Of Edmund Rubbra I have always thought in superlatives - Greatest of symphonists
- one of the greatest composers of this century - A composer most single-minded
of purpose. Well, all this could be so much rhetoric, but this is the disc
to endorse those views.
The Fourth Symphony is a magnificent structure exemplifying its composer's
repeated demands for "quality of thought". Its first movement grows flowingly
from the two simple components, one rhythmic and the other melodic, announced
at the very opening. The rest of the work is on the same exalted plane. The
score is littered with the direction "espressivo" and other similar emotional
epithets: Sonoro, Appassionato, Delicato, Trionfale. This is a symphony with
all the passion and strength of a Beethoven or a Tchaikovsky.
Of course were there any genuine culture at the B.B.C. we would, by now,
have the archive recording of the 1942 premiere of this work, conducted by
the composer to consider. As it is there are two recordings to choose from,
and both are perceptive readings. Hickox gives a splendid performance of
this great spiritual journey and my only moment of doubt comes with his handling
of the second movement "intermezzo". There I do prefer Norman Del Mar's lighter
touch. The passionate first movement dissolves into darkness and the finale
eventually reaches a truly staggering triumph from a beginning in a similar
darkness. The composer was concerned, I believe, that that second movement
should give just the right sense of respite. I would urge members to buy
both versions. There is no further duplication on the two discs which are
both full of great music. I confess that "Rubbra-Four" has been my prime
"desert island disc" since long before it was ever recorded'.
Hickox's disc continues with Rubbra's last two symphonies, dating from 1974
and 1979 respectively. They are both very compact one-movement designs of
about a quarter of an hour's duration, and, like the fourth, represent symphonic
thought of a mighty order indeed. Number 10 is entitled 'chamber symphony",
and once more I find Hickox a trifle heavy. Does he use the entire string
section of his orchestra? I prefer the finer grained sound of Schönzeler's
chamber orchestra on RCA, though everything is clear enough with Hickox.
Even in Rubbra's most ardent climaxes Schönzeler's orchestra never sounds
more than an iridescent chamber ensemble. Hickox very occasionally verges
on the massive.
Number 11 is a premiere recording of Rubbra's last symphony, though he had
begun thinking about No 12 when he died. It is a wonderful synthesis and
all the moods: scherzo, adagio, finale are there in a nutshell. Ubiquitous
fifths eventually climax the piece in exulting horns: a vision of radiance
in a simple never-to-be-forgotten image. This is a glorious farewell from
one of the most intrepid of spiritual voyagers.
Along with such as Bruckner and Messiaen, Rubbra must surely now, be soaring
in that Divine Glory he strove all his life to evoke with such musical clarity.
Michael Freeman
Review by Hubert Culot:-
Rubbra's eleven symphonies span his whole creative life and are the backbone
of his large and varied output. Some commentators tend to divide them into
successive groups although they eventually emerge as successive steps in
a continuous preoccupation with symphonic form and each of them reflects
a specific facet of the symphonic process. The Symphony No. 4 Op. 53 was
first performed in August 1942 when it was conducted by the composer on army
leave. It was the last of four works in which Rubbra approached symphonic
thinking from various angles.
The first two symphonies, written in quick succession, are highly contrasted
pieces whereas the third and fourth symphonies may be viewed as the culmination
of the first phase, if such there is, of Rubbra's symphonic evolution. I
will not repeat my earlier comments on the fourth symphony (Lyrita SRCD 202).
Let it be said that it certainly is a fine work highly representative of
Rubbra's symphonic thinking and one in which he achieved some kind of simplicity
somewhat lacking in the first two symphonies (and particularly so in the
first). I have always considered the tenth symphony as Rubbra's most perfect
symphonic structure. It is a short, compact, tightly organised piece in which
the essence of symphonic writing is compressed to the extreme, the end result
being perfection. It is a deeply moving work in which resolution is achieved
by the simplest means. Moreover it is wonderfully scored for small orchestral
forces.
The Symphony No. 11 Op. 153, Rubbra's last orchestral work, is also cast
into one single movement, but less satisfactorily so. Since the time I heard
a tape of its first performance I could not help being slightly puzzled by
it and again I still have doubts about it. Rubbra referred to the kaleidoscopic
nature of the first section in an attempt to justify its somewhat sectional
structure. After repeated hearings I still feel that the piece does not
satisfactorily hang together. It always sounded as a prelude to something
still to be written. (Later I realised that others, a.o. Ralph Scott Grover
in his essential book on Rubbra's music (Scolar Press 1993) expresses much
the same doubts about the piece.) The global impression is that the piece
is rather a torso than a completely satisfying symphonic structure. There
are nevertheless many fine moments to be admired in it and Hickox's reading
is deeply committed and convincing, even if the piece does not wholly convince.
The performances are very fine indeed and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales
play with sympathy and conviction under Hickox who again shows his complete
empathy with Rubbra's music. (I eagerly look forward to hearing his performance
of the ninth symphony.) Chandos' warm and natural recording suits the music
to perfection. Recommended.
Hubert Culot
BBC Welsh SO/Richard
Hickox 
