Symphony No. 1 in B flat [07:37]
Symphony No. 2 in A [05:53]
Symphony No. 3 in C [05:56]
Symphony No. 4 in F [07:25]
Symphony No. 5 in D [07:21]
Symphony No. 6 in F [07:34]
Symphony No. 7 in B flat [09:09]
Symphony No. 8 in d minor [10:49]
Musical life in mid-18th
century in England was strongly dominated
by Handel and his style. For other composers
it wasn't always easy to make a career
or to develop their own style of composing.
William Boyce was considered one of
the most important composers in Handelian
England and he attracted much attention
with the performance of his 'serenata'
Solomon in 1742. After that he
regularly composed music for the stage
and was also active as an organist at
several churches. In 1755 he succeeded
Maurice Greene as Master of the King's
Musick and in 1758 was appointed as
organist of the Chapel Royal.
While Handel lived,
every composer, good as he might have
been, played second fiddle. It was only
after Handel's death, in 1759, that
Boyce got the opportunity to compose
ceremonial music for state occasions.
This fact didn't cause any bitterness.
On the contrary, Boyce was full of respect
and admiration for Handel. When he was
asked to compose the music for the coronation
of George III in 1761, he didn't want
to set the text of 'Zadok the Priest',
as he believed Handel's setting was
unsurpassable.
In modern times the
eight symphonies opus 2 are Boyce's
best-known compositions. They have been
recorded a number of times, and twice
on period instruments, by Trevor Pinnock
with the English Concert (late 1980s),
and by Christopher Hogwood with his
Academy of Ancient Music (early 1990s).
Considering the date of these recordings
there is certainly a place for a new
recording.
The Symphonies 3, 4
and 7 were originally composed as overtures
to works for the theatre. The second
symphony was the overture to a Birthday
Ode, the first the overture to a New
Year's Ode, whereas the Symphony No.
5 was composed as the overture to an
Ode for St Cecilia's Day. The 6th Symphony
is the overture to Solomon, the work
which brought Boyce so much success.
Only the last symphony was especially
composed for the publication of this
set.
Stylistically these
works are split into two categories:
the symphonies 1 to 4 are written in
the style of the Italian opera overture
and are all in three movements with
Italian tempo indications. The second
half of the collection is composed in
French style, starting with a stately
introduction which is followed by a
fugal section.
As the number of recordings
suggests these symphonies are quite
popular, and it is easy to understand
why. They are very well written, with
lots of variation in musical material,
and although they unmistakably bear
a Handelian stamp they are certainly
no imitations of the great master. Boyce's
ability to develop his own musical style
brought him the praise of music journalist
Charles Burney.
There is also variety
in the instrumentation, from strings
with additional oboes to a band with
trumpets and drums. This is the scoring
of the Symphony No. 5, and here the
Ensemble Aradia is at its best. In general
the symphonies 5 to 8 are better realised
than the first four, which I found rather
disappointing. In a direct comparison
the recordings by Pinnock and Hogwood
always come out on top. Their ensembles
produce a stronger, fuller and more
robust sound than the Ensemble Aradia,
which sounds a little thin and pale.
According to the text
on the back of the case these symphonies
display 'sprightly rhythms'. But unfortunately
these performances too often do not.
For instance, the middle movement of
the Symphony No. 3 is anything but 'vivace'-
the repetition of the same motifs is
boring due to a slow tempo and a lack
of rhythmic vitality. It is not Boyce's
fault as in particular Pinnock's interpretation
demonstrates. And in this movement the
bassoon doubles the violin part in the
tenor register, but the part of the
bassoon is hardly audible, so the listener
may well miss this feature unless he
has read the programme notes first.
These programme notes
- by Keith Anderson - are informative
and well written, but Naxos should have
edited the booklet more carefully. The
list of members of the Aradia Ensemble
has obviously been copied from another
production as it lists a number of singers,
which obviously don't sing here, and
omits the players of instruments appearing
on this disc, like the flute and the
horns. It is quite possible that the
players listed in the booklet have not
been involved in this recording at all.
To sum up: a recording
which has its merits, but in general
doesn't deliver any competition to the
recordings by Trevor Pinnock and Christopher
Hogwood. If these are still available
they remain are the strong favourites
in these fine symphonies.
Johan van Veen
see also review
by Jonathan Woolf