This is a notable release for
several reasons. It restores to the
catalogue fine performances of two major
orchestral works by Bliss – and, in
the case of the Meditations on a
Theme by John Blow, the première
recording of the work. But in addition
it offers us a welcome reminder of the
often-underrated work done with the
CBSO by Hugo Rignold during his time
as the orchestra’s chief conductor.
Rignold (1905-1976) was at the helm
of the CBSO between 1960 and 1968. Before
that he had held posts with the Liverpool
Philharmonic Orchestra and at the Royal
Ballet, amongst others. During his career
he made a fair number of recordings
but I was rather surprised to learn
that these two pieces were the only
ones that he recorded commercially with
the CBSO during his tenure of their
podium. I am indebted to Beresford King-Smith,
the CBSO archivist, for this information.
Mr. King-Smith also tells me that the
original Lyrita LP release of these
two Bliss works was the first LP cut
by the orchestra. It’s rather surprising
that the orchestra, which has made so
many recordings, especially in the Rattle
era, should have had to wait until 1966
to make its first LP. I suspect this
may reflect how London-centric the recording
industry was in those days. It will
be noted that these particular recordings
were made not in Birmingham but in London,
presumably because the logistics of
recording in the capital were then much
more efficient and cost-effective for
a small company such as Lyrita.
This was typically enterprising repertoire
for Lyrita. Bliss has become tolerably
well represented on record since the
mid 1960s – though his music is still
terribly neglected in our concert halls
– but I doubt there were many Bliss
entries in the catalogue in those days.
So hats off to Lyrita for recording
two very fine works back in 1966. And
hats off to Hugo Rignold, the CBSO and
the engineers who captured these performances
for combining to make recordings that
can more than hold their own, sonically
and artistically, over forty years on.
Music for Strings was perhaps
Bliss’s first masterpiece and it remains
one of his finest compositions. It was
first heard at the 1935 Salzburg Festival
when Sir Adrian Boult conducted the
Vienna Philharmonic in a programme of
British music that also included Job,
by Vaughan Williams. At the rehearsals
of the Bliss piece the distinguished
leader of the VPO, Arnold Rosé,
was heard to mutter "Schwer, schwer
[difficult] – aber gut!" That seems
to me to be a pretty apt and discerning
verdict.
The first of the three movements contains
a good deal of what Frank Howes calls,
in his note, "bounding energy."
Much of the music is sprightly and somewhat
angular but above all it sounds ideally
conceived for a string orchestra. The
music does relax at times, especially
towards the end, but the tension doesn’t
slacken even in those passages. The
movement ends in tranquillity, a mood
that is carried over into the second
movement, which follows without a break.
Gradually the mood intensifies and by
about 2:00 the character has definitely
become more searching. Bliss called
this movement "a sensuous romance,
a rhapsody both tender and intense."
It’s very well played by the CBSO.
The finale is another athletic creation,
although the short introduction sounds
almost tentative. However, after about
1:00 the music bounds along in compound
time and there’s much energy and good
humour. In the closing pages the pace
picks up significantly and this fine
and enjoyable work ends emphatically.
Sir Arthur recorded the work himself
with the Philharmonia, also in the Kingsway
Hall in 1954. He was present at these
CBSO sessions and Beresford King-Smith,
who was also present as the orchestra’s
concert manager, tells me that Sir Arthur
confided that the CBSO players had "made
a better job" of his piece than
had the Philharmonia. Hugo Rignold was,
of course, a violinist himself and Mr
King-Smith says he had "worked
really hard with the Birmingham players."
I suspect that this may be at the heart
of Sir Arthur’s comparison together
with the fact that Rignold was a much
more familiar conductor to his players
than Sir Arthur would have been to the
Philharmonia. Having listened to both
recordings I wouldn’t care to make a
choice – and the EMI sound for the Philharmonia
is much less flattering. However, the
key fact is that this Rignold recording
received the composer’s approval, and
rightly so for it is a fine achievement.
I hope Sir Arthur was equally pleased
with the recording of the Meditations.
This is a work I’ve long admired and
which I really got to know through the
excellent recording made for EMI by
Vernon Handley in 1979, when the orchestra
was again the CBSO. The orchestra’s
connection with the work goes back even
further than these recordings for it
was a Feeney Trust commission for the
CBSO that gave Bliss the opportunity
to write the work in the first place
and they gave its first performance
in 1955. Bliss was inspired by coming
across a book of anthems by the English
composer, John Blow (1649-1708). He
was struck in particular by the tune
in Blow’s setting of Psalm 23, ‘The
Lord is my Shepherd.’ The resulting
work could be called a double meditation,
for it meditates on both the tune itself
and on the Psalm and several of the
eight sections of the piece are related
directly to a section of the Psalm.
It has always seemed to me that the
music often inhabits the same spiritual
domain and sound world as does Vaughan
Williams’s Pilgrim’s Progress.
The extended introduction begins in
a pastoral vein, with oboe and flutes
prominent. Sheeps’ bells can also be
heard in the distance. Before long more
violent music interjects forcefully,
with braying brass often to the fore.
Blow’s tune is partially revealed several
times.
The first Meditation is subtitled ‘He
leadeth me beside the still waters’.
It’s a flowing variant, lightly and
transparently scored. In the words of
the composer Ruth Gipps "Blow’s
theme is glimpsed like smooth rocks
seen through the ripples." This
is followed by the second Meditation
in which sturdy, vigorous music illustrates
‘Thy rod and staff they comfort me.’
In this section the music projects strength
and confidence.
The third Meditation is entitled ‘The
Lambs’ and once more Bliss reverts to
delicate scoring. This mainly quiet
movement illustrates quite delightfully
the innocent lambs gambolling in a meadow.
It’s beautifully played by the CBSO,
whose woodwind players distinguish themselves.
By contrast, the next section. ‘He restoreth
my soul’ is much more robust, driven
on by triplet rhythms and with brass,
percussion and chattering winds all
prominent in the orchestration. The
precision and rhythmic acuity of the
Rignold and the CBSO are much to be
admired here.
This is followed by ‘In green pastures’.
Inevitably Bliss is once again in pastoral
mode for this gently romantic section.
However, at the very end the brass and
percussion introduce a note of menace.
In the Interlude that follows Bliss
takes us ‘Through the valley of the
shadow of death’. Here the music is
at its darkest and most violent – and
Bliss’s orchestration, superb throughout
the piece, is at its most inventive.
This is biting, often violent music.
There’s menace and evil here, and as
Bliss takes his listeners through the
Valley dangers lurk on every side. The
orchestration is vivid and evocative
and Rignold’s players respond with relish,
power and conviction.
But then we have passed through the
Valley and the trombones solemnly intone
the start of Blow’s tune. The melody
is moved from voice to voice and register
to register within the orchestra while
the strings and woodwind dance joyfully
round the theme in syncopated rhythms.
Then at last the full brass intone the
tune in all its glory, busily decorated
by the upper strings. It’s a moment
worth waiting for, as Blow’s melody
is revealed, at its apotheosis, as Yeoman
English, sturdy, foursquare and reliable.
It’s a stirring moment and Rignold and
his players make it count. Bliss has
one more ace up his sleeve, however.
Instead of ending the work in an obvious
blaze of glory he eases back and brings
the music full circle to the gentle,
pastoral mood of the opening. There
is, in his words, "one more premonition
of peril, but the final chord brings
complete assurance."
From my description of the piece you
may have gathered that I think it’s
a very fine one. At every turn I find
it inventive and musically interesting.
The scoring is imaginative, colourful
and varied. I’m mystified, and saddened,
that we don’t hear it more often.
This Rignold recording comes into competition
with Handley’s version, set down some
thirteen years later. In truth I find
it difficult, if not impossible, to
establish a preference for one over
the other. Both are very fine and are
extremely well played and, in my view,
do full justice to the work. A few pointers
may help collectors. On my equipment
the Handley recording sounds a bit warmer
than the Rignold and I heard even more
detail – not that the Lyrita shortchanges
the listener in this respect. However,
the slightly greater warmth of the EMI
recording is compensated by a degree
of greater bite on Lyrita. One great
advantage of the Lyrita recording is
that it is divided into eight tracks,
whereas, at least on the original CD
issue, the EMI recording was confined
to one single track.
The Lyrita disc has a charming filler
in the shape of the lovely little piece
for female voices. Though no recording
date is currently available I assume
it comes from the same sessions as Ledger’s
recording of The world is charged
with the glory of God (SRCD
225 )
This may have been
the only commercial recording by Hugo
Rignold and the CBSO but it is hard
to imagine a better souvenir of their
partnership. They serve with distinction
two splendid works by Bliss. The sound
is up to Lyrita’s usual high Kingsway
Hall standards and the excellent notes
are by Frank Howes and, in the case
of Meditations, by the composer
himself. This is another wonderful Lyrita
restoration.
John Quinn
See also review
by Michael Cookson
for details
City
of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra/Hugo
Rignold 
