The sudden death of Richard Hickox at the age of just sixty
in 2008 was a loss that was widely and sharply felt within the
musical world. At the time it was evident, from the tributes
paid to him, that his relationship with Chandos Records went
way beyond the usual artistic and contractual links between
a musician and a record company. Now Chandos has issued this
handsome two-disc set to commemorate one of their most prolific
artists – indeed, perhaps their most prolific artist of all.
There’s another and very important point to this release for
it is part of the launch of the Richard Hickox Foundation and
royalties from the sale of these discs will be donated by Chandos
to the Foundation. The Foundation’s goals are more fully described
in the quite lavish booklet accompanying these discs but among
them a couple caught my eye in particular for they are goals
which, if achieved, will continue two crucial strands of Hickox’s
work and form the most fitting legacy possible. One goal is
to encourage the performance of British music outside the UK,
something that Richard Hickox did throughout his career. The
other is to commission and financially support recordings of
neglected music by British composers – Holst, Leighton and Stanford
are mentioned. If the Foundation can achieve that – and one
suspects that Chandos may be willing collaborators – then Hickox’s
work will truly live on for he was a real trailblazer on disc
for British music. That’s one facet of his career that’s nicely
illustrated in this set.
Those responsible for planning this release must have had a
gargantuan task for Hickox made nearly three hundred recordings
for Chandos alone – and made many more for other labels as well
before becoming an exclusive Chandos artist. I’m sure everyone
would have their own list of recordings that could have been
included. However, not the least successful aspect of the choices
made is that virtually every significant artistic relationship
that the conductor made during his career is represented. Thus
we hear from the London Symphony Orchestra and its Chorus; from
the BBC National Orchestra of Wales; from Australian Opera and
from the Spoleto Festival. The Royal Opera House is represented,
as is the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. And last, but by no
means least, two ensembles that Hickox himself founded, Collegium
Musicum 90 and the City of London Sinfonia, take their rightful
places.
This is not the occasion for a conventional review. Let’s just
take as read, if we may, the artistic excellence and the top
quality recorded sound that’s a feature of every track on these
discs. Although a few of the recordings were new to me most
are ones that, over the years, I’ve either bought or reviewed.
I also found that some brought back significant personal memories.
Two of the items recalled live performances I’d attended. I
was present in Chester Cathedral when Richard Hickox gave the
world première of Tavener’s powerful We Shall See Him
as He Is. A few days later Hickox and the same artists gave
a second performance, at the Royal Albert Hall, London, as part
of the 1992 Henry Wood Promenade Concerts. Chandos recorded
that second performance and an extract is included here (CD2,
track 10), demonstrating not least the extraordinary singing
of Patricia Rosario in one of several roles that Tavener has
created for her over the years.
An even stronger memory is associated with the excerpt from
Vaughan Williams’s Pilgrim’s Progress (CD2, track 5).
I was fortunate enough to attend a semi-staged performance that
Hickox and Royal Opera forces gave in Symphony Hall, Birmingham
around the time that this studio recording was made. It was
an unforgettable occasion with Hickox directing a marvellous
performance. Gerald Finley is superb in the title role and I
hope this excerpt will encourage collectors who haven’t got
the complete recording to rectify that omission. Re-hearing
this made me all the more cross with myself that I missed the
further performances that Hickox gave in London of this Vaughan
Williams masterpiece just a couple of years ago.
Among other highlights, we have the last section of Hickox’s
superb recording of War Requiem (CD 1, track 10)
and the excerpt is substantial enough to demonstrate what a
wonderful trio of soloists appear on this recording and that
the Chandos recorded sound is exceptionally fine even by the
company’s usual high standards. There’s more Vaughan Williams
in the shape of the slow movement of the ‘London’ Symphony.
Hickox famously made this recording of the composer’s original
version of the score and though it was intended at the time
that this should be the only time RVW’s first thoughts were
to be heard in the modern era the success of the recording and
the interest it generated was such that further performances
have been sanctioned since then. For myself I’m torn. I am glad
to have the chance to hear extra music by RVW yet hearing the
extended original score confirms – for me, at any rate – that
he was wise to revise and tauten the score into the form we
know today. Nonetheless, I salute and am grateful for the enterprise
of Richard Hickox in making the original score available – and
in such a fine performance.
Away from twentieth-century English music we can sample Hickox’s
skills in the classical repertoire. The finale of Haydn’s Symphony
No 102 (CD1, track 5) is sprightly and delightful. I was also
pleased to find an excerpt from one of Hummel’s Masses. I bought
this very disc when it first appeared and was delighted at the
new discovery I made as a result. Several tracks show Richard
Hickox’s abilities in the opera house and once again we see
in the Menotti excerpt (CD 2, track 3), his willingness to stray
from the beaten track.
The one regret that I have is that one of his strongest recorded
achievements is not included, namely his very fine complete
set of the Rubbra symphonies. However, it would have been impossible
to represent Hickox’s full achievements on CD on just two discs.
The closing item is both poignant and appropriate: the final
section of Songs of Sunset by Delius. This comes from
an award-winning disc – one of many by Hickox that were recognised
through awards as well as strong sales. The verses by Ernest
Dowson that Delius set include the line that gives the title
to this collection. It makes for a very fitting conclusion to
this handsome tribute to a versatile and much-missed musician.
John Quinn
Track Listing
CD1 [79:56]
Frank Bridge (1879-1941)
1 Seascape. Allegro ben moderato 7:14
from The Sea (CHAN 10012)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
2 'Come along, darling, come follow me quick!' 2:28
Sid and Nancy's Duet from Act II, Scene 2 of Albert Herring, Op. 39 (CHAN 10036(2))
Roderick Williams baritone
Pamela Helen Stephen mezzo-soprano
James Gilchrist tenor
City of London Sinfonia
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
3 Lento - Allegro risoluto 15:01
from A London Symphony (Symphony No. 2)
Original 1913 version (CHAN 9902/CHSA 5001)
London Symphony Orchestra
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
4 'O rest in the Lord' 3:30
The Angel's Air from Part II of Elijah, Op. 70 (CHAN 8774/75)
Linda Finnie contralto
London Symphony Orchestra
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
5 Finale. Presto 4:51
from Symphony No. 102 in B flat major (CHAN 0662)
Collegium Musicum 90
Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
6 Lento - Allegro - Grandioso (poco largamente) 12:10
from Symphony No. 1 in A flat major, Op. 55 (CHAN 5049)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)
7 'O moon in the velvet heavens' 8:12
Rusalka's Invocation to the Moon from Rusalka, Op. 114, B 203 (CHAN 10449(3))
Cheryl Barker soprano
Bruce Martin bass
Anne-Marie Owens mezzo-soprano
Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra
Percy Grainger (1882-1961)
8 Molly on the Shore [British Folk Music Setting No. 1] 4:00
based on two Cork reels (CHAN 9499)
City of London Sinfonia
Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837)
9 'Gloria in excelsis Deo' 3:35
from Gloria from Mass in D major, Op. 111 (CHAN 0681)
Collegium Musicum 90
Benjamin Britten
10 Libera me (extract) 17:56
from War Requiem, Op. 66 (CHAN 8983/84)
Heather Harper soprano
Philip Langridge tenor
John Shirley-Quirk bass-baritone
Choristers of St Paul`s Cathedral
Roderick Elms organ
London Symphony Chorus
London Symphony Chamber Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra
CD2 [73:24]
Gustav Holst (1874-1934)
1 Dance of the Spirits of Fire. Allegro moderato - Andante 3:37
from the Ballet from The Perfect Fool, Op. 39 (CHSA 5069)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
2 'Et incarnatus est' 6:39
from Credo from Mass in E flat major, D 950 (CHAN 0750)
Susan Gritton soprano
Mark Padmore tenor
James Gilchrist tenor
Collegium Musicum 90
Gian Carlo Menotti (1911-2007)
3 'To this we've come' 8:38
from Act II, Scene 2 of The Consul (CHAN 9706(2))
Susan Bullock soprano
Malin Fritz contralto
Herbert Eckhoff baritone
Victoria Livengood mezzo-soprano
Spoleto Festival Orchestra
Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006)
4 Allegro 12:05
from Symphony No. 1, Op. 22 (CHAN 9335)
London Symphony Orchestra
Ralph Vaughan Williams
5 The Pilgrim in Prison 11:30
Act III, Scene 2 from The Pilgrim's Progress (CHAN 9625(2))
Gerald Finley baritone
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
6 'Dies irae, dies illa' - 'Tuba mirum spargens sonum' 3:45
from Dies irae from Messa da Requiem (CHAN 9490)
London Symphony Chorus
London Symphony Orchestra
William Lloyd-Webber (1914-1982)
7 Invocation 3:14
(CHAN 9595)
Skaila Kanga harp
City of London Sinfonia
Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924)
8 'The Old Superb' 3:00
from Songs of the Sea, Op. 91 (CHSA 5043)
Gerald Finley baritone
BBC National Chorus of Wales
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Edward Elgar
9 'Praise to His Name!' - 'Take me away' 4:38
from Part II of The Dream of Gerontius, Op. 38 (CHAN 8641/42)
Felicity Palmer mezzo-soprano
Arthur Davies tenor
London Symphony Orchestra
John Tavener (b. 1944)
10 Ikon VI 6:03
from We Shall See Him as He Is (CHAN 9128)
John Mark Ainsley tenor
Patricia Rozario soprano
BBC Welsh Chorus
Britten Singers
Chester Festival Chorus
BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra
Benjamin Britten
11 'Grimes!' 5:26
Mad Scene from Act III, Scene 2 of Peter Grimes, Op. 33 (CHAN 9447/48)
Philip Langridge tenor
London Symphony Chorus
London Symphony Orchestra
Frederick Delius (1862-1934)
12 'They are not long, the weeping and the laughter' 3:28
from Songs of Sunset (CHAN 9214)
Sally Burgess mezzo-soprano
Bryn Terfel baritone
Waynflete Singers
Southern Voices
Bournemouth Symphony Chorus
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Various Artists/Richard Hickox 
