This is an extremely important CD for the British music enthusiast:
it is a major contribution to the ‘school’ of English Song.
Yet I guess that it will have passed-by most listeners – even
those who are normally extremely passionate about this particular
genre.
Three things mark out its importance. Firstly, Gordon Pullin
has included a wide variety of material – including two piano
solos – which explores the topic of railways from an unusual
perspective. The composers represented range from Glinka (the
only non-British composer) through to Andrew Lloyd Webber, who
is not often associated with ‘serious’ music. This journey goes
by way of ‘mainline’ composers such as Benjamin Britten, Ivor
Gurney and Nicholas Maw and ‘branch-line’ names like as Mervyn
Horder, John McLain and Carol Barratt. In-between there are
the ‘station stops’ – such as Alec Rowley, John Jeffreys and
Henry G. Ley. Secondly, most of the pieces recorded here are
rare – they are virtually unobtainable elsewhere. Even Vivian
Ellis’s oft-recorded Coronation Scot is given in its
piano version: it is a piece I have played, but never heard,
in this particular arrangement. Thirdly, Pullin makes an interesting
experiment in giving multiple settings of two of the more famous
poems – ‘Adlestrop’ (Edward Thomas) and ‘From a Railway Carriage’
(Robert Louis Stevenson). Please, please do not expect me to
declare a favourite from these multiple recordings. I believe
that all of them (except the Barratt) are worthy additions to
the repertoire of English lieder. However, I do have a soft
spot for the unpublished Gurney and the surprisingly good song
by Francis Jackson who is more often associated with the organ
loft. And there are more possibilities for a future release:
I understand that Anthony Payne set the former poem and Arthur
Butterworth the latter.
From a personal point of view, both these poems have been favourites
of mine since childhood. Yet, I do not believe I have ever heard
any settings of these poems before, so it is great to be introduced
to a number of fine combinations of music and poetry by these
various composers.
I mentioned above that there was a diversity of material. This
is true from both the subject matter and from the musical perspective.
John Jeffreys’ ‘Ambulance Train’ (W.W.Gibson Hill-Tracks)
is a disturbing but vital irruption into what is largely a happy
and light-hearted, if at times nostalgic, recital. It is good
to see a couple of John Betjeman settings – ‘The Metropolitan
Railway’ and ‘Diss’. Betjeman was a great enthusiast of railways
and often wrote about them in his prose and poetry. Strangely,
he has been largely ignored by song composers - with the honourable
exception of Mervyn Horder. The first of these two songs has
a sort ‘Jeeves & Bertie Wooster’ ’thirties feel to the tune.
A few of the numbers do leave me cold – certainly the gimmicky
setting of ‘From a Railway Carriage’ by Carol Barratt: she calls
for the singer to blow a wooden ‘engine whistle’ which seems
largely unnecessary. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musically predictable
setting of T.S. Elliot’s ‘Skimbleshanks’ (another favourite
poem from my childhood) seems rather pedestrian and out of place
in this collection. Alas, I am not sure that there are any other
settings of this charming poem.
The other piano piece on this disc is the delightful Railroad
Rhythm by the master of ‘novelty’ piano, Billy Mayerl. Although
the title suggests music from across the ‘pond’ this piece generates
an atmosphere that is perhaps more Home Counties than Mid-West!
It is always a pleasure to listen to his music.
Britten’s two offerings are impressive - the well known song
from the Thomas Hardy Winter Words song-cycle and the
period piece by Auden, ‘Calypso’. No recital of English song
would be complete without at least one song from this composer.
Mervyn Horder is a name that crops up in the annals if English
music, yet I have never heard any music by him. It is good to
hear his setting of a poem he wrote himself – ‘British Rail’
which is really a little bit of a wheeze with some rather witty
words and a jolly tune.
I have not heard any music by John McLain before. However, the
three songs presented here are attractive numbers which remind
me of the music of Michael Head in their apparent simplicity.
That said, they have a depth and emotional value that transcends
the notes on the page. I particularly enjoyed the poignant setting
of ‘The Demise of Harpenden Junction Box’ to words by Sue Woodward.
Gordon Pullin sings all these songs well: he has an attractive
light-tenor voice that certainly owes something to Peter Pears’
musical delivery. His voice is better in the lower and middle
range but he is equal to the task of interpreting any of these
songs. He is well accompanied by a sympathetic pianist, John
Gough.
The sleeve-notes are by the redoubtable Philip L. Scowcroft,
whose huge knowledge and understanding of British Light music
is hugely appreciated by readers of MusicWeb International and
those lucky enough to have been able to purchase his books,
including those on railway subjects as well as on music.
Are there any downsides to this CD? Well, I would have been
extremely grateful for a full listing of composers’ dates, the
composition dates (where known) and details of track timings.
I understand that some people may see these as being a little
‘anoraky’ but the reality is that the dates are extremely useful
for situating a piece in its milieu and the timings may help
a radio producer choose a track for their programme. I would
also have liked the text of the songs printed, but I do understand
that this would have involved copyright issues. Finally, recording
session dates would have been useful.
On an extremely positive note, this is a great CD that introduces
the listener to a wide variety of British song (Glinka apart).
It is at once unusual and challenging. The standard of the singing
by Gordon Pullin and piano playing by John Gough is excellent.
Finally an excellent painting of Adlestrop Station by
Neville Morris is used on the front of the booklet.
John France
Track listing
Francis JACKSON (b.1917)
From a Railway Carriage (R.L.Stevenson) [1:56]
Gordon JACOB (1895-1984)
Adlestrop (Edward Thomas) [2:58]
Mikhail GLINKA (1804-1857)
Traveller's Song (N.F.Nemirovich-Danchenko) [2:59]
John JEFFREYS (b.1927)
Ambulance Train (W.W.Gibson) [2:23]
Alec ROWLEY (1892-1958)
From a Railway Carriage [0.58]
Ivor GURNEY (1890-1937)
Adlestrop [3:08]
Benjamin BRITTEN (1913-1976)
Midnight on the Great Western (Thomas Hardy) [4:46];
Calypso (W.H.Auden) [2:05]
Vivian ELLIS (1903-1996)
Coronation Scot - piano solo [2:31]
Henry LEY (1887-1962)
From a Railway Carriage [0:58]
Peter DUFFY (?) Adlestrop
[3:46]
Geoffrey KIMPTON (b.1927)
The Railroad (William Barnes) [2:32]
Leslie EAST (?) The
Metropolitan Railway (John Betjeman) [3:27]
Carol BARRATT (b.1954)
From a Railway Carriage [1:17]
John MCLAIN (b.1933)
Adlestrop [3:47]
Geoffrey WRIGHT (b.1912)
Diss (John Betjeman) [3:22]
Andrew LLOYD WEBBER (b.1948)
Skimbleshanks (T.S.Eliot) [4:45]
Billy MAYERL (1902-1959)
Railroad Rhythm - piano solo [3:31]
John MCLAIN (b.1933)
The Old Railway Line (Anne Allinson) [3:08]
FLANDERS (1922-1975) and SWANN
(1923-1994) Slow Train [3:42]
John MCLAIN (b.1933)
I came to Oxford (Gerald Gould) [2:40]
Mervyn HORDER (1910-1997)
British Rail (Mervyn Horder) [2:07]
John MCLAIN (b.1933) The
Demise of Harpenden Junction Box (Sue Woodward) [3:52]
Victor HELY-HUTCHINSON (1901-1947)
Canon Gloy (Harry Graham) [0:41]
Nicholas MAW (1935-2009) This
Train (anon) [2:52]
Gordon Pullin (tenor); John Gough (piano) 