BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Rumon Gamba conductor
CHANDOS CHAN 20351
With such a smorgasbord of preludes, this disc is best sampled sparingly, but everything here is finely played and cleanly recorded. Many of these scores are little-known, making Lewis Foreman’s exemplary notes essential. At one time, the most familiar was perhaps Alan Rawsthorne’s Street Corner, an Irelandesque evocation of nightlife in a busy town.
The disc is framed by the two lightest works. Havergal Brian’s The Tinker’s Wedding, possessing some of Sullivan’s exuberance but considerably less of his melodic gifts, rather outstays its welcome.
Eric Fenby’s cheerful confection Rossini on llkla Moor was written in four days, after Fenby (who had had no confirmation that a new work was required of him) chanced upon a poster announcing its first performance. It displays a sound knowledge of the subject, who is affectionally guyed in the horn quartet recalling Semiramide, and the close hints of The Silken Ladder.
Geoffrey Bush’s Yorick, named after Hamlet’s jester was commissioned in memory of comedian Tommy Handley. This also fully deserves its place on this disc of rarities.
In similarly light vein, Clifton Parker’s accomplished 1944 overture to The Glass Slipper was written for a production of Cinderella that included an appearance by the Ballet Rambert. Foreman whets our appetite for this rather neglected composer, born 1905 (alongside Alwyn, Alan Bush, Darnton, Lambert, Poston, Rawsthorne, Sieber, and Tippett) and who still appears to lack a definitive published biography.
The two longest pieces might be escapees from Chandos’s series of British Tone Poems: Frank Bridge’s final orchestral work, Rebus, and Richard Arnell’s The New Age. The latter began life as Highgate Hill, but the title was changed when Arnell, unable to find a passage home during the early years of the War, immersed himself in American life. Britten was in a similar position, and perhaps rather more anxious to return than Arnell. The overture of his flawed masterpiece Paul Bunyan may not have progressed beyond a piano duet, but was orchestrated by Colin Matthews after Britten’s death.
Daniel Jones’ (not particularly comedic) Comedy Overture features a repetitive figuration recalling Morse code, surely referencing his time at Bletchley Park. Robin Orr’s The Prospect of Whitby, evokes the riverside pub in Wapping where the pirate Captain Kidd met his end. Alan Bush’s Resolution, originally for brass band, is a sinewy but lyrical essay with a typically political undercurrent.
This fascinatingly eclectic issue is an important addition to Chando’s catalogue. Strongly recommended.
Review by Andrew Plant