Topic: Sir William Walton

[vandermolen]

Sorry if I have asked this before...but how do you rate Rattle in the 1st?

Good but not my favourite - nobody would be disappointed with it I think.  The Lille SO on BIS is very disappointing (apart from the striking cover picture) so I'd avoid that one. The Mackerras on a new EMI twofer is excellent as is the Brabbins and also the New Haven SO - a terrific performance. For me the classic recording (other than Harty of course) is the  Boult 1956 Nixa-Westminster LPO version, on a great new First Hand 3 CD collection (a great set by the way). I am increasingly sounding like the classical music nutter in the 'Great Bores of the World' Private Eye cartoon of many years ago (my consolation being that the cartoonist or originator of the cartoon was clearly one himself). I remember the cartoon being reprinted, with Private Eye's permission, in 'Gramophone' under the title 'As others see us'!

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I've had a bit of a Walton reawakening today and bought these:

[vandermolen]

I've had a bit of a Walton reawakening today and bought these:

Two great choices as the box includes a fine version of the Symphony No 1 by Haitink.  The Brabbins is outstanding in all respects.

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Two great choices as the box includes a fine version of the Symphony No 1 by Haitink.  The Brabbins is outstanding in all respects.

This is good to hear, Jeffrey. I think Walton composed some good music, but he's not a composer I listen to very much.

[Octave]

Re: FACADE:

Recommendations for a recording of Facade please!

In response to this old request, Vandermolen recommended the historic recording with Peter Pears and Edith Sitwell, reissued by Alto.  It looks like most if not all of that disc is available as an Eloquence disc; I've no idea how comparable the sound is.

I wonder if there might be any supplemental recommendations in more modern sound, as long the performance is excellent? 
I see a Marriner recording is on that EMI 12cd box (which I'm considering), but with the other pieces on that disc, I wonder if that's a truncated version of Facade?  I ran across a recommendation (maybe) of the complete work by the Melalogos Ensemble...I'm curious about that one.  I see several others, though it's not always clear if all these are complete versions of the work.  Nash Ensemble (Hyperion) is another that seems to bill itself as complete.  Any help would be appreciated!

[k a rl h e nn i ng]

Walton drew two (instrumental) suites from Façade, a total of 11 of the movements (IIRC the source piece has 21 numbers, mirroring Pierrot Lunaire). Perhaps it is the suites which are included in the EMI box.

[vandermolen]

Attended fine concert at Proms in London last night featuring an excellent performance of Walton's First Symphony BBC SO conducted by Martyn Brabbins. I was so pleased to hear this work live. I took my daughter who thought it the best classical work she has heard so far. Also featured was Ivor Gurney's moving, Elgarian 'War Elegy' and an enjoyable work for accordion and orchestra by Sally Beamish, whose Violin Concerto was not performed as the soloist was ill. I have rarely attend a concert where I enjoyed all three works but the Walton was of course the highlight.
(Shostakovich's 4th next week  )

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Attended fine concert at Proms in London last night featuring an excellent performance of Walton's First Symphony BBC SO conducted by Martyn Brabbins. I was so pleased to hear this work live.

Lucky you, that's an awesome piece to hear live. I heard CSO do it last year under Bychkov.

[vandermolen]

Lucky you, that's an awesome piece to hear live. I heard CSO do it last year under Bychkov.

Yes, I was lucky and it was a great performance. I was also lucky as we were moved from £15 seats to £40 ones as the Albert Hall was, surprisingly, not very full. Maybe a programme of exclusively British music had limited appeal.

[vandermolen]

Anyone else think that Walton's Viola Concerto is a better work than the more popular and more often recorded Violin Concerto?

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Anyone else think that Walton's Viola Concerto is a better work than the more popular and more often recorded Violin Concerto?

I do have quite a fondness for his Violin Concerto. I need to re-listen to the Viola Concerto. I'll probably revisit that one tonight. Any performances you suggest I listen to, Jeffrey? I own Imai/Latham-Koenig, Power/Volkov, Tomter/Daniel, and Bashmet/Previn.

[ritter]

Anyone else think that Walton's Viola Concerto is a better work than the more popular and more often recorded Violin Concerto?

I must revisit Walton's music, which I have neglected for quite some time  , but yes, I remember rating the Viola and (to a slightly lesser extent) the Cello Concerto much higher than the Violin Concerto. The latter's lushness appears to me a bit run-of-the-mill (for lack of a better term), while the Viola Concerto seems to me to offer a much more personal voice.

Cheers,

[vandermolen]

I do have quite a fondness for his Violin Concerto. I need to re-listen to the Viola Concerto. I'll probably revisit that one tonight. Any performances you suggest I listen to, Jeffrey? I own Imai/Latham-Koenig, Power/Volkov, Tomter/Daniel, and Bashmet/Previn.

Thanks for replying John. I have just ordered a new version on Melodiya ( ) which looks of great interest ( orange image below, if it comes out). If it was good as the Melodiya set of the VW symphonies under Svetlanov I shall be well pleased. Svetlanov also recorded Elgar's Second Symphony, so there is some interest in British music in the old USSR and Russia. I am currently playing the very fine Hyperion recording, which I would certainly recommend, with its interesting Rubbra coupling:

[vandermolen]

I must revisit Walton's music, which I have neglected for quite some time  , but yes, I remember rating the Viola and (to a slightly lesser extent) the Cello Concerto much higher than the Violin Concerto. The latter's lushness appears to me a bit run-of-the-mill (for lack of a better term), while the Viola Concerto seems to me to offer a much more personal voice.

Cheers,

Totally agree with you. Thanks for replying. 

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Thanks for replying John. I have just ordered a new version on Melodiya ( ) which looks of great interest ( orange image below, if it comes out). If it was good as the Melodiya set of the VW symphonies under Svetlanov I shall be well pleased. Svetlanov also recorded Elgar's Second Symphony, so there is some interest in British music in the old USSR and Russia. I am currently playing the very fine Hyperion recording, which I would certainly recommend, with its interesting Rubbra coupling:

Don't you mean Rozhdestvensky in the RVW symphonies?

[vandermolen]

Don't you mean Rozhdestvensky in the RVW symphonies?

Yes I do, sorry about that, but it was Svetlanov I think who recorded the Elgar.
If you like historic performances/recordings this is terrific:

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Thanks for the recs, Jeffrey. I'll probably give that Power/Volkov performance a listen tonight (if I can actually find it). If not, then I have Bashmet/Previn within arms reach as we speak.

[vandermolen]

Thanks for the recs, Jeffrey. I'll probably give that Power/Volkov performance a listen tonight (if I can actually find it). If not, then I have Bashmet/Previn within arms reach as we speak.

Both are great John. The Viola Concerto is well served on CD. I also like the old Menuhin/Walton version although some, if I remember correctly, consider it too slow.

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While there seems to be some influx of interest in Walton yet again, I have to say this performance of his Symphony No. 1 has completely floored me each time I listen to it:



It seems that Previn's classic account with the LSO remains for many the benchmark in this symphony, but I prefer the grander sweep of Davis/LSO.

[vandermolen]

While there seems to be some influx of interest in Walton yet again, I have to say this performance of his Symphony No. 1 has completely floored me each time I listen to it:



It seems that Previn's classic account with the LSO remains for many the benchmark in this symphony, but I prefer the grander sweep of Davis/LSO.

I think that Previn is a great conductor (VW/Shostakovich etc etc) but I have never really been that keen on his RCA recording of Walton's 1st Symphony and actually prefer the contemporaneous Sargent recording which most critics don't like as much. For me, the opening of the symphony has to have a kind of nervous, tentative and vulnerable quality which is completely lacking in that Previn version which, to my ears, starts much too confidently. Boult in his old PYE version gets it just right as does Sargent. The Colin Davis version is excellent too. The CD below (2CDset) is available on Amazon UK at £2.99  .