Posted in Classical Music, Concertos, John Foulds, Piano, Reviews
John Foulds, the composer, is not much known in England, his home country, or indeed, anywhere else. He died of cholera at the age of 58 in India in 1939. His main interest was Indian music, for which he had developed an obsession.
On this new CD on Warner Classics, the main work is an extended three-movement piano concerto with the peculiar title: Dynamic Tryptich for Piano and Orchestra. Three supporting pieces are, a tone poem, April-England, Song of Ram Dass, and Keltic Lament.
David Mellor recommends the CD “with real enthusiasm” and says of the main work: “[It's] of real substance, brilliantly despatched by Peter Donohoe … it’s a fine piece that would be great as a novelty at the Proms.”
Amazon.com has yet to list it, but you can buy it from Amazon.co.uk. Check out the price.
Posted in Classical Music, Vaughan Williams, Vocal
Ralph Vaughan Williams composed The Wasps as incidental music for a Cambridge University production of Aristophanes’ eponymous play in 1909. It stretched to around 100 minutes of music.
Nowadays all we hear is the sparkling and jaunty overture, always a favorite on popular classics radio shows.
In this performance by Manchester’s Halle Orchestra, conductor Mark Elder revives the whole piece. The dialogue has been translated and updated by English National Opera’s David Pountney.
David Mellor believes this to be a worthy revival, but has doubts about Pountney’s dialogue.
Check out the price of this CD: In North America. In the UK.
Posted in Classical Music, Colin Davis, LSO, Symphonies, William Walton
In a sparkling new live recording of William Walton’s 1st Symphony, Sir Colin Davis is at his Sibelian best, conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.
The British composer, famous for his Imperial themes and wartime music, first performed his symphony in 1935. With the undoubted influence of Sibelius, it is right up Sir Colin’s street.
In a review, David Mellor gives it five stars. He writes: “The first movement is one of the most exhilarating in any 20th-century symphony, and all its power and propulsive energy is unleashed in Sir Colin’s performance. The LSO cover themselves in glory with crisp rhythms and virtuostic playing from every department.”
One for the collection if you’re a Walton, Sibelius, or LSO fan.
Amazon.com doesn’t seem to stock this peach just yet, but you can purchase it from Amazon.co.uk. Check out the latest price.
