Search - Bax, Thomson, Lpo :: Symphony 7 / 4 Songs

Supreme Symphonic Bax

K. Farrington | Missegre, France | 04/12/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The seventh symphony of Bax is a valedictory work in the purely symphonic sense. The composer would live on for another fourteen years and would continue to compose, notably in his capacity as Mater of the Kings (Queens) Musick and in his atmospheric movie scores like Malta G.C. and David Lean's 'Oliver Twist'. However, in terms of being a creative artist driven to compose by an inner voice, and Bax was in his younger years an extreme form of this genre, he was now burnt out. The seventh symphony was composed at the brink of WWII and was first played in New York in 1939. Bax was a sensitive soul who was naturally introspective and was not a composer who would depict the political ambience of the day as Bliss in his 'Things to Come', Rubbra in his first symphony or even Vaughan Williams in his fourth. The cataclysmic scores Bax had put together in his first two symphonies were redolent of an internal state at the time rather than a commentary on the likelihood of war of the rise of fascism. The seventh symphony overall gives a picture of serenity but does have its moments of strife. The quiet opening with its drum roll and clarinets like sea winds in late autumn lead to a stated triumphant theme which dies away and Bax gives us one of his unique disquisitions which involve the orchestra in all its colours. However, these are typically late Bax, with toned down and half lights, strongly flavoured by the North. The sea is ubiquitous but it is not the sea of 'The Garden of Fand', 'Tintagel' or even his fourth symphony. This sea is dark, threatening and cold and is the sea that Francis Drake described when he wrote about the northern Pacific Ocean as opposed to the friendly blue southern waters that he said divided off at San Francisco. The limping resolution of the struggle portrays an individual emerging wounded after his conflicts. The closure of the movement is one of Bax's truly inspired moments with a reprise of the opening now followed by an oboe cry against a chorus of cynical, muted trombones blowing like a November wind. The mood it evokes with me is of a bitter resignation and of internal damage beyond repair and disillusionment. It is a unique moment in all music and confirms to me that Bax was truly a great composer. The second movement opens in a more lyrical mood. The drifting melody builds up and after promising a better mood instead reveals more sadness and dreaminess. The woodwind writing in this movement is sublime. A world weary tiredness infuses the music which becomes progressively more introspective. A faster section 'In Legendary Mood' lightens the texture somewhat but Bax inevitably falls back 'In Malincolia' (sic); my Latin tells me this should be 'malinconia'. The Finale is a ceremonial type Bax theme which goes through variations. The last, however, is outwardly calm but is the mood of an ageing warrior, weeping and looking over his old haunts and saying goodbye, perhaps for the last time. The ending could have been written by Bax recalling the sunset that he wrote of in his autobiography 'Farewell, my Youth', of an episode as a young boy when he cried as the sun went down on a perfect day and he simultaneously discovered the mutability of all things, including beauty. This is Bax at his creative best. He managed to pull back from his creative decline and pull possibly his best symphony out of the hat. The work was not in tune with the Zeitgeist and was ignored by the great and the good (those who tell us what is good and what is bad) and has thus remained in obscurity. However, now this CD means people like me can play this when we like and not have to listen to what they push in the media anymore. How about that for enpowering the individual! Stupendous stuff!"