William composer Walton Paul Daniel English Northern Philharmonia - William Walton Spitfire Prelude and Fugue Sinfonia concertante Hindemith Variations (17 tracks) +Album Reviews

Very good on its own terms

F. Behrens | Keene, NH USA | 09/26/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"William Walton's music on 8.553869 does not depend on extra-musical elements. His Spitfire Prelude and Fugue, Sinfonia Concertante, Hindemith Variations, and March are played with style by pianist Peter Donohoe and the English Northern Philharmonia under Paul Daniel. I find the Variations the gem of this collection; but then again I am very fond of the variation-style of development. Be sure also to check into Walton's music for Olivier's "Hamlet," "Henry V" and "As You Like It," also on Naxos label."

Walton in Several Guises

Thomas F. Bertonneau | Oswego, NY United States | 10/04/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"William Walton (1902-1983) came on strong in the 1920s with his "Façade," a cheeky Stravinskian suite to nonsense poems by Edith Sitwell. He soon developed into a rather slow-working master of large traditional forms such as concerto and symphony; he also worked in the motion picture industry in Great Britain and provided music for cinematic adaptations of Shakespeare. Naxos has committed to issuing the complete orchestral music and much has already come into the catalogue, including the two symphonies and the three string concertos. The present disc gathers smaller orchestral pieces. The Spitfire Prelude and Fugue derives from the score that Walton contributed to the film "The First of the Few" (1942), about R. J. Mitchell, the aeronautical engineer who designed the famous Supermarine fighter-interceptor. The Fugue cleverly suggests a host of aerial combatants mixing it up in a dogfight; but the denouement is heavenly rather than martial, related perhaps to the fact that Mitchell died soon after the prototype of the Spitfire flew - but his spirit lives on angelically, as it were. (No wonder the producers of the 1968 film "The Battle of Britain" wanted Walton to do the full score, but Walton was tired; Ron Goodwin wrote most of the music while Walton contributed only the balletic "Battle in the Air," which was orchestrated, not by the composer himself, but by Malcolm Arnold.) The Sinfonia Concertante comes from 1927 and constitutes Walton's first large-scale work for the concert-hall. The jazziness of "Façade" is still present, but submerged into a more serious context. Both a symphony and a concerto, the Sinfonia telegraphs the two main channels of Walton's development over the next decade. The Variations on a Theme by Hindemith (1963) represent late Walton, who, in this score, ingeniously develops a theme from Hindemith's Cello Concerto, along with the B-A-C-H theme, and throws in quotations from the opera "Mathis der Maler" as well. This is one of those works, like Bliss' Discourse for Orchestra or Rawsthorne's Symphonic Variations, that takes seemingly inauspicious material and works it out in such a way that the procedures themselves become fascinating. But the score is by no means dry or academic. Indeed, Walton pays homage to Hindemith's keen sense of orchestral color. A brief March, written to serve a BBC documentary on "The History of the English Speaking Peoples," fills out the program. Unusual repertory in cracking good performances. I especially like the Variations."

A challenge and a delight for the ears

Mark Swinton | 02/29/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"William Walton was one of the most gifted composers of twentieth century Britain. He knew the musical consciousness of this country, particularly as it developed over the years, and his style was thus wide-ranging and all-accomodating, as in the Sinfonia Concertante which has all the elements of full-blooded nobility you would expect from him- with more than a few surprises along the way. Peter Donohoe plays with fire and finesse throughout, but especially in the Sinfonia, and Paul Daniel (conductor of the music at the Millennium Dome Opening Ceremony) guides the orchestral forces with equal aplomb.I say this is a challenge, and no doubt it will be for some ears- I find that whilst this disc is a taste of the best of British, it perhaps not so pleasant a taste as Vaughan-Williams or Elgar. Nevertheless, I was very taken with this recording when I first heard it and I hope you will be as well."

A Nice Selection of Walton

D. A Wend | Buffalo Grove, IL USA | 04/01/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have had this disc for a few years and never gotten around to reviewing it. This is a nice collection of William Walton's music, starting off with the Spitfire Prelude and Fugue of 1942. The music began life as part of a film score and was then introduced to the concert hall. The music depicts the entire process of flight from the building of planes to their flight

The Sinfonia concertante is a lively work that really resembles a piano concerto and was written in 1927 as a ballet for Serge Diaghilev who rejected the music. Walton recast it as a concertante and revised the score in 1943. Peter Donohoe is magnificent and is nicely supported by the English Northern Philharmonia. The piano writing reminds one of Prokofiev here and there but retains Walton's lyrical touch.

In contrast to the Sinfonia concertante the Hindemith Variations tend to be more reflective. Walton and Paul Hindemith were good friends and on the death of the latter in 1963 Walton was moved to write these variations. The theme is taken from Hindemith's Cello Concerto and is a marvelous tribute to a composer who is still not regarded highly enough. The music, for me, is very engaging with its mix of Hindemith as voiced by Walton. The variations have a great deal of rhythmic energy as demonstrated by the brash scherzando (variation 6) and the brassy Finale. The seventh variation quotes from Hindemith's opera Mathis der Maler and the variations codes with a beautiful, heartfelt Coda. The disc closes with a short march Walton wrote for a television series based on Winston Churchill's "History of the English-Speaking People." The march is reminiscent of Walton's coronation music; stately and eventful.

The music lasts for 52:52 which is quite a bit short these days but the music is well-played and, at Naxos prices, makes a perfect addition to a CD collection.

"

Good recording for an under-appreciated composer

diekunstderfuge | 12/07/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"William Walton, it is fair to say, is definitely among the most under-appreciated, lesser-known composers of the 20th century. As an interpreter of his times, and of his milieu, he is certainly one of the finest. His is a music that seems to catch the light of other composers and reflect it in fleeting, myriad patterns. There is something of Rachmaninov's lyricism, Ravel's orchestration, Shostakovich's jazzy dissonance, bits of Hindemith and Prokofiev. Walton employs an extended tonal language that perfectly captures the restlessness and conflicted emotion of a generation confronting a new world. (For an example, consult the opening of the First Symphony, which is wonderfully fraught with anticipation.)

The Spitfire Prelude and Fugue is a solid performance, though the Fugue is a touch relaxed. Bach may have turned over in his grave at the thought of a violin solo in the middle of a fugue, but in Walton's version, it is well-placed. That said, this performance of the Fugue lacks a certain edginess.

The Sinfonia Concertante, however, is likely the most under-appreciated work on this album. The 1927 version of the Sinfonia is a richly-orchestrated, emotionally diverse collection of what amounts to orchestral vignettes organized more or less as a piano concerto; indeed, if Walton had ever designed to write a piano concerto, this is likely it. Walton's treatment of the solo is a well-executed obbligato, and it is sometimes mesmerizing to let the piano drift in and out of the texture. The first movement is grand in a truly Waltonesque manner, and is truly a showcase for Walton's excellent use of a larger tonal idiom. The second movement begins intimately, and builds steadily toward the emotional peak of the whole work. The third is jazzy, playful, and modern. Again, it is a solid performance, but lacks some of the essential finesse that a work such as this demands.

Like an inexpensive bottle of wine offered at an oenoteca, this recording of Walton provides an introduction to the composer and his musical world for a price that cannot be surpassed.

"

Search - William [composer] Walton, Paul Daniel, English Northern Philharmonia :: William Walton: Spitfire Prelude and Fugue; Sinfonia concertante; Hindemith Variations

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