Bantock in Song

 

With inspiration from Sappho.

Sappho is a 10-movement, orchestrated song cycle, based on the translated poetry of the titular Ancient Greek poet.

It is immediately apparent upon listening that these songs are full of lushness, sweetness, and sensuality. Most of these descriptors come from the thick orchestral garb, finding the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra sounding out at their finest so far in this fourth volume of Bantock's music on Hyperion.

The singing in Sappho is written for a mezzo-soprano, although you can still hear Sir Granville's original basis for contralto from the low-lying singing range. Thus, these songs require a hearty low end from the soloist, and here, Susan Bickley digs deep enjoyably, while providing a warm tone across her range.

I detect more of a German compositional voice in Bantock's songs, akin to those from Joseph Marx, but presented here mostly in longer forms, where perhaps the comparison to Delius might be even more apt. There is also a French air to these songs, but I would be hard put to call these Impressionistic, although exoticisms leap from the harp, which colors the Greek setting.

As in the composer's tone poem Dante and Beatrice from Volume 3 (BLOG), I hear late-Romanticism at its most longing and sweeping sentimentality in the Sapphic Poem for cello and orchestra. Long, rubato-laden, undulating musical lines rule the day throughout its 15-minute runtime, a great attribute with a solo cello on hand, here played by Julian Lloyd Webber. I could imagine Lloyd Webber leaning harder into the cello part, but as it is, this is the only place to hear this concertante piece.

As mentioned earlier, I think this is the finest Hyperion's Bantock series has sounded thus far. I might find the music too thick and sappy, unduly sentimental and overwrought, yet these performers present this music in a warm, enrapturing light which is really hard to dislike.

 

 

 

Works
Sappho (60.23)
Sapphic Poem (14.57)

Soloists
Susan Bickley, mezzo
Julian Lloyd Webber, cello

Performers
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Vernon Handley, conductor

Label: Hyperion
Year: 1997
Total Timing: 75.20

 

 

 

 

 

Again, I am not a big fan of late-Romanticism, yet I always end up impressed by the music from Granville Bantock.

Add to that a superb orchestral sound and excellent soloists, particularly Susan Bickley, and I could easily see this recording being a favorite of many from Hyperion's Bantock series.