Arnold: Overtures and Dances

 

When I started my current listening cycle of Sir Malcolm Arnold's music, I began with his populous music. Mostly film music and concert overtures, which are appealing for a general audience.

I am glad I did, for it is interesting to come back to that musical voice from Arnold again after the grit and seriousness of his symphonies and concertos.

You can hear the same musical voice here in his lighter music, but the application is different.

I love Vernon Handley's handling of overtures and orchestral music with the BBC Concert Orchestra. It is a bit rough and ready, but they play full on with nary a regret throughout.

While the Beckus the Dandipratt and Peterloo concert overtures will be familiar to anyone who has loved the music of Malcolm Arnold, the former of a humorous gait and the later bearing a military seriousness, I had not come across the composer's Water Music before. That one is akin to the English Dances, where Arnold opens and closes with a bright musical idea, usually with brass fanfares, only to be contrasted in the middle section with a sweeping lyrical theme, yet with a decidedly pert rhythmic underlay 'neath the center melody. The Anniversary Overture and Flourish for Orchestra follow in much the same musical blueprint.

If you are unfamiliar with Arnold's concert overture, Tam O'Shanter, be sure to remedy that as fast as possible. This music, which follows the Robert Burns story of a drunk Scot happening upon a den of supernatural nastiness, is a hoot.

How Sir Malcolm depicts a bagpipe through orchestration is a marvel, plus the virtuosity from the ensemble depicting the swirling vapors and madcap chase is a whole lot of fun. The music certainly showcases the composer's ability to vivid depict a tale in musical terms, and with plenty of wit too.

The two sets of English Dances are perhaps Sir Malcolm Arnold's most famous bit of populous concert-hall music.

These are so much fun. How Arnold weaves his own brand of melody, harmony, and orchestrations together is such a success in these works.

On Decca's Malcolm Arnold Edition set, they include Sir Adrian Boult's stereo performance of both sets of English Dances from 1954 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

After hearing Handley on Conifer in the overtures from the 90s, no one is going to accuse the audio fidelity from some 40-years earlier as spectacular. Personally, I only find the analog sound to be fair, but that is probably just in comparison.

Boult's leading can also be a little measured in this music at times too, although one can hardly argue with Sir Adrian's ability handling British compositions on record. The LPO sounds OK here, even if the tone of the oboe is not particularly gentle on the ears. While it is neat to hear these historical performances of the English Dances, they will not go to the top of my preferred versions any time soon.

Works
Beckus the Dandipratt, op. 5 (7.44)
Tam O'Shanter, op. 51 (8.24)
Water Music, op. 82b (8:55)
Peterloo, op. 97 (10.17)
Anniversary Overture, op. 99 (3.53)
Flourish for Orchestra, op. 112 (3.20)
English Dances, op. 27 (8.17)
English Dances, op. 33 (9.00)

Soloists
Derek James, trombone (op. 51)

Performers
BBC Concert Orchestra
    Vernon Handley, conductor
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (op. 51)
    Barry Wordsworth, conductor
London Philharmonic Orchestra (op. 27 & 33)
    Sir Adrian Boult, conductor


Label: Conifer / Decca; Decca
Year: 1954, 1993-98; 2006
Total Timing: 60.17

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