Arnold: Overtures and Suites
Beckus the Dandipratt
Dutch conductor Eduard van Beinum's 1947 stereo recording of Beckus the Dandipratt with the London Philharmonic Orchestra has long remained in the catalog. The compilation pictured above comes with Sir Adrian Boult's 1954 English Dances, which I covered in my last Works Series, and comes with some other film overtures from Sir Malcolm Arnold.
While 1947 won't be providing the finest in aural sonics, what this performance does catch is the playful nature of the Comedy Overture. Biting winds and raspy brass add to the character of the music, at least moreso than I find in modern recordings. Beinum's is one of the fleetest of this overture that I know too.
Beinum's Beckus the Dandipratt can also be found on LPO's Post-War Revival album, featuring more collaborations between van Beinum and the LPO. And of course, Malcolm Arnold can be heard on trumpet himself!
Larch Trees
Serenade
I was not familiar with Larch Trees before, a musical tribute to Frederick Delius. Akin to Delius, the music moves in wifts and wafts, finding itself in no general hurry, but instead, taking time to fully explore nature without a care in the world. This is done with no hint of humor or irony in the orchestration or structure either; very un-Arnold sounding.
The Serenade for Small Orchestra is similar to the Little Suites. Three short movements, set in a typical fast - slow - fast format, delve into light, contrasting orchestral settings. As is usually the case with Arnold, a mix of breezy filmic ideas bandy with the lightest of dissonances.
Neither work will go down as my favorite from Arnold, but I am glad to have heard them. This is also the last I will hear from Mark Stephenson and London Musici, a conductor and ensemble I was only just introduced to in this Decca Malcolm Arnold Edition series I am covering.
Sweeney Todd: Suite
I had heard Malcolm Arnold's music to the ballet Sweeney Todd once before in Rumon Gamba's set of ballet scores on Chandos (BLOG). The music is an odd combination of nail-biting thriller music and happy-go-lucky soft-shoe and love themes, with an extended celebratory number to finish off the work in pure British comedy form. If you are expecting the darkness of Stephen Sondheim, tread carefully!
Carnival of Animals
A Grand, Grand Overture
If you know Camille Saint-Saëns Carnival of the Animals, Sir Malcolm's Carnival of Animals is a further appendix to that earlier familiar chamber work. Here we have smiling musical pieces for giraffe, sheep, cows, mice, elephant, and bats, each with a knowing description in the music. Arnold borrows previously composed tunes, not from Saint-Saëns, to depict his comedic musical portraits, as well as some programmatic elements which will leave the listener baffled if they aren't in on the joke. In many ways, this suite reminds me of Arnold's Grand Concerto Gastronomique (BLOG).
A Grand, Grand Festival Overture is infamous for its
inclusion of vacuums, floor polisher, and rifles. To add to this unusualness, Arnold
includes a walloping pipe organ presence as well, making for a
humorous, grandiose musical statement. While the ancillary sounds take
center stage, the tune of the work isn't too bad all on its own. It is certainly a piece of high spirits!
Here, and in Sweeney Todd, Vernon Handley is leading the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Some don't
like the tone and placement of the Hoover vacuums in the overture, but I can't say I was
bothered all that much.
Works
Larch Trees, op. 3 (11.18
Beckus the Dandipratt, op. 5 (7.17)
Serenade, op. 26 (10.46)
A Grand, Grand Overture, op. 57 (7.26)
Sweeney Todd, op. 68a: Suite (20.11)
Carnival of Animals, op. 72 (8.44)
Soloists
Malcolm Arnold, trumpet (op. 5)
Performers
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Vernon Handley, conductor
London Musici (op. 3 & 26)
Vernon Handley, conductor
London Philharmonic Orchestra (op. 5)
Eduard van Beinum, conductor
Label: Conifer / Decca; Decca
Year: 1947, 1991-94; 2006
Total Timing: 65.52
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