British overtures from Chandos

[cilgwyn]

Coming in January -



- a disc of the following overtures:

Frederic Austin - The Sea Venturers (1934)
Granville Bantock - The Frogs (1935)
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor - The Song of Hiawatha (1899)
Frederic Cowen - The Butterfly’s Ball (1901)
Henry Balfour Gardiner - Overture to a Comedy (1906, rev. 1911)
Alexander Mackenzie - The Little Minister (1897)
Charles Villiers Stanford - Oedipus Rex Prelude (1885)
Arthur Sullivan - Macbeth (1888)

Whilst this disc is greatly to be anticipated, some repertoire choices might be questioned. Most valuable, surely, are the Bantock, Cowen, Gardiner and Mackenzie works (at last, this should be a wonderful performance of The Butterfly's Ball), but Frederic Austin's overture is already available on an excellent single-composer Dutton disc, whilst Sullivan's Macbeth exists in numerous fine recordings. Most oddly, Stanford's Oedipus Rex Prelude has already been recorded by Chandos as part of Vernon Handley's excellent survey (originally coupled with Symphony No.4).

If Stanford was required, I would have preferred the unrecorded Prelude to The Eumenides, likewise Sullivan's early Marmion overture (1867) has only been recorded (Decca, 1977) in a significantly truncated version. It seems a pity that no room was found for one of Parry's overtures or preludes from his sets of incidental music (Agamemnon or The Acharnians would have been sound choices). Something by Cipriani Potter or George Macfarren would have helped to give a more balanced chronological picture, and judging from the Marco Polo disc of Coleridge-Taylor, which includes the Hiawatha overture, the composer's Toussaint L'Ouverture would have been a more enterprising choice.

Nevertheless, it's good to see composers such as Cowen and Mackenzie finally appearing on the Chandos label (The Little Minister is a real winner, previously only available in a sub-par performance by the Hull Youth SO on a Gough & Davy LP). Hopefully, this disc may lead to further exploration - further volumes along similar lines would be very welcome indeed.

 :)

I just downloaded the booklet for the cd from the Chandos website. Not the cd. I'm going to wait for the 'physical' cd release! Anyway,at the end of the booklet there is a note by the conductor which appears to address some of the issue that Albion raises here. Anyone with an interest in why repertoire of this kind is chosen for a cd release might find this fairly interesting;although the note is quite short. I wonder if he was thinking of people like us who are possibly ;D going to be thinking (for example),"Why Sullivan instead of Learmont Drysdale,etc...?".

[Albion]

Yes I saw that too - well argued by Rumon Gamba and certainly very encouraging indeed! A couple of days ago I posted an appreciative comment with suggestions on the Chandos forum -

http://theclassicalshop.forumchitchat.com/post/overtures-from-the-british-isles-6648347

- thanks for your reply. The more people who contact Chandos asking for this to become an ongoing project, the more likely it is that further releases will be considered.

 ;D

[Dundonnell]

It has to be said I think that Bantock's own recording of "The Frogs" from 1945, which is in our British Archive here, is in pretty good "ancient" recording quality ;D

[Albion]

Here is the once-well-known poem by William Roscoe (1753-1831) on which Cowen based his captivating overture:

The Butterfly's Ball

Come take up your Hats, and away let us haste
To the Butterfly's Ball, and the Grasshopper's Feast.
The Trumpeter, Gad-fly, has summon'd the Crew,
And the Revels are now only waiting for you.

So said little Robert, and pacing along,
His merry Companions came forth in a Throng.
And on the smooth Grass, by the side of a Wood,
Beneath a broad Oak that for Ages had stood,

Saw the Children of Earth, and the Tenants of Air,
For an Evening's Amusement together repair.
And there came the Beetle, so blind and so black,
Who carried the Emmet, his Friend, on his Back.

And there was the Gnat and the Dragon-fly too,
With all their Relations, Green, Orange, and Blue.
And there came the Moth, with his Plumage of Down,
And the Hornet in Jacket of Yellow and Brown;

Who with him the Wasp, his Companion, did bring,
But they promis'd, that Evening, to lay by their Sting.
And the sly little Dormouse crept out of his Hole,
And brought to the Feast his blind Brother, the Mole.

And the Snail, with his Horns peeping out of his Shell,
Came from a great Distance, the Length of an Ell.
A Mushroom their Table, and on it was laid
A Water-dock Leaf, which a Table-cloth made.

The Viands were various, to each of their Taste,
And the Bee brought her Honey to crown the Repast.
Then close on his Haunches, so solemn and wise,
The Frog from a Corner, look'd up to the Skies.

And the Squirrel well pleas'd such Diversions to see,
Mounted high over Head, and look'd down from a Tree.
Then out came the Spider, with Finger so fine,
To shew his Dexterity on the tight Line.

From one Branch to another, his Cobwebs he slung,
Then quick as an Arrow he darted along,
But just in the Middle, -- Oh! shocking to tell,
From his Rope, in an Instant, poor Harlequin fell.

Yet he touch'd not the Ground, but with Talons outspread,
Hung suspended in Air, at the End of a Thread,
Then the Grasshopper came with a Jerk and a Spring,
Very long was his Leg, though but short was his Wing;

He took but three Leaps, and was soon out of Sight,
Then chirp'd his own Praises the rest of the Night.
With Step so majestic the Snail did advance,
And promis'd the Gazers a Minuet to dance.

But they all laugh'd so loud that he pull'd in his Head,
And went in his own little Chamber to Bed.
Then, as Evening gave Way to the Shadows of Night,
Their Watchman, the Glow-worm, came out with a Light.

Then Home let us hasten, while yet we can see,
For no Watchman is waiting for you and for me.
So said little Robert, and pacing along,
His merry Companions returned in a Throng.

 :)

[Albion]

A positive review here - http://classicalsource.com/db_control/db_cd_review.php?id=11657, and the disc has even made it into the 'charts'.

 :D

[Vandermolen]

I don't have the CD (yet  ::)) but just wanted to say how much I like the Sea Venturers by Frederich Austin, with its echoes of Bax, Sainton and (oddly) Bernard a Herrmann. Beecham played it as a tribute to Austin following the composer's death. It is on a fine Dutton CD devoted to Austin's music.

[Albion]

According to Ralph Couzens, posting on the classicalshop forum, Chandos will continue the successful British Overtures series, and also move onto Tone Poems.

Excellent news!

 ;D

[cilgwyn]

According to Ralph Couzens, posting on the classicalshop forum, Chandos will continue the successful British Overtures series, and also move onto Tone Poems.

Excellent news!

 ;D

Wonderful! :) I just had a look there. It's in the 'Parry' thread,incidentally! Tone poems,too. This should be exciting. Lots of very enthusiastic reviews for the first volume,already.