Varied Sibelius shows Sir Charles at his best

Press, 19 August 1985, Page 18

Varied Sibelius shows Sir Charles at his best

Classicalrecords review

ALLAN FRANCIS

THE LIGHTER SIBELIUS. Sir Charles Groves conducts the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra with various miniatures of Sibelius. WORLD RECORDS WE 9234 from HMV. Sir Charles Groves is one of those conductors forced to live permanently in the shadow of others. Once his musical paths religiously tracked those of Sir Thomas Beecham with Delius and lately he has to follow the great Paavlo Berglund with Scandinavian works. He does not have to — he still has a choice. He could go the way of all conductors in his position, simply by recording bits and pieces of Beethoven or Tchaikovsky, thereby becoming yet another of the mass purveyors of classical music. Things are certainly not as desperate as all that, as Sir Charles proves on this 1976 release of some very fine Sibelius miniatures. Even avoiding the “Swan of Tuonela” is meritorious. There are plenty of riches still left in the repertoire without having to punch out the warhorses — “Karelia” and “Finlandia.” To his eternal credit, Sir Charles selects a balanced programme of varying works that shows the composer at his most supple, pieces such as “Andantino for String Orchestra,” “Spring Song” or “Dance Intermezzo.” Nor does Sibelius stick closely to his national idiom; the forces are much, much wider here, as evidenced by the “Romance” or the “Spring Song.” The Liverpool Orchestra, too, is marginally below the more famous British orchestras in status, but handles these works nobly and with the proper feeling. VOICES FROM THE HOLY LAND. 8.8. C. WELSH CHORUS sings 18 secular works. 8.8. C. RECORDS REC 564. This highly-rated choir chooses a fairly orthodox programme to display its talents. Even the arrangements are the same as heard throughout a lifetime of Welsh choirs, but this, need not detract from the over all pleasure of hearing a top group in action.

As it was with the Webber “Requiem,” so one is left with the brilliant treble voice of Aled Jones, as opposed to the confident voice of the opposite singer in the “Requiem,” Paul Miles-Kingston. The quality

is remarkably similar, with Jones having perhaps a warmer tone and better ensemble harmony. One of the outstanding features of any Welsh choir is the sound of the entire group in full flight, and this one is no exception. The tunes may be too well known, but the articulation is superb, a moving experience for the listener. Fortunately, the not so well known hymns, “Easter Hymn” and “Tua Bethlem Dref,” break up the pattern of hardy annuals, “Ave Maria” (Schubert), “Holy City” and “Green Hill Far Away,” or Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” “Wings of a Dove” and the BachGounod “Ave Maria.” The 8.8. C. Welsh Chorus is a new choir, having been instrumental in various recordings and concerts under Neville Marriner and Andrew Davis. It would appear from this recording that their future is assured, as it certainly extends the tradition of the other great Welsh choirs from the past. DELIUS - BOULANGER. Readings by Eric Fenby “Delius as I Knew Him.” Cello sonata and three piano preludes. BOULANGER. Seven pieces. WORLD RECORDS WR 9127 from UNICORN. For one startling moment Dr Fenby sounds like Sir Thomas Beecham, but it is soon apparent that this is the way all Englishmen talk about Delius — a mixture of awe and familiarity with one conscious that the speaker has experienced close rapport with the composer and has been able to

improve the original design. Such men are authorities on Delius, and those who have claimed they have solved the complexities of his music are few enough. Dr Fenby’s address may lack the biting wit of Sir Thomas, yet the unrelated snippet is quite intriguing, telling of how a cellist, Barjansky, tackled the “Cello Sonata” to everyone’s satisfaction.

Julian Lloyd Webber thereupon plays the piece, incidentally filling a gap in the catalogue, a now familiar Webber custom, as well as illustrating the point of the discussion. Eric Parker follows with careful renditions of the “three Preludes” and “Polka-Zum Carnival,” uneasy solo piano pieces that successfully bring this section of the programme to a close. Side two comprises works by Lili Boulanger — sister of Nadia, a prolific composer within a brief lifetime, but little recorded in our catalogues. Typically French in style and outlook, these pieces are a fair sample of her work in which Keith Harvey replaces Webber on the cello and Barry Griffiths is the violinist.

The works are unexpect- ... edly mature. The vitality in ' ‘D’un Matin de Printemps” is matched by the sustained *■ feeling of lament in “D’un * Soir Triste.” < At first sight, this pro- * gramme might appear “bitty” and disjointed, but in the end it all makes sense. C The playing is excellent, * and the recorded sound is likewise.