Sir William Walton (1902-1983)
Symphonic Suite from ‘Troilus and Cressida’ (1947-54 rev. 1963, 1972-76, arr. 1987, Christopher Palmer)
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (1936-39 rev. 1943)
Portsmouth Point Overture (1924-25)
Charlie Lovell-Jones (violin)
Sinfonia of London/ John Wilson
rec. 2024, Church of St. Augustine, Kilburn, London
Chandos CHSA5360 SACD [63]
Ever since Chandos started as an independent label in the mid 70’s it has been a steadfast promoter of the music of Sir William Walton starting with early recordings by Sir Alexander Gibson and the [then] Scottish National Orchestra. This culminated in the superb “Walton Edition” – roughly 25 hours of music over 26 discs which concluded Walton’s grand opera Troilus and Cressida recorded almost exactly 35 years ago. That survey remains the most complete and authoritative to this date and contains many fine performances. Then in the late 2010’s Chandos supplemented this with a small series of three discs from Edward Gardner and the BBC SO updating their performances of the two symphonies and three string concerti. This had the further USP of being recorded in Chandos’ finest SACD sound. All of these recordings followed Chandos’ preference of using their favoured conductors and soloists of the time.
Given the calibre of those performances and indeed the sonic splendour of the Gardner discs, I did find myself wondering why Chandos felt the need to revisit this repertoire for the second, third or even fourth time (a future release from these performers will include the Cello Concerto which was first recorded for the label by Ralph Kirshbaum in 1979). I can only imagine that the success of the John Wilson/Sinfonia of London ‘brand’ has been such that Chandos believe this will be a commercial hit regardless of the ‘need’ by the label for yet another version. A valid viewpoint given that at the point of writing this review the disc sits at No.1 in the Official Specialist Classical Chart. If enthusiasm for the work of Wilson and his stellar orchestra increases awareness of and appreciation for the music of Walton that is to be celebrated. In fairness, the suite from Troilus and Cressida is only receiving its second Chandos outing although the violin concerto (always recorded for the label in the 1943 revision) and the Overture are having their 3rd incarnations.
The disc opens with Christopher Palmer’s brilliant Symphonic Suite arranged in 1987 from Walton’s large scale opera Troilus and Cressida. For anyone who enjoys similar “operas without words” symphonic syntheses of Strauss or Wagner this is a superbly constructed half-hour of prime Walton. At first glance it might seem that Wilson’s natural preference for dynamic tempi, razor-sharp ensemble (all nonchalantly and superbly realised by the orchestra here) would be a natural Waltonian fit. Add to that Chandos’ top drawer SACD engineering and all seems set fair. However the key to this work – and in no small way the reason for its relative failure when originally staged – is that this is Walton’s most explicitly Romantic and ardently lush score. Wilson seems less comfortable when Walton requires the ebb and flow of a passionate aria or love scene than he does making the most out of Walton’s jagged rhythms and brilliant orchestration. Interestingly it is some of the quiet passages that reveal both the excellence of the engineering here but also the fastidious skill of Walton’s scoring. The low thrumbing on the harp and the gentlest of bass drum thuds brilliantly evokes the angry mutterings of the Trojan people as the opera (and suite) opens. This is present on the earlier Chandos recording from Bryden Thomson and the LPO recorded at St. Jude on the Hill as far back as 1989 but there is greater clarity and definition in such moments in this new recording.
As an aside – there has been a third recording of this suite from Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla and the CBSO on DG as part of a one-off “British Project” disc which I have not heard but was reviewed on MWI here. By timings alone Gražinytė-Tyla sits almost exactly halfway between the 34:30 of Bryden Thomson and the 28:38 of this new Wilson version. That is quite a significant difference and it is reflected in a fundamentally different musical approach. Simply put Thomson is more Romantic and sensual where Wilson is dynamic and vigorous. That approach works well in the famous and highly effective Storm/Love Scene (where one marking is incalzando sempre – always pressing forward) – Wilson’s 8:08 to Thomson’s 10:55 – Thomson’s storm does not break until around 4:10 – Wilson is a good 90 seconds earlier. This extra urgency pays dividends in the sheer dynamic excitement of the storm but is traded off by a loss of slow-burn anticipation before it and sensual languor afterwards. The actual playing is terrific and very well caught by the sophisticated engineering and as such no listener new to this music will be anything but caught up by the visceral excitement of the writing. However, as proved by the full opera and indeed Thomson’s performance reveals there are more emotional layers to this than just dynamism. The preceding Scherzo section proves this too. Palmer brought together the skittish music of match-maker Pandarus with one of the opera’s great set-pieces; Cressida’s “At the haunted end of the day”. This concludes; “At the spellbound end of the day Love rules alone, and counts the spoils of war. I surrender, bear me away, Troilus, friend and foe, Troilus, my conqueror…”. Wilson’s version is beautifully played but somehow lacks the yearning which the text explicitly outlines. Again I find the extra time Thomson takes increases the tension and underlines Cressida’s longing for Troilus. The closing section inhabits emotions of loss and regret (“Turn, Troilus, turn, on that cold river’s brim beyond the sun’s far setting. Look back from the silent stream of sleep and long forgetting. Turn and consider me and all that was ours”) which the weightier Thomson again surpasses the lither Wilson.
There is little doubt that Walton put an enormous amount of energy, creative and emotional, into this work and the relative indifference of its reception scarred him. The various revisions over the years signal a composer trying to prove its worth and status as his largest and in many ways most deeply felt work. If the opera represents Walton at his most neo-romantic then the violin concerto of 1936-39 revised 1943 represents the first move away from the bravura confidence of the earlier works towards something less certain. Heifetz commissioned the work and the shade of his technique and playing style hangs over it. Huge credit then to violinist Charlie Lovell-Jones that his playing bears easy comparison. From a purely technical perspective this is as fine a performance as you will hear. My sole musical observation is that again Wilson’s preference for dynamic extremes and quick tempi means that along the way quite a lot of the playfulness, the Mediterranean sunniness is lost in a blaze of virtuosity. This is not simply a question of velocity – Heifetz’s own 1950 recording of the revised version accompanied by the Philharmonia with Walton on the podium is every bit as fast but also more playful and sly. Comparing the ever-excellent Tasmin Little who was Edward Gardner’s soloist on the most recent Chandos recording; in the central Presto Capriccioso alla napolitana;Little at 7:04 is a full minute slower than Wilson/Lovell-Jones. The pyrotechnics of the latter are undeniably impressive but at the cost of some twinkling wit. Of older recordings it is certainly worth revisiting the Kyung Wa Chung/Previn/LSO version on Decca that Walton was very taken by. Previn always knew how to find the balance in Walton between acerbic and witty, lyrical and sensuous. The Decca engineering for over 50 years old is pretty remarkable too.
The sense of being slightly driven in this performance links the work back toward the con malizia of the first symphony but central to the mood of the work must be Walton’s relationship with Alice Wimborne. Of the major scores it is the pivotal work that looks both back to the confident certainties of the 20’s and 30’s as well as forward to the emotional ambiguities of the post-War works. This new performance is without doubt impressive in its technical address but perhaps less revealing on an emotionally complex level.
One of the very finest and most individual of those early bravura scores was Portsmouth Point and it makes for a rousing conclusion to the disc. Interestingly, Wilson is almost identical timing-wise as Previn and the LSO (this time on EMI) and the performance has a spring and bounce that feels absolutely right. This is a virtuosic score in every sense with the orchestration crammed with incident and overlapping musical material. A century after its composition it remains an absurdly confident and assured first major orchestral work to be written by a twenty-two year old. Here it receives a performance here that fully matches those qualities aided by a recording that reveals all the bustling glory of the score – better than Bryden Thomson again with the LPO in the earlier Chandos Walton Edition version. Another Chandos version as part of the 2nd volume of Rumon Gamba’s “Overtures from the British Isles” is similarly nimble and full of brio as Wilson.
Walton’s music has been an abiding love of mine for many years so new recordings perpetuating his legacy and introducing new listeners to his endlessly life-enhancing music is always to be welcomed. Fine though these new versions are there is a question about whether the full emotional and expressive range of these passionate scores has been fully explored.
Nick Barnard
Previous review: Philip Harrison (April 2025)
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