Malcolm Williamson (1931-2003)
Chamber Music for Wind and Piano
Sally Lundgren (mezzo-soprano)
Joely Koos (cello)
Antony Gray, Iain Clarke, Joe Howson, Hamish Brown (piano)
New London Chamber Ensemble
St Paul’s Sinfonia/Matt Scott Rodgers
rec. 2024/25, St Michael’s, Highgate & Henry Wood Hall, London
Reviewed as a download
Divine Art DDX21120 [80]
I will start by quoting from the notes here: “Anyone trying to pin Malcolm Williamson down, either in his music or his personality, is in for a hard time. As a man he could be completely adorable one minute, and infuriatingly obdurate the next. And although he had close life-long friends, he as often as not left a trail of devastation and destruction in his wake. It could be said that at least in part, it’s for this reason that his music, which enjoyed great success particularly in the early stages of his career, has disappeared almost completely from the concert hall as well as the recording catalogues. This is an enormous shame, given the extraordinary quality of his music.” The works on the present release are chamber music for wind and piano spanning almost his whole compositional life; most appear on disc for the first time, partly due to the Williamson archive becoming available in 2023, on the death of Simon Campion.
An extensive MusicWeb International profile of Williamson written by Paul Conway can be found here. I must admit that, prior to this review, I knew little about Williamson apart from that when he was appointed Master of the Queen’s Music in 1975 the comment was made that “They’ve got the wrong Malcolm” – a reference to Malcolm Arnold, who was also very much in his prime in the 1970s but also always a controversial figure with well-documented mental health issues.
All but one track on this release feature the pianist Antony Gray, who seems to be the guiding force behind the CD and wrote the very extensive notes. Wikipedia tells us that Williamson “was the Master of the Queen’s Music from 1975 until his death. According to Grove Music Online, although Williamson’s earlier compositions aligned with serialist techniques, he later modified his approach to composition in the search of a more inclusive musical language that was fundamentally tonal and, above all, lyrical”.
Of the 17 pieces on the album, eight make reference to gallery; three to “gallery opening music”, three to “gallery concluding music” and two to “gallery sandwich trailers” and the notes tell us that the music was written “for what appears to be incidental music for a television show, Gallery. Apart from a catalogue entry there is no other evidence of what the music was written for. The film and television music expert Ian Gardiner suggests that Gallery may have been a working title as it does not appear on any database.” The longest of these pieces is just 46 seconds. In most of the pieces the same opening music is used but with a different ending; the works are for a grouping of six trumpets and two pianos, which will give the reader a sense of the style of the pieces; it is often urgent but there are also some sweet lyrical motifs.
There are three other works at less than two minutes each. Vocalise in G was written for a friend the soprano Hazel Reader. It is gentle and lyrical. December from Year of the Birds – again gentle and lyrical similar to Vocalise in G. Both these works are scored for clarinet and piano. The final short piece Concerto fragment is, however, scored for four pianos. It is dark and deep, very different to the lyrical nature of the two vocalises and December, and is another atmospheric work using counterpoint to create a mysterious, eerie effect. Another “vocalise” on the release, Vocalise in G minor, is longer at 3.51. It is scored for the same instruments as the shorter Vocalise and is very similar in style.
Pas de Quatre isscored for four wind instruments – no horn – and a single pianist. It was commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera Ballet Workshop. It was subsequently choreographed by the Northern Dance Theatre in Manchester, and was performed there in 1970, rejoicing in the name BigfellaTootsSqoodgeandNora! It has six movements:
I. Allegro vivace,featuring the whole ensemble, is fast and furious. The meandering motif heard on the wind instruments at the beginning of this movement serves as a link between the variations, in various guises.
II. Variation A for piano and flute, is lively and playful.
III. Pas de trois for flute and oboe, is peaceful and quiet.
IV. Variation B is bright and lively.
V. Pas de deux is lyrical and slow.
VI. Coda 2 again features the whole ensemble, the motif heard in the first movement underpins the whole of this frantic finale.
Benjamin Britten was impressed with the young Williamson’s talent and asked him to write the Trio for Clarinet, Cello & Piano for the Aldeburgh festival in 1958. On that occasion it was played by the clarinettist Harrison Birtwistle. It has two movements.
I. Poco Lento is slow and contemplative, the piano twinkling throughout as the cello plays softly, and the clarinet can be heard above both.
II. Allegro – Presto is in a lighter mode; the cello is more in evidence as it alternates with the clarinet. It’s all much more animated and fun than the first movement.
Listening to the work I can certainly relate to a comment in the notes: “a (unnamed) reviewer from Manchester Guardian, who described the Clarinet Trio as being ‘forthrightly tuneful, simple in form and texture, though making use, very loosely, of some sort of serial technique.’” on hearing the piece.
By the 1960s, after ten years in London, Williamson was quite firmly established on the music scene. His first major opera, Our Man in Havana, written when Williamson was just over thirty, had been performed to great critical acclaim, and major commissions were coming in constantly. One of which, in 1966, was the Concerto for Wind Quintet and Two Pianos, Eight Hands. It was commissioned for the 60th birthday concert at the Wigmore Hall of the composer Alan Rawsthorne, the pianists on that occasion being no less than Richard Rodney Bennett, Peter Maxwell Davies, Thea Musgrave and Williamson himself, with the New London Wind Ensemble. It has four movements:
I. Lento which begins as a slow lyrical melody played by the woodwind instruments before we hear energetic bursts from the pianos and then the horn takes the lead. Next, there are ominous piano notes repeated urgently, then a gentle woodwind section again; the urgent piano beat returns with the horn making its presence felt. The overall effect is both dramatic and melancholic, making it a memorable track.
II. Allegro is a fugue and a great example of Williamson’s command of counterpoint; the movement is lively and full of energy.
III. Lento. The second lento starts with a simple piano tune; the gentle mood is maintained as the woodwind joins in as they play an eerie melody, urgent notes are played loudly on the piano and the dynamics of the whole piece increase before we return once more to a gentle, peaceful and lyrical melody.
IV. Allegro vivo. The final movement is frantic and boisterous, demanding much virtuosity from the players.
The work was well received, but performances have been rare since, due partly to the unusual mix of instruments it requires.
Pieta is a work for mezzo-soprano, oboe, bassoon and piano. Throughout his life, Williamson was a fan of Scandinavian poets, in particular, Swedish ones. In 1973 he received a commission from the Athenaeum Ensemble for which he chose a work by the poet Pär Lagerqvist. It’s a setting of five poems the final one called Pieta after which he named the whole work. The texts are included in the CD brochure. Williamson, who had lived in Sweden with his family for a while, chose to set the poems in their original Swedish but the CD notes include translations by Sally Lundgren. On reading English texts, I am struck by how bleak they are. The work reflects this; it is austere and yet holds your attention to the very end. I find it a really fine work.
Finally, we have Music for solo horn. The manuscript is contained in an exercise book containing a number of other early works or sketches. Williamson was sixteen at the time and although he was a horn player himself, it was beyond his skills; however, Barry Tuckwell played it at first sight. It’s a simple, entertaining piece.
This is a thoroughly entertaining release, including a really excellent mix of Willaimson’s chamber music. I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the music and reading the excellent notes in the CD brochure.
Ken Talbot
Previous review: Paul R Jackson (April 2025)
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Details
Gallery Music (1966)
Simon Tong (trumpet in D); Laura Garwin (trumpet in B flat); Richard Knights
(trumpet in B flat); Thomas Hewitt (trumpet in B flat); Samuel Ewens (trumpet in B flat);
David Carnac (bass trumpet); Jon French (percussion); Antony Gray (piano); Joe Howson
(piano); Matt Scott Rogers (conductor)
Pas de quatre (1967)
Sarah O’Flynn (flute); Melanie Ragge (oboe); Neyire Ashworth (clarinet);
Meyrick Alexander (bassoon); Antony Gray (piano)
Vocalise in G (1973)
December (from a Year of Birds) (1995)
Vocalise in G minor (1985)
Neyire Ashworth (clarinet); Antony Gray (piano)
Trio for Clarinet, Cello & Piano (1958)
Neyire Ashworth (clarinet); Joely Koos (cello); Antony Gray (piano)
Music for Solo Horn (1947)
Roger Montgomery (horn)
Concerto Fragment
Antony Gray (piano); Joe Howson (piano); Iain Clarke (piano); Hamish Brown (piano)
Concerto for Wind Quintet & Two Pianos (Eight Hands) (1966)
Sarah O’Flynn (flute); Melanie Ragge (oboe); Neyire Ashworth (clarinet);
Meyrick Alexander (bassoon); Roger Montgomery (horn); Antony Gray (piano); Joe Howson
(piano); Iain Clarke (piano); Hamish Brown (piano); Matt Scott Rogers (conductor)
Pieta (1973)
Sally Lundgren (mezzo soprano); Melanie Ragge (oboe); Meyrick Alexander
(bassoon); Antony Gray (piano) Text by Pär Lagerqvist
