Grace Williams (1906-1977)
Violin Concerto (1949-50)
Elegy for string orchestra (1936 rev. 1940)
Sinfonia Concertante for piano and orchestra (1941)
Geneva Lewis (violin); Claire Hammond (piano)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales /Jaime Martin (concerto), Ryan Bancroft (Elegy), Jac van Steen (Sinfonia)
rec. live, February 2022 (Elegy); September 2022 (Sinfonia), Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff, UK; 8 August 2023, Royal Albert Hall, London (concerto)
Lyrita SRCD447 [59]

The more I hear of the music of Grace Williams the more I admire her. Earlier this year I reviewed a fine disc of her orchestral music, made by the BBC Philharmonic and John Andrews (review) and not long after that I had the opportunity to review Lyrita’s magnificent recording of her magnum opus, the Missa Cambrensis. Lyrita have also issued a recording of her only opera, The Parlour (1961). I’ve yet to hear that disc, which was the subject of a comprehensive review by my colleague, Philip Harrison. I was delighted to get the chance to explore her music further when this new CD arrived.

Two concertante works occupy most of the programme. The later one, which opens the disc, is the Violin Concerto, which appears in a live recording from a BBC Proms concert, given in August 2023 by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales under Jaime Martin, who became their Principal Guest Conductor in 2024. The soloist is the young violinist, Geneva Lewis, who is described on her website as “Kiwi/American”; at the time of this performance, she was a member of the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists scheme. The concert was reviewed for Seen and Heard by my colleague Colin Clarke. I made a point of not searching to see if there was a review of the concert until I’d finished listening to the disc; when I did, I was delighted to see that Colin was as enthusiastic as I was about both the work and the performance. The concerto was written between 1949 and 1950 and I see from Paul Conway’s comprehensive booklet essay that the composer noted a number of performances inside her fair copy of the score. These took place between 1950 (the work’s premiere) and 1968; significantly, each of these performances involved a BBC orchestra. Whether any further performances have been given I can’t say, but I think these early BBC performances, plus the 2023 Prom, serve to demonstrate the important role the Corporation has played in the performance history not just of this concerto but also of Williams’ music as a whole.

The Violin Concerto, which here plays for 28:48, is cast in three movements. The opening movement, which is the longest, is marked Liricamenta The very opening has something of an air of mystery; the violin muses against a subdued orchestral background; the orchestral part gradually becomes more prominent and is always lyrical; the violin is borne along on that cushion. Paul Conway refers to the “yearning qualities” of the music in this movement; that seems to me to hit the nail on the head. As the movement unfolds, the music is, by turns, either tranquil and reflective or (occasionally) impassioned. The impassioned episodes include the movement’s brief climax (8:16); shortly after that the soloist, who has been busy throughout the course of the movement, has a brief opportunity for display in the cadenza. I love the wistful tranquillity in which the movement concludes. That ending perfectly tees up the slow movement (Andante sostenuto). The very opening of this slow movement seems to me to have a Celtic feel; no doubt that’s to do with the fact that almost immediately we hear on the oboe a phrase from a Welsh hymn tune which, Paul Conway tells us, pervades the movement. Conway also quotes from a letter which the composer wrote to her great friend Elizabeth Maconchy in which she describes the movement as “contemplative and serene”. That’s absolutely how I hear it; the music is consistently melodious and thoughtful in nature, scarcely raising its voice. It seems to me as if this movement offers an aural vision of Celtic mists and twilight. The finale follows attacca and here for the first time in the concerto we hear music in a quick tempo. In this movement, Williams writes in a cheerful fashion and a good deal of the music, which is marked Allegro con spirito, has tightly sprung rhythms; consequently, this finale offers an excellent contrast to the two preceding movements. The solo part is often athletic in nature, but not spiky; even this livelier music is fundamentally melodious in nature. There’s a cadenza (4:58-6:35) which affords an opportunity for display but even this is more restrained in tone than is often the case in cadenzas. Grace Williams brings her concerto to a largely tranquil conclusion, though she can’t resist ending with a single, emphatic chord. I think I’d describe this concerto as deliberately understated, certainly in the first two movements; it’s not flashy in any way, though it requires a lot of the soloist. I think it deserves to be much better known and this splendid performance should help its cause. The music is unfailingly attractive and melodious and the orchestration is full of interest. The concerto receives excellent advocacy from Geneva Lewis, whose playing is a consistent delight, especially in the way she communicates the lyrical episodes. The orchestral contribution is no less fine.

The Sinfonia Concertante was composed several years earlier. The title is significant. Paul Conway tells us that it was originally designated as a Concerto but the title was changed on the advice of the pianist Michael Mullinar, who, it seems, felt that ‘Sinfonia Concertante’ was a most apt description of the nature of the score which Williams had composed. As Conway justly observes, the solo instrument is more of a primus inter pares than would be the case in a conventional concerto. That said, the solo part is a demanding one and needs a pianist of the accomplishment of Clare Hammond to do it justice. As in the Violin Concerto, Williams favoured a three-movement structure. The work is concise, here playing for 23:27.

The first movement (Allegro con brio) exploits well the percussive nature of the piano, yet Williams achieves this without ever appearing aggressive. The music is stronger in tone than is the case in the Violin Concerto yet even so there are several episodes in a lyrical vein. The soloist may be primus inter pares but the nature of Williams’ writing is such that the soloist is to the fore. The Poco lento second movement begins in a warm, lyrical vein; the music has great beauty. Eventually, Williams builds the music to an extended, impressive climax which is powerfully projected both by Clare Hammond and by the BBCNOW under Jac van Steen’s direction. Yet, despite the undoubted power of this climax, during it Williams remains true to her melodic instincts. Thanks to the melodious nature of the climax, the way the movement subsides soon afterwards to a calm close is entirely logical. The finale (Alla marcia) is strongly rhythmical, as you might infer from the tempo marking. The soloist is very much to the fore but the orchestral contribution is full of interest and import. The Sinfonia Concertante hasn’t stirred my imagination – yet – to quite the same extent as the Violin Concerto but it’s a very impressive piece and the present performance, which is both excellent and full of conviction, makes a very strong case for it.

At the centre of the programme is the short Elegy for string orchestra. I’m almost tempted to say that the work is at the heart of the programme because, though it plays for just 7:33 in this performance, it packs an awful lot of feeling into a short timespan. The work was written in 1936 and then revised four years later. I don’t know how extensive the revision was but it may have been substantial. I say that because Paul Conway quotes from a letter which Elizabeth Maconchy wrote to Grace Williams in which she said “How strong-minded of you to rewrite & rescore it” (my italics). Conway himself writes that “[a] profound sense of loss pervades this brooding, deeply personal score”. It’s a very moving, intense work, so much so that I wonder if the piece was composed in response to some event in the composer’s life. The work is beautifully imagined for string orchestra. Ryan Bancroft inspires the strings of the BBCNOW to play the music with great feeling. It’s a fine work, worthy to take its place in the literature of British music for strings.

This is a very rewarding disc. All three works are eminently worth getting to know and all three are presented in very fine, committed performances. A disc such as this can only enhance the reputation of this distinguished Welsh composer. Lyrita and the BBCNOW have already done Grace Williams proud on several discs but might we hope for a recording of her First Symphony one day? The Elegy has been recorded before; it was included on a disc of Welsh music for strings, recorded by Owain Arwel Hughes and the RPO (review). Lyrita don’t expressly claim that the recordings of the Violin Concerto and Sinfonia Concertante are premiere recordings, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the case.

The production aspects of the disc are excellent. Mike Sims produced all three recordings and the engineers were either Simon Smith or Andrew Smillie (they joined forces for the Sinfonia Concertante). Whether working live at the Royal Albert Hall or under what I presume were studio conditions in the Hoddinott Hall, they’ve recorded the music expertly. As ever Paul Conway’s booklet essay is a model of its kind, providing not only an insightful guide to the music but also giving an excellent biographical summary of the composer.

John Quinn

Other review: Nick Barnard (October 2025)

Footnote

I am grateful to Rob Harries who, after reading my review, got in touch to tell me of another performance of the Violin Concerto by the BBCNOW, which he attended. This was given in the Hoddinott Hall in Cardiff on 3 November 2021. That performance was conducted by Jamie Philips; on that occasion the soloist was Madeleine Mitchell, who had previously recorded a disc of chamber music by Grace Williams (review). I understand that Ms Mitchell has performed the concerto on a number of occasions and that she will play it again in Wrexham on 9 November 2025. It’s very good to learn that two excellent violinists – Madeleine Mitchell and Geneva Lewis – have taken the work into their repertoire. I hope others will follow their lead.  

Buying this recording via the link below generates revenue for MWI, which helps the site remain free