THE WILLIAM ALWYN SOCIETY

The agreeably wide representation on record William Alwyn achieved during his lifetime is now further extended by two major works for the piano. 'Major' works, for it seems, considering their inner structure as a sequence, necessary to regard the 11 Fantasy-Waltzes and the 12 Preludes each as a single work, a single sequence; not just an assembly of separable pieces as is often the case with similar groupings.

Great control is necessary in writing such a structure: but to my ears Alwyn managed it in both cases. The Waltzes must have been especially problematic, for here there would seem to be a built-in element of non-variety. In the event this is not the case; for although the basic 3/4 pulse is present throughout, the many different facets of the waltz are explored thoroughly and effectively. And exploited, as Alwyn intended, very effectively in terms of advanced piano technique. One mystery remains: how on earth could such an idea have come to Alwyn (for this he declares) as he contemplated Grieg's lakeside home in Norway"

No mystery about the set of 12 Preludes: these are, of course, though still unified as a whole, of greater individual variety. The slower Preludes especially do seem a welcome resource (excluded, of course, from the Waltzes); they are also very beautiful.

Waltzes and Preludes alike are handled with superb dexterity by John Ogdon, who also contributes, together with Alwyn himself, to the excellent sleeve-note. In the course of his note Ogdon suggests titles for the individual Preludes. These seem to me to be both apt and imaginative. And many who can write music easily and fluently then get stuck (especially in light music) with the simpler task, you might think, of finding a suitable title!

The quality of music, performance and notes is matched by that of the recording. A very welcome issue, especially during a month which has heard the unhappy news of Alwyn's death.

M. M.

This record has just been restored to the catalogue at full price (even though it dates from 1985) and a price reduction might have been feasible. The Fantasy-Waltzes are highly attractive and are excellently played by John Ogdon, who is responsible for a perceptive insert note. The Twelve Preludes are equally fluent and inventive pieces that ought to be better known and well repay investigation. The recording, made at the Maltings, Snape, is first rate and carries the imprimatur of the composer in whose presence it was made. recommended.

What a marvellous disc! The Fantasy-Waltzes take us imaginatively through the possibilities of the waltz with extraordinary variety, with both brilliance and introspection, with cool clarity and whirling energy. Apart from a lot of Englishness, one might find hints of Ravel, Delius and Scriabin, but the music is always individual and distinctive. The Preludes are more adventurous, tonally and structurally, yet very accessible - exploratory and again very individual.

William Alwyn died recently after a distinguished career as composer, teacher, linguist and painter - a creative artist with a feeling for quality rather than quantity. John Ogdon responds to this music of the 50s with understanding, imagination and the expected virtuosity, the advocate who completes our pleasure.

Recorded last year at The Maltings, Snape, the piano sound is forward and rounded, complementing the musical excellence, possibly a mite short of the ringing realism one sometimes enjoys in recent work. It may be marginal but there is a hint of lumpiness to temper my enthusiasm. Concise and eminently readable notes by the composer and soloist are models of their kind. Well done! CS

Performance ......................... 10
Technical Merit .......................9

Normally thought of as a symphonist, William Alwyn here displays a fine feel for piano composition. The range of mood and colour in the Fantasv-Waltzes is remarkable and I can appreciate why John Ogdon regards the work as a masterpiece. Alwyn treats the three-four waltz time fairly loosely and the effect varies from the brusque and swaggering to the dreamy and often haunting and melancholic. There are hints of Debussy and of John Ireland, but overall this is a work of notable individual imagination. No less remarkable is the set of Twelve Preludes: powerful, dramatic, technically and intellectually demanding, and composed in more of a serial form than the Waltzes. I found them full of interest and utterly involving.

Of course, Alwyn couldn't want for a better or more enthusiastic advocate than Ogdon; there's a complete affinity.

Chandos used the Snape Maltings for this recording, the first time they've done so I believe. Engineer Ralph Couzens has cer- tainly managed to overcome some of the quirks of that fine, if sometimes over-warm and over-reverberant acoustic, and the result is a piano sound that is rich-toned, weighty, sparklingly detailed and yet well-proportioned. John Ogdon relates the pleasure he had recording these 'magnificent pieces', and I can only add that it has also been a pleasure, a rewarding one, to hear and discover them. I urge you to follow suit.
[A:11] Peter Herring

I find myself in complete agreement with PH's enthusiasm in his review of the black disc in November's HFNIRR (pl 15) for the Fantasy-Waltzes and the demanding Preludes of 1959. The DDD technique captures the warm Malting's reverberance whilst allowing one to hear what's going on even in the busiest of textures. A very attractive piano sound.

Roger Bowen