I have just one complaint
about the wealth of reissues which have
come forth from Lyrita since the rebirth
of the label: many of them overturn
what I had thought secure recommendations.
When Rob Barnett wrote his Compact Biography
of Rubbra for Musicweb in 2000, the
only recordings of the symphonies available
to him were the complete Richard Hickox
series (full price) and a mid-price
version by Hans-Hubert Schönzeler
of the Tenth Symphony and other works,
all recorded by Chandos. His article
refers to the Lyrita recordings; some
Lyrita CDs were appearing sporadically
in limited editions, but it seemed unlikely
then that the whole series would ever
reappear.
I already owned that
Schönzeler recording when I heard
the Hickox series on Radio 3’s afternoon
programme and was immediately convinced
that this was about as good a set as
was ever likely to appear – sensitive
performances of under-rated music, very
well recorded and superbly presented.
In recent weeks I have
been investigating a number of Lyrita
recordings which have made me change
my mind. Their recordings of the first
two Bax symphonies – SRCD.232 and SRCD.233
– see review
– convinced me that these were the versions
I had been looking for, then I tried
Holbrooke’s The Birds of Rhiannon
on SRCD.269 – see review
– a piece and a recording which I now
discover that I had been very wrong
to have written off after hearing the
LP version 30 years ago.
Now I turn to a well-filled
CD of recordings of two Rubbra symphonies
which are at least the equal of the
Hickox, coupled with an equally fine
account of the Invocation for
cello and orchestra. I can’t pretend
that CC’s review
of this recording didn’t give me fair
warning that these were versions to
challenge Hickox – indeed, as he says
in his review, the presence of Norman
del Mar conducting the symphonies is
almost a guarantee of high quality,
as also is that of Rohan de Saram and
Vernon Handley in the substantial filler.
Hickox’s version of
No.6 is slightly more energetic in places,
though his timings for whole movements
are very similar to del Mar’s and honours
overall are about equal. Rubbra is not
the kind of composer that one falls
for immediately – most will find that
they have to persevere – but the Sixth
is a good place to start and either
performance could provide the ideal
vehicle for persuading the hesitant.
Try the slow movement, marked Canto
(largo e sereno), wonderfully performed
on Lyrita: visionary music with just
a hint of menace or unbearable grief
lurking at the edge of the serenity.
The Chandos recordings
are, of course, 24-bit DDD, but there
is nothing second-class about the ADD
Lyrita sound. One reviewer has spoken
of the refurbishment of these recordings
as analogous to a veil being lifted,
which is exactly right. For the few
old enough to remember fibre 78 rpm
needles, a better analogy might be that
the LP sounded as if the needle needed
sharpening, the CD like playing the
music with one that has been sharpened.
I’m not sure of the exact recording
date – presumably the © 1992 on
the website refers to the first CD release.
I have some Lyrita CDs of William Alwyn
which were issued in that year.
I listened to a download
version of this CD from emusic.com.
Though it’s only at 192kbps, rather
than the preferable 320k at which many
of their recordings are issued, I found
the sound more than acceptable – the
improvement over the original LPs is
clearly apparent in this format. Younger,
keener ears may prefer the CD – and
those who find downloading an unnecessary
nuisance will certainly go for that
option – but I have yet to encounter
any Lyrita recordings from eMusic with
which I have had any problem.
I hate having to declare
a draw – I realise that’s not a happy
state of affairs when I’m supposed to
be offering advice on what to buy –
but there are so many excellent points
in favour of both versions that I find
it impossible to make a categorical
recommendation. It’s about as difficult
as choosing between The Tallis Scholars
and The Sixteen on their recordings
of the same repertoire.
Though storage problems
have compelled me to make a rule to
keep only one version of any piece of
music, I think I’ll be breaking that
rule and keeping the Hickox series and
obtaining the other Lyrita recordings
of Rubbra.
Perhaps the couplings,
which make it difficult to mix and match
the Chandos and Lyrita versions, will
decide the issue. I marginally prefer
the coupling of the two symphonies and
Invocation here to the Hickox
coupling of Symphonies 2 and 6 (CHAN9481)
and Symphonies 5 and 8 with Ode to
the Queen (CHAN9714). These are
two of Rubbra’s finest symphonies and
I particularly like Invocation
as the final item to round off the programme
– an attractive work, not available
from Hickox or, indeed, I believe, in
any other version. For me, therefore,
the Lyrita CD wins on penalties.
Is there any sense
in which the Hickox recordings remain
superior? Well, I do prefer the wonderful
Chandos cover art, with reproductions
of Samuel Palmer paintings of the landscape
of a part of Kent only a few miles from
my home in SE London. This was not the
landscape which was Rubbra’s own inspiration,
but the art-work is wonderful; the Lyrita
cover is rather penny-plain in comparison.
If you are looking for the whole set,
Chandos’s 5-for-4 box will work out
cheaper than the individual discs –
in any case, if you are looking for
completeness, Chandos is your only option.
And I remain a very firm advocate of
the Chandos/Hickox recording of the
Latin Lyrics, etc. (CHAN9847)
a Bargain of the Month which, though
sadly deleted on CD remains available
as a download from theclassicalshop.net
– see review.
Brian Wilson
see
also review by Michael Cookson
Philharmonia Orchestra/Norman Del Mar
(symphonies)
LYRITA RECORDED EDITION SRCD.234 [72:38]
