Bo Hyttner's Sterling label was at one time thought
of as the home for the Swedish romantics. I am sure he
would not fight shy of that reputation even now. But the Sterling
stable has, since circa 1997, offered commodious accommodation
for the works of romantics from the other Scandinavian nations,
from Germany, from Switzerland and, with this disc, from Britain.
Cliffe's dates are approximately the same as
Elgar's. Cliffe's fame, and it was considerable, dates from the
ten years straddling the transition from the nineteenth to the
twentieth centuries. Bradford-born, like Delius, Cliffe studied
with Sullivan at the predecessor to the Royal College in London
then became a piano professor there. His handful of works were
briefly the staple of festivals, Crystal Palace and Philharmonic
Society concerts. By no means an adept self-promoter, when tastes
moved on he retired from the fray with his works still being mounted
by Dan Godfrey in Bournemouth; otherwise the flame had guttered
completely. Chris Fifield's London-based orchestra revived his
first symphony a couple of years ago and now Mr Fifield records
two splendidly confident Cliffe works for Sterling.
The first movement of the First Symphony
blazes along with a rapturously emphatic turbulence evocative
of Schumann and Tchaikovsky. This is work of utmost seriousness;
the very fabric of symphonies. It made me think of Parry's First
Symphony - the embodiment of 'sturm und drang'. There are touches
of Mendelssohn along the way notably in the lively dancing episodes
towards the end of the first movement. That movement is a tempestuous
essay drawing its atmosphere from Schumann's Overture, Scherzo
and Finale as well as Brahms' Tragic Overture. The
second movement (scherzo) is not quite as louring being a lighter
yet determined piece standing between Mendelssohn, Smetana (Dance
Symphony) and Dvořák as
does the finale, evocative of the first movements of Schumann's
Rhenish and Spring symphonies. The work's
centre of gravity is the Ballade (tr.3) - the longest movement.
Cloud and Sunshine is a tone poem expressing life's
buffets and delights, all presented in Tchaikovskian finery. The
soloistic textures and expressive moments are far more plentiful
than in the case of the Symphony with some lacy filigree work
for harp and woodwind. There is some remarkably pleasing work
for the French Horns (7.22), chuckling passages for the woodwind
at 9.03 and silvery writing for the violins at 11.17. Cliffe shows
himself a remarkable craftsman in this piece working within a
tradition established by Mendelssohn and Schumann and doing so
with eloquent conviction.
These two works are captured in vibrantly immediate
sound. The notes are by the conductor and will tell you as much
as you are likely to want to know about Cliffe. To the best of
my knowledge this is the first Cliffe to be commercially recorded
in any medium.
An essential addition to your catalogue for anyone
who favours Goldmark's Rustic Wedding, Mendelssohn's Italian
Symphony or the symphonies by Stanford or Lange-Muller. The
two works are given splendidly engaged and life-imbued performances
by Fifield and the Malmö orchestra. By the time you have
heard this you might well be hoping for a second volume containing
the Second Symphony (1893) and the Violin Concerto (1897) the
latter dedicated to Tivadar Nachez.
Rob Barnett
Frederick
Cliffe by Jürgen Schaarwächter
Malmö Opera Orchestra/Christopher
Fifield 
