The London Philharmonic
seemed to take Alwyn to its heart for
these two eminently approachable symphonies
in warm-hearted performances, recorded
in crystalline detail yet with full-bodied
sound.
The First Symphony
was dedicated to Sir John Barbirolli
and was composed in 1949. The first
movement reveals a sure structural grasp
(the music is always directional, always
sure of where it is going); the second
movement is a mercurial Scherzo revealing
the LPO on magnificent, quixotic form.
Accents are perfectly highlighted and
there is a real sense of life coming
from within. The Trio is an oasis away
from the rhythmic verve of the Scherzo,
making the rhythmic life the more effective
when it bursts back upon the scene.
The hushed lyricism
of the cello line towards the start
of the Adagio ma con moto is
a marvel here, phrasally tender and
tonally lush. Surely this is the symphony’s
peak, for it is here that Alwyn’s invention
is at its most unforced. The finale,
despite its ‘allegro jubilante’ marking,
includes a fair few shadows that seem
determined to rain on the music’s parade
– things are not as clear-cut in Alwyn
the symphonist as may be assumed from
Alwyn the miniaturist.
The Fourth Symphony
dates from a decade later. It begins
in a gentle and undemanding fashion
– the tonally-ambiguous melodic lines
give the music a fluidity that is certainly
most appealing. Climaxes are impressive
(as in the First Symphony, there is
no doubt as to the LPO’s dedication);
the extended Scherzo (longer than the
first movement, in fact) is marvellously
sprightly. This gives way to the tranquillity
of the finale, a tripartite Adagio-Allegro-Adagio
structure, the final Adagio section
of which contains the most moving music
on the disc. Well worth exploring.
Booklet notes by the
composer (for Symphony No. 1 only) are
enlightening. Alwyn lists as his influences
here as Debussy’s Prélude
à l’après-midi d’un faune
and Richard Strauss’s Don Juan
as well as Schoenberg, Szymanowski and
Scriabin (the latter in particular Prometheus
and the Poem of Ecstasy). Actually
for all its fluidity of invention, the
music is not quite as exciting as that
heady list might imply – but it is
tremendously involving taken on its
own terms. At its best it can seem an
exhilarating and rewarding journey.
Colin Clarke
Session
photographs
Alwyn
web-site
The
Lyrita catalogue
London Philharmonic Orchestra/William Alwyn
