Alwyn the symphonist
represents the serious side of this
composer. These works are cogently argued,
impressive musical statements, arguably
showing the very best of this under-rated
composer. These particular Lyrita recordings,
of course, have the composer’s own special
authority and as such should be seen
as invaluable documents.
The Second Symphony
is in two parts. William Mann’s thorough
booklet notes trace the work’s motivic
workings. The dynamic first part is
fairly challenging (not really what
I had expected from this composer, and
a pleasant surprise) – the performance
is simply superb. The second part is
dark and shadowy. There is some lovely
delicate woodwind scoring around 13’24
– the LPO’s players play in a marvellously
hushed, mysterious way for the composer.
The musical argument throughout is cogent.
The Third Symphony
was commissioned by the BBC (and dedicated
to its then controller of music, Richard
Howgill). It begins in an altogether
brighter fashion than its predecessor
before letting in an archetypically
Romantic, aching lyricism that eventually
takes over the final pages of the first
movement in memorable fashion. The ghost
of Sibelius hangs heavily over this
work at times. Hans Keller called this
a ‘tonal 12-note work’, the first movement
being based on an eight-note set, the
remaining notes of the total chromatic
surfacing in a four-mote figure that
occurs in the second movement. But this
is not in any way Schoenbergian dodecaphony
– the tonal processes utilised by Alwyn
are still firmly directional, and the
ear is led towards the composer’s structural
goals. The ruminative ‘Poco adagio’
is really quite a deep statement, its
ever-shifting scoring a delight; in
stark contrast, the finale is rather
war-like (certainly filmic in its gestures).
It cannot shake off the dogged rhythmic
determination with the result that when
it subsequently tries to scamper along,
it does so with a disconcerting ominous
undertone.
The concentrated Fifth
Symphony is the most impressive achievement
on this disc. Commissioned by the Arts
Council for the 1973 Norwich Triennial
Festival, it is dedicated, ‘to the immortal
memory of Sir Thomas Browne (1605-1682)’.
Browne’s elegy on death appeared in
1658 under the title ‘Hydriotaphia:
urn burial, or a discourse of the sepulchral
urns lately found in Norfolk’ – Alwyn
prefaces each section of his symphony
with a quotation.
Although in one long
movement, there are distinct sections
that correspond to the traditional symphonic
layout. The work’s strength lies in
its brevity, for Alwyn concentrates
his ideas – and his emotional weight
– in a total time-span of just under
a quarter of an hour.
Altogether this is
an eminently worthwhile disc and the
perfect complement to the disc of shorter,
lighter works on SRCD229 ()http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2004/Feb04/Alwyn_miniatures.htm).
Colin Clarke
Session
photographs
Alwyn
web-site
The
Lyrita catalogue
London Philharmonic Orchestra/William Alwyn. 
