Another unjustly neglected
English composer! Despite being highly
regarded during his life-time (not least
by his championing composition teacher,
Vaughan Williams), Robin Milford is
one of a plethora of original and accomplished
voices that has since disappeared into
the black void. Yes, that’s the same
void where-to unfashionable, un-PC early
twentieth century British composers
are routinely banished for their horrific
sins. And those sins are: English romanticism
and lyricism, writing accessible and
pleasant music, and tunefulness!
This disc therefore
comes as a relief and a joy. It includes
a number of Milford’s smaller-scale
pieces for strings. He wrote everything
from solo song through to a symphony
and oratorio. Here these pieces are
performed by the proficient Guildhall
Strings under their director Robert
Salter.
Fishing by Moonlight
– probably Milford’s best-known
orchestral work - opens the disc. This
is a gloriously beautiful and tender
little piece for piano and strings,
neither without invention nor without
passion in that reserved English way.
Julian Milford – the composer’s great
nephew – is the deft and sensitive soloist
in a jewel of a work.
The lively, lyrical
and quintessentially English Miniature
Concerto in G is then followed by
the Elegiac Meditation for viola
and string orchestra - intensely wistful,
poetic, and nostalgic. The Two Orchestral
Interludes are both based around traditional
tunes and were originally written as
piano duets. Mr John Peel Passes
By (the tune of D’ye Ken John
Peel) is a jaunty, extremely Warlockian,
delicious little piece, which, with
its early music overtones, could almost
be an excerpt from the Capriol Suite.
Mr Ben Johnson’s Pleasure is
an inventive setting of Drink To
Me Only With Thine Eyes.
The suite Go little
book takes as its introduction six
lines of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Envoy.
The seven ensuing scenes each take an
aspect of the excerpt (thy garden, thy
bin of wine, meat in thy hall, thy wit,
thy house and lawns, thy living river
and thy nightingale) and bring it to
life. All of this is done in a series
of brilliant and expressive, sometimes
lyrical and flowing, sometimes more
sprightly and vigorous, miniature character
pieces.
The Elegy for James
Scott, Duke of Monmouth and Buccleuch,
which follows, has shifting chords straight
out of the Tallis Fantasia and
is sumptuously lyrical. Again, a beautifully
sensitive and perceptive performance.
The atmospheric and charming Interlude
for flute and strings, with an adroit
Julian Sperry as the soloist, precedes
the final work – the Festival Suite,
written to mark the Festival of Britain
in 1951 – another miniature masterpiece.
This is instantly loveable
music - witty, engaging, winsome and
delectable. The Guildhall Strings are
excellent and play characterfully and
with a consummate grasp of the spirit
of the pieces. All the soloist are of
top standard, too. It is wonderful to
see good old Hyperion keeping up their
outstanding work in promoting these
composers and returning to us our lost
gems… don’t stop, Hyperion!
Em Marshall
see also review
by Rob Barnett
Guildhall Strings, Robert Slater (director),
Julian Sperry (flute), Julian Milford (piano),
Carys Lane (soprano) 