Originally recorded
in 1987 and now reincarnated in Sanctuary’s
Resonance series – in a very verdant
livery as well – these are thoroughly
recommendable traversals. Hickox is
a practised exponent of the repertoire
and the Northern Sinfonia proved then,
as now, to be flexible and adroit interpreters.
They also never lack for weight at climaxes
and nor do they lack qualities of shading
and power sufficient to characterise
the Bridge Variations. So that’s a thumbnail
sketch; time for a few specifics.
We hear in the Introduction
and Theme of the Bridge one characteristic
feature of the performance; its latent
(later explicit) seriousness of purpose.
To this we can add a strong expressive
quotient in the Romance – plenty of
subtle colouration and an almost elastic
sense of the melody line – and the terrific
way Hickox brings out the lower string
writing in the Aria Italiana. It may
not be quite as aerial as Britten’s
own – or the classic Marriner/ASMIF
– but you’ll seldom hear the guitar
themes explored with as much witty panache
as you’ll find here. The Waltz is nicely
detailed; it’s very much a matter of
taste but perhaps there might have been
just a touch more breathing space but
against that the humour is strongly
intact. The final variations gather
in depth and feeling; the black basses
in the Funeral March contend with the
high string writing for maximal effect
and the Chant is properly haunting,
the Mahlerian solemnity of the finale
equally moving.
Coupled with the Variations
is the pert Simple Symphony. Once again
Hickox has its contours delineated.
There’s a real spring in the Playful
Pizzicato and in the Sentimental Sarabande
one finds a youthful echo of Elgar’s
smaller string pieces (it had never
struck me before). To finish we have
the most recent of the three pieces
to be written, the 1943 Prelude and
Fugue, which was written to celebrate
the Boyd Neel Orchestra’s tenth anniversary
(the orchestra had famously premiered
the Bridge Variations in Salzburg in
1937). As befits that orchestra of virtuosos
this is a difficult work to bring off
satisfactorily but the Northern Sinfonia
really tears at it. The part writing
is tricky and the demands considerable
but the results here are impressive.
The notes are concise
and to the point. Sound quality is pretty
good, though the church acoustic very
occasionally obscures ultimate clarity,
which can lead to a lack of real bloom
to the string sound. But these are momentary
distractions and you can certainly buy
with confidence; these are fine, impressive
and frequently exhilarating performances.
Jonathan Woolf
Northern Sinfonia of England/Richard Hickox
