As can be seen from
the above, it was not Lyrita who recorded
this music originally. In the case of
Scenes and Arias, and I still
have the LP, it was that wonderful company,
Argo. They coupled it with Lutyens’
‘Quincunx’ a marvellous piece that I
presume will also make a Lyrita appearance
in due course. The Milner works were
coupled on an LP and were quite rare
examples of his music recorded during
his lifetime. They make ideal bed-fellows.
In a book published
by Faber in 1985 ‘New Sounds, New Personalities’,
Nicholas Maw in conversation with Paul
Griffiths is quoted appositely "I
think probably that all twentieth century
composers have to define their relationship,
to tonality". He goes on: "there
has, and always will be different types
of tonality". Those comments apply
to these works under review here as
well as to both composers in general.
Maw’s work has been
described as neo-Straussian and indeed
in his booklet notes Calum MacDonald
writes ‘The ravishing sound of three
sopranos soaring above lush orchestration
clearly suggests that one of Maw’s inspirations
was ‘Der Rosenkavalier’. Anthony Milner
has however explored another aspect
of tonality, especially ‘Roman Spring’,
again to quote the booklet where Milner’s
words are quoted "Whereas the former
(that is ‘Salutatio’) is unambiguously
tonal, the later work is ‘atonal’ or,
as I would prefer to call it ‘pan-tonal’,
though there are focal point-chords,
single notes and motifs which act as
harmonic ‘centres of gravity’".
Both composers then address their own
view of tonality and both emerge with
a different solution.
I must admit though
that about 1973 I studied and attended
the first performance of Milner’s 1st
Symphony, a work I have just come back
to and which is even more ‘pan-tonal’.
I have found it far less memorable and
personal than I had remembered. Whereas,
as a result of writing this review I
listened again to Maw’s ‘Life Studies’
(1976) and Piano Quartet (1981) and
have found them to be quite original
and a fascinating development of the
language of ‘Scenes and Arias’.
I can still recall
a revival c.1971 of Maw’s masterpiece
in the Royal Festival Hall. It was well
received but by a small audience. At
its Proms premiere in 1962 the young
composer was hailed, quite rightly,
as a new master. Why was that and why
has the work acquired the status of
more talked about than actually performed?
Well first, it is long
and complex, requiring top vocalists
and it demands orchestral virtuosity.
Secondly it will be expensive and will
need significant rehearsal time. Thirdly
the text is an obscure macaronic one
which takes a little effort to understand.
In addition the composer is still alive
and that is enough to put off most concert
audiences. How much more open-minded
are CD buyers compared with concert
promoters and audiences.
The harmony of the
work is lush and careful balancing is
necessary. Del Mar was a master at that
and the recording is wonderful, even
on the old scratchy LP. The women’s
voices may now seem to be slightly dated
in style and technique; it would be
an interesting exercise to think which
modern day sopranos, with less vibrato,
you would choose to sing this work.
Incidentally these women are top-flight
singers so I have no intention of putting
you off. Personally I have never tired
of this work.
I came to the Anthony
Milner pieces for the first time and
found them immediately attractive, interesting
and excellently performed. Again the
texts are especially individual. Milner
remarks in the quoted notes "Latin
verse has always stimulated me musically",
so his Opus 1 (what a brave and confident
composer to allow his Opus 1 to be recorded)
is, in many ways, a student work mixes
the Latin Antiphon Regina Coeli with
Psalm 130, and the later work sets a
portion of the ‘Pervigilium Veneris’
an anonymous and it must be admitted,
obscure, 2nd Century text to the Gods
of Spring. The second movement which
offers a long and contrapuntally complex
aria mostly to the tenor soloist is
a setting of Horace and the third of
Catullus the poet associated with exile,
but whose erotic verse is justly famous
"Let us live and love Lesbia/ and
not care a farthing".
The orchestral writing
displays the occasional influence of
Michael Tippett especially in the string
writing. The Opus 1 showing influences
of the Tippett of the 1st
and even the 2nd Symphonies
from the period 1952-59 and ‘Roman Spring’
having something of the ecstatic quality
found in Tippett’s 3rd Symphony
written a few years after Milner’s work.
The choral wring is
challenging and probably out of the
range of anything except the very best
choral societies. The solo work is quite
challenging also. It is fortunate therefore
that on this disc we certainly find
Robert Tear (also associated with Tippett)
at the peak of his form and the great
Alfreda Hodgson (much missed) in full
voice and quite emotionally charged.
The recordings come
out very well and were at the time of
the best available standards. They are
of course analogue and seem to highlight
the soloists more than is realistic.
But this should not create a problem,
the recordings serve the music beautifully
and anyone who cares about British Music
of the period should snap this recording
up without fail.
Gary Higginson
See also review
by Rob Barnett
The
Lyrita Catalogue
for details
†
Jane Manning (soprano); Anne Howells (mezzo);
Norma Proctor (contralto) 
