Sir Charles Villiers
Stanford named William Yeates Hurlstone
his best student at the Royal College
of Music - even though Hurlstone’s fellow
pupils included Holst, Vaughan Williams,
Ireland, Coleridge-Taylor, Dunhill and
Bridge! Even so it is entirely typical
that Hurlstone’s name – like those of
so many other excellent British composers
– should be one generally unfamiliar
to us.
The Piano Concerto,
which opens this two-disc set, was given
its premiere at the Royal College of
Music when Hurlstone was only 19, and
he performed it himself on several occasions.
The first movement has an elegant, sedate,
almost courtly opening, becoming more
impassioned and romantic as the piano
enters and becomes increasingly involved
in the music. The second movement scherzo
is a lovely blend of classical poise
and intense romantic lyricism, while
the third movement opens with a long
dramatic piano soliloquy. An excellent
piece, well worth hearing, particularly
given the sensitive performance by Eric
Parkin and splendid accompaniment by
the London Philharmonic Orchestra, under
Nicholas Braithwaite.
The Fantasie-Variations
is considered to be one of Hurlstone’s
best works. It was dedicated to Captain
Beaumont, his friend and benefactor,
and dates from 1903. The Swedish tune
upon which the variations are based
is "De rosor, och den blader de
gora mig sa glader" ("The
roses, the leaves, they make me so happy")
from Henry Chorley’s book of National
Music. A slightly quirky work, it has
an arresting and striking opening, and
is, overall, a rather fascinating, well
constructed, strong piece. It is here
given an excellent performance by the
London Philharmonic who manage to offer
the listener everything from gossamer
delicacy through to full-blooded passion.
(see also Colin Clarke’s review
of the other Hurlstone variations disc
on Lyrita)
A pianist himself,
Hurlstone wrote a fair amount of music
for piano, including his published op.
1 – Five Easy Waltzes – composed
when he was just nine! Amongst other
works, he composed sonatas for piano,
and for other instruments with piano
accompaniments, as well as duets and
trios. The Piano Trio in G minor
was also dedicated to Captain Beaumont
and was probably composed after the
Piano Quartet in about 1905. It is a
well-crafted and thoroughly enjoyable
work, with a high-spirited first movement,
a lyrical second, and a lively fourth
and final movement, with its use of
a traditional Scottish tune (Hurlstone’s
grandmother was Scottish), and a flamboyant
ending. The Tunnell Quartet give an
exhilarating performance of both this
and of the ensuing Piano Quartet,
which had its premiere performance in
1904 at the Aeolian Hall, with Hurlstone
himself at the piano. The Quartet is
a rather virtuosic work, here given
a superb performance which makes the
perfect conclusion to a splendid two-disc
set.
Em Marshall
See
also review by Rob
Barnett
Tunnell Piano Quartet: (John Tunnell (violin);
Kenneth Essex (viola); Charles Tunnell
(cello); Susan Tunnell (piano)) 
