It is hard now to recall the extent of the affection and respect
with which many music-lovers, especially those who attended
the Proms, regarded Sir Malcolm Sargent in the 1950s and 1960s.
I remember making a slightly disrespectful remark about his
conducting to an ardent Prommer and being treated thereafter
with suspicion. Nowadays his name is more likely to bring to
mind the cancer charity founded in his memory, and even that
has been reduced to just part of the acronym CLIC Sargent. Nonetheless
as this disc reminds us, he was a conductor with solid virtues
even if they may not have extended as far as some may have judged
at the time. Even if from what was said at the time he was no
favourite with orchestral players.
Although the disc begins with 24 seconds of applause - no date
or place of recording given - it is not of a live concert. It
is nonetheless representative of the kind of music that might
have appeared at the Proms, and in particular at the last night,
during the years in which he presided. It is interesting to
note that four of the composers represented, and more than half
of the disc’s length, were born between 1840 and 1842
and that the addition of the others only extends this period
to 1818 to 1874. It was indeed music from that period which
showed Sargent off at his best. His Bach and Handel performances
were old-fashioned even for the time.
Unsurprisingly the best performance by far here is that of Holst’s
Beni Mora Suite. This was one of the conductor’s
great favourites and he used to include it in broadcasts and
live concerts whenever possible. The orchestra were, and sound,
thoroughly familiar with the piece and play it with understanding
and real care. For the Holst enthusiast the disc is worth having
for it alone. The other performance to which I have returned
several times is that of Adolf Schmid’s once popular arrangement
for string orchestra of Tchaikovsky’s Andante cantabile.
This is played with great dignity and beauty, without affectation
or excess. The Sullivan and Chabrier items have panache and
wit whilst lacking any kind of coarseness.
The remaining items are less worthy of revival. Good as it is
to hear Joan Hammond’s impassioned performance in the
Letter Scene, it must be admitted that it is hard to imagine
her as recorded here as a young girl, and although the booklet
states that it is sung in English no words are audible …
or are given in the booklet. The other items are given adequate
but unexciting performances.
The booklet essay by Jürgen Schaarwächter is a robust
and interesting defence of Sargent’s place in the history
of the Proms. All in all this disc is an fine reminder of his
contribution to musical life in post-war years, with the Holst
in particular showing that there was much more to him than his
“flash” exterior.
John Sheppard
Gustav Holst:
Discography & Review Index
Joan Hammond (soprano); Shura Cherkassky (piano) 