Richard Hickox Haydn London Vol. 1

Carl Orff - Carmina Burana
Penelope Walmsley-Clark, John Graham-Hill - London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus / Richard Hickox
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 246 MB | Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: IMP # PCD 855 | Country/Year: UK 1986
Genre: Classical | Style: Early 20th Century, Medieval, Vocal

"Richard Hickox, on his brilliantly recorded CD, like Previn uses the combined LSO forces, but adds the Southwen Boy's Choir who make sure we know they understand all about sexual abandon – their 'Oh, oh, oh I am bursting all over' is a joy. (…) The vivid orchestral detail revealed by the very bright digital sounds adds an extra dimentsion, with bass drum and percussive transients very telling, while the LPO brass, trumpets and horns especially, playing superbly are brilliantly projected." ~Penguin Guide

William Alwyn was a prolific composer with over sixty film scores, five symphonies, a couple of piano concertos, a variety of chamber music and a large number of miscellaneous pieces to his credit. At the heart of his music is an atmospheric pleasantness that is indentifiably British, but not necessarily in the same vein as Holst or Vaughan Williams, who adapted folk material into their music. While Alwyn didn't epitomize the English "pastoral" school, some critics did accuse him of being the "master of the art of nostalgia" - an unbalanced viewpoint in my opinion. Certainly strains of folk material are heard here and there in Alwyn, but his approach is more forward looking, modern if you will.

There’s not much cruelty, corruption or ruthlessness in Arleen Auger’s exquisitely sung portrayal of the manipulative Poppea, but this hardly detracts from her otherwise radiantly expressive performance. This welcome reissue is not just exhilaratingly played by the City of London Baroque Sinfonia with a spareness and verve that keeps the drama taut, but impressively cast. James Bowman is an elegantly spurned Ottone; Gregory Reinhart a noble Seneca; and the wonderful Della Jones a spirited, quite convincingly masculine Nero. The only snag is Linda Hirst’s unlovely, rather hectoring Ottavia; it doesn’t do, somehow, to sympathise with Nero’s decision to dump her.

This is a scintillating comedy adroitly characterised and full of memorable tunes. Its finesse comes from Mozart, and the libretto works hand-in-glove with the music and admirably demonstrated by this superb recording.

Dioclesian is the tale of a simple Roman private, Diocles, who fulfils the prophecy of Delphia (a prophetess, and hence Dioclesian's alternative title) that one day he will become emperor. In the meantime, Diocles avenges the slaying of the previous emperor and becomes a hero. With ambitions realized he discovers the he has over-played his hand by responding to Princess Aurelia's advances in the place of a nice homely girl called Drusilla, whom he had agreed to marry. The prophetess, who happens to be Drusilla's aunt, plans his come-uppance before he realizes the emptiness of his aspirations, abdicates and returns to nature and Drusilla.

In the 19th Century, music stood at a crossroads: Liszt and Wagner representing an aesthetic revolution while stalwarts such as Brahms and Max Bruch stood by the classic form. Bruch's style was fully developed by 1860, and though he lived and worked for another 60 years, the composer's work stands as a unified whole. This recording of Bruch's Symphony No. 1 and Violin Concerto No. 3 testifies to the consistency of the composer's vision. Though separated by over 20 years, they speak to Bruch's unfailing ear. Vividly performed by Richard Hickox and the London Symphony Orchestra, the works are vibrant and physical without sacrificing harmony or tonal structures.

It is astonishing that such fine pieces have been so completely neglected.They here inspire Hickox and his team to performances just as electrifying as those they have given of the great series of late Haydn masses.