MiV Home
Alix Goolden Performance Hall
May 4, 2008
For those who believe that all human knowledge is available via the internet, try the following simple exercise: do a web search for "Sir William Walton" and "quotes".
You will find yourself ploughing through pages of quotes by a Bill Walton, who appears to be some sort of sporting hero, and much besides; but to find a single word uttered by one of England's most prominent and distinctive 20th century composers you will have to page through far more irrelevance than I had the time or intestinal fortitude for.
One might reasonably assume that the composer of Belshazzar's Feast, the Viola Concerto and Facade would have at least once in his life, have uttered something memorable. (For what it's worth, my fairly slim book of musical quotations offered two: one by and one about Sir William).
Fortunately, page-ranking on Google does not inform the Civic Orchestra's programming, otherwise we might not have had the inestimable, treat, on Sunday afternoon, of hearing Denise Peters sing, and the Civic play, Walton's wonderful A Song for the Lord Mayer's Table.
Although doubtless over-orchestrated - Peters was all but inaudible at times - the music is full of life and character, as was the performance. Peters has a lovely voice and used it intelligently, whether in the exuberant opening and closing movements, the gently flowing second with its images of the River Thames, or the more sombre setting of Blake's Holy Thursday.
Throughout, Corwin and the orchestra provided first-rate support in some technically challenging music.
One remark, though, for future reference: in the third song the rhyming of "Mall" and "Sal" is not simply assonance (or "getting the rhyme wrong" to quote Rita); the London street of that name is indeed pronounced to rhyme with Sal.
For me the Walton was the highlight of a superb afternoon's music-making.
Berwald's Tragic Overture, from his opera Estrella de Soria, opened the programme in fine, not to mention adventurous (Berwald is hardly a household name) fashion. Balances were good, with all sections of the orchestra making their contributions heard. Tempo changes were well managed, although ensemble was a little scrappy at times.
Rudolf Komorous's Aurélia, the third world premiere of the Civic's season, takes its inspiration from a short novel by the Nineteenth century French poet Gérard de Nerval. (And, with truly Jungian synchronicity, I came across the Nerval's name again - previously unfamiliar to me - within a couple of days, strangely enough in a biography of Roy Orbison).
Aurélia is a strangely beautiful work, from the misterioso lower strings of the opening to the percussive close. There was some delectable solo writing, particularly the long, wistful saxophone solo, deliciously played by Marcus Durrant.
The composer, who was present, seemed well pleased with the performance.
Oddly - or perhaps not - it was the best-known music on the programme, Borodin's Symphony No.1 - which I found least rewarding; although I hasten to add that the fault, if such it was, was mine or perhaps Borodin's: not the performers'.
There was much to admire in the performance: the trenchant rhythms of the first movement, the dancing strings in the second, the exquisite flute and cor anglais solos (Mary Jill McCulloch and Sheila Longton) in the third and the determined tread of the finale.
A fine season's closer; on this evidence the Civic Orchestra are in better shape than ever.
MiV Home