Records
Cycling
Peter Phillips
Vaughan Williams wrote his nine Songs of Travel to Robert Louis Stevenson's poetry in 1903, before he had edited the English Hymnal and before he had ex- plored native folk-song: that is, before he had focused his 'English' idiom. It is all unfamiliar Vaughan Williams in some re- spects, searching for originality but still not strained of obtrusive outside references, especially from the Russians and from Parry and Elgar. After writing this cycle he ceased to compose for some years, during which he went to study in Paris with Ravel and also looked into traditional music in this country. One of the first post-Ravel works was another song-cycle — on Wen - lock Edge (1909) to poems by A. H. Housman from A Shropshire Lad. The change is easily perceptible. These two cycles are brought together on a nevi record, sung by Thomas Allen and Robert Tear respectively, with the City of Birm- ingham Orchestra under Simon Rattle (EL 27 0059 1). The Songs of Travel should not be dismissed, however, as student works: in their beauty of vocal line and ability to set an atmosphere they are fully mature. Their emotional range is more restricted than the Housman settings, but then Stevenson.s poetry does not demand the same intenst- ty, concentrating on imagery, bitter-sweet,' sometimes sentimental. Housman's stark preoccupation with death requires a stern- er musical style, and Vaughan Williams has the technique and sensitivity to suit both of them. He makes the most impassionec1 Song of Travel the fourth — 'Youth an Love', and although the text does n°t particularly support such a noticeable in- crease in intensity, it is welcome. Figura- tion in the orchestral writing of no. 6, 'The Infinite Shining Heavens', must be Russian in inspiration, perhaps from the ineluctable Boris Godunov. The inherited 'noble' style of Elgar is clearly on display in no. 7, and no. 9 ends the cycle with a reference to Parry's 'Jerusalem', as ever resplendent. This last song, musically a summing-up of the whole, was not performed in Vaughan Williams's lifetime, and was only found amongst his papers after his death. Thomas Allen's singing very well serves the wistful- ness of the settings, a rich and flexible voice, which strains only on the highest notes of no. 8. Robert Tear in On Wenlock Edge is much more immediate in quality, almost pressing, which makes so dramatic a song as 'Is it my team ploughing?' an unforgettable experience. More responsi- bility is laid on the orchestra in this cycle, as the composer has clearly learnt from Ravel how to conceive and maintain an atmosphere. 'Bredon Hill' is remarkable in this respect, the opposites of summer and Winter, life and death set within a framework of coherent orchestral figura- tion. Simon Rattle never allows the orches- tra to dominate, but their playing is always responsive and intelligent. Another record to appear recently of a master's early works is Andrei Gavrilov's readings of a selection from Scriabin's Preludes, and including the Fourth Sonata and an Etude, op. 42 no. 5 (EL 27 0090 1). Except in the sonata there is not very much evidence of the Scriabin of later years, as to be heard in the Poem of Ecstasy for Instance, but these miniatures have a posi- tive style which makes them all as challeng- ing to play as to listen to. There is little that is restful about them — even when lyrical theY are challengingly so, as if something is lurking in the background ready to under- ;line any attempt at simple charm. The
tude is angry. It seems appropriate some-
OW that Scriabin had real difficulty com- Fnsing in C major — F sharp major was his inavourite key, the key of this Fourth
onata, and extreme, one might say ram- pant, chromaticism was only a hieroglyph The most obvious mentor behind
IS music is Chopin, whose style of figura- tion is everywhere apparent. The Prelude • 11 no. 16 is audibly a free variation of L,nopin's famous funeral march. Gavrilov gives the music impeccable and committed Performances, he could hardly do other- Se and and get away with it. The sound of the Piano is regularly tempered by a succession untexted hisses and grunts, which I .,..assnme to be Gavrilov expressing himself. .t .his May help him, but it may equally .Oder the listener: the end result is worth it though. la Mention should be made of a reissue on ;,t.MV Greensleeve (ED 29 01451) of iviahler's Fifth Symphony, played by the v-SSR Symphony Orchestra under Kiril nnndrashin. This was recorded in 1974 by aP4elodiya USSR, and can be reckoned _tnongst the strongest versions of the piece un disc. The actual quality of the record-
ing, which is often variable on Melodiya transcriptions, is in this case perfectly satisfactory, the only qualification being that the full orchestral sound lacks some depth and resonance. The orchestra re- sponds to the music with beautiful phras- ing: they follow Kondrashin to the last nuance; and they have a tone-quality of their own to contribute to the world's perception of Mahler, especially a nostal- gic timbre from the trumpets and horns which certainly suits him. The strings in the counterpoint at the beginning of the last movement produce a brittle, forceful tone which takes some getting used to; but is convincing in the context. The HMV sleeve has a note of rare insight by the English composer Colin Matthews.
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