BaL 4.03.23 - Walton: Viola Concerto

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

10.30 am
David Owen Norris chooses his favourite recording of William Walton’s Viola Concerto.

It was conductor Sir Thomas Beecham’s suggestion that Walton should write a viola concerto for the virtuoso Lionel Tertis. But things did not go according to plan when Tertis sent back the music by return of post saying it was ‘too modern’. So the 1929 premiere was given by Paul Hindemith (who had been sent the concerto by the BBC’s Edward Clark) at the Queen’s Hall, just around the corner from Broadcasting House. It was a success and Tertis, in the audience, relented. But although he subsequently played the concerto, Tertis continued to disparage it and was heard to say that Walton had ‘murdered’ the viola.

Despite its inauspicious beginning, Walton’s Viola Concerto has long been recognised as one of his most important early works and is well established a cornerstone of an albeit limited repertoire. Perhaps the root of its appeal is to be found in its dedication ‘to Christabel’, the lyrical melancholy and poetic longing at the concerto’s heart reflecting Walton’s unrequited passion for Christabel, Lady Aberconway.

Available versions:-

Yuri Bashmet, Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Moscow Philharmonic Society, Dmitri Kitayenko

Yuri Bashmet, London Symphony Orchestra, André Previn

Helen Callus, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Marc Taddei

David Aaron Carpenter, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Jurowski

Roberto Diaz, New Haven Symphony Orchestra, William Boughton

Karen Dreyfus, Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra (or Silesian Philharmonic Orchestra), Jerzy Swoboda *

James Ehnes, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Edward Gardner (SACD)

Nobuko Imai, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Jan Latham-Koenig

Nigel Kennedy, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, André Previn

Isabelle van Keulen, NDR Radiophilharmonie, Andrew Manze

Adrien La Marca, Liège Royal Philharmonic, Christian Arming

Paul Neubauer, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Litton

Tatjana Masurenko, NDR Radiophilharmonie, Garry Walker (SACD)

Yehudi Menuhin, New Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir William Walton

Nils Mönkemeyer, Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Markus Poschner

Lawrence Power, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ilan Volkov

William Primrose, Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir William Walton

Frederick Riddle, London Symphony Orchestra, Sir William Walton *

Eivind Holtsmark Ringstad, Oslo Philharmonic, Joshua Weilerstein

Lars Anders Tomter, English Northern Philharmonia, Paul Daniel

Maxim Vengerov, London Symphony Orchestra, Mstislav Rostropovich *

Hong-Mei Xiao, Budapest Symphony Orchestra MÁV, János Kovács

(* = download only)

[Pulcinella]

At the risk of this becoming a Bruckner-like thread (heaven forbid!): which version?

A BaL to look forward to.

Six (seven counting the BBC one) versions on the shelves here, so some comparative listening to come.

Bashmet/LSO/Previn
Menuhin/NPO/Walton
Neubauer/Bournemouth SO/Litton
Power/BBCSSO/Volkov (first modern recording of the original version)
Primrose/PO/Walton (recorded 1946, so original version)
Tomter/ENP/Daniel

Also a BBC MM CD: Imai/BBCNOW/Otaka, from a 1994 Prom concert.

[smittims]

One thing that's always intrigued me about Primrose's two recordings of the work (with Walton and Sargent respectively) is that in the second movement he transposes several phrases up an octave. I've never heard anyone else do this but presumably it had the composer's approval. It's not a feature of the revised version.

I think it was when Tertis visited Manchester in 1958 to play 'Flos Campi' in the Halle centanary concerts that Michael Kennedy took the opportunity to ask Tertis about his initial refusal of the work,and he said Tertis had admitted he never liked it.

Primrose will always be the definitive interpreter for me, though Lawrence Power is superb also, as he is in everything I've heard him play, and I still treasuere Fred Riddle's pre-war 78s (reissued on a Dutton CD) . I suspect the revival of the original version means that others agree with me that the revision was a mistake. I was amused to read that Walton had added an 'iridescent' (sic) harp part, since it is barely audible in some recordings.

[Pulcinella]

One thing that's always intrigued me about Primrose's two recordings of the work (with Walton and Sargent respectively) is that in the second movement he transposes several phrases up an octave. I've never heard anyone else do this but presumably it had the composer's approval. It's not a feature of the revised version.

I think it was when Tertis visited Manchester in 1958 to play 'Flos Campi' in the Halle centanary concerts that Michael Kennedy took the opportunity to ask Tertis about his initial refusal of the work,and he said Tertis had admitted he never liked it.

Primrose will always be the definitive interpreter for me, though Lawrence Power is superb also, as he is in everything I've heard him play, and I still treasuere Fred Riddle's pre-war 78s (reissued on a Dutton CD) . I suspect the revival of the original version means that others agree with me that the revision was a mistake. I was amused to read that Walton had added an 'iridescent' (sic) harp part, since it is barely audible in some recordings.

This is slightly at odds with comments in the liner notes of the BBC MM CD recording (Imai/BBCNOW/Otaka; Prom on 4 August 1994), which say:

Tertis quickly came round to the work's merits. After a performance in Germany a year later, Walton wrote to the pianist Harriet Cohen: 'My arm is fatigued by autograph-signing... You have no conception what Tertis has made out of the work – if you liked it before, you will just pass out when yiu hear him play it. I nearly did myself.'

Although the CD is entitled Great Proms Premieres, and the notes make no mention of any revision, I would guess that it's the revised 1961 version on offer here.

I hope we don't head too far down the path of inaudible instruments (admittedly harp not triangles), like the Turangalila BaL thread has done.

[smittims]

I haven't time to listen to my copy of that Proms CD just now but I'm sure it's the revised version. It's a valuable disc as it has a fine peromance of the Ireland Piano concerto and Guto Puw's 'Unless I open the Door' , a terrific orchestral piece.

Yes, Tertis did play the Walton concerto, but not for long. And don't forget Pierre Monteux played the Rite of Spring many times, and recorded it four times, and said afterwards that he still 'detested' it! Such is the dilemma of the professional musician.

[CallMePaul]

Yet another BAL that duplicates a fairly recent one! Darloboy can, I'm sure, give the date but I have vivid memories of this being covered and Power being the chosen version.When can we expect something new on BAL?

[visualnickmos]

Yet another BAL that duplicates a fairly recent one! Darloboy can, I'm sure, give the date but I have vivid memories of this being covered and Power being the chosen version.When can we expect something new on BAL?

Why do they do this, so often? No logical reason, as I see it.

Yes, it was Power. Seems a very short while ago

[Pulcinella]

Why do they do this, so often? No logical reason, as I see it.

Yes, it was Power. Seems a very short while ago

November 2007, according to the flag given to the recording on the Presto site.
That said, I thought that Power's recording was more recent than that: tempus fugit!

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7955352--walton-rubbra-viola-concertos

[jayne lee wilson]

You can take this in a concert recording with Tabea Zimmermann on Monday night.....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001hxm4

[richardfinegold]

Listening to Emmanuel Verdi on Apple Music, not listed in the thread

[Barbirollians]

You can take this in a concert recording with Tabea Zimmermann on Monday night.....
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001hxm4

Especially as it seems she has not recorded the work. Its not my favourite Walton either but Power is indeed exceptionally fine and I have a soft spot for the Menuhin.

[smittims]

I saw Menuhin play it in Birmingham in 1972 with Willie conducting. He did a tour of Britain in his 70th birthday year, conducting this and the Hindemith Variations (not always successfully).

Yehudi of course had been the recipient of Walton's violin sonata . He had been playing viola for some time and recorded 'Harold in Italy' , the Frank Martin Ballade and Brandenburg 6 among other works. Maybe he had heard Hans Keller say (in his jokingly pugnacious way) 'every half-decent violinist ought to be able to play the viola'.

[Opinionated Knowall]

Listening to Emmanuel Verdi on Apple Music, not listed in the thread

Discogs lists a 1968 release by Paul Doktor with the LPO and Edward Downes. Looks like it's never been out on CD. Anyone familiar with this? Sounds like an intriguing prospect!

[Pulcinella]

I saw Menuhin play it in Birmingham in 1972 with Willie conducting. He did a tour of Britain in his 70th birthday year, conducting this and the Hindemith Variations (not always successfully).

Yehudi of course had been the recipient of Walton's violin sonata . He had been playing viola for some time and recorded 'Harold in Italy' , the Frank Martin Ballade and Brandenburg 6 among other works. Maybe he had heard Hans Keller say (in his jokingly pugnacious way) 'every half-decent violinist ought to be able to play the viola'.

Nige (a Menuhin protégé?) has recorded both Walton's violin and viola concertos.

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7925200--nigel-kennedy

I suspect he was better than half-decent at the time.

(What's he up to these days?)

[makropulos]

Discogs lists a 1968 release by Paul Doktor with the LPO and Edward Downes. Looks like it's never been out on CD. Anyone familiar with this? Sounds like an intriguing prospect!

I remember it in at least two incarnations on CBS: one with Hindemith's Schwanendreher (also LPO/Downes) and the other coupled with Francescatti's performances of the Walton Violin Concerto (on Columbia Odyssey). Extraordinary that it's not been on CD, but some kind soul has uploaded it to YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQC6xE6KS34