Our Summer BAL 71: Walton Symphony 2

[Pulcinella]

Their garden was quite exemplary, I hear.

It was (and I hope it still is).
I had the unexpected pleasure of chatting to Lady Walton on one of my visits there.

[BBMmk2]

It was (and I hope it still is).
I had the unexpected pleasure of chatting to Lady Walton on one of my visits there.

Oh wonderful! What did she say?

[Pulcinella]

Oh wonderful! What did she say?

She was in the midst of thinking about plans to have some sort of outdoor theatre/performance area built on the top of a flat-roofed area, so she was 'surveying' the land (from a chair) and wondering about the strength of the roof and hence how many people it could accommodate.
She was charming, and seemed very pleased that we enjoyed the garden so much.
The flowing water had inspired a little rill we had in our previous garden.

Many years previously, my partner had been on a school choir/band trip there, and had spoken to her on the phone (she was out of the country, in Buenos Aires) when something went slightly awry with the concert arrangements; she was very understanding and helpful, and things got resolved very quickly.
We were actually on Ischia the day she died, too: I happened to spot the death notice plastered up as we were waiting for the bus from the hotel to the ferry to take us home.

[Cockney Sparrow]

After Pompeii etc, we took the children to Ischia for 4 days, and I was delighted to come upon La Mortella, the Walton connection and tea from Fortnum & Mason. With one entrance/exit the children + cousins could roam in groups and meet us for lunch. We all enjoyed the visit very much.

[edashtav]

She was in the midst of thinking about plans to have some sort of outdoor theatre/performance area built on the top of a flat-roofed area, so she was 'surveying' the land (from a chair) and wondering about the strength of the roof and hence how many people it could accommodate.
She was charming, and seemed very pleased that we enjoyed the garden so much.
The flowing water had inspired a little rill we had in our previous garden.

Many years previously, my partner had been on a school choir/band trip there, and had spoken to her on the phone (she was out of the country, in Buenos Aires) when something went slightly awry with the concert arrangements; she was very understanding and helpful, and things got resolved very quickly.
We were actually on Ischia the day she died, too: I happened to spot the death notice plastered up as we were waiting for the bus from the hotel to the ferry to take us home.

I'm rather taken with Hans Werner Henze's image of Susana, Lady Walton. He tells us that W.H. Auden called her the 'Land Lady of Ischia'.Apparently, Susana spent her time and money wisely investing in packets of land. Henze described Il Padrone sitting in the back of his Black Bentley being skilfully navigated around the island's narrow streets by his Chauffeuse. Walton like playing games, was he playing a Mafia Boss? But...Susana was La Padrona di Casa and Il Padrone's Bentley was an heirloom left to the Musical Master after the death of his previous mistress, Alice, Lady Wimborne.

Henze tells a story of Susana's kindness. They were both in 'their' bank in Forio. After his transaction, Hans looked upset and he told her that his regular allowance from his publisher had not come through. It was rather inconvenient, he told her, for he had been due to travel to a concert in Rome. Later, on going home, he opened the front door of his lowly fisherman's cottage and... there, poked under the door was a package, presumably from la Padrona di Casa, containing the amount he had told Susana that he needed for his Roman trip.

[edashtav]

So do I ..... thank you AmpH .....

(PREVIN and the LSO in a Prom from RAH. )
and so do I, AmpH,Anton and Pulcie.
Why? I've tested its first movement against several others including Szell, Pritchard, and Askenazy and found the following: it takes exactly the same time as Pritchard's desultory first performance (8'.01") but is 'vif et vigoureux', as is Szell; where, perhaps Previn beats Szell is that he uses his Jazz roots both to make the rhythms 'Swing' i.e. the printed rhythms are not taken literally, and André reacts swiftly to every mercurial change of mood and emphasis: his version is more emotional, more kaleidoscopic and very vivid. The sound from the RAH is close, harsh and tiring to listen to, but the performance is a winner!
If you need better sound, Askenazy, RPO (1993?) on Decca comes close to Previn and Walton's ostinati on piano, harps and celeste and very exact. Furthermore, Askenazy brings out the debt that Walton owes to Stravinsky' Symphony in Three Movements, that's particularly obvious in the growling, peremptory, trombone interjections.

[edashtav]

Before I start to compare the three interpretations that I have on CD, I have written two lists of qualities for which I'm looking.
What are the key aspects of Walton's 2nd Symphony?
• A first movement that springs straight into life that grows and blossoms from its one germinal idea;
• A slow movement that has the warmth of the Mediterranean yet has a dusky, nocturnal element;
• A third movement that integrates its disparate structural elements into a satisfying and concluding whole;
• Lucidity of texture and balance within and across the orchestra;
• Sufficient ambience, perhaps as much as a Ravel orchestral score might require;
• Piano and celeste clearly balanced, adding glitter, fizz and kaleidoscopic ornamentation;
• Alert, on the ball, conducting, that responds to sudden, mercurial changes of mood and emphasis;
• Brass that provide attack and emphasis but do not obscure important details;
• Rhythmic accuracy and clarity from all;

Later I'll add a number of influences, borrowings and models that I feel Walton used as props.

[edashtav]

What are the Precursors of Walton's 2nd Symphony?

a. Walton's own works : Partita (some quotations) and the unfinished business of his Opera 'Troilus and Cressida';

b. Other Composers' works:
Albert Roussel : if Roussel's Suite in F inspired Walton's Partita then his Third Symphony with its three movements and wide-ranging themes contributed to Walton's Second Symphony;
Arnold Schönberg, Humphrey Searle and the friendship of Hans Werner Henze contributed the 12-note row in the third movement and may have further illuminated the use of wide intervals in thematic material;
Maurice Ravel's orchestration contributed to a lighter, sparer sound world;
Stravinsky's two symphonies from the 1940s provided inspiration for Walton's brass writing, ostinati, and octatonic harmonies;
Jazz techniques dating back to Facade and the 1920s remained an important component in Walton's armoury.

c. People : is the second movement a complex tribute to Walton's wife, Susana, his lost mistress, Alice, Lady Wimborne and Cressida, from his Opera?
The influence of Hugh Allen (e.g. interest in Roussel and Ravel) from Walton's Oxford days still informed Walton's music;

d. Place: Ischia had become Walton's final home and provided a Mediterranean ambience akin to the presence of the Bay of Naples in Hans Werner Henze's 5 Neapolitan songs which were also penned on the Island of Ischia.

[Pulcinella]

Very much looking forward to reading the result of your comparison (but can't help wishing that you had more than three versions to compare!).

Thanks for the interesting insights on background influences and what you'll be looking (listening) out for.

[BBMmk2]

She was in the midst of thinking about plans to have some sort of outdoor theatre/performance area built on the top of a flat-roofed area, so she was 'surveying' the land (from a chair) and wondering about the strength of the roof and hence how many people it could accommodate.
She was charming, and seemed very pleased that we enjoyed the garden so much.
The flowing water had inspired a little rill we had in our previous garden.

Many years previously, my partner had been on a school choir/band trip there, and had spoken to her on the phone (she was out of the country, in Buenos Aires) when something went slightly awry with the concert arrangements; she was very understanding and helpful, and things got resolved very quickly.
We were actually on Ischia the day she died, too: I happened to spot the death notice plastered up as we were waiting for the bus from the hotel to the ferry to take us home.

How sad that must’ve been. I felt it was an end of of an era.

[Pulcinella]

Bumping this thread, as the December 2020 edition of Gramophone has, as its Classics Reconsidered recording, the Cleveland/Szell Walton 2.
It still fares well, though Previn, Gardner, and Mackerras also get honourable mention for various aspects of their recordings.

Potentially annoyingly (for me, anyway), an 'editing glitch or other mishap' (at 7'37" in the slow movement) on the LP, preserved (nice choice of word!) on the CD transfer, has been pointed out; I had previously not been aware of it, and I hope to be able to continue ignoring it rather than be on tenterhooks each time I listen in future.


Apparently both the symphony and the Partita have been spruced up and are available as hi-res downloads. The article doesn't mention if the editing glitch has been removed, merely saying: High-end remastering might help 'humanise' the effect and resolve that.

[makropulos]

Potentially annoyingly (for me, anyway), an 'editing glitch or other mishap' (at 7'37" in the slow movement) on the LP, preserved (nice choice of word!) on the CD transfer, has been pointed out; I had previously not been aware of it, and I hope to be able to continue ignoring it rather than be on tenterhooks each time I listen in future.

Me too. First thing I did was listen to it on headphones, but I'm glad to say that I think I'll be able to overlook it –especially as I play the stupendous performance of the Hindemith Variations much more often than the symphony.