If ever there were a composer and conductor ideally suited to each other, it is William Walton and John Wilson.
The latter has made many recordings for Chandos with his virtuoso orchestra the Sinfonia of London, using players drawn from the best freelancers and the section leaders of Britain’s leading permanent ensembles.
The conductor’s new Walton series, of which this is the second instalment, serves to confirm how well his vibrant approach and the orchestra’s brilliant sheen serve the late English composer’s music. We hear it right from the opening bars of the bouncy Scapino Overture (1940, rev. 1950).
This program brings together works from Walton’s maturity, and one of his late masterpieces. To deal with the latter first: By the 1950s and ‘60s, Walton’s productivity had slowed. He never finished a commission on time, and while his older music was still enjoyed, his new work was condemned for not moving with the times. Particularly, his Symphony No. 2 and Cello Concerto were initially regarded as weak. Since then, both have been recorded many times and their merits acknowledged.
While following the same format as Walton’s earlier string concertos, the Cello Concerto is more inward-looking: a vein of nostalgia runs through the outer movements that gives it an irresistible tenderness. Norwegian cellist Jonathan Aasgaard taps into that with a subtle dynamic range, underlining the lyricism of the writing.
The contrasting character of the scherzo is perfectly balanced through the light touch of Wilson’s pointed conducting. (Aasgaard, who is new to me, is the Principal Cellist of this orchestra, and Professor of Cello at the Guildhall School of Music.) Aasgaard’s performance now equals my other favourite, a darker take on the piece by Christian Poltéra (BIS).
The best-known work here is the towering, Sibelian Symphony No. 1 (1935-37). There have been many great recordings of it, beginning with the young André Previn and the London Symphony. That performance put Previn on the map as a conductor, and its freshness has not dimmed one iota in 60 years. Predictably, Wilson is sharp and detailed in the explosive, second movement Scherzo, but he also has the measure of the increasing intensity building through the first movement.
Wilson’s precision does not undercut the beauties of the slow music – his solo players are too good for that. Their performance of the third movement is one of the best on record, while the Hollywood-esque fanfares of the finale suit these forthright musicians down to the ground. The sound quality is great. It’s a small thing, but the extra bit of space between the end of the third movement and beginning of the finale exemplifies the care that has gone into this production. Scapino is great fun, too.
This release is urgently recommended. Even though Edward Gardner conducted an excellent Walton series for the same label only a few years ago, and Bryden Thomson also made an ultra-complete one in the 1990s, Wilson’s looks set to overtake them both.
Composer: Walton
Works: Scapino Overture, Cello Concerto, Symphony No. 1
Performers: Jonathan Aasgaard vc, Sinfonia of London / John Wilson
Label: CHANDOS CHSA 5328
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