Charles Villiers Stanford: Symphony No. 1, Vol. 4

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (Artist), Stanford (Composer), Lloyd-Jones (Conductor) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Conductor: Lloyd-Jones
• Composer: Stanford
• Audio CD (November 18, 2008)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Naxos
• ASIN: B001FENYIK
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #265,195 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Fanfare Archive, Jerry Dubins, May/June 2009

With this, the fourth and last volume in the series, Naxos completes its run of the symphonies by Irish-Anglo Romantic composer, Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924).

Born in Dublin and educated at Queens' College Cambridge, Stanford had already attained professional status as a composer, conductor, and organist at Trinity College when, between 1874 and 1877, he took partial leaves of absence to continue his studies in Germany with Carl Reinecke and Friedrich Kiel. In 1883, he accepted the post of professor of composition at the Royal College of Music, and in 1887 he was appointed to the same post at Cambridge. Cantankerous and conservative in matters musical, Stanford managed to alienate a number of his contemporaries, most notable among them, Elgar. Nonetheless, his roster of students is impressive: Vaughan Williams, Holst, Ireland, Butterworth, Moeran, Frank Bridge, Charles Wood, and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.

Given Stanford's leanings towards the German Romantics--especially those loyal to the Brahms camp, coupled with the fact that he lived the last third of his life in the 20th century, much of his music was regarded in its time as reactionary and was soon eclipsed by the work of more progressive composers. While his many organ and choral works--anthems, motets, services for the Anglican Church, and a Stabat mater--continued to hold favor, his half-dozen or so operas and a number of other secular choral works fell by the wayside, as did his seven symphonies, dozen concertos, and considerable output of chamber music. Only his six Irish Rhapsodies kept Stanford's name before the public until perhaps about 15 years ago when, largely thanks to the efforts of Vernon Handley and Chandos, a Stanford revival and reassessment of sorts began. The torch was taken up by Hyperion, which recorded the composer's Piano Concerto No. 1 with Piers Lane as part of its "Romantic Piano Concerto" series, and by Naxos, which has now released 14 Stanford CDs, spanning a wide range of his output.

The musical influences you will hear in Stanford's 1876 Symphony No. 1 in B♭ Major are many--Beethoven, Schubert, and Mendelssohn, to be sure--but the one overarching presence hovering over this score is, no, not Brahms, but Schumann. There are no direct quotations, but the melodic contours, the ways in which phrases are extended and developed, and, most of all, the textures of the orchestral tapestry will remind you repeatedly of Schumann's same-keyed "Spring" Symphony. Stanford entered his score into a competition for new British symphonies. It came in second out of 38 entries, after a symphony by a long forgotten composer named Francis Williams Davenport. Among the jurors was Joseph Joachim, who we know was an astute judge of musical worth; so Davenport's work must have been quite striking to have aced out this extraordinarily handsome symphony by Stanford.

Competition comes mainly from the aforementioned Vernon Handley, who recorded all seven of Stanford's symphonies with the Ulster Orchestra for Chandos. With this current release, all seven symphonies are now also available on Naxos with David Lloyd-Jones leading the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. In a direct A-B comparison, I'm inclined to give an ever so slim edge to the newcomer. The late and beloved Handley, who passed away in September 2008, had, I think, a slightly more British take on Stanford's music, lending it a crisper, tauter feel, whereas Lloyd-Jones is more expansive and expressive, giving reign to the score's German Romantic roots. Timings don't tell the whole story, but Lloyd-Jones's pace is slower in each of the symphony's four movements, especially so in the opening Larghetto. Then, too, Lloyd-Jones's Bournemouth band of 2007 is in better form than was Handley's Ulster forces in 1991. Add to that Naxos's fantastic recording, and you have a real winner.

Late-18th- and early-19th-century clarinet concertos are not in short supply. Haydn, Hoffmeister, Krommer, Crusell, Weber, and Spohr, to mention just a few, all contributed to the growing repertoire for the instrument. But most, to be frank, are vacuous virtuoso display vehicles, and none come close to the masterpiece Mozart wrote for clarinetist Anton Stadler in 1791. The clarinet would have to wait for Carl Nielsen in 1928 before another concerto of musical import comparable to Mozart's would be written for it. This is perhaps an indirect way of saying that Stanford's 1902 effort in the medium is not it. The composer originally wrote the work for and dedicated it to Richard Mühlfeld--the clarinetist for whom Brahms had written four magnificent chamber works--in the hope that the famous player would premiere and promote the work. But Mühlfeld turned Stanford down. We don't know his reasons, but listening to the piece one can guess. The work demonstrates well enough that Stanford knew his way around the clarinet and appreciated its unique musical properties; but little of it catches the breath or sticks in the memory. Still, the concerto has been a repertoire favorite mainly for British clarinetists, having been recorded by Janet Hilton, Emma Johnson, and Thea King. It would be interesting to hear an American take on it by a player such as Richard Stoltzman or David Shifrin.

If you've already collected Handley's Stanford cycle on Chandos, I'd say this new Naxos release, though perhaps marginally preferable in the symphony, is more of a duplicative nicety than it is a necessity. For those just beginning to discover Stanford, however, recommended

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Final Instalment in the Naxos Series of Stanford Symphonies, February 9, 2009

By 

J Scott Morrison (Middlebury VT, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Charles Villiers Stanford: Symphony No. 1, Vol. 4 (Audio CD)

This is the fourth and last CD in the Naxos series comprising all seven of Charles Villiers Stanford's symphonies. The others have been reviewed here. Stanford: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 7, Stanford: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 5, Sir Charles Villiers Stanford: Symphonies Nos. 3 "Irish" & 6 "In Honour of G.F. Watts" I wouldn't be surprised if there will be a Naxos box set containing all the symphonies one of these days. My own favorites are the 'Irish' Symphony, and the Nos. 4 & 7. This first symphony was written when Stanford was twenty-four and it was entered in a contest for British symphonies; it won second prize. The first prize winner was a symphony by Francis William Davenport who, as far as I know, was never heard of again. The symphony had one performance a couple of years later and then was never again performed during Stanford's lifetime. It is only in the past twenty years, partly through the efforts of the Chandos label, who have their own complete symphony series with the late Vernon Handley at the helm of the Ulster Orchestra, that the music of Stanford has come more clearly into view. Trailbreaking as those recordings were I believe the more recent Lloyd-Jones/Bournemouth recordings are better, and they are certainly easier on the budget.

The First Symphony (1876) is long -- almost fifty minutes -- and modeled on the symphonies of Beethoven, Schumann, Mendelssohn, and Brahms. It is exquisitely crafted with a clearly discerned form, masterly if somewhat muted orchestration, memorable if not transcendent motivic elements, and an overall satisfactory effect. The first movement is an eighteen-minute giant with fairly tight construction but some moments of lassitude. The second movement, the Scherzo, is a genial ländler that sounds a descendant of Schubert and notable for its suavity. The Andante is vaguely Irish sounding and features a sweet violin solo (played beautifully here by concertmaster Duncan Riddell) toward the end. This feels like a young man's music. The vigorous finale, Allegro molto, is energetic, forward-thrusting and exciting, with marvelous use of massed brass and piquant wind contributions. To be honest, this is not a great symphony, but it is not to be dismissed either. It is certainly the equal of some of Mendelssohn's lesser known symphonies and it is probably the best British symphony of its era.

The Clarinet Concerto, here played mellifluously by Robert Plane, is possibly Stanford's most often played orchestral work (or perhaps neck and neck with the 'Irish' Symphony). It has been given beautiful recordings by English clarinet virtuosos Emma Johnson Finzi: Clarinet Concerto; Stanford: Clarinet Concerto and Thea King Finzi/Stanford: Clarinet Concertos. Written some twenty-five years after the First Symphony, one can hear how Stanford's compositional voice has matured. The first movement, Allegro moderato, begins with exuberance but soon expresses pensiveness and melancholy. Its quiet ending leads into the emotional core of the concerto, the exquisite Andante con moto movement, whose main theme is one of Stanford's most memorable. The clarinet soloist sings it with heartbreaking simplicity. The final movement, Allegro moderato, is vigorous, although with a central section of repose, and makes use of Irish dance elements. The whole thing comes to a rousing finish, with the soloist jigging and clogging. This is a wonderful performance the equal of the two aforementioned recordings.

Scott Morrison