William Alwyn: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 5; Lyra Angelica (Harp Concerto)

William Alwyn (Composer), David Lloyd-Jones (Conductor), Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Suzanne Willison (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Suzanne Willison
• Orchestra: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: David Lloyd-Jones
• Composer: William Alwyn
• Audio CD (August 16, 2005)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Naxos
• ASIN: B000A17GGK
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #193,898 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful introduction to Naxos' Alwyn cycle, November 2, 2005

By 

R. Rockwell (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: William Alwyn: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 5; Lyra Angelica (Harp Concerto) (Audio CD)

I hope that William Alwyn will become a better known because of the Naxos series of symphonies. The Lyra Agelica is an outright masterpiece, ispired by the seventeenth century meatphysical poets. Their rhapsodic style is mirrored in what is a concerto for harp and string orchestra with a wonderful performance by Suzanne Willson on harp. The fifth symphony subtitled Hydrotapia or Urn burial is dedicated do Thomas Browne who wrote an essay by that name.. The symphony was written many decades after his four symphony cycle. It is a short symphony in one movement that is a a meditation upon death.

The second symphony was Alwyn's favorite according to the liner notes which provide a great introduction to Alwyn and his music,

I had purchased hickox's complete Alwyn before I realized that Naxos was plannin to release their series. I have come to learn over the years that Naxos assembles a fine orchestra and in the Royal Liverpool phil. conducted by lloyd Joness they have equalled and exceeded those of Hickox. I find the Lrra even better.

Please excuse typos I have a neurologic disease.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely beautiful music, February 20, 2007

By 

Biblibio - See all my reviews
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This review is from: William Alwyn: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 5; Lyra Angelica (Harp Concerto) (Audio CD)

This CD has two very nice symphonies, and then the harp concerto. Both symphonies are elegant, nice to listen to, interesting, fun... In other words, everything a symphony ought to be. They're very enjoyable to listen to.

Then again, the gem of this CD is the "Lyra Angelica", the harp concerto. I don't know how many harp concertos most people have heard, but this is simply breathtaking. It's so incredibly beautiful, but it's also plain nice. While I was worried that this would be TOO pretty and then not substantial enough, I turned out to be very wrong. It's beautiful, YES, but it's also amazing and wonderful to listen to. It's not only a sweet little harp plucking so that you fall asleep. It's just like any other concerto, but instead of a violin or piano, you've got one of the loveliest instruments in the world: the harp.

I definitely recommend this. I'd never heard much of Alwyn's work before this, but now I'm interested. The two symphonies are great listens, even if they're far behind the beautiful harp concerto.

Buy this disc! At this price, for this music, it's a wonderful deal!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fine example of Alwyn's music, September 27, 2008

By 

Hayward H. Siegel (East Meadow, New York United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: William Alwyn: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 5; Lyra Angelica (Harp Concerto) (Audio CD)

I am a fan of the music of 20th Century British composers. I cannot comment on the quality of the recording, because this is the only version of this music, which I have heard. I can only comment on the music itself. Lyra Angelica is a beautiful concerto for harp and string orchestra. The music just flows continuously between the harp and other strings. There are some beautiful melodies, especially in the 3rd of the four movements. The 2nd Symphony opens dramatically, and the symphony continuously alternates between calm and energetic passages. There are two movements, with the second movement having more energetic and tumultuous passages than the first movement. The orchestration is brilliant. The 5th Symphony is Alwyn:s last one, and is not part of the cycle of his 1st thru 4th Symphonies. The 5th stands alone as a one movement tribute to life. The symphony opens dramatically, then continuously fluctuates between calm and energetic passages, just like the ebbs and flows of life. There is the use of tubular bells, which brings on a sense of serenity. The symphony ends quietly and peacefully, just as we hope life's journey will end.