Classical Explorations — November 2024

Tom Coult
Three Pieces that Disappear: No. 2, Boisterous Then Placid
I was absolutely delighted to discover this new release recently. Tom Coult, a young composer based in London has a very impressive corpus of works. This bold work really stood out: rhythmically distinctive writing opens the work which has been carefully orchestrated and crafted. The orchestral colour blossomed before my very ears. The playing from the BBC Philharmonic under Martyn Brabbins is superb. The opening is then contrasted and alternated with atmospheric chords underpinned by quasi-renaissance dance figures which shift around in pitch in the most narrative and descriptive way. Further colour is added with fluttering woodwind, muted brass interjections and pizzicato stings which create a dark, anxious mood with a strong narrative. This is really exciting new music, and I will certainly enjoy exploring more of Coult’s artistry.

Marcel Dupré
Cortège et Litanie, Op. 19 No. 2
Dupré is undoubtedly an organist’s organist but outside the ‘brethren’ there seems to be little knowledge of his incredible output.  A child prodigy, the French organist gave his first public performance at 10 and went on to study at the Paris Conservatoire and could reputedly play Bach’s complete organ works from memory! Throughout his career, Dupré performed over 2,000 recitals worldwide with his musical home being at the stupendous Saint-Sulpice in Paris, later becoming the Director of the Paris Conservatoire. Cortège et Litanie began life as a piano piece and was later orchestrated for organ and orchestra. This recording on the Chandos label showcases the organ of Liverpool Cathedral – the largest pipe organ in the UK. Synonymous with this incredible instrument is the long-standing organist Prof. Dr. Ian Tracey DL with whom I have worked on a number of occasions for recordings. The sheer size of Liverpool Cathedral is felt in this amazing recording. It isn’t just about volume, there is great colour and what is particularly moving to me is the reverb tail of the cathedral – those pipes are shifting some air! The grand conclusion in this recording is fitting of Marcel Dupré’s incredible career and legacy in Paris.

Cécile Chaminade
Guitare, Op.32
Cécile Chaminade was a prolific composer who published more than 400 pieces over her 86 years. She gained international recognition, particularly in the UK and USA, where "Chaminade Clubs" were formed in her honour.  Undoubtedly her popularity was down to her gift for melody, often indicative of the French Romantic vogue of her youth – a time when Saint-Säens was at his peak and the most progressive composers, such as Wagner, were just starting to realize the full potential of the chromatic scale. Despite her early success, Chaminade's popularity waned in her later years. There could be no better example of Chaminade’s colourful salon music than Guitare. Suggesting a Spanish influence, it is full of vivid musical imagery and showcases her skill to imitate such expression from one instrument to her own.

Tōru Takemitsu
November Steps
Contemporary Japanese composer Takemitsu’s atmospheric November Steps was commissioned for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra’s 125th anniversary, and he composed it in a secluded mountain retreat. Like much of Takemitsu’s music, it’s notable for combining traditional Japanese instruments – in this case the biwa and the shakuhachi – with Western orchestral forces. Takemitsu was strongly influenced by composers like Debussy and Messiaen, as well as Japanese music traditions, and he’s depicted autumn in several other works, including his 1973 orchestral work Autumn, and Ceremonial, An Autumn Ode.

Bohuslav Martinů
Sinfonietta ‘La Jolla’ i. Poco allegro
I have featured Martinů in a couple of previous editions. The music is quirky, sometimes fun and often dark but here is a different voice: Sinfonietta ‘La Jolla’ was written in response to a request from the Musical Arts Society of La Jolla in California for a tuneful and approachable work, which it certainly is! Like his symphonies, Martinů includes a prominent piano part which adds sparkle and wit to his ostinato based themes and wicked sense of humour. The work is in three movements: here I am featuring the first which chatters like an opening ballet scene, developing into heartfelt melodies before being ushered back to rhythmic fun.

Vissarion Shebalin
4 Light Pieces ii. Berceuse
Vissarion Shebalin was a Soviet-era Russian composer and close friend of Dmitri Shostakovich. He was part of the musical circle in Moscow during the early 20th century, with Shostakovich noting their friendship as significant enough that they appeared together in musical programs. This little Berceuse for violin and piano is beautifully lyrical and perhaps – unusually for a Soviet-era Russian composer – modal.

Arnold Bax
November Woods
Born into a wealthy London family, Arnold Bax later studied at the Royal Academy of Music and wrote some of the most richly orchestrated pieces of his era, influenced by Irish culture and Celtic mythology. Bax also wrote poetry and short stories under the pseudonym Dermot O'Byrne. Bax later became Master of the King’s Music. His prolific career reached its creative height in the years up to 1930, the period in which he wrote a set of tone poems – including November Woods. While Bax insisted the work was not programmatic, it reflects his turbulent emotional state during the disintegration of his marriage and his love affair with pianist Harriet Cohen. The second theme suggests a feeling of happier days. Just recently, I learned about the newly-formed Sir Arnold Bax Society. If this is music which you find interesting, do consider joining for just a few pounds each month.

György Ligeti
Six Bagatelles i. Allegro con spirito
Last month I featured the complex soundworld of Ligeti in his wonderful piece Atmospheres. I wanted this month to offer something in complete contrast – here the opening movement from his Six Bagatelles for wind quintet. This colourful and whimsical work is derived from his earlier piano composition, Musica Ricercata. Composed between 1951 and 1953, these miniatures showcase Ligeti's innovative approach to composition under the constraints of the Hungarian Communist regime. Each bagatelle in the suite is based on a specific number of pitches, gradually increasing throughout the piece. This very movement is made up of only four pitches – wow! Just take a moment to compare the piece I featured last month – the sense of narrative is again strong and the music is again gripping – albeit in a much more light-hearted way now!

Oliver Davis
Voyager, Concerto for Violin & Strings
Oliver Davis is a British composer, pianist, and singer who graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in 1994. Such was the popularity of this debut album in 2015, Davis has gone on to enjoy a distinguished career composing a wide range of music from ballet, film, television as well as music for the stage. Flight received critical acclaim and entered the UK Classical Charts. Composed for violinist Kerenza Peacock, the piece is full of bright optimistic energy.

Nikolai Myaskovsky
Symphony No.25 in Db Major i. Adagio
Nikolai Myaskovsky was a Russian and Soviet composer, often called the "Father of the Soviet Symphony". Born into a military family, he initially pursued an engineering career but later switched to music, studying at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Myaskovsky served in World War I, experiencing personal tragedies. He became a prominent figure in Soviet music, composing 27 symphonies, 13 string quartets, and numerous other works. Despite facing challenges during the Soviet era, he maintained his integrity and refused to apologize when accused of formalism in 1948. This evocative Adagio is an unusual place to start a symphony but is no less beautiful. The centre stage of the opening is given to three clarinets including the rich tone of the bass clarinet.

Ēriks Ešenvalds
Stars
Ēriks Ešenvalds is a Latvian composer who studied at the Latvian Baptist Theological Seminary before obtaining his Master's degree from the Latvian Academy of Music in 2004. Ešenvalds served as a Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College, University of Cambridge from 2011 to 2013. Stars begins with water-tuned glasses playing a sequence of chord clusters, which are heard throughout the whole piece. It creates an evocative effect, which is both imaginative and inventive producing an ethereal shimmering beauty.

Nimrod Borenstein
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra iii. Allegro
Nimrod Borenstein is a British-French-Israeli composer born in Tel Aviv in 1969. He grew up in Paris, moving to London in 1986 to study violin at the Royal College of Music and later composition at the Royal Academy of Music. This concerto recorded on the Somm label is an interesting mix of pounding motor rhythms, sharply contrasted with expressive, more melancholic fragments in the orchestra with the piano almost holding the position of emcee to the ever-changing mood. The music is great fun and certainly a different voice for a piano concerto.

Domenico Cimarosa
Sonata No.42 in D Minor
Known for being one of the principal Italian composers of comic operas, Domenico Cimarosa was showered with gifts by royalty and the nobility for his incredible talent. Born into a poor family in 1749, he rose to become one of the most celebrated composers in Europe and was arguably better known than Mozart in the world of opera, writing no less than 60 operas. It must not be forgotten that he wrote 88 keyboard works and this exquisite slow movement in D Minor has been presented by Víkingur Ólafsson who I earlier featured on Classical Explorations. The purity of line from Cimarosa and the gentle and refined playing from Ólafsson bring something magical together and perfect to complete my autumnal Classical Explorations!