Sir Malcolm Arnold makes the New York Times
NewsBig feature today on the marginalised British composer.
Despite Arnold’s being one of his country’s most prominent and popular composers during his lifetime, there have been few celebrations of his centenary. His work was stubbornly, unfashionably tonal, and frequently witty; he pursued neither the pastoral idioms that obsessed Vaughan Williams, nor the serial techniques that burst onto the scene in the 1960s…
Really good to see Malcolm’s effervescent and unfailingly attractive music brought to wider attention, but the piece might have benefited from insight by a conductor who has performed his music since age 15.
Simon Rattle, I’m thinking.
which pieces would people recommend, i have a feeling that like like Bernstein, his lighter pieces are better than lis seious one s such as the symphonies. But I would like to be proved wrong
You could be right. Pieces like the various sets of English, Irish, etc., dances, are delightful. The symphonies have their moments too, but they’re also pretty peculiar forays in the genre in many ways.
I’d recommend the guitar concerto, which is stunning, and also the string quartet #2.
Arnold’s second string quartet is deadly serious and deeply moving.
It’s about time we should be reminded of Sir Malcolm’s great gifts and under- recognized appeal today. Tony Palmer’s film (YouTube) tells the whole story, with great performance excerpts (symphonies especially).
with great performance excerpts (symphonies especially).played by the RTE National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland conducted by yours truly. He was very fond of Dublin.
Probably marginalised because he scored so many films — he was one of the English composers I was most familiar with when young because he scored so many films I saw and liked.
But have had few opportunities in the concert hall to hear much more of his work.
Not aware of Simon Rattle programming Sir Malcolm Arnold’s music in either Birmingham, Berlin or London….
Rattle has also recorded little of Arnold’s music. Andrew Penny has recorded far more of it.
Not aware of Mr. Rattle bringing ANY music from the UK anywhere – he’s become more German thn the Germans. I’ve personally asked him more than once over a span of 40 years (!) to bring a Vaughan-Williams symphony to Philadelphia – but all he brings is Mahler, which for us is basically “coals to Newcastle.”
yes Kirill Petrenko did more for Elgar (2nd) with BPO and Barenboim’s Falstaff on DVD is stunning as well as his own orchestra recordings. if only he would do THE APOSTLES like Rozhdestvensky did in London.
You do know that the promoter will be just as important as the conductor in deciding what gets played on tour? I suspect this says more about the conservatism of the venue in Philadelphia, because it’s simply wrong to say that Rattle is anything other than an incredibly committed long-term champion of British music. You just need to look at recent LSO seasons. Birtwistle, Vaughan Williams, Holst, Helen Grime, Julian Anderson, Britten, Tippett, Turnage, Elgar, Knussen, Benjamin, Weir, Ades, Nicholas Maw – the list goes on and on. He toured The Dream of Gerontius with the Vienna Philharmonic. And so on…
Absolutely correct, he has become obsessed with all things german,which is a little sad.
In what sense is he “marginalised”? Two pieces at The Proms last year, an annual festival devoted to his music, all his major works recorded, the success of the CD of The Dancing Master etc…
Parasol – 1960 BBC Television. Extraordinary theatrical piece in one Act.
With apologies for going off on a tangent….speaking of marginalized British composers, what of Peter Racine Fricker? One assessment I read was that, while living, he was too modern for conservative listeners but too conservative for more forward looking ones. Is his music played at all in Great Britain?
This is one case where, in the USA at least, I’d wager that high school concert band members have played more Malcolm Arnold (and liked it) than their high school orchestra counterparts have, or had the opportunity to play.
The Scottish Dances account for a big share of that. I happen to prefer it in orchestral dress myself, but I know band alumni who get a bit misty eyed when they hear it.
Here is a sample, Dance #3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5sEf-1cMYw
Try this:
https://youtu.be/Vs4iFnpRqDI
If the link doesn’t work, look on YouTube and type in “Dave Hurwitz Arnold”, which gives an enthusiastic review.
The New York Times makes mention that Malcolm Arnold’s work is kept alive by amateur groups. There have been some performances of his symphonies this year. I was able to attend the BBC Proms concert in which The BBCSO played Malcolm Arnold’s Fifth. I have sunsequently been able to attend two otherconcerts where his second symphony was performed. The Northampton Symphony Orchestra, in which Malcolm played himself, performed his second symphony.
The Oxford University Orchestra has also very recently played his second symphony too alongside his Variations on a Theme of Ruth Gipps and her second symphony.
The programme notes for the OUO performance talked about his battles with alcoholism and depression. In listening to his symphonies I have always strongly felt that despite the tunefulness of his music, his inner battles and struggles come through in moments of musical conflict. He is a composer for our age and it would be great if his symphonies became part of the repertore.
All of the Dances — especially the Irish and Cornish sets — are lovely, the worthy successors to Brahms and Dvorak, and the Fifth Symphony is a masterpiece.