The Orchestra of the
Swan www.orchestraoftheswan.org
was founded in 1995 to perform at the Stratford Music Festival. They have their
home in Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon and are the Associate Orchestra at
Town Hall Birmingham. Last season they gave over 60 concerts throughout England
and Wales, undertook their first highly successful tour to China and gave a UK
tour with Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, culminating in a sell-out
performance at London’s Albert Hall before an audience of 5,500.
Between 2006 and 2011 they commissioned over fifty new works
and their acclaimed recordings have been Gramophone Choice and CD of the Week
on Classic FM (UK) The orchestra’s extensive discography includes repertoire by
Barber, Bax, Berlioz, Brahms, Copland, Debussy, Finzi, Ireland, Mahler,
Mendelssohn, Mozart, Schumann, Strauss and the world premiere recording of the
complete symphonies by Hans Gal which received outstanding critical acclaim and
was featured on BBC Radio 3 ‘Composer of the Week’.
With their Artistic
Director, David Curtis www.mbam.co.uk/conductors/david-curtis.html
the Orchestra of the Swan have just
released a disc for Naxos www.naxos.com of Music
for String Orchestra by John Ireland featuring cellist Raphael Wallfisch.
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John Ireland’s Cello Sonata
in G minor (1923) is performed here in a particularly effective arrangement
for cello and string orchestra by Matthew Forbes. Raphael Wallfisch brings some
rich, dark hued tones to the Moderato e
sostenuto over which the Orchestra of the Swan bring some very fine string
textures. Wallfisch and the orchestra keep a real feeling of urgency through
the constantly changing tempi and dynamics, revealing some lovely details and building
to some terrific strings’ swirls.
The Poco largamente
is full of passion, these players finding a sudden emotional impact to open. The
strings of the Orchestra of the Swan drop to a hushed melody with Wallfisch
adding a really subtle emotional tug when he re-enters. Both he and the
orchestra find a lovely control, creating a very fine atmosphere in the hushed
moments. Wallfisch brings his very fine tone, quite lovely, raising the
emotional temperature before leaping straight into the concluding vibrant Con moto e marcato where the strings of
the Orchestra of the Swan show their fine tone with this cellist adding some
rich, often quite intense textures and blending wonderfully with the orchestra.
This is a performance that reveals new aspects to Ireland’s
very fine cello sonata.
Summer Evening (1920)
appears here in an arrangement by Graham Parlett http://www.davidparlett.co.uk/bax ,
one of a number of arrangements by him on this disc. Originally a piano work it
is revealed here as a quite beautiful string piece in its own right. It is given a beautifully nuanced performance
from the glowing strings of the Orchestra of the Swan, quite beautifully shaped.
This is a real gem for string orchestra.
In a May Morning (1940-41)
comes from a three movement piano work by Ireland entitled Sarnia (the
Latin name for Guernsey). It was written partly in Guernsey and completed in
England after the composer was evacuated just before the Nazi occupation of the
islands. Martin Yates arranged the whole of Sarnia for orchestra which he
recorded for Dutton.
In this arrangement by Graham Parlett, the Orchestra of the
Swan rises through some really lovely passages with this orchestra finding many
lovely nuances. David Curtis brings a reflective feel with some lovely use of
various sections of the strings to vary the textures.
Raphael Wallfisch returns for Parlett’s arrangement of Soliloquy (1922) a lovely piece with this cellist finding a subtle
rhythmic lift, adding emotional moments with fine textures and subtly
controlled dynamics. This is an exquisite arrangement of a quite lovely piano
piece, perfectly performed here.
Bagatelle (1911)
(arr. Graham Parlett) has a jaunty theme finely caught by Wallfisch and the
orchestra who find a lovely rhythmic buoyancy.
They find a lovely forward moving push in the Berceuse (1902) (arr. Graham Parlett) with
a subtle forward moment that has gentle and natural ebb and flow with Wallfisch’s
fine tone adding a real depth of feeling.
Cavatina (1904) (arr.
Graham Parlett) has a lighter mood, perfectly caught here, Wallfisch and
the orchestra finding a gentle rhythmic lilt as the music pushes ahead. There
is a faster central section to which these players give a directness and
forward drive, showing terrific panache with crisp and finely shaped playing.
A Downland Suite
(1932/78) was originally a commission
for the National Brass Band Championships. After his evacuation from Guernsey, Ireland orchestrated the two
middle movements. In 1978 Geoffrey Bush completed the job by orchestrating the
two outer movements allowing us to hear the full result here.
The Orchestra of the Swan bring a terrific string sonority
to the opening Prelude - Allegro energico as well as a lively, spirited freshness,
a feel of the outdoors. The Elegy - Lento
espressivo is beautifully shaped, surely one of Ireland’s loveliest ideas.
Curtis and the orchestra bring passages of richer sonorities, wonderfully
judged and nuanced. They find a lightness and forward flow that is delightful
in the Minuet - Allegretto grazioso, with
a lovely rubato. There is a beautifully shaped trio section before we are led
to a quiet coda. The strings of the Orchestra of the Swan conjure up some fine
textures in the Rondo - Poco allegro. They
push the music forward with fine control of dynamics before the gentler side of
this music returns, only to dash to a crisp decisive coda.
This is a delightful disc of arrangements that provide some
really beautiful English string gems, exquisitely played by all concerned.
They receive a very good, spacious recording made at
Townsend Hall, Shipston-on-Stour, England and there are excellent booklet notes
by Bruce Phillips of the John Ireland Charitable Trust.
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