Walton conducts Walton
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: William Walton
Label: Great Recordings of the Century
Magazine Review Date: 4/1992
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 79
Mastering:
Mono
ADD
Catalogue Number: 763381-2
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| Belshazzar's Feast |
William Walton, Composer
Dennis Noble, Baritone Huddersfield Choral Society Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra William Walton, Conductor William Walton, Composer |
| Henry V, Movement: Passacaglia: The Death of Falstaff |
William Walton, Composer
Philharmonia Orchestra William Walton, Conductor William Walton, Composer |
| Henry V, Movement: Touch Her Soft Lips and Part |
William Walton, Composer
Philharmonia Orchestra William Walton, Composer William Walton, Conductor |
| Scapino |
William Walton, Composer
Philharmonia Orchestra William Walton, Conductor William Walton, Composer |
| Façade, Movement: Suite No. 1 |
William Walton, Composer
London Philharmonic Orchestra William Walton, Composer William Walton, Conductor |
| Façade, Movement: Suite No. 2 |
William Walton, Composer
London Philharmonic Orchestra William Walton, Composer William Walton, Conductor |
| Spitfire Prelude and Fugue |
William Walton, Composer
Hallé Orchestra William Walton, Conductor William Walton, Composer |
| Siesta |
William Walton, Composer
London Philharmonic Orchestra William Walton, Conductor William Walton, Composer |
Author:
At first sight this might seem to be a straightforward CD transfer from the EMI Treasury LP which I reviewed in September 1986. In fact there is one important change. For the 1986 reissue EMI's engineers made a transfer of Belshazzar's Feast from commercial 78rpm pressings (the original masters having been destroyed). This was more than acceptable, but for the new CD issue they have gone back to the tape which was taken from the original masters in 1953 and used for an LP reissue (1/54). Older collectors will remember that record as being rather dim, but much had obviously been lost in the processing, and the sound of the 1953 tape as reproduced on the new CD is a big improvement on the 1986 transfer.
In any event it is good to have this collection back again, since these early recordings show the younger Walton directing with tremendous energy and fire. As he became older his tempos tended to become slower and there was a lack of edge in his conducting.
To record such a large-scale work asBelshazzar's Feast in wartime was an amazing feat, even though the enterprise was sponsored by the British Council. There is very much the electricity of a special occasion in the performance, and Walton gets a magnificently vital response from his choral and instrumental forces. Dennis Noble, soloist in the work's first performance, sings with great insight and perfect diction. In the Facade Suites there are some lapses of ensemble, but Walton's performances have the most uplifting joy and tenderness. Scapino is played in virtuoso fashion by the Philharmonia Orchestra, and the other pieces are performed in a most characterful way. All the orchestral items are transferred in good sound. This is a desirable reissue and a must for all who enjoy Walton's music.'
In any event it is good to have this collection back again, since these early recordings show the younger Walton directing with tremendous energy and fire. As he became older his tempos tended to become slower and there was a lack of edge in his conducting.
To record such a large-scale work as
Walton conducts Walton
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