William Turner Walton
Born: 29th March 1902, Oldham, England
Died: 8th March 1983, Ischia, Italy
Nationality: English
Sir William Turner Walton was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera. His best-known works include Façade, the cantata Belshazzar's Feast, the Viola Concerto, the First Symphony, and the British coronation marches Crown Imperial and Orb and Sceptre.
Born in Oldham, Lancashire, the son of a musician, Walton was a chorister and then an undergraduate at Christ Church, Oxford. On leaving the university, he was taken up by the literary Sitwell siblings, who provided him with a home and a cultural education.
Read more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Walton
Browse: Walton
Further Reading: Walton
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Britten, Walton and more from Sinfonia of London and John Wilson
30th Oct 2026
Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings (with soloists Laurence Kilsby and Christopher Parkes) gets a new library-choice recording, whilst pathos and precision abound in Walton's Sonata for String Orchestra.
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Kazuki Yamada on Walton
19th Mar 2026
The Japanese conductor discusses his recent recording of the symphonies with the CBSO, settling into life in Birmingham, his first brush with English music as a high-school student, and inspirational visits to Ischia, Malvern and Aldeburgh.
Popular Genres: Walton
Orchestral
Chamber
Vocal
Choral
Concertos
Popular Works: Walton
- A Litany 'Drop, drop slow tears' (27)
- All this time (16)
- Anon in Love for tenor and guitar (10)
- Antiphon (8)
- Belshazzar's Feast (27)
- Cello Concerto (51)
- Coronation Te Deum (30)
- Crown Imperial (111)
- Façade - An Entertainment (26)
- Façade Orchestral Suite No. 1 (23)
- Façade Orchestral Suite No. 2 (14)
- Five Bagatelles for solo guitar (30)
- Jubilate Deo (26)
- Make we joy now in this fest (19)
- Orb and Sceptre (65)
- Partita for Orchestra (13)
- Passacaglia - Death of Falstaff and Touch her soft lips from Henry V (13)
- Passacaglia for solo cello (14)
- Piano Quartet (14)
- Popular Song from 'Façade' (9)
- Portsmouth Point Overture (24)
- Scapino: A Comedy Overture (18)
- Set me as a seal upon thine heart (33)
- Siesta (12)
- Sonata for String Orchestra (14)
- Spitfire Prelude (9)
- Spitfire Prelude & Fugue (27)
- String Quartet in A Minor (17)
- Symphony No. 1 in B flat minor (49)
- Symphony No. 2 (20)
- The Twelve (18)
- The Wise Virgins: Ballet Suite (11)
- Touch her soft lips and part (from Henry V) (25)
- Two Pieces for Violin and Piano (8)
- Variations on a Theme by Hindemith (9)
- Viola Concerto (36)
- Violin Concerto (55)
- Violin Sonata (21)
- What cheer? (17)
- Where does the uttered music go? (10)
Recent Best Sellers: Walton
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New. Britten, Goossens, Ireland & Walton: Music for Strings
Laurence Kilsby (tenor), Christopher Parkes (horn), Sinfonia of London, John Wilson
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Presto Recording of the Week, 30th October 2026
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Gramophone Magazine, November 2026, Editor's Choice
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Record Review, 31st October 2026, Record of the Week
SACD: Original price $20.00 Reduced $18.20Download from $10.00 -
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Special offer. Walton: Cello Concerto; Symphony No. 1
Jonathan Aasgaard (cello), Sinfonia of London, John Wilson
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Presto Recording of the Week, 7th November 2025
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2025
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BBC Music Magazine, Christmas Issue 2025, Concerto Choice
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The Guardian Classical Albums of the Year, 2025
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BBC Music Magazine Awards, 2026, Shortlisted - Concerto
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Gramophone Magazine, November 2025, Recording of the Month
SACD: Original price $20.00 Reduced $16.60Download from $10.00 -
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Special offer. Elgar & Walton: Cello Concertos
Steven Isserlis (cello) Philharmonia Orchestra, Paavo Järvi
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Presto Recording of the Week, 19th February 2016
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BBC Music Magazine, March 2016, Instrumental Choice
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Gramophone Magazine, March 2016, Disc of the Month
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2016
CD: Original price $17.50 Reduced $14.00Download from $8.25 -
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Special offer. Walton: Symphony No. 1 & Belshazzar's Feast
Thomas Hampson (baritone, tenor), City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus, Sir Simon Rattle
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Building A Library, July 2022, First Choice
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Building A Library, October 2026, Top Choice - Belshazzar's Feast
Presto CD: Original price $17.00 Reduced $13.60Download from $8.00 -
New Releases: Walton
View all new releases-
New. Britten, Goossens, Ireland & Walton: Music for Strings
Laurence Kilsby (tenor), Christopher Parkes (horn), Sinfonia of London, John Wilson
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Presto Recording of the Week, 30th October 2026
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Gramophone Magazine, November 2026, Editor's Choice
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Record Review, 31st October 2026, Record of the Week
SACD: Original price $20.00 Reduced $18.20Download from $10.00 -
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New. JOY – Chapter IV: A Rosey Chan Christmas
Rosey Chan (soloist), Sonic Orchestra, Mike Figgis, The Sonic Orchestra
Download from $3.25 -
New. English Anthems, Hymns & Laments from Cambridge
Choir of Clare College Cambridge, Timothy Brown
CD: $9.50Download from $7.00 -
New. Elgar, Adès & Walton: Music for Violin and Piano
Michael Foyle (violin), Iain Burnside (piano)
CD: $22.50Download from $11.00
