Walton - Chamber Music - Hyperion: CDA67340 - CD or download

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This excellent Hyperion issue brings together a wide-ranging group of Walton's chamber works, from his earliest major work, the Piano Quartet, originally written when he was 16, to his last instrumental... — Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 More…

Catalogue No: CDA67340
Label: Hyperion
Length: 75 minutes

Gramophone Magazine

November 2002

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Walton: Piano Quartet

Work length29:22

$5.50

$6.80

The Nash Ensemble

I. Allegramente

Track length7:17

$1.50

$1.85

II. Allegro scherzando

Track length5:11

$1.00

$1.25

III. Andante tranquillo

Track length8:26

$1.50

$1.85

IV. Allegro molto

Track length8:28

$1.50

$1.85

Walton: Anon in Love for tenor and guitar

Work length10:55

$6.00

$7.50

John Mark Ainsley (tenor), Craig Ogden (guitar)

I. Fain would I change that note

Track length3:23

$1.00

$1.25

II. O stay, sweet love

Track length1:40

$1.00

$1.25

III. Lady, when I behold the roses

Track length1:52

$1.00

$1.25

IV. My love in her attire

Track length0:44

$1.00

$1.25

V. I gave her cakes and I gave her ale

Track length1:34

$1.00

$1.25

VI. To couple is a custom

Track length1:42

$1.00

$1.25

Walton: Façade - Ballet Suite

Work length4:30

$1.00

$1.25

Ian Brown (piano)

XVI. Valse

Track length4:30

$1.00

$1.25

Walton: Passacaglia for solo cello

Work length6:19

$1.00

$1.25

Paul Watkins (cello)

Walton: Violin Sonata

Work length24:39

$11.05

$13.75

Marianne Thorsen (violin), Ian Brown (piano)

I. Allegro tranquillo

Track length12:07

$2.05

$2.50

II. Tema: Andante

Track length1:11

$1.00

$1.25

III. Variation 1: A tempo poco più mosso

Track length1:28

$1.00

$1.25

IV. Variation 2: A tempo quasi improvisando

Track length2:27

$1.00

$1.25

V. Variation 3: Alla marcia molto vivace

Track length0:59

$1.00

$1.25

VI. Variation 4: Allegro molto

Track length0:34

$1.00

$1.25

VII. Variation 5: Allegretto con moto

Track length2:10

$1.00

$1.25

VIII. Variation 6: Scherzando

Track length0:31

$1.00

$1.25

IX. Variation 7: Andante tranquillo

Track length2:20

$1.00

$1.25

X. Coda: Molto vivace – Presto

Track length0:52

$1.00

$1.25

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Favourites, William Walton

James chooses some of his favourite recordings of music by one of the greatest twentieth-century British composers, William Walton.

Hyperion continues to salute Walton's centenary year with a selection of his chamber music. This is a collection of intimate works providing many insights into the composer's life. The Piano Quartet, for example, is the first work in which Walton considered he had shown any talent as a composer, and the Valse from Faade illustrates his irreverence towards popular music of the day. Before Anon in Love, Walton had yet to write for the guitar. The work was commissioned by Peter Pears and Julian Bream who coached him about the instruments characteristics. The Passacaglia arose from a friendship with Mstislav Rostropovich, who challenged the composer to write something for him. Loosely based on Bach's works for solo cello, the work comprises a theme and ten variations and was premiered by Rostropovich at Walton's eightieth birthday celebrations. A chance meeting with Diana Gould, the then-fiancee of Yehudi Menuhin, resulted in the prompt commission of the Violin Sonata. It was to become infused with tragedy following the death of Walton's partner of fourteen years, Alice, Lady Wimbourne, during the work's composition. Walton's overwhelming sense of loss is much in evidence and it now stands as one of his finest achievements.

Reviews

2010

This excellent Hyperion issue brings together a wide-ranging group of Walton's chamber works, from his earliest major work, the Piano Quartet, originally written when he was 16, to his last instrumental piece, the Passacaglia, which he composed for Rostropovich when he was nearly 80. As a substantial bonus there's the little song cycle for tenor and guitar, Anon in Love, as well as the two shorter pieces.
Helped by a spacious recording, the extra lightness and clarity brings an element of fantasy into such a movement as the Scherzo of the Piano Quartet and an extra tenderness into the lovely slow movement. Nowhere else does Walton so enthusiastically use modal thematic material, starting with the mysterious opening theme, which the Nash players take very reflectively at a speed much slower than the movement's main tempo, Allegramente. It's an astonishingly confident work for so young a composer, with adventurous writing for the strings that belies the fact that Walton was no string-player.
The Violin Sonata, a more elusive work, long underestimated, is given an equally persuasive performance, with Marianne Thorsen, accompanied by Ian Brown, freely expressive. John Mark Ainsley is totally undaunted by the taxing vocal writing of Anon in Love, originally designed for Peter Pears. And Craig Ogden is an ideal accompanist, totally idiomatic, adding sparkle to the vigorous songs in this offbeat collection.
Though Ian Brown gives a slightly sluggish account of Façade's 'Valse' – in the awkward piano transcription ascribed to Walton himself – cellist Paul Watkins crowns the disc with a fine reading of the solo Passacaglia.

July 2014

a powerful account of the Passacaglia for solo cello by Paul Watkins.

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