1st Symphony (Walton)
The 1st symphony by the English composer William Walton (1902-1983) was premiered in 1935 in London under Hamilton Harty .
Origin, premiere and reception
In 1932, the year after the successful premiere of his choral work "Belshazzar's Feast", William Walton began composing his 1st symphony, inspired by the conductor and composer Hamilton Harty . This secured the right to the world premiere and announced it for March 1934 with the London Symphony Orchestra , whose chief conductor he had meanwhile become. The completion of the symphony was delayed, however, so that the premiere date had to be postponed. The final movement was also missing for the replacement date on December 3, 1934, but Walton allowed at least the first three movements to be performed on that day. In this incomplete version, the work was performed two more times in April 1935, now under the baton of Malcolm Sargent , before Walton was able to complete the finale in August 1935. On November 6, 1935, the definitive world premiere of the complete symphony with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Hamilton Harty took place in London's Queen's Hall .
Even in an incomplete state, William Walton's First Symphony made a strong impression. After the complete premiere, the critics reported the overwhelming final applause and five-minute jubilation, which the 33-year-old composer, who was also present, was able to receive. Henry Wood highlighted the dramatic power, instrumentation, vitality and rhythmic invention. The composer colleague John Ireland wrote to Walton: "The work has confirmed you as the most vital and original genius in Europe".
Just five weeks after the premiere, the symphony was recorded for the first time under the direction of Hamilton Harty for the Decca label . More recent recordings have been made under Leonard Slatkin , André Previn , Simon Rattle , Colin Davis and Paul Daniel .
Cast and playing time
The score provides the following scoring : 2 flutes (2nd also piccolo flute ), 2 oboes , 2 clarinets , 2 bassoons , 4 horns , 3 trumpets , 3 trombones , tuba , timpani (2 players), snare drum , cymbals , tam-tam and strings .
The performance lasts about 43 minutes.
Structure and characterization
The four movements of the symphony have the following tempo markings:
- Allegro assai
- Presto con malizia
- Andante con malinconia
- Maestoso - Allegro, brioso ed ardentemente - Vivacissimo - Maestoso
The work is dedicated to the Baroness Imma Doernberg, with whom Walton was in love at the time. During the composition, however, it came to the separation and Walton turned to Alice Wimborne, 22 years his senior. Walton himself called the symphony's inspiration "the end of a love affair and the beginning of a new one". In an interview in 1972 he even spoke of feelings of jealousy and hate that drove the symphony (“driven by jealousy and hatred”).
Walton's 1st Symphony does not have a key, but has tonal references, especially to B flat minor.
In the opening movement, which begins quietly, some of the characteristics of the orchestral setting and the type of thematic development from small cells are reminiscent of Jean Sibelius . After the introductory sustained tones of the horns, there is a propelling rhythmic figure of the violins. Together with a descending bass figure and an oboe theme, they form the four most important musical building blocks of the first movement, from which an exciting, contrapuntal complex sonata structure is built. The main key in B flat minor later changes to B flat major.
The Scherzo, rich in dissonance, is mostly in E minor and, according to its title (“con malizia” literally means “with insidiousness”), is filled with grim humor.
A melancholy passage from the solo flute opens the third movement, which is followed by the solo clarinet with a second theme. The movement culminates in a passionate outburst before it fades away softly with the opening melody of the flute.
The turbulent finale, the completion of which Walton occupied for a long time, suddenly puts you in a combative, affirmative mood. The central part of the movement contains two fugato episodes, after which a short pastoral interlude leads to a triumphant coda with final chords separated by tense pauses.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Stephen Lloyd: William Walton: Muse of Fire . Woodbridge, Boydell Press, 2001, ISBN 085115803X , p. 120
- ↑ a b LP supplement Virgin Classics VC 7 90715-1, Walton: 1st Symphony a. a., Leonard Slatkin, London Philharmonic Orchestra. Text: Michael Kennedy
- ↑ Publisher's information, Oxford University Press
- ↑ Stephen Lloyd: William Walton: Muse of Fire . Woodbridge, Boydell Press, 2001, ISBN 085115803X , p. 123
literature
- Stephen Lloyd: William Walton: Muse of Fire . Woodbridge, Boydell Press, 2001, ISBN 085115803X , pp. 113ff.
- CD booklet LSO0076: Walton: Symphony No. 1, Colin Davis, London Symphony Orchestra. Text: Lewis Foreman.