William Walton: Symphonien Nr.1 & 2 auf Super Audio CD

Mehr als 25 Jahre trennen William Waltons selten zusammen auf CD erschienene Symphonien. Die erste schrieb er nach seinem überraschenden frühen Erfolg vor allem mit dem Bratschenkonzert und dem Oratorium „Belshazzar‘s Feast“. Aber die Komposition erwies sich als schwierig; vier Jahre lang quälte Walton sich damit ab. Und dennoch hat das Werk einen erstaunlich positiven Grundcharakter. 1957 dann sah die musikalische Welt ganz anders aus, aber Waltons Antwort war nicht die Suche nach nostalgischer Reflektion. Der stets von Selbstzweifeln Geplagte schrieb vielmehr ein eher untypisches, prägnantes, spritziges Werk.

Rarely appearing together on disc, William Walton's two symphonies are separated by some 25 years. The First Symphony was composed after his dazzling early success, beginning with Façade and culminating in two scores written before Walton reached the age of thirty: the Viola Concerto and the oratorio Belshazzar's Feast. After this, composition became more difficult, and progress on the symphony was tortuous and protracted. Nevertheless, the work has a strikingly positive tone - perhaps in celebration of the victory over the many demons and difficulties that had attended its creation. Twenty-two years later, in 1957, the musical world was a very different place, but Walton's response was not to seek solace in reflective nostalgia. It is rather as if he conceived the Second Symphony as a follow-up to his terse and bubbly Partita for orchestra, building on the confidence that the success of that score had given the always self-doubting composer. Owain Arwel Hughes, who conducts the present recording, first made his name with an electrifying televised performance of Walton's Belshazzar's Feast which received a notable accolade from the composer. During his distinguished career Hughes has recorded a number of discs for BIS, including a complete cycles of the 13 symphonies of Vagn Holmboe. In the French magazine Répertoire his 3-disc series of Rachmaninov's symphonies was described as 'the great modern Rachmaninov cycle', while the reviewer in International Record Review stated that 'Hughes is the first conductor to convince me that the First Symphony is on a par with its two successors.' On this recording he brings Walton across the English Channel and conducts one of the leading French orchestras, Orchestre national de Lille, for their first appearance on the BIS label.

Rezensionen

Audio 10/10: "Breite Panoramabilder und grandiose Steigerungen - die Sinfonien von William Walton wirken wie große, filmreife Stimmungslandschaften: Sein Stil: modern, aber noch tonal verankert, irgendwo zwischen Sibelius und Barber.​ Bei dem scharf ausgeleuchteten Orchestre National de Lille unter Pult-Routinier Owain Arwel Hughes ist dieser Sound gut aufgehoben.​ Man höre das fulminant musizierte Finale der Ersten oder die seelenvoll entfaltete Melancholie im Lento der Zweiten.​"