Bax: The Symphonies [Box set]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This 5-CD set includes all seven symphonies by Arnold Bax (1883-1953), the familiar tone poem Tintagel, and the Rogue's Comedy Overture in its premier recording. It also features Vernon Handley in two interviews--one with Lewis Foreman in the booklet, one with Andrew McGregor on the final disc. However, it's probably advisable to listen to it first, since Handley, one of Bax's most dedicated champions, has many illuminating things to say. Bax called himself "a brazen romantic....my music is the expression of emotional states." The symphonies, written between 1921 and 1939, certainly reflect both inner and outer events: the Irish Uprising, which deeply affected Bax, who loved Ireland and lost many friends to the "troubles," World War I and the looming threat of World War II. Perhaps the most striking and pervasive characteristic of the music is contrast. All the symphonies have three movements divided into many sections with different tempo indications, signaling changing mood and character. Indeed, moods change constantly, often abruptly and violently; dynamics surge and swell, climaxes build with increasingly ferocious power. The orchestration is masterful, creating color, texture, atmosphere and expression; at full throttle, the sound shakes the rafters. The music is predominantly serious, somber, dark, with outbursts of passion, turbulence, bitterness and anger, relieved by unexpectedly rambunctious and martial sections. Every symphony opens on low instruments, setting a dark, ominous mood, but several end with a triumphant flourish, while others fade away with an Epilogue in serenity or resignation. No. 7 is regarded as Bax's compositional farewell, No. 4 as "cheerful and blustery." The form is sometimes cyclical, with opening material returning in another guise, which, for the naked ear, is difficult to discern. Most memorable are the truly beautiful, luxuriously lyrical melodies that abound especially in the slow movements. The playing is first-rate throughout. --Edith Eisler

Bax: The Symphonies, Music, Arnold Bax, Spoken Word, Vernon Handley, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, 20th/21st Century Overture, 20th/21st Century Symphony, 20th/21st Century Tone Poem/Symphonic Poem, Box Sets (Audio Only), Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Miscellaneous, Miscellaneous Music, Orchestral, Orchestral & Symphonic, Symphonic

Bax: The Symphonies
Average customer rating:

Handley's set a cornerstone, but Thomson's still Immortal.

Superb advocacy for superb music

Bax: The Symphonies

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Overtures | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
Tone Poems | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Kurt Atterberg: The Symphonies (Box Set)

Edward Rubbra - Complete Symphonies / Hickox

Melartin: The Six SYMPHONIES

Arnold Bax: Tone Poems

Strauss: Orchestral Works

ASIN: B0000DIGLH
Release Date: 2003-11-25

Amazon.com

This 5-CD set includes all seven symphonies by Arnold Bax (1883-1953), the familiar tone poem Tintagel, and the Rogue's Comedy Overture in its premier recording. It also features Vernon Handley in two interviews--one with Lewis Foreman in the booklet, one with Andrew McGregor on the final disc. However, it's probably advisable to listen to it first, since Handley, one of Bax's most dedicated champions, has many illuminating things to say. Bax called himself "a brazen romantic....my music is the expression of emotional states." The symphonies, written between 1921 and 1939, certainly reflect both inner and outer events: the Irish Uprising, which deeply affected Bax, who loved Ireland and lost many friends to the "troubles," World War I and the looming threat of World War II. Perhaps the most striking and pervasive characteristic of the music is contrast. All the symphonies have three movements divided into many sections with different tempo indications, signaling changing mood and character. Indeed, moods change constantly, often abruptly and violently; dynamics surge and swell, climaxes build with increasingly ferocious power. The orchestration is masterful, creating color, texture, atmosphere and expression; at full throttle, the sound shakes the rafters. The music is predominantly serious, somber, dark, with outbursts of passion, turbulence, bitterness and anger, relieved by unexpectedly rambunctious and martial sections. Every symphony opens on low instruments, setting a dark, ominous mood, but several end with a triumphant flourish, while others fade away with an Epilogue in serenity or resignation. No. 7 is regarded as Bax's compositional farewell, No. 4 as "cheerful and blustery." The form is sometimes cyclical, with opening material returning in another guise, which, for the naked ear, is difficult to discern. Most memorable are the truly beautiful, luxuriously lyrical melodies that abound especially in the slow movements. The playing is first-rate throughout. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Handley's set a cornerstone, but Thomson's still Immortal........2004-01-03

For anyone familiar or not so familiar with the music of Sir Arnold Bax (1883-1953) should start off with the interview disc (the fifth of the five disc set). Vernon Handley's interview, with Andrew McGregor, is without a doubt compelling, not just in terms of Handley's knowledge associated with Bax, but also in terms of the depth that comes with it. Handley appears to be the conductor who grew up knowing as much of Bax as Lewis Foreman, the composer's foremost biographer and advocate. Truthfully, an interview with the late Bryden Thomson should have been done during Chandos' making of the first set, for Thomson would have, as far as I'm concerned, added greater weight to our initial acquaintances and understanding of this great yet elusive composer. But, Handley's interview on the disc nicely supplements his first interview with Foreman, which is printed in the booklet.

The interview's introduction and epilogue are particularly thought provoking. And I find Handley's argument on the flaws of music criticism in accordance to fashion well taken, especially since Bax was the leading Symphonist until the mid-1930s, before Walton & Vaughan Williams entered the scene with their First & Fourth Symphonies respectively. Bax was criticized for being "too loose", too demanding orchestrally, and so forth. Yet Handley reminds us that Bax had an extraordinary sense of form and structure (influence to some extent by Glazunov as Handley aptly points out). Bax may well belong to the nationalist school of British composers, but he was much more than that. Sibelius & perhaps to an extent Rachmaninov were influential in Bax' brooding moods and his sense of color. Yet his journey was as long and searching as his contemporaneous Russian counterpart, Nikolay Myaskovsky, who, like Bax, remains as deep and resourceful as ever.

Well,...onto the performances. Let me say up front that Handley's grip of the symphonies demonstrates his understanding of Bax' language, which as he points out, is essential in projecting and conveying music in its most meaningfulness. Handley's view of the First Symphony (1921-1922) is the most dramatic and urgent on record. And while David Lloyd-Jones' reading captures the anguish and the contemptuousness of the Symphony to perfection, Handley never fails to relish the first movement's sense of rebellion. The Lento solenne movement is mournful, but Lloyd-Jones brings out more of the darkness and the funereal quality to it.

Interpretatively, Bryden Thomson leads the way in the Second and Third Symphonies, the former which is without a doubt Bax' most darkest. Handley painted the dark colorism of the work with convincing results. But his tempi to an extent robs the epic quality of its first movement, with the BBC Philharmonic sounding a tad thinner than Thomson's London Philharmonic (LPO). It's a fierce reading no doubt, but I like how Thomson reminds me of how even Vaughan Williams may have been influenced by this piece when composing his Fourth & Sixth Symphonies. The second movement is beautifully done, even by Myer Fredman (Lyrita LP-nla). Yet Thomson's ability to make the music glow in its own world pays wondrous dividends. Not only that, but the climax and its buildup proved to be a shattering experience. The ability to make Bax' music glow is essential, as in the case of the Third Symphony. There's something enchanting in the first movement's lento moderato section under Thomson. But the ongoing development is sweeter yet fuller in tone in Thomson's London Philharmonic. And I like the magic he brings forth in the climax (announced by the anvil). Handley's reading is special, but he speeds things up a bit too much and robs the music some of its glow. Not so in the Lento second movement which is beautifully rendered. But I savor Thomson's ceremonious way of the final movement leading to its epilogue, which is perfectly idyllic.

I have no qualms in Handley's vivid performances of the Fourth & Fifth Symphonies. As he points out, the Fourth should be better known and its gaiety does not necessarily imply weakness. Well said, since Bax was going onto a different style and self-definition. But regarding the Fifth, Raymond Leppard's recording is perhaps the best on record, not only because he remains tight in his control, but he also allows the music to dispel its sense of wonder in the Poco lento movement. His phrasings are perfect and the LPO provides some wonderful relishments. Thomson is likewise marvelous and the most magical in the slow movement. Handley's grip of the work, a mountain to climb as he describes it, is quite as strong and compelling.

The Sixth Symphony, very much like his Winter Legends, is what Handley describes as pagan music-not hedonistic but secular. It's landscape is as cold and detached, yet wild as Winter Legends, and Handley brought forth those facets to thrilling effects. Though I warm to the Third Symphony more any others, I agree with Handley that Bax' Sixth is among the greatest symphonies of the 20th Century. The ostinato beginning played by the tubas spells out the nature of the work: the mood that's bleak and contemplative. The epilogue I think serves as quite a foretaste of Vaughan Williams Sixth, among the most bleakest passages ever written (as with Myaskovsky's Thirteenth of 1932). I can't find fault with Handley's reading of, as he calls it "a frightening score." He projects the wildness of the first movement ideally while the slow movement is elegant. While the finale is very well done, Thomson brings out that extra sense of loss and inner contemplation in the epilogue. He's the most effective performer in the Seventh, Bax' most relax symphony: Not just because he gives us more of the majestics and the pompousness in the first movement, or the inner beauty and rapt poetry of the second, but the epilogue is simply more poignantly conveyed in its sadness as Bax' was saying goodbye to the adventurous world he knew (he wrote his autobiography "Farewell My Youth" during that time).

In closing, this album is a revelation, for Vernon Handley (who's way overdue for knighthood) gives us plenty of reasons to re-think and reexamine Bax as a major force in British music (and plenty of credits must be given to David Lloyd-Jones under the Naxos series in that regard). The BBC Philharmonic is excellent, especially in Tintagel & the Rogue's Comedy Overture, even though this great orchestra does demonstrate at places a wanting in greater sonority and involvement.

But my heart remains with Thomson. Although his tempi can at times sound laborious, Thomson, to me, knew how to project the inner beauty and wonder behind Bax' music without really over-stretching it. The heart is definitely on his sleeves which, as far as Bax is concerned, is a good thing.

Superb advocacy for superb music.......2003-12-16

Why the English symphonic repertoire is so direly underrepresented on the international (and certainly the Dutch) concert stage remains an enigma to me, all the more baffling when listening to these fabulous symphonies. Bax has it all: lush melodies, endless incident, spectacular orchestration, shimmering mystery, haunting epilogues - anybody who likes Richard Strauss or Respighi cannot but love this music, and I wager that Bax has lots more to offer in the way of emotional substance than either of them. Bless Vernon Handley, the BBC Phil and Chandos for giving us this "Bax Box", which is a veritable treasure trove. Handley knows these works inside and out and is utterly committed to this music (and genuinely peeved at its neglect, as can be heard on the fifth disc containing an involving hour long interview). This is readily communicated in music making of white heat, resulting in some of the most compelling performances I've ever heard of any pieces. The Epilogue of the Third (surely among the finest pages in all of English music) literally brought me to tears!
Chandos's commitment to Bax is such that this is in fact their second cycle, an earlier one having been recorded by Bryden Thomson, who took a quite different view from Handley. Richly and reverberantly recorded, Thomson made the most of the swelling, romantic melodies - after hearing him, the beautiful tune of the Fifth's epilogue sounds just a tad plain in Handley's version; also, in comparison I found the dark tragedy of the Second somewhat lightweight with Handley, and quite overpowering in Thomson's hands. But the latter's structural grip on the music is some way behind that of Handley, so that at times it does indeed blur into the generalized, shapelessly chromatic washes of sound that have given Bax some bad press. No such thing happens in this new set: helped by more energetic speeds as well as a drier, more transparent recording and somewhat thinner string tone, the rhythmic underpinning of the music is continuously present, and the many simultaneous voices never push each other away, but rather reveal their intricate interrelations. This does a great service to Bax, fully revealing his genius as a musical architect and indeed as a top rank composer, every bit as worthy of general recognition as Vaughan Williams, Elgar, Holst or Britten. And not only is Handley's sound more transparent, it also encompasses a thrilling dynamic range, accommodating moments of quiet reticence as easily as the most extroverted outbursts - for a thrilling demonstration of the latter, just listen to the beginning of the Fourth, with the organ, so lamentably lost in the general hubbub on Thomson's recording now a spectacular presence from the very first bar. If I had to single out one symphony, that Fourth is for me the high point of this cycle, if indeed such a thing exists among interpretations that are all of the highest possible quality. For those who do not know Bax, it might be a good place to start sampling - or you might even want to acquire an installment in the excellent Naxos cycle with Lloyd-Jones as a low-risk point of entry. Though that would still be a waste of money, as in the end you simply cannot be without this touchstone set if you care even the slightest bit about English music (and you should!).

Average customer rating:

Some good and great stuff...But be patient
Bax Symphonies: Thomson/LPO/Ulster Orchestra
The Essence of Sir Arnold Bax

Sir Arnold Bax: The Complete Symphonies

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Symphony No. 1 In E Flat: I. Allegro moderato e feroce
Symphony No. 1 In E Flat: II. Lento solenne
Symphony No. 1 In E Flat: III. Allegro maestoso - Allegro vivace ma non troppo prest - Tempo di marcia trionfale
Symphony No. 6: I. Moderato - Allegro con fuoco
Symphony No. 6: II. Lento, molto espressivo
Symphony No. 6: III. Introduction (Lento moderato) - Scherzo And Trio (Allegro vivace - Andante semplice) - Epilogue (Lento)

Tracks:

Symphony No. 5: I. Poco lento - Allegro con fuoco - Moderato - Arnold Bax
Symphony No. 5: II. Poco lento - Arnold Bax
Symphony No. 5: III. Poco moderato - Allegro- Epilogue (Doppio movimento alla breve) - Arnold Bax
Symphony No. 4: I. Allegro moderato - Arnold Bax
Symphony No. 4: II. Lento, moderato - Arnold Bax

Tracks:

Symphony No. 4: III. Allegro - Tempo di marcia trionfale
Symphony No. 2 In E Minor & C: I. Molto moderato - Allegro moderato
Symphony No. 2 In E Minor & C: II. Andante
Symphony No. 2 In E Minor & C: III. Poco largamente - Allegro feroce - Molto largamente

Tracks:

I. Lento moderato
Symphony No. 3: II. Lento
Symphony No. 3: III. Moderato - Epilogue (Poco lento)

Tracks:

Symphony No. 7: I. Allegro
Symphony No. 7: II. Lento - In Legendary Mood (Piu mosso) - Tempo 1
Symphony No. 7: III. Theme And Variations (Allegro - Andante - Vivace - Epilogue 'Sereno')

Customer Reviews:

Some good and great stuff...But be patient.......2003-12-05

I never knew about Bax and suddenly I am listening to his complete symphonies. The symphonies are a great tome of classical music , but you would call it great only after you have listened to all the symphonies, at least a couple of time. The set of symphonies consist of unconventionally large time scales, big bursty orchestration followed by pianissimo passages, sudden solos entering after orgasmic full blooded orchestra all happening in between chunks of large tone poems sections. All this makes for a pretty unwieldy work at first hearing, but when you have listened to it, you feel this is the best way it should sound. There is music which is great sounding at first hearing and then gathers dust, and there is music which is a bit hard to like at first hearing, but once the trouble is taken and the terrain is charted, it doesnt seem incomprenhensible anymore, infact it ends up becomming your most fav music. Baxs synmphonies fall in the 2nd category. The Music at times sounds like Prokofiev, sometimes like Shostokovich and at times like Bax. But its a unique blend. The orchestration sound produced by BAX is fantastic. He puts a very quite instrument solo just after crash boom bang. And the music does not follow formal structure, it meanders, but its fantastic sounding.

Sym5 and 6 will take time ..you need to hear it 2-3 times

Sym 1 and 2 sounds a bit peasantly, but bit more hearing and you like it. Sym 1 and 2 have a faustian character

sym 3 and sym 7 are by far the BEST in the set.

Sym 7,3 and 4 is easily approchable, you will like these three at first hearing. For the rest, give your ears and your cd player some more re-runs of the cds and you will start loving them.

regards, Vikram

Bax Symphonies: Thomson/LPO/Ulster Orchestra.......2000-02-25

This was a most welcome addition to my CD collection and Thomson has done a first rate job of putting together Bax's symphonic output on a five CD boxed set. Thew juxtaposition of the works is somewhat strange, the criterion being the optimal use of the 5 CD's time viz: disc's 2 and 3 split Symphony No 4 (movement 3 is put on disc 3) and the resulting disc 3 is somewhat 'funky' ro my mind with the Symphony No 2 carrying on after the Finale to No 4. I don't want to sound churlish given the quality of the music but I would have like to have seen Chandos give us an additional disc on the set so that all the symphonies would have had their own disc with the exception of disc 1 which would contain Symphonies 1 & 6 al completo, thereby avoiding this artificial splitting. I would have been happy to pay the extra money which would have saved me a lot of messing about with my CD programmer! I generally agree with the comments of the earlier commentator on the music although I would advise any true lover of this music to also listen to the 1960s/70s issue of the Symphonies (minus 3 &4) on the Lyrita label which is not currently available on CD. To listen to the Thomson's recording of Symphonies No 1 and 2 we can pick up the truth of Bax's words when he said that his best symphonies were his early works Nos 1-3. He thought he had burnt himeslf out after the early 1930s. His original programme notes called No 1 'Adventures on the precipice' and of No 2 'In the abyss'. To be sure, the modern Thomson recording is technically brilliant matching his performance as he picks up the pagan power of these works, the brass sforzandi shattering the grim smoky beginning of No 2 and the cold glittering tone colour of the celesta ostinati against the baleful horn's call somehow summoning up the legends of Cuchulainn and the Nordic Sagas. The Lento with its leading violin tells us a sad Celtic story builds to a shimmering climax like the wind off the West Irish coast leads us into the terrifying finale with its uncanny predictive assembly of a thermo-nuclear catastrophe with boiling skies and an Epilogue which asks: What now? The feeling at the end of this magnificent work is that we have been told a Saga of bravery, fortitude, suffering and death. The version of Symphony No 3 is the best yet I have heard, certainly preferable to the Naxos offering which to my mind is sometimes taken too fast. The Symphony No 4 was written when Bax was attempting to write music of a more extrovert nature and the first movement bears this out, although the slow movement despite its lyricism appears somehow artificial and hollow when compared with the more heartfelt and original No 1, for example. The strident finale, with its trumpet and percussion fff is of the genre of his 'Music to a Picaresque Comedy', is truly delightful and Thomson makes the most of this unusual mood in Bax, making the orchestra jump through the loudspeakers! The 5th and 6th symphonies are brilliant, the spectre of Sibelius presenting itself as Bax's music became more terse and economical. However, as non plus ultra, Thomson pulls a gem out of his hat with No 7, this CD is given its own jewel case in the box and it seems appropriate as this is the most played symphony of my set and played such is a veritable jewel. This is manifest in the multitude of layers of orchestration, harmony, beat and counterpoint which are here displayed in showcase fashion. The closing of the first movement with its uncanny sad woodwind lament against discordant muted trombones chords summon up a sense of disquiet and unease as we drift unhappily into the next movement as a storm brews under dark skies. The section of the next movement was marked by Bax 'In Legendary Mood' and is wonderfully dark, mysterious and sensual. The CD collection comes to a soulful and pensive close which portrays Bax's words as his alter ego the poet, Dermot O'Byrne: 'Dark are the paths of my heart...and sea winds blow the winter in'; a must buy for all British Music fiends and a delight for any lover of post Wagnerian romantic emotion.

The Essence of Sir Arnold Bax.......1999-03-28

Sir Arnold Bax (1883-1953) was the leading British composer in the 1930s after his reputation grew immensely due largely to the 1922 premiere of his powerful, agonizing First Symphony. Although his Symphonic Poems such as Tintagel (1908), the Garden of Fand (1916), & November Woods (1918) placed Bax among the recognizable of composers, his symphonies did more to further his reputation.

His first symphony (1921-1922) has it's relations to Myaskovsky's symphonies no. 6 & 16, Glazunov's Eighth symphony, Vaughan Williams' Sixth symphony & Nielsen's Fourth & Fifth symphonies because it is reflective of the tragic past. In Bax's case, he witnessed the Eastern Uprising of 1916 in Ireland (against British forces) which resulted in killing of many of Bax's friends. His father past away two years later. The symphony's first movement is energetic, expressive, yet dark & angered. The second movement is elegiac, powerful & morbid, probably the most moving of all of Bax's compositions. The Finale, with all it's struggles, ends in bright optimism.

The Second symphony (1924-1926) returns to the tragic past of the composer. It employed a greater orchestral force than it's predecessor (with the organ included). Of all works of the composer, this symphony is the most powerful & pessimistic, ending in quiet contemplation.

The turning point in Bax's life is represented in his Third symphony (1928-1929), where some misfortunes were not forgotten, but where there's still life & hope. The first two movements are brighter, beautifully scored, & evocative. The last movement is with some sort of gaiety & festivity before the magically Epilogue appears. The epilogue of the symphony at last had a peaceful ending that is not of a tragic nature.

The Fourth & Fifth symphonies (1930 & 1932 respectively) showed the more brighter side of the composer. The Fourth depicts the sea (like his Seventh & Tintagel) whereas the Fifth (dedicated to Jean Sibelius, who, with Sergei V. Rachmaninoff, admired Bax) depites optimistic energy (The Finale's Epilogue with its triumphant, festive spirits & the breathtaking slow movement with wonderful imagination & highly attractive orchestration).

The Sixth symphony (1934-1935) begins with the theme which repeats itself insistently before the Allegro con fuoco enters. The movement began with coldness, but with passion, and passion predominates the entire first movement before the climax is heard. The movement ends boisterously. The second movement is both lyrical & calm whereas the last movement, as long as the first two movements, begins with an appealing clarinet solo theme, used again later. After the clarinet, the strings enter to repeat the theme already established. The pace quickened to a lively scherzo where themes becomes varied. After the grandious climax, we have now, the Epilogue, as magically as the one in the Third symphony although slightly more disturbed.

The Seventh & last symphony was completed in 1939 as a commisioned work for the New York World Fair of 1939. It was dedicated to "The People of America" & was premiered by Sir Adrian Boult. The first movement begins quietly before liveliness & majesty take over. The movement is festive & passionate, ending quietly as it began, with a timpani roll & the theme played by the clarinet. The slow movement is meditative & appealing whereas the finale begins with triumph. That triumph would soon be replaced by a sober, saddening theme played by first the lower strings & then by brass & woodwinds. Seven variations follows, the first six of them active, boisterous, & perhaps pompous. The calm & serene seventh & last variation is perhaps the saddest of all of Bax's music, saying goodbye to the end of the epic journey the symphonies carried Bax & us as we relate to this great composer.

Bax was autobiographical in his compositions. He, like Carl Nielsen, Myaskovsky, Lyatoshynsky & Josef Suk, was very communicative & personal without regrets or apologies. The composer was imaginative & honest, with impeccable orchestration & craftmanship. Bryden Thomson with The London Philharmonic & Ulster Orcestra did Bax the greatest of justice in bringing his works from the cold & unfortunate obscurity. The performances: passionate, majestic, sympathetic, beautiful. The recording: atmospheric & perfect.

Should we hope for further recordings of Bax with the Scottish National Orchestra under David Lloyd Jones, who so far recorded Bax's First symphony with passion & a sense of urgency & excitement?

The set is highly recommendable nevertheless.

Music Review: