Bantock: Thalaba the Destroyer

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Continuing Hyperion's pioneering Bantock series, Vernon Handley and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra provide another lavish feast for the senses. Bantock's musical language is heart-on-sleeve Romanticism sometimes colored by Oriental references with, nevertheless, an identifiably English accent. Vernon Handley's passionate advocacy of this music ensures committed performances from the RPO.

Hyperion's recording is everything one has come to expect from this company, enabling detail to register fully within a natural perspective. The major part of the program is given over to the extended tone poem Thalaba the Destroyer, but the other items are no less fascinating, from the evocation of the desert at night in the Prelude to Omar Khayyám through to the magically scored, powerful Processional and the Straussian-sounding Prelude to The Song of Songs. Thalaba (1899) shows the clear influence of Tchaikovsky in its expressive and musical vocabulary. It is an involving musical tale worthy of more frequent performance in the concert hall. The disc from the same forces that includes both the Celtic and Hebridean symphonies forms the ideal complement to this recording. --Colin Clarke

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Granville Bantock, once a powerful force in the British Musical Renaissance, was a prolific and uneven composer. For much of the past century he had fallen so thoroughly out of fashion it was difficult to find more than a handful of recordings of his works, let alone be sure how well those works represented him. Nowadays – and largely if not wholly due to Vernon Handley's championing of him via a whole series of Hyperion CDs, of which this is the latest – it's possible to exercise some... read more

Bantock: Thalaba the Destroyer

Bantock: Thalaba the Destroyer, Music, Royal Philharmonic, Vernon Handley, Choral, Choral Music, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Orchestral, Orchestral & Symphonic, Orchestral Music

Average customer rating: A NON-EXPERT BUT FIRMLY-HELD OPINION... Underwhelmed Another Fabulous Bantock Disc

Bantock: Thalaba the Destroyer Royal Philharmonic , and Vernon Handley Manufacturer: Hyperion UK ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Bantock: The Cyprian Goddess; The Helena Variations; Dante and Beatrice Bantock: Sappho; Sapphic Poem Bantock: Pagan Symphony / Handley Bantock: The Song of Songs; The Wilderness and the Solitary Place; Pierrot of the Minute; Overture to a Greek Tragedy Bantock: Hebridean Symphony; Celtic Symphony; The Witch of Atlas; The Sea Reivers ASIN: B00005RT4E Release Date: 2001-12-11

Amazon.com

Hyperion's recording is everything one has come to expect from this company, enabling detail to register fully within a natural perspective. The major part of the program is given over to the extended tone poem Thalaba the Destroyer, but the other items are no less fascinating, from the evocation of the desert at night in the Prelude to Omar Khayyám through to the magically scored, powerful Processional and the Straussian-sounding Prelude to The Song of Songs. Thalaba (1899) shows the clear influence of Tchaikovsky in its expressive and musical vocabulary. It is an involving musical tale worthy of more frequent performance in the concert hall. The disc from the same forces that includes both the Celtic and Hebridean symphonies forms the ideal complement to this recording. --Colin Clarke

Customer Reviews:

A NON-EXPERT BUT FIRMLY-HELD OPINION..........2002-10-15

That being said, I was struck by the evocative qualities of Bantock's compositions as much as by their sheer beauty. I've found a certain sweet naivete in the works of several British composers -- and this is something I find honest and charming, not something I see as a detraction, or amateurish in any way whatsoever. The fascination that Bantock obviously felt for 'things Eastern' is evident in the two excerpts from his 'Omar Khayyam' work found here, as well as in the lengthy title piece. The composer integrates middle-eastern themes into his work in a way that displays his genuine respect and affection for them -- as well as the more romantic, exotic attraction that pulled on him.

When I first listened to this disc, I was struck by what I felt was an extremely low volume level. As the disc played on, however, I found that this was necessary to accommodate the amazingly wide dynamic range of the performance. Now when I insert this disc into my player, I know to 'turn it right up' --and the results are stunning. Hyperion has a richly deserved fine reputation for their recording quality -- and this disc displays that nicely.

I can't begin to claim to hear Tchaikovsky's influence here, or another composer's influence there, in any of these works -- I don't doubt for a moment that they're there, but the enjoyment I receive every time I listen to this disc (or to my other Bantock cd, on Hyperion as well, with the Hebridean & Celtic Symphonies) is of such a level that it really doesn't matter to me. Every composer that has ever set pen to a blank score has been influenced by the great artists that he or she admired during their formative years (and throughout their careers as well, no doubt) -- those influences are absorbed and re-made by the best of them, and even with them 'on board', some incredibly creative works have been produced throughout musical history. This is true in any genre, not just in classical music.

The enjoyment of the listener -- the extent to which they are moved, and their lives enriched by the experience -- that's the yardstick.

This is an amazing recording ?I've been listening to it repeatedly for several months now, and I'm nowhere near tired of it yet.

Underwhelmed.......2002-08-12

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Vernon Handley
Hyperion 67250

Bantock has been hit and miss for me. His "Celtic Symphony" and tone poem,
"The Witch of Atlas" are polished, individual and evocative. The "Hebridean
Symphony" begins in an inspired and compelling manner-with its pre-dawn
wisps of horn and violin melody floating over darkly adumbrative seas-but
when Bantock's morning mists burn off, the grand hull of the HMS Richard
Strauss suddenly looms uncomfortably close.

Derivation is fine as long as we're not reminded too much of old loves.
"Thalaba the Destroyer" was written in 1899 at which time Bantock had
conducted a series of all-Tchaikovsky concerts. Both conductor and audience
enjoyed quite an enthusiasm for the Russian at the time, and with "Thalaba,"
Bantock quite unapologetically tips his hat to him.

From the air-cleaving brass punctuations to the sizzling string tremolos, I
can sense an extraordinary commitment on the part of the RPO's members as
only a fellow musician can. Handley has always been a favorite of mine;
turning in performances that are both vivid and tight, yet never emotionally
undernourished. Zeinab's theme, (Thalaba's mother), is a wonderful extended
melody repeated with a counter-melody that creates some exquisite

suspensions. With Oneiza's music, (Thalaba's girlfriend), Bantock gives us
a fetching oboe melody over luminous strings. It's during the ensuing good
vs. evil battle music that one can hear most clearly that Bantock has
left Tchaikovsky atop the hill to bark orders down to the troops; but
still, unlike the stylistically piecemeal Hebridean Symphony, Thalaba the
Destroyer remains homogenous enough not to jar this listener's suspension
of disbelief.

It's the other pieces-the preludes "Song of Songs" and "Omar Khayyam," the

"Camel Caravan," "Caristonia," and "Processional"-where I find my mind
wandering. IMHO the titles are more exotic than the music itself; and for
all the talk about Eastern exotisism the percussion section is used quite
traditionally-to cap a climax or to limn offbeats. Are my post-Edwardian
let-it-all-hang-out sensibilities not cutting Bantock enough slack? No.
It's not just the conservatism. Beecham wrote of Bantock's music as:

"...a flow of genial melody, unmistakably of the `stagey' sort, a solid but
lively handling of the orchestra, and a by no means too common capacity for
passing swiftly and easily from one contrasting mood to another."

To be sure, Bantock writes with taste, his orchestrations delight, and
emotions ebb and flow like the River of Life itself. But rivers carry with
them bits and pieces of upstream memories gained along the way, and rivers
eventually empty into something grander than themselves. Bantock's music
"passes swiftly...from one contrasting mood to another" alright, but I find
his particular brand of through-composition in these pieces ultimately
unsatisfying because I don't hear or even sense any overall unity or
development. Not even the hidden kind.

Certainly it's possible to create music that is both amorphous and unified,
(think of Delius' Irmelin Prelude, VW's "Fen County," or Schreker's
Intermezzo from "Der ferne Klang"), as these composers at least buffet

their clouds here and there with wisps of repeated melodic or
rhythmic motifs and discreet symphonic development. Even Sibelius savors his
spring water for a few moments before swallowing.

Without any development or reiteration, pieces like Bantock's "Caristiona"
can seem like a river of unrelated and inchoate preludes. Regarding the few
strophic sections to be found in the marches within "Camel Caravan" and the
"Processional," I found myself ironically *yearning* for more variation. My
thrill regarding Bantock's prodigious orchestral techniques
aside--when splashed by his occasional grand gestures or when riding the
falls into his climactic seas, I sometimes find little to hold on to.

If you don't have any Bantock, I would recommend trying out an earlier
Hyperion release featuring the uneven but ultimately satisfying Hebridian
Symphony. IMHO the fillers, (including the Celtic Symphony), are much more
successful than those included with
"Thalaba the Destroyer."

John Smyth

Another Fabulous Bantock Disc.......2002-01-16

Thalaba the Destroyer is the principle work on this disc and is a marvelous tone poem. Although Bantock was influenced by Tchaikovsky in writing this music it is not an imitation of the Russian composer. Thalaba is characteristic of Bantock`s approach to conveying a dramatic picture. The story behind this work is good versus evil with Thalaba as the sole survivor of his family, with a duty to avenge his father who has been killed by the demon Okba.

The booklet notes are very good and provide a background on each of the tracks. It astonishes that music this good has not received the attention it deserves. This new disc is a great introduction to Bantock's music and will be a welcomed addition to those already familiar with his music.

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