Arnold Bax: Tone Poems

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Sir Arnold Bax (1883-1953) was a prolific composer, producing works in every musical genre except opera. But over the years he has become best known as a composer of tone poems. This is Volume One of Chandos' two-volume set of the best of them. And the best of the works here is November Woods, wherein Bax captures a peculiar, almost Edwardian nostalgia and longing for a lost landscape. This seems almost contradicted by The Happy Forest, which has its own underlying melancholy. Arnold Bax was (and is) the master of the British tone poem. --Paul Cook

Arnold Bax: Tone Poems, Music, Arnold Bax, Bryden Thomson, Ulster Orchestra, 20th/21st Century Orchestral Work with Descriptive Title, 20th/21st Century Tone Poem/Symphonic Poem, Chamber Music & Recitals, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Orchestral

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Another Revelation from Handley & Co.

Arnold Bax: Tone Poems

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Sinfonia | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
Tone Poems | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000EFTEAS
Release Date: 2006-04-18

Tracks:

Tempo Moderato-Allegro Vivace-Poco Marcato-Piu Mosso-Tempo I (Moderato)-Tempo Molto Moderato-Vivace-Tempo Molto Moderato-Vivace-Tempo Molto Moderato-Allegro-Allegro Vivace-Allegro Moderato-Allegro Vivace-Piu Lento-Tempo I (Moderato)- Vivace
Tempo Moderato-Andante Con Moto-Tempo I-Con Anima-Tempo I-Andante Con Moto-Piu Mosso-Piu Lento
Tempo Moderato-Poco Piu Animato-Gay But Not Hurried-Poco Piu Mosso-Tempo I-Slow And Expressive-Largamente Molto-Andante Con Moto-Tempo I-Poco Piu Mosso-Allegro Molto-Tempo I-Come Prima
I. Alla Breve. Molto Moderato-Allegro-Piu Lento-Allegro Deciso Ma Moderato-Vivace-Leggiero-Poco Scherzando-(Allegro Moderato)-Molto Piu Lento E Maestoso-Piu Mosso-Tempo I (Alla Breve)
II. Andante Con Moto-Intenso-Molto Tranquillo-Tempo I. Alla Breve. Molto Moderato
III. Allegro-Vivace-Jubilante-Trionfale-Molto Pesante

Customer Reviews:

Another Revelation from Handley & Co........2006-04-18

Vernon Handley knows Bax's music better than any other conductor. He has consistently given us vivid and masterful interpretations of scores that should be more widely known. In 2002/2003, he joined forces with the BBC Philharmonic to record Bax's seven symphonies, and this box set has received a considerable amount of critical acclaim. (It was, for instance, recently included in Gramophone's list of 100 Greatest Recordings.) Now, three years later, we have a most welcome follow-up: This new CD has the early In the Faery Hills, the more frequently-recorded November Woods and The Garden of Fand, as well as the obscure Sinfonietta. It is hardly surprising that revelations abound in all performances.
The first track, In the Faery Hills, is one of the more successful orchestral works of Bax's early period. Completed in mid 1909, it captures all of the elation that is so common in those youthful scores (see also Spring Fire and Enchanted Summer-both eloquently recorded by Handley as well). In The Faery Hills is Bax's effort "to suggest the revelries of the `Hidden People' in the inmost deeps and hollow hills of Ireland," as well as to depict the "...atmosphere of mystery and remoteness akin to the feeling with which the people of the West think of their beautiful and often terrible faeries." What a fine job he does in this! The music is both light and haunting, and like the two other tone poems included on this disc, it is highly evocative. Handley successfully portrays the vitality of the jigs, as well as the sensitivity of the "song of human joy." And, along with every other track, the solos are delicately played.
If it is elation that can be heard in In The Faery Hills, it is conflict that makes itself known in November Woods. As Lewis Foreman states in his liner notes, "It was November Woods that in images of the stormy Buckinghamshire countryside reflected autobiographical and personal concerns from this time [of 1914-17]." I had no idea how much I loved this piece until I heard this recording; it has never sounded as stormy and powerful as it does here. I must admit, though, that it took me a while to warm up to this version, for its duration is over 20'; this is, by far, the longest account on record. But then I began to wonder. I knew that Handley has always had a keen sense for choosing tempi. What, then, made him choose such a broad one for this? It gradually dawned on me that the swells were more sweeping, the climaxes more forceful. Never before had I heard such depth-and greatness-in this music. Each voice was brought out with care, and the texturing is rich and vibrant. This is a stunning performance in every way.
And now onto one of Bax's very best and most beloved scores. The Garden of Fand was "the last of my Irish music," said Bax to Harriet Cohen. It is certainly the most magical of Bax's seascapes. The form, a tightly constructed ABCBA arch, adds to the work's poignancy: I have found that the form allows the listener to reflect on the transformative power of the music (those opening sounds of the sea will seem strangely different by the end). Handley is again in top-notch form, and he handles the orchestra with fine precision. If one wants to hear an example of great conductorial control, listen to Fand's "song of immortal love"; this music-Bax at his most beautiful-has never sounded so sweet. It's not surprising to learn that Bax "wept in [his] Dublin room" when he composed this tune. It is one of my favorite melodies, and its phrasing is perfectly rendered here.
The last piece on the CD, the Sinfonietta, comes from a later period in Bax's life. It was composed in 1932, just after he had finished the Fifth Symphony. Like Spring Fire, it was never performed in Bax's lifetime; Handley was the first to conduct the piece in 1983-the Bax Centenary. It has only been recorded on one other occasion, with Barry Wordsworth with Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra (now available from Naxos). This new recording outdoes the former in both performance and sound. But it should be known that, unlike November Woods and The Garden of Fand, the Sinfonietta is not first-rank Bax. Bax himself didn't think too highly of the piece. It is less memorable than the other tracks on this disc-and it certainly takes a longer time to get into-, but hardcore Baxians will not want to be without it. I have found the second movement to be the most rewarding, and its enigmatic mood will gradually creep its way into many listeners' minds. The outer movements are pleasant, but as I said, they are not as noteworthy. It should be emphasized that Handley and the BBC players have given their all in making this music. I couldn't imagine the last movement's driving force to be better captured by anyone else.
This CD will not disappoint. If anything, the listener may find him or herself returning to it again and again, especially for the most superior versions of the tone poems. The sound, as always from Chandos, is full and rich, and the liner notes by Lewis Foreman are thorough. I am continually impressed by the BBC Philharmonic; the playing from this orchestra improves with each recording. And as for Vernon Handley, the man must be thanked for bringing Bax's music out of obscurity. He has given this listener-as well as so many others-endless joy with his expert, impassioned readings of music that is worthy of far better recognition. His recordings-including this latest one-will never leave my side.
Don't hesitate to buy this CD!

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A superb introduction to Bax
Nicely done, but . . .
The perfect introduction to Bax
MUSIC FOR TOURISTS

Bax: Symphonic Poems

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
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Bax: Symphony No. 7; Tintagel
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ASIN: B0009SQC9G
Release Date: 2005-07-19

Tracks:

Tintagel
The Garden Of Fand
The Happy Forest
The Tale The Pine Trees Knew
November Woods

Customer Reviews:

A superb introduction to Bax.......2007-02-16

I'd never heard of Bax when I picked this up from the library. I was just getting into tone poems and symphonic poems at the time, so I decided to check it out. I was surprised by what I heard. The music was very beautiful, very interesting, and very nice. I found myself listening to the CD again and again without getting bored. The pieces were quite lovely, played wonderfully, and I found myself wondering more about this composer Bax.

There are five symphonic poems on this CD. Each one is different, with a different sort of theme or concept. While it seems that Tintagel is the best known, my personal favorite was November Woods, which is low, beautiful, and mysterious. The sound is good enough for me (as someone who knows little about sound quality and only knows that it sounds GOOD), the playing is beautiful enough for me, and the deal is great. This was a great disc to get introduced to a very interesting composer through a few orchestral pieces that weren't too long and difficult to concentrate on. Every song on here is nice to listen to, played well, and is very good.

I recommend this for anyone who wants to get into Bax but doesn't know where to start. This is a great introduction.

Nicely done, but . . ........2006-07-09

This was my first exposure to Bax in some depth, having heard only Tintagel before. I was quite taken by that piece. I still like it.
The balance of the CD, though very well played and produced, I didn't like at all. Ear-splitting, strident, unbalanced, ragged. Very hard to listen to.

Along with this I bought a CD of his syphonies. Not my cup of tea, either. I still like Tintagel, but the rest of Mr. Bax you can have.

The perfect introduction to Bax.......2006-01-10

It wasn't until Chandos released Bryden Thomson's first disc of Bax tone poems in the Early Digital Era that I became enamored of his music. I'd found myself resistent to his symphonies, which tend to meander, and, even many years later, I'm still not crazy about them. But the tone poems are shorter, more straight-forward, and quite marvelous. For someone who hasn't heard Bax, I'd say take Debussy, Elgar, and Holst, stir them up together, and you have something of an idea what he sounds like.

Thomson did a great job with the tone poems, wallowing and luxuriating in their richness. The problem is, 20+ years later, the early digital sound is more annoying than it was at the time. The strings are missing weight and body, the brass are shrill, etc.

This Naxos disc has really nice sound--full mid-range and bass, good clarity, warmth. Lloyd-Jones moves the pieces along with more momentum than Thomson did. (Boult did the same, in a Lyrita disc that isn't easy to find now.) In Lloyd-Jones' account of the Bax symphonies for Naxos, that's a plus, because it reins in their meandering quality to some extent. In the tone poems, I rather like a little "wallowing." But Lloyd-Jones' approach is perfectly reasonable, and, for this listener, represents at least an interesting change. The Royal Scottish National Orchestra is a little underpowered in the strings, but consists of first-rate musicians, and plays quite well.

If you haven't heard Bax, this is a great place to start, at the right price, too. If you know Bax's music, this is a happy alternative version. (Most, if not all of these pieces were included as fillers with the Lloyd-Jones symphonies, but it's worth it, in my view, to have them together in this format.)

MUSIC FOR TOURISTS.......2005-08-08

Whether Bax's symphonic poems were ever used as sound-tracks for 1950's films I have no idea, but that's the sort of sound they have. They are obviously 20th century music, but of a fairly traditional and romantic kind. They evoke legends in a rather superficial way, and I suppose they have `atmosphere' of much the kind that tourist books about legends have. They take us in turn to Cornwall, Ireland, a generalised pastoral scene of Greek legend, Scotland and the Chilterns. The composer was of East Anglian roots himself, and I would have thought that that part of England had plenty of individuality of its own, witness the poems of Crabbe to say nothing of the music of Britten. However if Bax's concept of East Anglia was less that marvellous coast than, say, Sudbury or Long Melford, it's easy to understand how he might have sought his inspiration further afield.

It is the duty, and it should be the pleasure, of a fair-minded reviewer to say at once that the performances here are excellent, and the recording too. It is particularly gratifying to me to be able to say again that the Royal Scottish National Orchestra is well on the way to taking its place among the world's finer orchestras. These compositions call for a bold and rich sound, and that is forthcoming here, as is some fine solo work from the orchestral principals. All the same, what I look for in second-league music like this is something completely special in the readings, the kind of wizardry that Beecham could supply. Perhaps that will be the next step in this orchestra's progress. For now, there's nothing essential missing, and this disc should be a pleasant addition, moderately priced, to anyone's collection.

These symphonic poems are what I might term `intermediate' programme-music. They are not overtly representational as Strauss sometimes is, but the programme is more detailed and specific than in, say, Sibelius's Tapiola or The Oceanides, which can perfectly well be heard as `absolute' music, related in only a vague and impressionistic way to their titles and supposed themes. I find that I get the greatest enjoyment out of them if I secure a reasonably clear mental picture to start with of what they are about, and link the episodes in the music to that as they go along. Without some steering of this kind I doubt I could really identify, for example, `a tonal impression of the castle-crowned cliff of...Tintagel', or necessarily be able to distinguish it from the sea rising to overwhelm the island at another point. To obtain this mental image I naturally resort to the liner note, which does this basic job adequately. I have to say, on the other hand, that this short essay is not its author's best. Exactly what is Bax's relationship to Ireland, for instance? After reading a poem by Yeats at age 19 he appears to have `discovered in himself a strong Celtic identity'. What might this be, `a strong Celtic identity', and is it any different from suburbanite dreams of getting away from it all? And if `the garden of Fand is the sea' and later `Fand's garden is seen no more' we appear to be encountering some apocalyptic catastrophe. A bit more thought and care in the writing would have been welcome, considering that points like these have an important bearing on the music.

Niggles like this aside, this is a very fine disc in the most important departments, namely the performance and recording. At a bargain rate in particular it can be thoroughly recommended, and it may be quite a while before we hear these pieces played and recorded so well again.

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Bax Glories continued

Arnold Bax: Tone Poems, Vol. 2

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Arnold Bax: Tone Poems

ASIN: B000000ACY
Release Date: 1992-10-09

Tracks:

The Tale The Pine-Trees Knew
Into The Twilight
In The Faery Hills
Roscatha

Amazon.com

If Strauss's tone poems revel in lush romantic themes, Bax's tone poems deal with expressionistic colors and moods. Curiously, they don't seem particularly "British," though they are most definitely modern. Bax's musical temperament has often been compared to that of Sibelius, who also was not afraid to explore dark landscapes, interior or exterior (his Fourth Symphony is an example). The Tale the Pine-Trees Knew (1931) is a good example of Bax mixing the exterior landscapes of southern England with the interior one of the modern composer. Top notch music, done exceptionally well. --Paul Cook

Customer Reviews:

Bax Glories continued.......2000-03-31

Volume 2 of the Bax tone poems is a continuation of the glorious tone poems which Thomson hit us with during the tail end of the Bax centenary celebrations during the mid 1980's. The conductor and orchestra obviously relish this virtuoso music that had remained unrecorded for so long. If you listen closely, to for example, the opening of 'In the Fairy Hills', you can hear the uncompromising demands Bax makes on his individual instrument players within the orchestra itself, with the woodwind jumping around, cackling and jiggling in an irregular direction, the concentration of strings divisi which need to be rehearsed again and again until the thing is right and the difficult brass passges which take us up to the technical limits of the instruments themselves. Perhaps this is why recording companies have been shy of Bax for so long and this is why our gratitude goes out to Chandos for undertaking this ambitious task and actually fulfilling it. This achievement can be contrasted with, for example, another company which undertook a similar task with another sadly neglected English composer and now seem to be failing at this worthwhile enterprise. 'The Tale the Pine Trees Knew' is Bax in his northern mood which I will admit is not my favorite side to Bax's range of styles. However, this particular work is very atmospheric but it is episodic and veterans of the old vinyl version of this work will remember, amongst the hiss and crackle, how the conductor struggled with the tempi and volume dynamics. Thomson takes a sanguine view of this piece and gives a convincing performance by 'damping down' the woodwind and brass who can get carried away in the second half of the work and unbalance the thing altogether by making it sound like a more generic post-Straussian work. Bax is altogther a tauter composer than the German master and Thomson understands that when he is in an ebullient mood, Bax still holds back a little. This is because this Weltenschauung is not his own. You, the conductor, can give it all you've got when Bax explodes with grief as in his early symphonies or when becomes ecstatic as in 'Fand' but never in good humour. The 'Tale' score is wintery, lacking those little instrumental touches, twisting harmonies and rich phrasing that his earlier works possesed but he still has here some astounding effects that will continually fascinate listeners, particularly with the use of percussion. The musical heart of this CD is the pair of two Irish-inspired tone poems 'Into the Twilight' and 'In the Fairy Hills'. The first of these opens in a dawn-like drum roll and searching woodwind which evolves into a motto theme which Bax develops into a characteristic climax. 'In the Fairy Hills' or 'An Sluagh Sidhe' comes from 1909 and shows how bewitched Bax must have been at just living and breathing Irish air at this time. Bax was sitting under Mount Brandon and in an introspective mood (not unusual for him) when thoughts inspired by his mentor Yeats moved him artistically to produce this superb work. This tone poem by all rights deserves to be played around the world with the best. The central section is based on Yeats' 'The Wanderings of Usheen', the poetry-catalyst that started it all in Bax's imagination years before as a teenager in England and he certainly bares his soul here. To my mind, these are among the most inspired and profound pages he ever penned. I ask anyone who does not know this work to play this tone poem through and just listen to the detail of luxuriant emotional music. Naxos have come out with another recording of this work recently which I have never heard but I cannot imagine this Thomson ever being bettered in sheer emotion. 'Roscatha' means 'Battle Hymn' in Irish Gaelic and Bax attempts here to summon up the atmosphere of old Ireland with is warring clans for a prelude for his projected opera 'Deirdre'. He was trying something like Smetana in his 'Sarka' from Ma Vlast. Unlike the Czech composer, Bax is not at his best in this modus operandi although there are some splendid brass passages which are stirring. Bax was not a painter of military scenes like David with his 'Napoleon crossing the Alps' or 'The Horatii swearing an oath'. He was more like Turner who mixed light and texture to portray nature as seen by a passionate and sensitive soul, reflecting outwardly the storms within. Perhaps Bax found out that he could not keep up this kind of pugilistic mood and that is why he never brought this project to its conclusion. First class all round!

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Bax Glories recalled

Arnold Bax: Tone Poems

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Arnold Bax: Tone Poems, Vol. 2
Bax: The Symphonies

ASIN: B000000AC0
Release Date: 1992-07-29

Tracks:

November Woods
The Happy Forest
The Garden Of Fand
Summer Music

Amazon.com

Sir Arnold Bax (1883-1953) was a prolific composer, producing works in every musical genre except opera. But over the years he has become best known as a composer of tone poems. This is Volume One of Chandos' two-volume set of the best of them. And the best of the works here is November Woods, wherein Bax captures a peculiar, almost Edwardian nostalgia and longing for a lost landscape. This seems almost contradicted by The Happy Forest, which has its own underlying melancholy. Arnold Bax was (and is) the master of the British tone poem. --Paul Cook

Customer Reviews:

Bax Glories recalled.......2000-03-01

This CD is the heartland of Bax's prolific output. Bax stopped composing Tone Poems and got into full blown symphonies before he retired 'like a grocer'. All four works reveal a master of orchestral colour and atmosphere. 'The Garden of Fand' is Bax's celtic depiction of the sea, its shimmering and ever changing textures and melodies seem to have always been with me. I was brought up on the 1958 Barbirolli Golden Guinea recording on vinyl, the recording quality was dreadful but the music still had the fairy magic. Thomson keeps the magic of the Barbirolli, thank heavens. To verify this, listen to the central section when the cellos intone a phrase before the bubbling woodwind which seems to be a painting of the Atlantic wind itself, leading into the flute solo that end up with a questioning semi cadence with the four horns. I know of no other composer who could summon up the magic of the sea like this and whenever I am alone with a friendly sea, I 'play' this work through in my mind, reassuring myself that I am participating in the same glory that Bax saw in 1916. The Happy Forest is a altogether jollier work with a host of different, 'happy' orchestral episodes that Thomson manages without fault. The central dreamy section with its beautiful theme is one of Bax's great tunes, it is a pity the episode is so short. November Woods is not one of my favourite Bax tone poems, it is predictive of some of the stormy sequences in his later symphonies but is brilliantly played here. The smaller work and less known, Summer Music is the product of an untroubled soul who is happy with their life at the time. It is very reminiscent of Delius with its woodwind arabesques and string writing like a summer heat haze. The ending is truly glorious and makes me think of those days in my life before I encountered school and the worries and duties of life. This disk is my all time favourite (of my 300+) and will never be replaced in that capacity. I cannot say more.

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