Alan Rawsthorne - Cello Concerto; Oboe Concerto; Symphonic Studies (David Lloyd-Jones)

Information

Composer: Alan Rawsthorne

1. Symphonic Studies
2. Oboe Concerto: I. Maestoso - Allegro
3. Oboe Concerto: II. Allegretto con morbidezza
4. Oboe Concerto: III. Vivace
5. Cello Concerto: I. Allegro lirico (Quasi Variazioni)
6. Cello Concerto: II. Mesto
7. Cello Concerto: III. Allegro - Vivace

Stéphane Rancourt, oboe (2-4)
Alexander Baillie, cello (5-7)
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
David Lloyd-Jones, conductor

Date: 2000
Label: Naxos
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.554763

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Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 10 / SOUND QUALITY: 10

Once again Naxos pulls a rabbit out of its hat with this gorgeous release of Alan Rawsthorne’s music (with two world premieres yet). Rawsthorne (1905-71) was one of a middle generation of 20th century British Romanticists whose music had a somewhat rough edge, veering toward elements of atonality without really crossing the line (this is particularly true of his symphonies). One of Rawsthorne’s best works, easily ranking with his symphonies, is the Symphonic Studies (1939) performed here. With its shifting moods and bright orchestral colors, this work more closely resembles a concerto for orchestra and is full of delicious surprises. It alone is worth the price of admission.

The world premieres here are the two concertos, one for oboe from 1947, the other a 1966 cello concerto. Both are mainstream Romantic works but with a bit more emotional content than found in the Symphonic Studies. The Oboe Concerto might draw comparisons with the one by Vaughan Williams, but while it has the same depth of emotion, it also has fewer melancholic elements. The soloist is Stéphane Rancourt, whose oboe provides a warm, sympathetic reading of the material without being assertive or showy. The Cello Concerto is a more dour work and it will remind the informed listener of Arnold Bax’s cello concerto–but again, without that composer’s brooding temperament. However, every performance element here is in place and the sound quality is superior. If you’re new to Rawsthorne, there is no better introduction to his music than the Symphonic Studies. This is a real find.

-- Paul Cook, ClassicsToday

More reviews:
http://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-5347/
http://www.classical-music.com/review/rawsthorne
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2001/Feb01/rawsthorne.htm
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2001/Mar01/rawsthorne.htm
http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/n/nxs54763a.php
http://www.classicalsource.com/db_control/db_cd_review.php?id=42
http://www.naxos.com/reviews/reviewslist.asp?catalogueid=8.554763&languageid=EN
https://www.amazon.com/Rawsthorne-Cello-Concerto-Symphonic-Studies/dp/B000050XA3

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Alan Rawsthorne (2 May 1905 – 24 July 1971) was a British composer. He studied at the Royal Manchester College of Music with Frank Merrick and Carl Fuchs, then with Egon Petri at Zakopane in Poland, and briefly in Berlin, too. His large scale Symphonic Studies (1939) helped Rawsthorne establish himself as a composer possessing a highly distinctive musical voice. Other acclaimed works by Rawsthorne include a viola sonata, 2 piano concertos, an oboe concerto, 2 violin concertos, a concerto for string orchestra, the Elegy for guitar, a cello concerto, 3 string quartets and 3 symphonies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Rawsthorne

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Alexander Baillie (born 6 January 1956) is an English cellist, recognised internationally as one of the finest of his generation. Baillie frequently appears as a concerto soloist all around the world. He has been a soloist at the BBC Proms numerous times. Baillie has made a significant contribution to contemporary music, having premiered various works such as Penderecki's Cello Concerto No. 2 in 1992. In addition, Baillie is a regular conductor of the Marryat Players in Wimbledon. He is currently professor of cello at the Bremen Hochschule and at Birmingham Conservatoire, as well as at various summer schools in the UK and Europe.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Baillie

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David Lloyd-Jones (born 19 November 1934 in London) is a British conductor. He is also an editor and translator, especially of Russian operas. In 1978, Lloyd-Jones founded and became the first Music Director of Opera North, forming its orchestra, the English Northern Philharmonia (now the Orchestra of Opera North), of which he became Artistic Director. In the recording studio, Lloyd-Jones has specialised in British and Russian music, often for Hyperion and Naxos.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Lloyd-Jones_(conductor)

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