William Walton - Belshazzar's Feast; Symphony No. 1 (Colin Davis)

Information

Composer: William Walton

1. Belshazzar's Feast: I. "Thus spake Isaiah"
2. Belshazzar's Feast: II. A tempo - "If I forget thee"
3. Belshazzar's Feast: III. "By the waters of Babylon"
4. Belshazzar's Feast: IV. "Babylon was a great city"
5. Belshazzar's Feast: V. "Praise ye the God of Gold!"
6. Belshazzar's Feast: VI. Allegro molto - "Thus in Babylon"
7. Belshazzar's Feast: VII. "Thou, O King, art King of Kings"
8. Belshazzar's Feast: VIII. "And in that same hour"
9. Belshazzar's Feast: IX. "The trumpeters and pipers"
10. Belshazzar's Feast: X. Allegro - "Then sing aloud to God our strength"
11. Symphony No 1: I. Allegro assai
12. Symphony No 1: II. Scherzo: Presto, con malizia
13. Symphony No 1: III. Andante con malinconia
14. Symphony No 1: IV. Maestoso - Brioso ed ardentemente - Vivacissimo - Maestoso

Peter Coleman-Wright, baritone
London Symphony Chorus & Orchestra
Colin Davis, conductor

Date: 2010
Label: LSO Live
https://lsolive.lso.co.uk/products/walton-belshazzars-feast-symphony-no-1

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Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 9 / SOUND QUALITY: 9

The performance of the symphony is a reissue, previously reviewed and earning only a “7” overall. Hearing it again confirms my original view of it as not bad, but marginally heavy-handed (the coda of the first movement, and a scherzo that fails to sustain its rhythmic bite through to the end), and not a good value considering that the original release had no coupling. Now, however, it comes in tandem with an absolutely smoking version of Belshazzar’s Feast, easily the finest performance in a decade or so, and the combination of the two earns this particular pairing a firm recommendation even if you will want at least one alternative that captures the symphony more fully.

There seem to be two Colin Davises operating on any given day: slow and mannered, or fast and blazing. Thank God the latter one showed up for Belshazzar, which features swift tempos, absolutely thrilling choral singing (the “Praise Ye” section is hair-raising), and orchestral playing that simply raises the roof. Baritone Peter Coleman-Wright isn’t particularly special, but he gets through his relatively brief part adequately. The concluding celebration, after Belsha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-zzar’s percussive slaying, manages to be as fast as possible but also rhythmically incisive, and the LSO engineers capture the proceedings in sonics that are better balanced and warmer than in the symphony. So, no hesitation now–go for it.

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday

More reviews:
https://www.gramophone.co.uk/feature/walton-belshazzars-feast-best-recordings
http://www.classicalcdreview.com/MC348.html
https://www.allmusic.com/album/walton-belshazzars-feast-symphony-no-1-mw0002117308
https://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/reviews/walton-belshazzars-feast-symphony-no-1-peter-coleman-wright-london-so-chorusdavis/
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Walton-Belshazzars-Feast-Symphony-Davis/dp/B004JP8OJ6

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William Walton (29 March 1902 – 8 March 1983) was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera. His best-known works include Façade, the cantata Belshazzar's Feast, the Viola and Violin Concertos, and the First Symphony, which has had more than twenty recordings. Walton was a slow worker, painstakingly perfectionist, and his complete body of work across his long career is not large. His most popular compositions continue to be frequently performed in the twenty-first century, and almost all his works had been released on CD.

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

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Colin Davis (25 September 1927 – 14 April 2013) was an English conductor who known for his association with the London Symphony Orchestra, having first conducted it in 1959. His repertoire was broad, but among the composers with whom he was particularly associated were Mozart, Berlioz, Elgar, Sibelius, Stravinsky and Tippett. He made his first gramophone recordings in 1958, and his discography over the next five decades was extensive, numbering over 300, with a large number of studio recordings for Philips Records and a substantial catalogue of live recordings for the LSO's own label.

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

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