Arthur Sullivan - Irish Symphony; etc. (Owain Arwel Hughes)

Information

Composer: Arthur Sullivan

• (01) Symphony in E major (The Irish)
• (05) Imperial March
• (06) Victoria and Merrie England, Suite No. 1
• (09) Overture in C (In Memoriam)

BBC Concert Orchestra

Owain Arwel Hughes, conductor

Date: 2021

Label: cpo

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/Arthur-Sullivan-1842-1900-Symphony-in-E-Irish/hnum/7014551

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Review

A decent modern recording of Sullivan's Irish Symphony was long overdue, so this new rendering from Owain Arwel Hughes and the sterling BBC Concert Orchestra (this group's terrific Constant Lambert compilation on Argo—10/92—was one of my personal highlights of 1992) could hardly be more welcome. That said, Sir Charles Groves's affectionate 1968 recording (which has served us nicely over the years) is by no means displaced by this newcomer. In the winsome third movement Allegretto, for example, the jaunty oboe melody (by far the most memorable idea in the whole work) is more infectiously characterized by Groves's RLPO principal, and on the whole Groves's direction throughout possesses the greater imaginative impulse. What is more, Hughes's decision to include the exposition repeat in the opening Allegro ma non troppo vivace makes that movement a very long haul indeed; nor does the Welshman's orchestra always sound ideally fired up by proceedings. Still, as a 'straighter' modern alternative to the trusty Groves version, the present account will suffice.

Fortunately, things seem to perk up somewhat for the remaining trio of offerings, by far the most impressive of which is the ambitious Overture in C, In memoriam, which Sullivan completed in just ten days following the sudden death of his father in the autumn of 1866. Hughes directs sympathetically (if without eclipsing memories of Sir Vivian Dunn's splendidly grandiloquent CBSO version) and goes on to lend equally persuasive advocacy to the well-made but altogether less inspired Imperial March (1893) and charmingly tuneful Suite No. 1 from the 1897 ballet, Victoria and Merrie England. Despite any slight reservations concerning the performance of the main work, this remains an enjoyable release, even if the (otherwise vivid) recording doesn't always flatter the string section of the BBC Concert Orchestra. Producer Tim McDonald supplies the extensive and enthusiastic insert-notes.

-- Andrew Achenbach, Gramophone

More reviews:
http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/c/cpo99171a.php

https://www.amazon.com/Sullivan-Symphony-Imperial-Victoria-Memoriam/dp/B07NY3GSSP

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Arthur Sullivan (13 May 1842 – 22 November 1900) was an English composer. He is best known for his series of 14 operatic collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including such enduring works as H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado. Sullivan composed 23 operas, 13 major orchestral works, eight choral works and oratorios, two ballets, incidental music to several plays, and numerous hymns and other church pieces, songs, and piano and chamber pieces. The best known of his hymns and songs include "Onward Christian Soldiers" and "The Lost Chord".

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

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Owain Arwel Hughes CBE (born 21 March 1942 in Ton Pentre, Rhondda) is a Welsh orchestral conductor. He studied conducting under Sir Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink and Rudolf Kempe. Hughes became well known after a rousing televised performance of William Walton's Belshazzar’s Feast, which won the praise of the composer himself. He later hosted a BBC series, The Much-Loved Music Show. Hughes has made numerous recordings, championing less well-known composers, including recording a complete cycle of the symphonies of the Danish composer Vagn Holmboe.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owain_Arwel_Hughes

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