# SS 05.09.2015 - Walton #1



## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

A continuation of the Saturday Symphonies Tradition:

Welcome to another weekend of symphonic listening!

For your listening pleasure this weekend:*

William Walton (1902 - 1983)*

Symphony No. 1 in B-flat minor

1. Allegro assai
2. Scherzo: Presto con malizia
3. Andante con malinconia
4. Maestoso - Allegro, brioso ed ardentemente - Vivacissimo - Maestoso

---------------------

Post what recording you are going to listen to giving details of Orchestra / Conductor / Chorus / Soloists etc - Enjoy!


----------



## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

This will be a new on for me. I'm not familiar with Walton so I'm looking forward to discovering some new music. I'll be listening too:

View attachment 74574


Andre Previn/London Symphony Orchestra


----------



## D Smith (Sep 13, 2014)

I'll go with Previn too, but with the RPO, a disc I've had forever. I'd be curious for other member's recommendations on this work.


----------



## Jeff W (Jan 20, 2014)

I'll go with Paul Daniel conducting the English Northen Philharmonia since Apple Music doesn't seem to have much else for William Walton. Unless I'm just not using the right terms.


----------



## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I'll go with this one - Naxos appear to have served Walton nobly with a number of well-received recordings of his orchestral output with Paul Daniel/ENP:


----------



## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

This is the CD I own. Slatkin/LPO. My only complaint is running time is short for the disk.


----------



## Kivimees (Feb 16, 2013)

Walton wrote only two symphonies. I'll listen to both tomorrow:


----------



## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

LSO/Previn. Same recording as above, different album.


----------



## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

This is another composer première for me.

Walton Symphony 1 (Bryden Thomson/London Philharmonic)


----------



## Haydn man (Jan 25, 2014)

I have had this disc for many years
Glorious playing, you can't beat Handley in this form


----------



## ptr (Jan 22, 2013)

New Zealand Symphony Orchestra u. Sir William Walton (Bridge Historical)

Seeing this weekends SS, I remembered that I had this disc in one of my piles of acquired discs that I yet have to listen to, these are from a tour Walton did in NZ in 1964, it was recorded by the NZBC.

From Bridge Records site:


> "William Walton's 1964 tour of New Zealand brings keen enjoyment. Walton's collaboration with Berl Senofsky in the Violin Concerto is particularly worth preserving, but throughout the set Walton and the NZSO make his music sound new, tart and challenging in a way that even accomplished recent performances have difficulty capturing" - BBC Music Magazine These historic performances, recorded by The New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation, are being released for the first time through an agreement between the NZBC and Bridge Records. Recorded during Sir William Walton's seven concert New Zealand tour in 1964, this two disc set is being sold for the discounted price of one CD. The first CD opens with Walton leading a magisterial 'God Savethe Queen' and segues into an impassioned reading of his romantic Violin Concerto. Walton was reportedly 'overjoyed' to be working again with the American violinist Berl Senofsky, who had performed the concerto under his baton with the New York Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony Orchestras. Walton's sparkling Partita is given an exhilarating reading to bring the first CD to its conclusion. Disc B is given over to a major composition-Walton's Symphony No. 1. As encores, Disc B concludes with two short string orchestra pieces from Walton's historic Henry V film collaboration with Laurence Olivier.


It'll be fun to listen to this historical document!

/ptr


----------



## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

It was new to me when I heard Semyon Bychkov conduct the Chicago SO about a year ago, and then I obtained the Previn recording mentioned upthread


----------



## Mika (Jul 24, 2009)

Kivimees said:


> Walton wrote only two symphonies. I'll listen to both tomorrow:
> 
> View attachment 74578


I have this one, so will give it a spin


----------



## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Walton's First remains a great favorite among symphonies for me, and the Previn recording seals the deal. I'll go vinyl this time around.


----------



## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

I grew up with the 1967 New Philharmonia / Sir Malcolm Sargent recording on vinyl which I now have on this CD - it'll be nice to give it a listen today.









I also have these two recordings (BBCNoW / Otaka and CBSO / Rattle) so if I have time, I'll listen to these too. A real Walton 1-athon


----------



## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

I'm listening to this one.


----------



## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

*Walton*: Symphony 1, w. CBSO/Rattle. Recorded October 21/2, 1990, Butterworth Hall, Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick. Recording Engineer: Mike Clements (using 20-bit A/D conversion).


----------



## Grizzled Ghost (Jun 10, 2015)

Spinning it:


----------



## MrTortoise (Dec 25, 2008)

I'm new to Walton's 1st. Going with New Philharmonia Orchestra and Malcolm Sargent


----------



## nightscape (Jun 22, 2013)

First time listen for me, not familiar with Walton

Went with this since it was on Spotify.



elgars ghost said:


> I'll go with this one - Naxos appear to have served Walton nobly with a number of well-received recordings of his orchestral output with Paul Daniel/ENP:


----------



## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

Well, I listened to all three recordings as posted on page 1. Great fun, but as this is an extraordinarily loud symphony, I'm glad the neighbours were out! 
There is some interesting orchestration in this work and I especially like the prominence of the bassoons at high register, the muted horns and the tuba, so any recording must ensure that these particular instruments are not lost in the background. Similarly, at the very end, the tamtam is important. Walton allows space in the composition so that this instrument can really shine (a bit like Mahler does at the end of his 2nd symphony), so any recording that sonically ignores it fails in my opinion.
So, of the three recordings, which is the best? Hard to say - the Rattle is good but suffers from oddly 'muddy' sound quality, some significant brass fluffs and playing rather too fast in the last movement. The Sargent is the one with which I'm most familiar and it still stands up very well today even though the recording is almost 50 years old. This recording has the best finale of the 3 with an excellent fugue and real grandiose treatment of the ending (ace tamtam too). However, of the three, at the moment I'm falling on the side of the live BBC recording from the 1993 Proms. Overall it's exciting, well paced, and ticks most of the necessary boxes.


----------

