William Alwyn

[vers la flamme]

Not sure what it is about Alwyn's music that hooks me in. He was a talented orchestrator—one can see why he was so successful in the realm of film music—and his orchestral music seems to inhabit a unique sound world. But he's quickly becoming one of my favorite English composers, alongside Malcolm Arnold (another successful film-scorer/composer).

[springrite]

Must give that another listen to Kyle. My Alwyn favourites are Symphony No.2 (actually I like all five symphonies), Pastoral Fantasia, The Magic Island, Lyra Angelica Autumn Legend and the unaccountably neglected Violin Concerto + the terrific score for 'Odd Man Out' (in the Chandos Film Music Collection).

The second is my favorite as well.
The very first Alwyn work that I heard was actually the violin concerto, which may account for why I have a special attachment to it.

[foxandpeng]

Not sure what it is about Alwyn's music that hooks me in. He was a talented orchestrator—one can see why he was so successful in the realm of film music—and his orchestral music seems to inhabit a unique sound world. But he's quickly becoming one of my favorite English composers, alongside Malcolm Arnold (another successful film-scorer/composer).

I am finding Alwyn more of a challenge than Arnold, Bax, RVW, Rubbra, Arnell, etc. Perseverance is the key, but I have found my mind wandering a little while listening to the symphonies. I'm sure it is just unfamiliarity, so once I have heard each work a few times, my appreciation will undoubtedly kick in.

Good job it isn't PMD Monday, huh?

[Irons]

I find Alwyn difficult to quantify. I do not think it possible to compare him with his English contemporaries as there is nothing nationalistic in his music. His music is for me elusive but worth the trouble. It took at least three listens of the Violin Concerto before I fully appreciated the lyrical nature of the work. 

[Daverz]

The easier entries for me were the Concerto Grossi, the Violin Concerto (yes, it's somewhat perambulatory in between those great lyrical moments) and the scherzo of Symphony No. 4 (well, it's the "Molto vivace" middle movement, but seems obviously a scherzo to me).  The other symphonies have been tougher (as in: I couldn't bring anything about them to mind at the moment, which I don't see as having any bearing on the quality of the music the way some here do.)  Part of the difficulty as that these are brooding works that require cranking up the volume in a way I can seldom do these days.

[foxandpeng]

I find Alwyn difficult to quantify. I do not think it possible to compare him with his English contemporaries as there is nothing nationalistic in his music. His music is for me elusive but worth the trouble. It took at least three listens of the Violin Concerto before I fully appreciated the lyrical nature of the work.

Second time through today to get to grips with symphonies 2, 3 and 5.

I agree that the VC also needed 2-3 spins to come into its own.

[Roasted Swan]

I find Alwyn difficult to quantify. I do not think it possible to compare him with his English contemporaries as there is nothing nationalistic in his music. His music is for me elusive but worth the trouble. It took at least three listens of the Violin Concerto before I fully appreciated the lyrical nature of the work.

Not quite sure I understand what you mean - there areso many British composers who are contemporaries of Alwyn who - like him are not nationalist/pastoralist composers;  Joubert/ Rawsthorne/ Leighton/ Frankel/ Reizenstein/ Arnell/ Arnold/ Walton/ Tippett/ Simpson/ Daniel Jones etc etc...... for starters

[Irons]

Not quite sure I understand what you mean - there areso many British composers who are contemporaries of Alwyn who - like him are not nationalist/pastoralist composers;  Joubert/ Rawsthorne/ Leighton/ Frankel/ Reizenstein/ Arnell/ Arnold/ Walton/ Tippett/ Simpson/ Daniel Jones etc etc...... for starters

Fair enough.

[Maestro267]

That's not an explanation. Do all composers from a country have to be nationalistic?

[Irons]

That's not an explanation. Do all composers from a country have to be nationalistic?

No.

[Symphonic Addict]

Hat tip to Kyle for reminding me of his PC 2. Just heard the Chandos recording, and wow, it is stunning indeed, in a Rachmaninovian spirit and vein. Also, André Mathieu's Piano Concertos 3 and 4 came to mind when heard this stirring and ultra-romantic concerto.

[kyjo]

Hat tip to Kyle for reminding me of his PC 2. Just heard the Chandos recording, and wow, it is stunning indeed, in a Rachmaninovian spirit and vein. Also, André Mathieu's Piano Concertos 3 and 4 came to mind when heard this stirring and ultra-romantic concerto.

Glad you enjoyed it Cesar! Indeed, the Rachmaninov/Mathieu connection is quite apt. I can't help but love these big-boned, passionately Romantic PCs.

[foxandpeng]

I find Alwyn difficult to quantify. I do not think it possible to compare him with his English contemporaries as there is nothing nationalistic in his music. His music is for me elusive but worth the trouble. It took at least three listens of the Violin Concerto before I fully appreciated the lyrical nature of the work.

I've been pondering this today while listening to the Naxos/Lloyd-Jones performances of the Alwyn symphonies.. Alwyn isn't difficult, but he is certainly elusive for me too - listening with fresh ears without looking for any English pastoral or excessively tuneful expectations has been better. He is hardly a PMD, Simpson or Birtwistle - all of whom I enjoy - but he is oddly in the same category as William Schuman for me ... I don't engage with him straight away as I would with Hanson/Piston et al., because that isn't what he is trying to accomplish, I don't think.

Apart from the Alwyn Conducts Alwyn series on Lyrita, which I think has merit (particularly in #2), the Lloyd-Jones set is likely to be my preferred version. In other news, #4 has supplanted #2 as my Alwyn symphony of choice.

[vandermolen]

I tend to link Alwyn with Bax in my mind - neither being especially nationalistic composers.

[foxandpeng]

I tend to link Alwyn with Bax in my mind - neither being especially nationalistic composers.

Agreed.

[vers la flamme]

I tend to link Alwyn with Bax in my mind - neither being especially nationalistic composers.

I certainly agree with this, though I rate Alwyn ahead of Bax personally. There is some kind of connection between these two, as well as the somewhat younger Malcolm Arnold. Arnold and Alwyn are probably my two favorite English symphonic composers—and there are many to choose from, and I've certainly not heard all of them (haven't heard a note of Rubbra, for instance).

(FWIW, I'm an American.)

[vandermolen]

I certainly agree with this, though I rate Alwyn ahead of Bax personally. There is some kind of connection between these two, as well as the somewhat younger Malcolm Arnold. Arnold and Alwyn are probably my two favorite English symphonic composers—and there are many to choose from, and I've certainly not heard all of them (haven't heard a note of Rubbra, for instance).

(FWIW, I'm an American.)

Yes, I see that you live in Atlanta. My brother worked there, in a factory, for 6 months between school and university.

Bax and Alwyn are both very individual composers and I remember once thinking that if anyone asked me to recommend a composer who might appeal to Bax's admirers (they never have!) that I'd recommend Alwyn. I think that Bax is the more original of the two but I like Alwyn's music very much indeed - especially the symphonies 'Odd Man Out' and the Violin Concerto. As with Bax I love all the symphonies. Try Rubbra symphonies 4,5 or 7. 

[Irons]

Yes, I see that you live in Atlanta. My brother worked there, in a factory, for 6 months between school and university.

Bax and Alwyn are both very individual composers and I remember once thinking that if anyone asked me to recommend a composer who might appeal to Bax's admirers (they never have!) that I'd recommend Alwyn. I think that Bax is the more original of the two but I like Alwyn's music very much indeed - especially the symphonies 'Odd Man Out' and the Violin Concerto. As with Bax I love all the symphonies. Try Rubbra symphonies 4,5 or 7. 

Running the risk of lighting the blue touch paper. I would put Alwyn with Rubbra rather then Bax. After hearing Tintagel I had to visit the place and I did. With Bax I think of rugged Irish coastlines or dark forests. Alwyn, in his symphonies and string quartets, like Rubbra, is more to admired for structure and musical thought rather then place. But he wrote pictorial film scores.

[springrite]

Try Rubbra symphonies 4,5 or 7. 

I also like 3 very much, and maybe 6.

[vandermolen]

Running the risk of lighting the blue touch paper. I would put Alwyn with Rubbra rather then Bax. After hearing Tintagel I had to visit the place and I did. With Bax I think of rugged Irish coastlines or dark forests. Alwyn, in his symphonies and string quartets, like Rubbra, is more to admired for structure and musical thought rather then place. But he wrote pictorial film scores.

A perfectly good point Lol. No blue touch paper going off here - after all it isn't Downing Street 
Actually Bax and Alwyn's music is quite different, although I feel that Alwyn's 3rd Symphony, for example, has something epic and Baxian about it. In some ways I see Rubbra as the successor to Vaughan Williams as there is a kind-of spiritual quality to his music.