Walton: Symphony No.2, Portsmouth Point, Scapino
Lambert: The Rio Grande (Cristina Ortiz, piano)
André Previn / London Symphony (Warner)
(scroll down for English review)
普烈文華納全集之一張，有華爾頓《第二交響曲》及兩首序曲，倫敦交響樂團演奏，他之前曾和同團為RCA錄過《第一交響曲》。
柏林愛樂的數碼音樂廳，Bychkov指揮《第一交響曲》，提起我聽華爾頓的興趣，但當時找了另一個指揮的《第二交響曲》，過得它遠不及上一首，這次聽普烈文，又有另一番感受。
《第二交響曲》（軌一至三）有三個樂章，比《第一》少一個及短十分鐘。第一樂章令我覺得很像荷里活1940、1950年代黑色電影或犯罪電影的那種配樂，很有夜的感覺，而當中蘊含不可告人的力量，可以是邪惡，也可以是救贖。第二樂章延續這種黑夜的感覺，最初有點虛無，之後變成濃情。第三樂章是首帕薩卡利亞舞曲，似乎是向同一曲式、布拉姆斯《第四交響曲》終曲致敬，不過我覺得這個演奏的樂隊技術，發揮不到這個樂章的炫技性。
之後兩首序曲，軌四的《Portsmouth Point》是青年作品，軌五的《Scapino》則是寫於二十年之後。前者的節奏頗為棘手，雖然明顯是青年華爾頓的賣弄，但總體也為樂曲帶來特殊的躍動感。後者可能寫得較為熟練及穩妥，但我覺得是寫得過長，試圖把歡樂氣氛有多長拖多長。
軌六並不是華爾頓作品，而是Constant Lambert《The Rio Grande》，體裁很奇怪，是一首鋼琴協奏曲，但有合唱團，比柯普蘭早一步把美國牛仔音樂風格，融入古典音樂之中，不過始終有點怪及老土。
Another special item on Previn’s Warner box has Walton’s Second Symphony and two overtures. Previn had previously recorded Walton’s First Symphony for RCA, also with the London Symphony.
Semyon Bychkov’s performance on Berlin Phil’s Digital Concert Hall of the First Symphony ignited my interest in Walton. I went on to listen to the Second Symphony but I felt it was an inferior work. Previn’s recording made me change my mind.
The Second Symphony (tracks 1-3) has one less movement than the previous symphony and 10 minutes shorter. The first movement reminds me of the scores of 1940s and 1950s Hollywood film noirs. The prevalent mood is of the night but it is a night with menacing and redeeming undertones. The second movement begins in a nihilistic mood but eventually builds up to a passionate climax. The third movement is a passacaglia with an obvious nod to Brahms’ Fourth Symphony. But the playing of the London Symphony somehow fell short of the virtuosic demands of this movement.
The two overtures are 25 years apart. Portsmouth Point (track 4) was written in Walton’s twenties, he charged it with rhythmic irregularities which are quite of a showoff but nevertheless the bumpiness can be felt. Scapino (track 5) should have been a mature work but I find Walton trying too hard to sustain a sense of jauntiness.
The remaining work, The Rio Grande, is by Constant Lambert. It is a quirky piano concertante movement with chorus, blending cowboy music with classical before Copland made it a personal style.