One of my 'successes' from an intense disc buying spree with Bax, i find his Symphonies seem to merge into each other, it's hard to differentiate between one and another [except the wonderful Third], and his quasi 'Piano Concertos' as such [this the Winter Legends, and the Symphonic Variations], it's more like a Symphony with piano as a major instrument, rather than a virtuoso soloist playing the major role, only my second entry for Bax, where has he sneaked off to in my life?.
Bryden Thomson is Scottish, he was born in 1928 and died in 1991, he did major symphonic survey's of Bax, Vaughan Williams, and Martinu, he recorded this work in 1986, the front cover photograph is of Antarctica, i guess the sun is low on the horizon all year round, a perpetual sunset, the 'blues' of the ice are lovely, and the orange of the skies.
The first thing that hit me about hearing this work again, is the wonderful sonorities that immediately grab your attention, right from the start there's a military drum solo, and the piano comes right in afterwards, scampering up the keyboard, a lovely idea, in the third movement [YouTube video below], there's a delicious ghostly ringing of bells from the treble piano keys, as the hand goes up and down the keyboard, but it's the second movement Lento, Molto Espressivo that i found a real affinity with, it starts off with what i believe to be a bassoon in its higher registers [0:00-0:28], but in some ways it sounds like a saxophone, a nice atmospheric beginning, and the piano afterwards weaves some nice notes, one of my most favourite sections that Bax ever did comes in this movement, and it starts on the horns / brass, as they have a fanfare in slow motion [4:08-4:38], then the music takes a turn for the genius, the piano gently chimes out notes in the lower registers [4:37+], while the high violin strings [4:41-5:02] create a sinewy tune, which sounds as if it's lifted from the Avengers television theme!, and the bassoon bubbles away in its lower registers right at the end [5:01-5:20], it's the most magical / memorable section of the whole work, i've dubbed it Bax's Avengers theme!, later there's a very Rachmaninov section [6:40-6:56], sounds like it comes from one of his Piano Concertos [the Second i think], two thirds of the way through there's this soft off-stage side drum roll [10:40+] with the piano softly strumming out the start of the Avengers theme again, and wonderfully it develops yet again full blown as before [11:13+], the piano nicely chiming away, right near the end the soft strumming chants on the piano again [13:25+], side drum and a high solo violin join in, Bax teases us with ideas and themes, i must admit i've listened to the work quite a lot, but because of this Blog, i think this is the first time i've actually properly heard it!, i've learnt more on this listen than at any other time.
Here's the Third movement being played on YouTube.
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