Search - William Walton, Andrew Litton, Bournemouth Sinfonietta :: Cello Concerto / Symphony 1

Joins august company of Great Walton 1sts

Darin Tysdal | Bloomington, MN 55420 | 07/31/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This hard to find cd (by itself, although you can get it in collection) joins an august company of great Walton 1st Symphony recordings. Colin Davis' first and only recording on LSO Live is certainly a contender, as are the two Previn recordings on RCA and Telarc. Not to mention Adrian Leaper's recently reissued recording on Arte Nova. Neither are too slow or too fast. The balances are exemplary, expecially the brass and percussion.

If you do not know this symphony, I strongly urge you to do so. It is a powerful statement as well as an uplifting one. The shadow of Sibelius looms large, but with a modern acerbity missing from Sibelius' music. This is one of the greatest symphonies of the 20th century.

The cello concerto is one of those works which seems to be foolproof. Almost all of the recordings I have heard are very good, and that includes Yo Yo Ma and Gregor Piatigorsky."