Sir Adrian Boult conducts Brahms on Westminster

Terrific Brahms here led by Sir Adrian Boult. Featured works are the Academic Festival Overture, the Tragic Overture, the Haydn Variations and the Alto Rhapsody with Monica Sinclair as the soloist. These recordings made by Nixa-Westminster date from 1954.

Boult was hands down one of the greatest conductors of Brahms ever. His great attention to detail, careful preparation and ability to remain utterly unsentimental paid extraordinary dividends in his performances of Brahms. Just listen to the Haydn Variations, for example, and you will hear Haydn's voice as Brahms intended. Boult gets it and does not let this beautiful tribute wallow up into a grotesque parody of the simple joys that Brahms wanted to celebrate. The master Brahms penned these exquisite and deferential variations to a master whom he held in the highest possible regard.

The other pieces on this record are no less impressive. I especially love the rich and creamy voice of Monica Sinclair in Brahms' great tribute to the beauty of the human voice. Sinclair's phrasing, breathing and enunciation is a reminder of another time and place when a singer's identity could be easily identified. There's nothing generic here and Sinclair proves a wonderful partner for Boult as her presentation is musically pure and emotionally stable. 

I do wish that I had a better copy of this record. There are two places where my heart sank a bit when skips could not be entirely removed. The most notable is in the last bars of the Haydn Variations where an awful scar left a blemish which momentarily jolts the listener during the quietest of passages. I did what I could and debated whether to offer the Haydn Variations because of this slight. I decided that one small spot was not worth scrapping the finest Haydn Variations that I have ever heard.

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Sir Adrian Boult conducts music of Vaughan Williams

Here's the Vanguard release of the Nixa-Westminster lp (c.1952)  from the picture above. Sir Adrian Boult conducts the "Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra" in music of Vaughan Williams. Featured pieces are A Norfolk Rhapsody, Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis, the Greensleeves Fantasia and Gordon Jacob's orchestral arrangement of an English Folk Song Suite for Band.

Boult recorded these pieces many times, as you well know. In my opinion, these might be the best of em all, well played, enthusiasm unbridled, and interpretation beyond reproach. When you listen to Boult, you are left wondering why this music has not traveled better, outside of the UK, US and the former dominions of the UK, Vaughan Williams is a rare commodity.

I especially enjoy Jacob's arrangement of Folk Song Suite. I've played this piece many times in concert band and have not found a totally convincing orchestral performance of this masterpiece, until now. The closest satisfying rendition was by Morton Gould and this is taking into account Boult's later LSO version, which is for me, disappointing. Vaughan Williams intended this piece for the sonority of a band and getting an orchestra to adapt to that style and sound is a huge challenge. I think Boult achieves this here, for the most part.

Boult was always a keen advocate of the music of Ralph Vaughan Williams and probably no one made as many convincing recordings of this great composer's music. This is one of the best of them.

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Sir Adrian Boult and Berlioz

Here's another of those Westminster Gold reissues, this time Sir Adrian Boult and the "Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra" in Berlioz. This lp features some familiar, Beatrice and Benedict and Rob Roy with some not so often heard, Les francs-juges and King Lear.

Boult really scores a home run here. I don't think that Boult is one person that comes to mind as a conductor of Berlioz but based on this 50 minutes, he demonstrates a firm grasp and understanding of Berlioz's sound world. The PPO, really the LPO, plays extremely well with precision and flair and this record proves to be one of the better Berlioz recordings to come across my plate in quite a while.

Regarding Boult: only within the last year or so have I come to fully appreciate the art of Sir Adrian Boult. I find that Boult's records are, for the most part, consistently well prepared, intelligently interpreted, and scrupulously performed. In other words, buying Boult is a pretty good bet that you will get your money's worth and that a composer's intentions will be realized honestly and professionally. What is a shame is that for many today, Boult is pegged as a specialist in English composers when in reality, his record speaks strongly that he was persuasive in many idioms, styles, and genres.

Enjoy these mono FLACs of Boult and Berlioz!


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Sir Adrian Boult conducts Mendelssohn's Italian and Scottish symphonies

Here's two of my very favorite works by Mendelssohn in sparkling performances under Sir Adrian Boult. These are Nixa/Westminster recordings from around the mid 50's which feature the Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra (of course, the London Philharmonic in contractual disguise).

What strikes me most regarding these performances is the briskness of tempo and the need to move the music along. These are unsentimental renderings with absolutely no sign of "heart on the sleeve." What we have here is almost businesslike, well prepared, and devoid of any "19th century" excesses. In short, as I listened, I heard a definite connection between Boult and period performance, in particular Roger Norrington's Mendelssohn recordings. The Scottish, especially, held my attention quite firmly; I'm spellbound by this performance as it would appear to be 25-30 years ahead of its time. Fascinating...really. Definitely a much different rendering of the Scottish then Maag's roughly contemporary lp with the LSO.

One last observance about Boult:  every performance of his that I encounter is so well prepared, and thought out, that though spontaneity may be lacking, craftsmanship, taste and diligence are always there. With Boult, you get your money's worth.

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Music from England conducted by Sir Adrian Boult

Here's one for my friends in the UK, who've recently been through the most tumultuous general election in years! There is no better way to soothe emotions and bring the masses back together then with great music conducted by Sir Adrian Boult.

I've assembled a program of England's best through three centuries. Handel's Water Music is performed by the "Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra" on a Westminster release while Elgar's Three Bavarian Dances and Arnold's English Dances are from a London issue with the more familiar London Philharmonic name of the Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra. All recordings date from the mid 50's.

Boult's Handel is very, very well done. Though performed by a larger body of strings then we are now accustomed to, everything is done so....tastefully...yes, that's the word... that any thoughts of period instrumentation etc..are quickly forgotten. Beautiful playing and Boult moves the music in just the "right" way. Elgar's Bavarian Dances are tossed off with aplomb;  lilting, playful, sparkling with sunshine and rustic peasant humor. The first dance always reminds me so, so much of Dvorak. It's really delightful. Arnold's English Dances are marvelous miniatures; tuneful and simply virtuostic for the orchestra. If you do not know them, you'll love them on first hearing. It doesn't get any better than this.

The older I get, I appreciate musicians like Sir Adrian Boult more and more.  Good musicianship, thoughtful preparation, devotion to the music and....taste.

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