REVIEW: Visions of St. Anne

BBC Concert Orchestra

Conducted by Barry Wordsworth

Carlos Bonell (Guitar)

Derek Hannigan (Bass Clarinet)

Joanna Smith & Roderick Elms (Piano)

Signum Classics SIGCD 875

Recorded as a tribute to Bramwell Tovey, a close friend of composer Roderick Elms, this CD brings together some of the composer’s most ambitious large-scale compositions to date. Listeners to BBC Radio 3’s Friday Night Is Music Night may well have heard the first of these items: a concerto for bass clarinet with strings, vibraphone and horn, which bears the title De Profundis. The title itself is a quote from Psalm 130, translating as “out of the depths” [“have I called to thee, o Lord”], in which the author begs the Lord to hear his cries and pleas. Despite the gravity suggested by the title, the work is, by the composer’s own admission, a rather more lighthearted affair, the “depths” referred to being largely depths of pitch. It is cast relatively conventionally in three movements, featuring clearly delineated themes and developments, resulting in a modern work for the concert platform that is wholly approachable and, above all, hummable. Its central movement takes a slightly more bluesy approach than the outer two (though shades are still audible in the final movement). It is masterfully played by Derek Hannigan, who is clearly relishing the opportunity to perform a concerto for a more unconventional instrument, whilst capturing the work’s combination of wit and parallel heartfelt emotion. 

The other large scale work on the disc is the piece that lends the disc its title. Visions of St. Anne is a symphony for orchestra and constitutes by some distance the most ambitious item on this recording. It opens with a gargantuan set of variations on a theme, which is longer than the other three movements combined. The imbalance, however is countered by movements three and four being played attacca. The first movement is something of a tour de force, boasting a rousing central theme that is then transformed through a variety of moods and styles to such an extent that one could easily fall into thinking that it is in fact a single movement symphony in its own right. This is added to by the fact that the three movements after the variations seem to have more characteristics in common with one another than they do with the opening movement, which remains the standout section, but it remains a very listenable work throughout. Here, we have the full force of the orchestra as well and the piece really does show off the playing of the ensemble to great effect: the sound is crisp and bright throughout Elms’ trademark bouncy triadic writing (with a seeming fondness for 7th extensions, both major and dominant as well as augmented 4ths in major contexts) often introducing melodic material in the lower voices of the orchestra, ensuring no player is left out. 

A number of shorter works appear on this release. There is an opening fanfare like piece called Festus, which at times seems to nod to Holstian harmonies and instrumentations (think Jupiter), though it remains a recognisably Elmsian composition! 

The other shorter works all boast soloists in addition to the orchestra: Paper Dances, an upbeat and thoroughly enjoyable work is a great showpiece for the pianistic escapades of the composer himself and his wife Joanna Smith. Both pianists are put through their paces in the course of this eight and a half minute work, largely featuring waltz and tango writing for orchestra and piano, the central section of which has a sweep that would be right home in a romantic film, while the outer sections hint more at comic scenes. 

Guitarist Carlos Bonell features on two tracks: the aptly named and largely jaunty Fandango Frivolo and the scene-stealing Cantilina. Fans of soulful music for guitar will be well served by this number with its wistful and memorable romantic central theme that is then taken up by the full orchestra at the miniature’s splendid climax- it is beautifully played by Bonell and a real highlight of a most enjoyable recording. With its dedication to the late conductor Bramwell Tovey, the more pensive moments on the disc prompt (deliberately or not) reflections on this long lasting friendship that gave rise to some of these pieces, while applause is certainly due to the players and conductor Barry Wordsworth for handling the ensemble with such panache. DA