Malcolm Arnold: Symphonies 5 & 6

On this CD:

1. Symphony No. 5, Op. 74
Composed by Malcolm (Sir) Arnold
Performed by London Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Richard Hickox

2. Symphony No. 6, Op. 95
Composed by Malcolm (Sir) Arnold
Performed by London Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Richard Hickox

Tracks:

Symphony No.5, Op.74: I. Tempestuoso
II. Andante con moto - Adagio
Symphony No.5, Op.74: III Con fuoco
Symphony No.5, Op.74: Risoluto - Lento
Symphony No.6, Op.95: I. Energico
Symphony No.6, Op.95: II. Lento - Allegretto - Lento
Symphony No.6, Op.95: III. Con fuoco

Arnold: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 5 / Peterloo Overture

Average customer rating:

Expansive Symphonic Work

Arnold: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 5 / Peterloo Overture

Manufacturer: EMI Records [All429]
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000241DR
Release Date: 2001-03-06

Tracks:

I. Allegretto
II. Vivace
III. Lento
IV. Allegro Con Brio
I. Tempestoso
II. Andante Con Moto
III. Con Fuoco
IV. Risoluto
Overture

Customer Reviews:

Expansive Symphonic Work.......2001-04-17

There is an openness, a fullness, an expansiveness to Malcolm Arnold's symphonies that is quite appealing. While these are not romantic or pastoral compositions, they are, nonetheless, quite accessible, unless one has a problem with the presence of any dissonance. On the whole, this is quite an enjoyble CD.

Average customer rating:

Fine interpretations which are well recorded.
Glorious Music, Great Performances

Arnold: The Complete Symphonies

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Sir Malcolm Arnold: Dances
Bax: The Symphonies
Arnold: Symphonies Nos. 7 & 8
Edward Rubbra - Complete Symphonies / Hickox
Arnold: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6

ASIN: B00005QISE
Release Date: 2002-03-05

Tracks:

Allegro
Andantino
Vivace Con Fuoco
Allegretto
Vivace
Lento
Allegro Con Brio

Tracks:

Allegro - Vivace
Lento
Allegro Con Brio - Presto
Allegro - Poco Piu Mosso - Tempo Primo
Vivace Ma Non Troppo
Andantino
Con Fuoco - Alla Marcia - Tempo Primo - Maestoso - Allegro Molto

Tracks:

Tempestuoso
Andante Con Moto
Con Fuoco
Risluto
Energico
Lento
Con Fuoco

Tracks:

Allegro Energico
Andante Con Moto
Allegro
Allegro
Andantino
Vivace

Tracks:

Vivace
Allegretto
Giubiloso
Lento
Sir Malcolm Arnold In Conversation With Andrew Penny

Customer Reviews:

Fine interpretations which are well recorded........2004-10-06

Malcolm Arnold wrote a lot of great music for film and concert hall. His entire symphonic output is included in this economical boxed set. While he derived much of his inspiration from Mahler and Shostakovich, he is not quite their equal as a symphonic composer. Brilliant passages alternate with less inspired, and sometimes depressing, passages. The older he got the more pessimistic his music became. At this price, however, you get enough great music to justify adding Arnold to your collection of classical composers.

Glorious Music, Great Performances.......2004-07-23

I am just beginning to explore Malcolm Arnold's nine symphonies and, I must say, I'm already quite overwhelmed by their quality. Sir Malcolm's orchestral sound is reminiscent of another great XXth century British symphonist - Sir William Walton - which is to say that the idiom is tonal with a marvelously spiky coloring at times, and great rhythmic variety. So far, my favorite Arnold symphony is the Third, which is roughly contemporary with his inspired score for the great David Lean film, "The Bridge on the River Kwai." I can't imagine why these symphonies are not much better known or widely played, unless it's because of lingering snobbery about composers who write tonal symphonies and whose heroes are predecessors like Sibelius and Elgar. That sort of opinion is increasingly as passe as the Darmstadt composers & camp followers who sponsored it, but some traces remain, particularly among music academics who came of age in the '50s. I'm just happy that Naxos cares enough about Arnold to have produced such idiomatic performances under a conductor who obviously knows and loves the music. And with an orchestra that plays it quite brilliantly. I should note that the Penguin guide also rates these performances highly, but in some cases prefers alternatives on the Chandos label. I'm a big Chandos fan, so I'm quite sure those are fine recordings, but this Naxos set is unbelievably inexpensive and the (fully digital) sound is first-rate. Note that these performances are also available on individual Naxos CDs, but White Box presentation here is space-saving & quite elegant, with a handsome booklet that contains extensive notes about all the symphonies. Finally, note that these performances were all recorded in the presence of the composer, who is still very much alive, and whose interview by conductor Andrew Penney is included as a fill-up after the performance of the Ninth Symphony. Great stuff here; don't miss this set!

Average customer rating:

dark beauty
Amazingly Satisfying Symphonies Masterly Performed
a rare achievement
Fine Renditions of Flamboyancy!

Arnold: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Arnold: Symphony No. 9
Arnold: Symphonies Nos. 7 & 8
Arnold: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4
Sir Malcolm Arnold: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2
Sir Malcolm Arnold: Dances

ASIN: B00005B4C7
Release Date: 2001-06-19

Tracks:

Symphony No. 5, Op. 74: Tempestuoso
Symphony No. 5, Op. 74: Andante con moto
Symphony No. 5, Op. 74: Con fuoco
Symphony No. 5, Op. 74: Risoluto
Symphony No. 6, Op. 95: Energico
Symphony No. 6, Op. 95: Lento
Symphony No. 6, Op. 95: Con fuoco

Customer Reviews:

dark beauty.......2002-11-11

Andrew Penny's recordings of Malcolm Arnold's symphonies will go down in history as one of the greatest relationships between conductor and composer ever. Few such relationships have produced such wonderful musical fruit--Boult and Vaughan Williams, Walter and Mahler, Rostropovich and Shostakovich perhaps--but I know of none that can clearly top the work of Penny and Arnold. This disc is clear evidence of the greatness of their mutual endeavor.

Recorded in the presence of the composer, both of these symphonies are allowed to speak for themselves on their own terms. If I had to give one word descriptions for these works, I would say the 5th symphony is beautiful and the 6th is (though still beautiful) dark. Penny allows both pieces the time required to unfold in all their glory.

I have been very impressed by several recordings that I have heard from the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. As their wonderful playing on this disc proves, they continue to emerge as a world-class outfit. The Naxos sound on this disc is remarkable--it is clear, balanced, and has just the right depth for the more haunting moments in the 5th.

I recommend this recording of Arnold's 5th and 6th symphonies wholeheartedly.

Amazingly Satisfying Symphonies Masterly Performed.......2002-08-22

What a find! From the other reviewers one can glimpse the stature of this composer/trumpeter.

Here his talents shine in two symphony offerings. The Fifth certainly illustrates so wonderfully what is charateristic of this composer: intensity of emotion, rhythm, flair for orchestration. Particularly fond of the Andante con moto, which shows his strong Mahler influence, with building anxieties and dissonance outbursts, but especially the peaceful landing with the flute restatement.

The Sixth with its Shostakovich textural undertones shines in the Lento. Here one sees his skill in modern film scores, and the harmonies which delight and tingle.

The Penny led National Symphony of Ireland does a masterful job, with outstanding performances by the percussion and woodwinds.

Great place to start perusal of this man's output. Bargain which has quality sound throughout.

a rare achievement.......2002-06-16

Before I add my own commentary on this disc, I must make a nod to Mr. Hollingsworth's review. He has said much of what I feel about this music. What is left for me to comment on?...The beauty. The sheer beauty. Rarely have I heard such beauty. In his finer moments, Sir Malcolm achieves what few ever have (Mahler, Vaughan Williams, pehaps J.S. Bach). The slow movements of the fifth and sixth symphonies ache with wonder. Yet the work never degenerates into the ear candy that was so prevalent in late twentieth century British Classical music. This recording was made in the presence of the composer. Andrew Penny does and excellent job with the forces of the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. The Naxos sound is excellent.

For my part, I eagerly look forward to hearing Mr. Penny's other Arnold recordings.

Fine Renditions of Flamboyancy!.......2001-10-14

The thing I greatly admire about Sir Malcolm Arnold is his everlasting quest to uphold his personal voice. Take the set of English Dances, for instance. I always feel that his orchestration takes that of Ravel a step further in modern music. Therefore, not only is orchestration flamboyant and upbeat, but so does his harmonic language and his musical personality. His sense of rhythm, so relentless and contrasting, add to the overall appeal of his music. Where he could be exhuberant in places, he could otherwise have a great deal of depth in others. No every work of his is a masterpiece, but every work I've heard grasp my attention, often even repeatedly. Make no mistake about it: Sir Malcolm Arnold is a major 20th Century composer.

The Fifth Symphony is to my mind his masterpiece. The first movement is what I mean by flamboyancy. The orchestration is as vivid as Ravel's or Bax's. But listen to the some of the strings and woodwind writings (@ 3:44 - ff especially) and you'll notice a great sense of distinctiveness that's ultimately rewarding. His music (as in the first movement) has the spontaneity as in Walton's. The second movement (andante con moto) can easily stand up well on its own. It is a quasi sonata form. The beginning (with lower strings) has that Elgarian sense of restrained melancholy. But the secondary theme (announced by the flute, mutted strings, and timpani) remainds me of Vaughan Williams with the quiet dignity, vividly supported by the xylophone, but with a subdued sense of magic. The middle movement is more tense and heroic, with some virtuosic brass writings. The secondary theme returns, nicely restrained, and gives the movement a peaceful close. The final two movements are as restless as the Presto, con malizia (second) movement of Walton's First. The Finale is particularly impulsive and the orchestration a bit under Prokofiev's influence. But I admire his use of the first theme of the slow movement, which is even more resounding.

The Sixth Symphony, though not quite a masterpiece, nevertheless holds up well. How often do I think of Alan Hovhannes whenever I listen to the first movement (especially the first two minutes)? Quite often enough, with the jazzy brass and woodwind writings supported by a mysterious mutted strings and double bass and cello pizzicato. But the outcome is more classical than jazz even in the Lento (second) movement. Though not as deep as the slow movement of the Fifth Symphony, this movement is elegaic, somewhat in the Shostakovichian vein. The middle section (@4:44 - ff) again shows Arnold his familiarity of the musical culture of the 1960s. It is aggresive, with the orchestration leaning towards Prokofiev and Tubin (first movement of the Sixth Symphony). The mood subsides and ends the movement as mysterious as a Hovhannes piece. The finale is his typical flamboyant and galloping movement. But why do I find the movement (and its closing) out of tune with the rest of the work? Obviously the first two movements blend jazz, pop music, and classical elements admirably well. But the finale, although well written, is somehow rhetorically empty.

Andrew Penny and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland performed flawlessly. They struck every note perfectly and never risk undermining the vividness behind Arnold's lucid scoring (particularly in subdued, restrained passages). The rendering of the slow movements are particularly well done and nicely restrained. The warmth and atmosphere of the recording under Naxos aid in the overall appeal of the works.