Pristine Classical Recorded Music

Notes on the Music

The Five pieces collected together on this recording are a superb introduction to the great versatility, ability and range of an unjustly neglected composer. James Stevens (b. 1923) , who studied composition under Frankel, Boulanger and Milhaud, was regarded by the powers at the BBC in the 1950's as a shining new star in the world of British composers, only to fall out of favour with the new regime of the 1960's.

We are fortunate therefore that he was able to retain acetate disc copies, at 78rpm and 33rpm, of these wonderful broadcast performances from the fifties, and that with all the modern restoration techniques currently available, we have been able to restore these recordings to a level more than fit for release.

The Miniature Overture, 'In A Nutshell', introduces one of Stevens' great contributions to music - his compositions for film, TV, radio and theatre. It was written for a 1955 documentary film, and demonstrates the composer's excellent ear for melody, as well as his ability to adapt for the specific stylistic requirements of the genre. (NB. We are unsure of the conductor of this recording - but it is quite possibly also Stanford Robinson.)

Stevens' Symphony No. 1, which won the Royal Philharmonic Prize, and his Symphony No. 2 are both fine works which build on a tradition of British twentieth century composition whilst moving forward perhaps in more of an evolutionary than revolutionary fashion. When I asked the composer about possible titles or keys for the annotation of this release, he stated that although there was no specific key for either of the symphonies, both do resolve at the end to the same key in which they began.

The first symphony is in three movements:

• Allegro energico
• Molto moderato - Andante
• Maestoso - Allegro urgente

A restless, searching and at times dramatic first movement displays the composer's full command of orchestral texture, as well rhythmic, harmonic and melodic invention. It gives way to a more searching, haunting second movement, in which shades of light and darkness are brilliantly interwoven over a restless, near-continual pulse of underlying energy. This energy seems to burst out into the open during the final movement, which pulsates with syncopated rhythm splashed liberally throughout the broad composer's orchestral palette, driving the music relentlessly towards its dramatic conclusion.

The second symphony is heard here in its world première performance, and is written in four movements:

• Allegro non troppo
• Come un minuetto
• Adagio
• Maestoso - Allegro assai

It is in the opening movement that, as a devotee of the music of E. J. Moeran, I hear faint echoes of two of that composer's greatest achievements, the Symphony in G minor and his Sinfonietta. Stevens opens with a chugging rhythm similar to that of Moeran's Symphony, whilst exploring tonalities and melodies which seem to build upon and move forward the more advanced style of the Sinfonietta. As the movement progresses, however, we find ourselves moving ever more firmly into Stevens territory, leaving behind these possible references as mere echoes of a previous time.

There can be few twentieth century symphonies written with a minuet, that staple of the Classical era almost obligatory in the symphonies of Mozart or Haydn. Not that Stevens' playful 'Like a minuet' movement would sit comfortably in any of his illustrious predecessors' works. He retains a wonderful lightness of touch, wihlst playing skillfully with the conventions of rhythm, building around fragments of delightful melody, scattered delicately around a dance that never quite ends, but segues into the unsettling opening to the Adagio, a broad and expansive movement that is the soul of this work.

The final movement begins with a series of dissonant chords, before gradually building up into a vibrant vividness. Tension is built up to a dramatic climax about halfway through the movement before falling back to a section of listless interwoven melodies that gradually pull one towards the final, thrilling upward motion of the work's climactic conclusion.

The two symphonies are presented here either side of the first broadcast performance of Stevens' Coronation Overture Lion and Unicorn. The BBC announcer tells is that the overture "stresses the festival atmosphere of coronation time, rather than its solemn pomp", and though the work open with a suitably regal fanfare, it quickly takes us on a whirlwind tour of - I imagine - the street parties and celebrations of London town during the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Despite the slightly poorer sound quality and frequency range of this recording by comparison to the others here, one is quickly swept away by the dynamic vigour of the music.

This collection ends with something quite different - a short section of Musique Concrète, which is introduced as part of a radio programme and includes music and narration from the film The Rival World. Here we're in a completely different sound world, with electronic noises, tape manipulations and the complete - if limited by modern standards - palette of sound available to the pioneers of electroacoustic music in the 1950's. When heard in the context of the narration one senses the brilliance of the music, which brings the words alive without need of the accompanying pictures - indeed, as with all good radio, one's imagination provides better images than the film-maker ever could.

 

Together, these five works show a great versatility and compositional talent which deserves once more to be heard. We are also pleased to offer recent recordings for download of two of James Stevens' later works:

	The Reluctant Masquerade For Orchestra, Alto, Mezzo and Baritone. Considered by the composer to be his magnum opus, this work falls somewhere between opera and oratorio, and brings together a wide and fabulous palette of music. "An interesting and beautiful short opera, magnificently performed"
	Concertetto Concitato For piano and orchestra. A billiant miniature piano concerto, written as an encore piece. "...much more than a filler... a very vigorous work for piano and orchestra. It certainly shows an awareness of both Stravinsky and Bartok, but Stevens is his own man. The piano part is exceptionally brilliant...."