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This premiere recording of Walton's Belshazzar's Feast, with the composer conducting, is remarkable in many respects. It owes its existence to a degree to the work of the British Council, who had commissioned a number of recordings with which to promote British culture during and after the Second World War (they began this series in 1942 with a recording of Moeran's Symphony in G minor). Thus it was that in early 1943 the legendary producer Walter Legge managed to assemble the full forces required to record the work - full orchestra, chorus, two brass bands, organ and soloist - and with Walton at the baton the recording can only be described as definitive. It's also interesting to note that Walton later revised the work considerably - first in 1948 and then, to a lesser extent, in 1959 (the year that Walton conducted his second, and first stereo, recording). The recording was well-received - this is the review in The Record Guide of 1951 (which gave it a star): "The text of this oratorio was selected and arranged from the Book of Isaiah by Sir Osbert Sitwell. There is some beautiful and quiet choral writing near the opening of the work, but the rhythmic ferocity of the finale recalls the first movement of the [first] Symphony. The piece is a tour de force, and when adequately performed (as in this set) it is irresistibly exciting. Considering the high dynamics, and the weight of the combined orchestra and chorus, the recording of this strenuous work is a considerable engineering feat."
Walton: Belshazzar's Feast Musical structureThe work is scored for very large orchestra (which includes a saxophone, optional organ, two brass bands and a large percussion section), chorus in eight parts, semichorus, and baritone soloist. The chorus represents the Jewish people throughout, although they adopt the tone of the Babylonians when telling the story of the feast. It is in ten distinct sections, played continuously. After a brief, recited introduction, the chorus and baritone sing of their homeland Zion, in an emotional setting of Psalm 137 (By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down, and wept), and angrily express their bitterness toward their captors. The narrative then begins, and in a prolonged sequence we hear their horror, and then outrage, at the profanities of the king, followed by an exuberant march section depicting the king and his court praising their gods. The section is framed by a descending figure of four notes that, through repetition, passes down through the orchestra, immediately establishing a jazz influence with a flattened first note and marked syncopation. This leads to an eerie, and economically orchestrated, depiction of the writing on the wall, and the death that night of Belshazzar. The people celebrate their freedom, in a joyous song of praise interrupted by a lament over the fall of a great city. The music throughout is complex rhythmically, and richly orchestrated. The rhythms and harmonies reflect Walton’s interest in jazz and other popular music, pressed into service to tell a religious story.
History and commentaryWalton struggled with the setting for several years, and it grew from its original conception as a short work for small forces, as commissioned by the BBC, to its eventual form. Fortunately, this was an age of gifted amateur choruses, and conductors and institutions dedicated to bringing forward new music, and the Leeds Festival took on the first performance. At first the work seemed avant-garde because of its extrovert writing and musical complexity, although it is always firmly tonal. The addition of the brass bands was suggested by the conductor Thomas Beecham; the bands were on hand anyway for a performance of Berlioz’s Requiem, and Beecham said to the young Walton: "As you’ll never hear the thing again, my boy, why not throw in a couple of brass bands?". However, it was an immediate success and, despite the challenges it presents to the chorus, is still frequently performed. Some critical commentary, led by the first review in The Times, claimed that Walton saw no moral distinction between the Jews and the Babylonians, as the music for both groups is equally jubilant and gloating. However, a distinction can be found in the words. Although there is an early sequence where the Jews vow revenge in particularly violent terms, their eventual victory is conveyed in praise and thanksgiving, the words "Alleluia, for great Babylon’s fallen" mixed with regret "while the kings of the earth weep, wail" for the fallen city.
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