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Review of this release: Audiophile Audition
The recording was issued in 1954, at about the same time as HMV released a transfer of their 78rpm recordings on LP for the first time. However, it was clear that purely in terms of sound quality, the new recording easily outshone its shellac equivalent, and within a few years Walton was back in the EMI studios setting down a stereo recording. When we released Walton's recording I was unaware that Peter had also transferred and remastered the Boult recording a short while earlier. I decided to test the Pristine Audio Natural Sound technique with the Boult as I had all the necessary files on my system fresh from their earlier use. To both Peter's an my surprise the sound of the Nixa recording was transformed, and we're delighted to offer this superb recording with this additional restoration. Boult's recording was very well-received - this is the review in The Record Guide of 1955 (which gave it a double-star, their highest accolade): "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 Nixa recording of this strenuous work is a considerable engineering feat. The HMV SP set (now deleted) made a sensation in its day (1943) and still sounds remarkably well; but we think it was stupid of the company to attempt the transfer of this recording to LP, for the result is deplorably bad - a mere adumbration of the original. The singing of the LPO choir lacks something of the thrilling attack of the Huddersfield singers; but all in all the Nixa recording is a splendid achievement. "
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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