L Sir L PASC 291 PASC 291 Façade, Overtures, Wise Virgins WALTON

Sir William Turner Walton OM (29 March 1902 – 8 March 1983) was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera. His best-known works include Façade – An Entertainment, the cantata Belshazzar's Feast and his First Symphony. FAÇADE Born in Lancashire, the son of a musician, Walton was a chorister and then an undergraduate at Christ Church, Oxford. On leaving the university, he was taken up by the literary Sitwell siblings, who provided him with a home and a cultural education. His earliest work of note was a collaboration with Edith Sitwell, Façade, which at first brought him notoriety as EDITH SSITWELL a modernist, but later became a popular ballet score. Other early works that made his name were a and Belshazzar's Feast. PETER PPEARS In middle age, Walton left Britain and set up home with his young wife on the Italian island of Ischia. By this time, he had ENGLISH OOPERA GGROUP EENSEMBLE ceased to be regarded as a modernist, and some of his compositions of the 1950s were criticised as old-fashioned. His only full-length opera, Troilus and Cressida, was among the works to be so labelled and has made little impact in opera houses. ANTHONY CCOLLINS In his last years, his works came back into critical fashion; his later compositions, dismissed by critics at the time of their premieres, were revalued and regarded alongside his earlier works.

Walton, who was largely self-taught as a composer, was a slow worker, painstakingly perfectionist, and his complete body of work across his long career is not large. His most popular compositions continue to be frequently performed in the 21st century, and by 2010 all his works were recorded for CD. PORTSMOUTH POINT Notes from Wikipedia

Recording and restoration notes SIESTA The 1954 Decca recording of Walton's Façade is perhaps the closest thing we have to an authentic performance, not least thanks to the recitals from the author of the poems, Dame Edith Sitwell. Although Walton, an eternal fiddler and reviser of his works, was later to add further to his Façade numbers, the version here is the definitive version published with Sitwell in 1951, and unaltered until after her death. SCAPINO

If Decca's recording sounds just a little dim and dusty some 57 years later, this was easily lifted by an XR remastering which brings a new clarity and directness to these performances - they really burst into life! THE WISE VIRGINS The Boult recordings here are among the finest I've heard from the mono era - full-bodied, rich and deep (and I'm in danger here of describing a bottle of fine wine!), they're also bursting with vivacity and possess a fabulously clear top end. Pristine's 32-bit XR remastering has worked here on further definition of the fine inner detail, while leaving the overall LONDON PPHILHARMONIC OORCHESTRA impact of the original largely intact and unchanged. SIRIR AADRIAN BBOULT AR

. . FULL PROGRAMME NOTES CAN BE FOUND ONLINE AT WWW PRISTINECLASSICAL COM STUDIO RRECORDINGS,, 19541954 SARL Pristine Audio, Le Bourg, 24610 St. Méard de Gurçon, France - Tel. (00) 33 553 821857 www.pristineclassical.com WALTON FAÇADE, PORTSMOUTH POINT, SIESTA, SCAPINO, THE WISE VIRGINS PASC 291 SITWELL, PEARS, COLLINS; LPO, BOULT Anthony English Opera Company Ensemble Peter EdithDame M L K J J H G F E D C B A 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Façade Sir William

17. Jodelling song 16. Valse 15. lies Something scene the beyond morning14. Four in the 13. Polka 12. dance Country lake11. By the 10. from A man countree far a 9. Tarantella 8. Black Mrs. Behemoth 7. Lullaby for Jumbo 6. Tango-Pasodoble gilded5. Through trellises 4. steel Long grass 3. Mariner man famille2. En 1. Hornpipe Fanfare 21. Sir Beelzebub 20. 'Old Fox-trot Sir Faulk' 19. Popular song Rhapsody18. Scotch Pears Collins (0:31) (3:04) (1:26) Sitwell (1:12) (3:04) (1:16) (1:43) (0:43) (1:57) (1:13)

(2:01) (2:30) (1:48) WALTON (1:51) (1:31) (1:15) (0:58) (2:38) (2:21) (2:00) (1:25) (1:00) P O N Sir Adrian London Philharmonic Orchestra e e T S R Q Suite Ballet BACH-WALTONWise The Virgins 31 30

Scapino Siesta Portsmouth Point 6. Praise to God be 5. Sheep may safely graze ephemeral how 4. Ah! His love do what 3. See can 2. my Lord, longing hear is done rightly done God hath 1. What (4:53) Boult - A Comedy - Overture (2:03) (2:03) (2:18)

- An Overture An - (6:10) (3:59) (8:52) (3:10) (5:47) West Hampstead Studios, London West Hampstead Studios, London Portsmouth Pt., Siesta, Scapino Portsmouth Pt., Siesta, Scapino XR remasteringXR by XR remasteringXR by Engine Engine Transfers from LXT2977 Decca Transfers from LXT2977 Decca photograph of photograph photograph of photograph Recorded 20 October, 20 1954 Recorded Recorded 19 October, 19 1954 Recorded Recorded 20 October, 20 1954 Recorded Recorded 19 October, 19 1954 Recorded www.pristineclassical.com www.pristineclassical.com or call : 622713 (00) 979 33 or call : 622713 (00) 979 33 Cover Cover artwork a based on Cover Cover artwork a based on Producer: Producer: For fulla visit catalogue er: For fulla visit catalogue er: Producer: Producer: Kingsway Kingsway Hall, London Kingsway Kingsway Hall, London © 2011 Pristine© 2011 Audio © 2011 Pristine© 2011 Audio Total duration: Total duration: & 10/11 August, & 10/11 1954 & 10/11 August, & 10/11 1954 Kenneth WilkinsonKenneth Kenneth WilkinsonKenneth The WiseThe Virgins The WiseThe Virgins Recorded 7/8 July Recorded Recorded 7/8 July Recorded James Walker James Walker Andrew Rose Andrew Rose Edith Sitwell Edith Sitwell Peter Andry Peter Andry L PASC 291 PASC & & LXT5028 & & LXT5028 Façade Façade

76:42 76:42

OULT OLLINS EARS ITWELL ; LPO, B LPO, ; C , P , S

PASC 291 PASC

IRGINS ISE HE CAPINO IESTA OINT ORTSMOUTH AÇADE V W T , S , S , P P , F WALTON