A2

ARNOLD Symphonies: No. 3; No. 4 • Andrew Penny, cond; Natl SO of Ireland • NAXOS 8.553739 (69:07)

This fine disc is the latest installment in Andrew Penny's cycle of Sir Malcolm Arnold's symphonies; the First, Second, and Ninth have already appeared, earning enthusiastic reviews in Fanfare 19:6 and 20:1. Arnold's Third Symphony (1957) resembles the Fifth Symphony of Jean Sibelius in its length, structure, and motivic development. The most obvious similarity is in the first movement, which functions in both symphonies as combined allegro and scherzo. Arnold's Fourth (1960), though recognizably by the same composer, is significantly longer, in four movements, and in a world much closer to the expressiveness of Mahler and Shostakovich than to the classical restraint of Sibelius. The orchestra is augmented by an enormous number of percussion instruments, lending an intentional African-Caribbean and Latin American flavor that clashes against rather than blending with the more traditional English popular melodies of the score. Once again Andrew Penny leads Dublin's premier concert orchestra in readings that bring out the full dramatic and poetic contrasts of these very different works. This time, however, 1 must note a distinct preference for the full-priced competition: Richard Hickox and the London Symphony on Chandos 9290 (Fanfare 18:2) have richer, more immediate sound, more virtuosic orchestral playing, and, very much in keeping with the composer's wishes, somewhat slower tempos. Even more to my liking are the brilliant performances by Vernon Handley and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic on Conifer 75605 51258 2. Handley does not slow down; his performances are a few seconds faster than Penny's. But the veteran conductor has an uncanny sense of knowing when to relax and when to press forward; he also brings to the bluesy second section of the Fourth Symphony's Andantino third movement a wonderful lilt and lurch that I miss in the other performances. All three conductors acquit themselves marvelously in the parody of a military march toward the end of the Fourth's finale, but here as elsewhere the remarkably clean and natural sound of Conifer's recording (and perhaps the splendidly incisive playing of the Liverpool players) brings the greatest clarity to this calculated musical disaster. This must not be understood as putting down Andrew Penny's achievement with faint praise; the Naxos disc is, as stated above, fine in every respect. Those intent on stretching their budget can hardly go wrong with it; it remains the critic's duty to report that the Chandos disc is even better, and, by a slight margin, the Conifer is better still. Robert McColley

This article originally appeared in Issue 22:1 (Sept/Oct 1998) of Fanfare Magazine.

AllMusic Review by James Leonard - 4 1/2*/5* Sober, strong, and staid, Vernon Handley's conducting is a conduit through which the composer's music flows. His Edward Elgar has honest, idealistic sentimentality. His Vaughan Williams has mystical, humanistic integrity. And his Malcolm Arnold has power, depth, and irrepressible vitality. This doesn't mean that Handley doesn't have a strong artistic personality. But Handley conducts with the musical equivalent of a paucity of adjectives and especially adverbs. Handley is the Hemingway of conductors, a conductor who lets the nouns and especially the verbs do the work. In this recording of Arnold's Symphony No. 3 and No. 4 with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the results are sublime and ridiculous because the music is itself sublime and ridiculous. Arnold's Third is as great an English symphony as has ever been composed and its power, depth, and ferocity have never been better served in recordings. Anyone who loves great English music will love this work and this recording. And then there's the Fourth, a work that does more then flirt with banality, it embraces it with both arms and gives it a wet kiss. The Allegro's big tune is the ironic theme for an imaginary Ealing comedy. The Vivace ma non troppo is a dumb show of subdued virtuosity. The Andantino is a hootchie-kootchie show with Little Egypt hiding behind orchestral veils. The closing Con fuoco fugue is a vulgar parody of all contrapuntal conventions climaxing in the gaudy panoply of a Technicolor faux coronation. And yet in Handley's strong and sober conducting, even the banal Fourth sounds like great music, banal music, true but nevertheless great music. Handley stoutly resists temptations of sarcasm and irony and his unswerving belief compels listeners' belief. Conifer's 1996 sound is warm and deep.