8.111383 bk Primrose2_EU_8.111383 bk Primrose2_EU 13/10/11 17.52 Pagina 1 Pleyel, with the Lamoureux Orchestra under Sir Mozart’s E flat Quintet, K614, with William Carboni Moennig Jnr and had the use of the ‘Macdonald’ Strad vivid contrasts, reflecting the divergent characters of Thomas Beecham, was the crucial event in for the New Friends of Music at Town Hall. ‘New (later heard in the Amadeus Quartet, in the hands of Primrose’s partners. The Adagio, recorded with Albert ADD Primrose’s career (although subsequently he would Yorkers have rarely … heard such playing as the Peter Schidlof), with its fine tone and instantly Spalding’s regular accompanist André Benoist as a Great Violists • Primrose skate over the Tertis connection, because of their Primrose Quartet vouchsafed yesterday,’ reported The recognisable diagonal-figured back. At this stage filler for Mozart’s Sinfonia concertante, is a model of 8.111383 disagreements on viola tone and vibrato, as well as New York Times. In 1941 Primrose took a chance and Primrose still had a tenor-oriented sound and could collaboration, the gentlemanly Spalding the ideal size of the instrument). Primrose had always went solo, touring the United States with the tenor play in quite a lush style, employing much portamento. accommodating his lovely tone and phrasing to felt affection for the viola but Tertis’s huge, warm Richard Crooks. He recorded with Jascha Heifetz and Later he concentrated on dexterity: his playing Primrose’s. The Passacaglia is at once a performance tone showed him its potential. In the Green Room he Emanuel Feuermann, joined the reconstituted London remained colourful but his vibrato, always on the fast of higher pressure, with the competitive virtuosi told Tertis: ‘I am a disciple of yours from henceforth.’ String Quartet for occasional concerts, and in 1947 side for a violist, seemed more intense than ever, the Heifetz and Primrose matching precision and filigree By 1930 he was playing viola in the London String appeared in London and at the first Edinburgh tone more alto than tenor. Hence the divergence with delicacy. The Bach aria, Brahms chorale prelude and WILLIAM PRIMROSE Quartet, dividing his time between old world and Festival with Schnabel, Szigeti and Fournier. He had Tertis, who favoured a deep tenor sonority and a wide, Schubert song transcription pair Primrose with Vernon new, as the LSQ was popular in North and South a long collaboration with Heifetz and Piatigorsky, and Kreisleresque continuous vibrato. de Tar (1905–99), longtime organist at the Episcopal America; but at the end of 1934 the group disbanded. during the late 1950s and early 1960s took part in the This programme includes four Paganini Caprices – Church of the Ascension: the boomy church acoustic RECITAL • 2 For a time Primrose kept up the violin but from 1935 Festival Quartet, with violinist Szymon Goldberg, recordings which did more than any others to spread cannot conceal the violist’s fine phrasing, or the – when he played the ‘Handel’ Concerto (really by cellist Nikolai Graudan and pianist Victor Babin. For Primrose’s fame among his peers. It is a pity that No. radiant effect when he moves into the higher register in Henri Casadesus) with Beecham and the London one season he played in the Griller Quartet. Until a 24 is played with piano: rather than helping, the the Bach (a Tertis favourite). The organ can sustain its Philharmonic Orchestra at Queen’s Hall and the heart attack in 1963 forced him to curtail his accompaniment is inclined to encourage the soloist to little interludes in the Schubert better than a piano. Johann Sebastian Bach Sinfonia concertante with Jean Pougnet and the BBC activities, he was the undisputed king of viola break into a jogtrot in some variations, a trap not Another congenial partnership is that with the great Symphony Orchestra under Henry Wood for his Prom soloists. In private life he enjoyed billiards, cricket altogether avoided by Primrose. In No. 13, ‘La risata’ American contralto Marian Anderson and her regular George Frideric Handel début – all his concerto appearances featured the and swimming. He was made CBE in 1953. After a (The Laugh), he creates a fine Italianate effect, with a pianist Franz Rupp. The Victor studio team give the viola. On 27th February 1936 he gave his first long illness he died in Provo, Utah, on 1st May 1982. scintillating faster section. He omits the opening scalar artists every encouragement to phrase opulently in the Niccolò Paganini performance of the Walton Concerto, with Beecham Primrose taught at the universities of Southern flourishes in No. 5 but executes the saltato bowing first of Brahms’s Op. 91 songs, allotting them two 12- for the Royal Philharmonic Society: ‘Well, at least we California (1961–65) and Indiana (1965–72) and brilliantly, adding a new ending in double-stopped inch sides. The shorter second song is also beautifully Franz Schubert finished together, dear boy,’ the bearded baronet said, concentrated on teaching in his last years, when his chromatic thirds. No. 17 suffers from an intrusive done, with tender phrasing from all three. having got lost in the central scherzo. On 5th health and hearing were impaired. He left much piano accompaniment but has all the virtues of his November that year Primrose made his Berlin pedagogical material, such as the Yehudi Menuhin Paganini playing: superb bowing, good intonation, Tully Potter Johannes Brahms Philharmonic début, playing Vaughan Williams’s new Music Guide to the Violin and Viola (1976) and cleanliness of attack. The two Handel duets present Suite in a concert of British music conducted by Leo Playing the Viola (1988). He wrote a readable Arthur Benjamin Borchard. In August 1937 it was announced in the autobiography, Walk on the North Side (1978). New York press: ‘William Primrose, the English [sic] Primrose was the first really modern violist. His Roy Harris viola player, has accepted an invitation from the technique was such that he could play virtually National Broadcasting Company to lead the violas in anything at sight – on a rare occasion when he was the new orchestra being formed for Arturo defeated, he worked all night at the piece and Toscanini’s concerts here, and to broadcast solos.’ presented himself next morning, fully in command. Promised the NBC Symphony Orchestra principal’s His career divides into three periods: the violin phase; job by Toscanini, Primrose arrived to find that Artur the first viola phase, lasting until just after World War Rodzinski had already hired Carlton Cooley. So he II, in which he played his father’s Brothers Amati merely shared the front desk but was able to play the with its warm, deep, tenor-ish sonority; and the occasional solo. For a few years he organized the second viola phase from 1954, when he switched to Primrose Quartet, with NBC Symphony Orchestra the slightly bigger but more alto-sounding ‘Lord William Primrose colleagues Oscar Shumsky (later Joseph Fuchs), Harrington’ Andrea Guarneri and was unduly Josef Gingold and Harvey Shapiro: the group first influenced by Heifetz. A few recordings here were broadcast on 8th May 1939 (Borodin D minor) and made in the interim between these viola phases, when made its concert début on 5th November, playing he experimented with a 1945 instrument by William Recorded 1934-1952 8.111383 5 6 8.111383 8.111383 bk Primrose2_EU_8.111383 bk Primrose2_EU 13/10/11 17.52 Pagina 2 William Primrose (1904-1982) Track 1: with Joseph Kahn, piano Recorded in New York, except 5, 6 and 10 recorded in William Primrose (1904-1982) Recital • 2 Track 2: with Albert Spalding, violin London Recital • 2 (1934-1952 Recordings) 1934-1952 Recordings and André Benoist, piano Track 3: with Jascha Heifetz, violin Transfers and Production: David Lennick This second volume of pieces played by the known) used his father’s 1735 Niccolò Gagliano in 1 Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840): 9 Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Tracks 4, 9 and 11: with Vernon de Tar, organ Digital Restoration: Graham Newton legendary Scots violist William Primrose is notable his early career as a violinist. There was music on his Caprice No. 24 (arr. Primrose) 4:26 Herzlich tut mich verlangen 3:33 Tracks 5-6: unaccompanied Original recordings from the collections of David for including two major works written for him. He mother’s side, too: her brother Samuel Whiteside was inspired or commissioned quite a few new pieces, a distinguished Glaswegian violinist and multi- (from Caprices, Op. 1) (from Elf Choralvorspiele, Op. 122, No. 10) Tracks 7-8: with Marian Anderson, contralto and Lennick, David Hermann and the Sniderman among them Britten’s Lachrymae and the Bartók, instrumentalist; but sadly he was drowned when Victor 15773, mx CS 038254-2 Columbia AAL 33, mx Lp 13064 Franz Rupp, piano Recordings Archive, University of Toronto (24th July 1939) (May 1952) Porter, Rubbra, Fricker and Milhaud (Second) Willie was very young. The lad began violin lessons Track 10: with Harry Isaacs, piano Concertos, and further expanded the repertoire at four with Camillo Ritter, a pupil of Joachim, Halíř 2 George Frideric Handel (16851-1759): 0 Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840): Tracks 12-14: with Vladimir Sokoloff, piano Special thanks to David Hermann through transcriptions and arrangements such as and Ševčík, and would have studied with the last, had Adagio 4:38 Caprice No. 17 ‘La risata’ (arr. Primrose) 3:14 Tracks 15-16: with Johana Harris, piano those on this disc. Primrose enjoyed playing short it not been for World War I. He was playing in public (from Sonata in E, Op. 2 No. 9) (from Caprices, Op. 1) pieces such as Jamaican Rumba by the Australian- at the age of twelve and was able to hear Caruso, Victor 18241, mx CS 066350-1 Columbia DB 1585, mx CA 15241-1 born Arthur Benjamin; and when he asked Benjamin Destinn, Elman, Kreisler, Kubelík, Szigeti and Ysaÿe.