- 1 - THE LONDON CELLO SOUND CONDUCTOR’S NOTE geoffrey simon conductor It started with The Swan—we were considering In a three-hour session there would be time to it for our Saint-Saëns project. This most record more than one piece. Since an arranger 1 The Swan Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) [2.52] famous of all cello solos has been recorded would be needed to prepare The Swan, we many times before, however, and Stokowski, invited the talented Richard Balcombe, and 2 Vocalise Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943) [5.56] Ormandy and one or two others have even asked him to make arrangements of Vocalise recorded it with an entire orchestral cello and Tonight as well. The programme, we 3 Sardana Pablo Casals (1876-1973) [5.49] section—ten musicians—playing the melody. thought at the time, would appropriately be completed with an original composition by the 4 Greensleeves Suite Richard Balcombe (b. 1955) [5.13] But how would it sound, we wondered, with legendary Pablo Casals, the cellist’s cellist: not one but several cello sections, playing en Sardana, for eight-part cello orchestra. 5 Tonight from West Side Story Leonard Bernstein (1918-1992) [2.41] masse? Very rich, most probably, but could we find orchestras willing to cooperate? We The four orchestras’ only condition was learned that on the very next day there was challenging: all must be treated equally. to be a meeting of the Administrators of the Our solution is shown in the accompanying Total timings: [23.01] major London orchestras. Within 24 hours diagram: we ensured that all the arrangements The London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic were in eight parts and assigned each Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra and piece differently amongst the sections; Philharmonia Orchestra had agreed that a the two short solos were offered to the The 40 Cellos of gesture of mutual participation would indeed youngest and oldest of the principals. LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA be a welcome, positive symbol in these times of all-too prevalent divisiveness. There was The session itself was magical. As the forty ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA even a moment found when, amazingly, all four cellists adjusted to one other, the distinctive BBC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA orchestras were available: the evening of January tone of each individual orchestra gradually PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA 18, 1993. The London Cello Sound was born. blended and fused into a whole which took on GEOFFREY SIMON CONDUCTOR a sheen and character all its own. We realised calasignum.com - 3 - that with such an enormous weight of sonority ARRANGER’S NOTE of the harmony, rather than on top. Later in the with the opportunity to be percussive and at hand, no-one need “push” the sound at all, piece, when the tune is doubled at the higher rhythmic as well as beautifully melodic. even in the most expressive and energetic of The commission to arrange music for this octave, the cello’s versatility and great range passages: it blossomed best when most relaxed. disc provided me with one of the most enables the creation of a soundscape virtually © Richard Balcombe fulfilling challenges of my career. How could as wide as that of a full string orchestra. It turned out that there was time to record the I achieve a flattering, full sound without three arrangements but not Sardana. At the little disturbing the calm simplicity of The Swan My brief for the Greensleeves Suite was quite party held for the musicians after the session— or losing any of the detail of Vocalise? simple–begin by melting into a lush version many of whom, because of the intensity of their of the tune, to highlight the warm, rich orchestras’ schedules, had not seen each other We decided to use two harps to accompany middle register of the instrument. We hear 30 since student days—it was unanimously felt The Swan, to provide a more “airy” quality cellos playing Greensleeves to the lute-like that Sardana, a highly virtuoso piece, should behind the 40 cellos, rather than the two pianos accompaniment of the other ten. To follow, I indeed be tackled. The next available date for which so perfectly support just the one cello used some of the special effects of which the the four orchestras was April 2, in the morning. in the original. I have attempted to keep this cello is capable—for example, harmonics in the arrangement as “spare” as possible: not too Maypole section and a pizzicato version of The The second session also enabled us to add much counterpoint (to preserve the inherent Lover and His Lass—before returning to a very one further arrangement, so as to produce a clarity of the tune) and only a delicate fleshing full-sounding recapitulation of the main theme. well-rounded programme of about 22 or 23 out of the harmony, subtly enriching the fuller, minutes. Thus Richard Balcombe composed but never heavy, massed melodic sound. We wanted a “standard” to finish with, and the Greensleeves Suite, which explores the the suggestion was made of Tonight from baritone register of the massed cellos in contrast Working from Rachmaninov’s own arrangement West Side Story. I decided to use the Ensemble to the more tenor-like range of The Swan. of Vocalise for full orchestra, I was able to retain rather than Duet version of the number—it for the cellos all the lines of the composer’s comes just at the end of Act I—since there is We hope the result will be enjoyed as much highly intricate counterpoint. On occasion there so much variety in this and it has a wonderful in the listening as it was in the making. are up to 16 separate parts, some of which I introduction which doesn’t give away the tune chose to include as solo lines in order not to until the last minute. It provides the cellos © Geoffrey Simon Artistic Director cover the melody, which is often in the middle - 4 - - 5 - THE LONDON CELLO SOUND BBC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 1 The Swan (1886) Edition of Grove’s Dictionary [1954] that his Paul Watkins principal Camille Saint-Saëns music “is not likely to last and musicians LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA Susan Monks arr. Richard Balcombe never regarded it with much favour” being Robert Truman principal Graham Bradshaw a case in point). But forty years later, it is Francis Bucknall Janice Brodie Saint-Saëns published an enormous amount recognised that Rachmaninov was a truly Bridget Evans Charles Martin of music during his life, yet he withheld The great Russian composer who provided Ronald Calder Clare Hinton Carnival of the Animals, which he regarded as the perfect link between the 19th-century John Lowdell Peter Freyhan frivolous: a “private joke” intended solely for romanticism of Tchaikovsky and the 20th- Roger Lunn Sarah Hedley Miller the amusement of his friends. However, he did century modernism of Shostakovich. Ernest Greaves Emma Pritchard relent in the case of just one of the numbers, Le Catherine Wilmers Helen Verney Cygne (The Swan) and it not only became a best- Rachmaninov’s symphonies, concertos and Susan Sutherley seller in its sheetmusic form, but was further choral works have become cornerstones of the Philip Taylor PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA popularised in the celebrated “Dying Swan” solo repertoire, as indeed have his solo piano pieces Matthias Feile principal created by the prima ballerina Anna Pavlova. and songs. Among the latter is the wordless ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA David Jones Vocalise of 1912—a melisma of sound for Mats Lidstrom principal Rhydian Shaxson Ironically, when the complete Carnival was soprano voice and piano accompaniment. Francois Rive Michael Hurwitz finally printed the year after Saint-Saëns’s death, Rachmaninov himself made an orchestral Andrew Fuller Jocelyn Gale it soon became his most-played composition. arrangement of this music, and recorded it in Tamsy Kaner Ruth Zagni the days of 78s with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Nigel Pinkett Anne Baker 2 Vocalise (1912) The continuous, heartfelt melody is imbued Peter Vel Avis Perthen Sergei Rachmaninov with typical Rachmaninovian melancholy Christopher Irby Katharine Thulborn arr. Richard Balcombe and nostalgia, and in Richard Balcombe’s Laurence Cromwell Caroline Dearnley Paul Watkins solo cello arrangement would seem as if tailor-made Eldon Fox for an orchestra of top-flight cellists. William Heggart Harps – The Swan: In the years following his death, Rachmaninov Rachel Masters and Helen Tunstall, was much maligned by certain critics (the London Philharmonic Orchestra. notoriously disparaging entry in the 5th - 6 - - 7 - 3 Sardana (1927) its scoring has little in common with the cobla 4 Greensleeves Suite (1993) Next comes the poignantly nostalgic melody of Pablo Casals bands which normally provide the music. Richard Balcombe The Oak and the Ash and the Bonny Ivy-Tree, Robert Truman solo cello in which a young girl in London is pining for The Catalan cellist Pablo Casals was recognised Casals does indeed bridge the gap to some her home in the North of England. The use of a as one of the greatest ever exponents of his extent during the course of the work, calling on The four ancient folk melodies heard in this solo cello, high over softly-held chords, ideally instrument as well as a noted conductor one occasion for some of the cellists to imitate music come from a 19th-century volume of “Old captures the plaintive nature of the song. and teacher. His international recital and the nasal, warbling sound of the “Grallas English Ditties”, subtitled Popular Music of the concert tours before and after the First World Tcine”—an instrument of the Cobla, derived (as Olden Time. From the many airs and ballads The suite concludes with a full-voiced reprise War, and his formidable artistry, did much is the oboe) from the medieval “shawm”.