Search - Malcolm Arnold, Malcolm / Penny, Andrew Arnold, Andrew Penny :: Arnold: The Complete Symphonies [Box Set]

Glorious Music, Great Performances

T. Beers | Arlington, Virginia United States | 07/23/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am just beginning to explore Malcolm Arnold's nine symphonies and, I must say, I'm already quite overwhelmed by their quality. Sir Malcolm's orchestral sound is reminiscent of another great XXth century British symphonist - Sir William Walton - which is to say that the idiom is tonal with a marvelously spiky coloring at times, and great rhythmic variety. So far, my favorite Arnold symphony is the Third, which is roughly contemporary with his inspired score for the great David Lean film, "The Bridge on the River Kwai." I can't imagine why these symphonies are not much better known or widely played, unless it's because of lingering snobbery about composers who write tonal symphonies and whose heroes are predecessors like Sibelius and Elgar. That sort of opinion is increasingly as passe as the Darmstadt composers & camp followers who sponsored it, but some traces remain, particularly among music academics who came of age in the '50s. I'm just happy that Naxos cares enough about Arnold to have produced such idiomatic performances under a conductor who obviously knows and loves the music. And with an orchestra that plays it quite brilliantly. I should note that the Penguin guide also rates these performances highly, but in some cases prefers alternatives on the Chandos label. I'm a big Chandos fan, so I'm quite sure those are fine recordings, but this Naxos set is unbelievably inexpensive and the (fully digital) sound is first-rate. Note that these performances are also available on individual Naxos CDs, but White Box presentation here is space-saving & quite elegant, with a handsome booklet that contains extensive notes about all the symphonies. Finally, note that these performances were all recorded in the presence of the composer, who is still very much alive, and whose interview by conductor Andrew Penney is included as a fill-up after the performance of the Ninth Symphony. Great stuff here; don't miss this set!"